Reception Eats 101 May 13, 2008

Plated, Buffet, Hors d’oeuvre, dessert only. For most weddings, those cover all your bases.

I think hors d’oeuvre and dessert only are pretty self explanatory. But please make your guests aware of the light fare for the evening. You don’t want your guests to be famished expecting a meal, and end up with spring rolls and/or cake only. There if nothing wrong with going with either of these options, just let your guests know what to expect, and don’t schedule your reception during a traditional ‘meal time’. In my book when it comes to receptions, lunch is 11:30a-1:30p, and dinner would be 6p-8p.

Now for the big guys:
Plated reception vs Buffet

I consider plated to be more formal. It will typically have a few courses, an appetizer, plated salad, possibly an intermezzo followed by an entree, and the dessert among at least half a dozen other options. Dessert can be your cake, and/or in addition to your cake.

I prefer a plated meal, I think it takes some of the burden of your guests, allows them to relax and enjoy the food, and not wait in line to get their chicken, which never seem to be quite hot enough. I also feel like there is never enough of the ‘good stuff’ on a buffet unless you are first in line. Also, many options are hard to serve buffet style, I think steak is not a good buffet choice.

Buffets are great if you have a ton of options, want to include different specialty bars (like a pasta bar, sushi bar, made to order stir fry bar etc). But you must admit, it can be hard to juggle a plate for some older guests.

I also think buffets take away from guests getting to chat. Inevitably, someone will be missing from the table when a killer joke gets told, or when the videographer comes around for well wishes* (I will reserve my opinions on that for a future post).

If you want two options for your plated meal, let’s say chicken and steak you also have some serving options. Ask your venue about a duet entree (everyone will get steak and chicken). It’s not as expensive as it may sound, and a lot less work than tracking RSVP meal preferences, and color coding placecards because your venue requires it. Guests also won’t have to choose in June what they want to eat in September.

Buffets are not necessarily less costly either. Do your research, talk to your venue, and do what is best for you. I’m just sharing my two cents.

A Few of our new favorite cakes May 8, 2008

I love the show Ace of Cakes on the Food network, I’m a dork like that. And I stumbled onto their real site to see what else they can make, beside hockey rinks and beagles. And I LOVE some of their more traditional cakes. Here are a few of my favorites:

I love the color variation from dark to light.

I also love the strips of fondant wrapped around each layer on this one. And the flowers are a nice break from traditional roses.

Both photos courtesy of CharmCityCakes.com

Cash bar part two May 5, 2008

One more thought, a consumption bar usually will never work out in your favor. You need to do some real math to figure out if going with a consumption bar versus an open bar will really work to your advantage. I’ve always found that it does not, but if your think it will, go for it as your guests will still have full bar options and not be aware that you are saving some $$ on the backend.

Cash bar? Just say no May 5, 2008

I beg you, if you only heed one word of my advice. Skip a cash bar.

I know it is tradition is certain parts of the country, but truly, it’s not appreciated by your guests. If you are making the choice for financial reasons, there is no shame is just offering beer/wine or forgoing any type of alcohol in favor of soda, mixers, juices, teas etc.

If you are doing it because “that’s how our family does it”… please think about the inconvenience to your guests. Many guests don’t bring wallets/purses to weddings, let alone do guests typically expect to have to shell out $4 for a screwdriver ($4 is on the low end mind you).

I don’t like to judge the brides-to-be because it’s not my place. However, ditch the favors, ditch the custom napkins if you ordered them, and fork off the extra charge from your venue for the bar to be included, whether you choose a full top shelf bar, a selection of wines, or good old Coke and Pepsi.

Your Uncle Stuart might never say anything, but I am a firm believer that he is most definitely a little miffed that he flew across the country for your wedding, got you the All-Clad pan set you registered for, and finds himself going back to his hotel room to get some cash so he can have a drink at your wedding.

Your guests will thank you, at least I as a guest would thank you and I think I speak for most guests-to-be on this topic.

Bamboo Favors April 4, 2008

Wedding favors don’t have to be edible, although they seem to be the most popular, and I would highly recommend them. That being said, there are great alternative to calorie heavy cookies and candy (yes, I know I just posted about Candy Buffets).

What about bamboo, Eastern Leaf has adorable and relatively inexpensive bamboo favors that would be really sweet for some wedding. There are endless options, from the # os stalks, color or lack or rocks/marbles, personalized messages. I give them two thumbs up if you’re in a bamboo favor mood.

           

All of these can be found online at: Eastern Leaf

Candy Buffet 101 April 4, 2008

This is definitely not a new trend by any means, in fact, I had one at my own wedding. But it seems like people always have a hard time finding the actual containers and advice on how to make it happen. So I thought I’d help.

A great example of a Candy Buffet/Bar

First things first

How many guests are we talking about?
Let’s say an even 100 guests.

How much candy will you need:
Most people say 1/4-1/2 pound PER GUEST. People get greedy when it’s a candy free for all!

So we’re looking at 40-50 pounds of candy to be safe. Yes, I’m serious.

Second

How many type of candy should you buy?
This is really up to you, but I would say somewhere between 8-12 types. Too many varieties and you won’t have enough of anything. Too few varieties, and you’ll likely run out of the “top choices”.

What type of candy should you buy?
Again, this is completely up to you. But to provide some tips: Get candy that is individually wrapped, or has a hard coating (like M&Ms). Gummi items can get
hard if they sit out too long, licorice is too sticky for guests to pull on all night. The most successful candies will be wrapped or hard.

Lastly

Sounds expensive?
Candy Buffets are! I think people don’t take into consideration that it’s going to be a huge expensive before they decide to do one. We had 70 guests, and 10 types of candy. That meant 10 containers, and enough candy to fill them all. Honestly, I don’t know what the weight of all our confections were, but it was alot.

Where do you buy the containers?
There are a ton of great stores, you will need to put on your best shopping shoes because it will take awhile to find everything. I would suggest the following stores as great places to start:

• Home Goods
• Hobby Lobby
• TJ Maxx
• Old Time Pottery
• Marshalls

Where do you buy the scoops?
Online is the single best place to find them. I got mine for under $2/each. We opted for the 4 ounce size as it was large enough to scoop with, but wasn’t too big that people who decided to take a full scoop would wipe out our buffet. UPDATE: I included a link to a supply store for the scoops in the Candy Buffet #2 post, go to our Weddings 101 category on the right and it should pop up in there.

Good luck, it’s definitely a task to get it accomplished. I don’t know how many times I had everything laid out on our kitchen table, or how many extra trips to target I had to make because we didn’t have enough Hershey’s Kisses. But the end result was much appreciated by our guests.

For the truly adventurous DIYer March 28, 2008

DIY cocktail umbrellas! I kid you not, an article in Handmade magazine from our Aussie friends features a howto article about it. They are super cute, but not sure that I’d have the patience for them. Here is a link to the article: http://www.handmade.com.au/extras/webex_umbrellas.php

Sparkles March 21, 2008

I think by now everyone knows about ToppersWithGlitz.com. I myself feel victim to the rhinestone sparkles and ordered one for my own wedding (along with a matching cake serving set). It was a weak moment, what can I say, I blame it on the lure of the little rhinestones! All the toppers are gorgeous and completely made my hand, which I loved. I’m not a fan of the plastic bride/groom toppers, and after personal experience (what seems like forever ago), I completely recommend you check out this site. Toppers With Glitz

Another taste of coffee March 19, 2008

Another little inspiration for all the coffee bean centerpiece seekers. A gorgeous pumpkiny candle, and great ribbon wrap adds a personal touch.

From The Knot:

or a more Fall themed option

Coffee bean centerpiece resources March 19, 2008

We at Farfalla have not used any of these sites for coffee beans, so can’t vouch for their service, but their pricing seems fair, and some even offer free shipping. So where do you get the beans?

http://www.wholesalecoffeebeans.com/
http://www.coffeebeandirect.com/

The best bulk deal: http://www.ccmcoffee.com/index.php you can get 25-40lb boxes, instead of 5lb bags.

Love sweet love March 18, 2008

These are adorable sugar cubes. It may be a little too cutesy, but it’s also unique and I think most guests would think they are more sweet than cheesy.

From Sur La Table French heart sugar cubes.

More Coffee bean centerpiece ideas March 18, 2008

We’ve been getting emails about our coffee bean centerpiece post, requesting picture ideas, so we went hunting and pulled a few of our favorites. We’ll keep an eye out for some more, but these should get you started.

With a twist please… March 17, 2008

I have always loved the look of fruit incorporated into centerpieces. It’s a fresh, springy fun touch. There is a natural bonus as well, lemon in the water will help maintain the color of your flowers (not that you NEED them to last very long, but hey, it’s good to know).

Sparkle Sparkle March 13, 2008

So the night is over, your feet are tired of dancing, you just want to get out of your dress and relax for 2 minutes…. but there is one last thing to complete, the send off! For years newlyweds have used bubbles, rose petals, and of course rice, but now there are so many more options.

Sparklers: like the Fourth of July kind. Makes for a great picture and more fun for guests. You can find them online at http://www.sparklersonline.com/

Fireworks: ‘go big’ with a full blown fireworks display. They are surprisingly more affordable than you might think. A 4-minute show would be plenty long. Check with your venue to see if they already have a contact. Also, be sure to inform your photographer that it will be part of the evening as they may need to bring a specific lens they don’t normally lug around to weddings.

Photo book guestbooks March 5, 2008

We got a ton of compliments about our guest book at our wedding. I used all our engagement photos and with the help of photoworks.com, I created our guest book. We made sure to leave plenty of white space for guests to write on and it was great, and a thousand times better than a list of attendees. People drew pictures, wrote little jokes, it is an amazing keepsake, and I highly recommend it. Here is a sample book from their site, granted it’s not wedding related, but they have a ton of options, and helpful layouts, it’s quick and super easy to do.

The best part of waking up… March 5, 2008

is Folgers in your cup. Well maybe not really, I can’t imagine grinds mixed with water would be delightful, but you get the idea. I digress…

There is a trend of using coffee beans as decorations. While a little unique, I say go for it. They smell delicious, have a gorgeous espresso brown color, now I can’t say I’m sure how the pricing would fall, but they must be less expensive than a huge flower arrangement if you are watching your pennies. Remember, quality of the bean doesn’t matter in this case, just bulk. You don’t need to spend extra for organic, or some artisan blend. Just the good old cheapest stuff would work well, just skip the Folgers and you’ll be fine.

Some design ideas would be to have a layer of the beans in a beautiful wooden box, and line up your tablecards in the beans. Gorgeous. Use a hurricane vase and fill it with beans, put a candle in the top, or use the beans to support a beautiful tall flower centerpiece. If you want to cut back on the number of beans, without sacrificing the “look”… sneak a tall pillar candle into the center of your hurricane vase, and surround it with beans. The candle with take up the space of at least two pounds of beans and no one will even notice.

If you want to round out the theme, give chocolate covered beans as favors, or a pound of coffee and some great unique mugs to each guest as a thank you.

Fortune Cookie Favors February 26, 2008

I received a box this morning from one of our dear friends, who knows of my love for peanut butter & chocolate. Inside were fortune cookies. Half were dipped in peanut butter, the other half in Dark Chocolate Mint. They were delicious, and would make a really cute, inexpensive favor. If you are so inclined you can even customize the messages inside. This loverly gift my friend bestowed upon me was from chocolatefortunes.com. Look at these beauties.

Tablecards vs. Placecards February 25, 2008

Just from planning FYI:

Tablecards instruct your guests to be seated at a specific table. Once they find their table they can select any seat they prefer. Tablecards can be issued as one per couple, or family. An example would be:

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
Table Twelve

or

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
Miss Ashley
Table Twelve

Placecards instruct your guests to be seated in a specific seat AT a specific table. Placecards are typically paired with a seating chart or other means for guests to narrow in on their table. Once they arrive at their table, they will look for their placecard and sit in their pre-selected seat. Placecards will be individual, each guest will require their own card, and no table number would be listed. An example:

Mr. John Smith

or

Mrs. John Smith
to include a child that would be lap seated with a parent, or otherwise is incapable of sitting in their own real seat, I would recommend:

Mr. (or Mrs.) John Smith
Miss Ashley