Consider a Grilled Cheese and Wine Station.  Have our chef build each guest a personalized mini panini and pair it with their favorite wine.

Pick your bread…

• Raisin Nut Bread
• French Bread
• Pretzel Slider Bun or Dinner Roll
• Challah or brioche, pumpernickel, rye or hearty wheat

Pick your cheese…

• Sharp
• Mild or white cheddar
• Brie
• Gruyere
• Swiss
• Creamy Goat
• Blue
• Cream cheese

Pick your spread…..

• Apple Butter
• Coarse, grained or Dijon mustard
• Herbed butter
• Fruit preserves or pepper jelly

Add your favorite topping…

• Caramelized onions
• Sautéed apples or pears
• Sliced fresh fruit or vegetables
• Dried apricots
• Fresh herbs
• Thinly sliced deli meat
• Crisp bacon
• Smoked salmon
• Chopped toasted nuts

Five Fabulous Combos

Fancy Ham and Cheese

• Sharp cheddar w/ brown sugar glazed ham, sweet and spicy mustard on a soft pretzel bun
• Country ham and peach chutney on sweet onion slider
• White cheddar w/ smoked turkey on a wheat slider bun
• Gruyere w/ course grained mustard, thinly sliced glazed ham, dried apricot halves and toasted nuts on French bread

Caramelized Onion Bliss

• Blue Cheese w/ caramelized onions, sautéed pears on a brioche or challah bread
• Cheddar, roast beef, caramelized onions on bread of choice

Salty and Sweet Bacon Panini

• Brie w/ apple butter and bacon on raisin and walnut bread.
• Bacon, fig jam and cheese of choice

Fruit and Nut Sliders

• Sharp cheddar w/ honey mustard, thinly sliced golden delicious apples and toasted pecans on slider bun

Creamy Dill and Salmon Bites

• Creamy goat cheese w/ smoked salmon on hearty white bread brushed w/ dill butter.

Pair all of these with your wine of choice.

This is the hardest and most important step for seamless wedding planning.

Set up a system to keep track all the details. A binder with tabs is an excellent way to organize your planning material.  Divide the binder into tabs for each major element of wedding.

• Tab 1   Budget
• Tab 2   Contacts and Vendors
• Tab 3   Timeline
  • Detailed breakdown of what happens, when it happens, where it happens, and who needs to be there for both rehearsal day and wedding day.
  • Anyone involved in the wedding planning process – vendors, minister, wedding party, family, hotels, etc.  Make sure you have cell number, email and address for everyone involved.

• Tab 4   Checklist
  • Detail planning checklist of everything that needs to be done in preparation or your wedding including a checklist for day of.  Assign anything you can!

• Tab 5  Photographer Information
  • Package Purchased
  • Detailed Shot List
  • All names of family members and bridal party that you want photographed
  • Make sure your planner has a copy of names of those being photographed

• Tab 6 Ceremony
  • Venue information
  • Schematics and Floor Plans
  • Seating Charts
  • Copy of your ceremony text
  • List of your processional/recessional order
  • Your marriage license, ready to be signed!
  • Anything else related to your ceremony

• Tab 7 Reception
  • Venue information
  • Schematics and Floor Plans
  • Setup Instructions and Diagrams
  • Seating Charts and Instructions on How To Implement
  • Menu/Beverage List
  • DJ Contact as Well As DJ Planning Packet
    • All Special Songs Listed w/ Artist
  • List of who is giving toasts & list of people you want to remember to thank!
  • Anything else related to your reception
• Tab 8   Guests
  • Guest list and all revisions
  • Gifts received & thank you notes sent
• Tab 9   Décor/Floral
  • Contact Information for Designer
  • Detail Breakdown of  Floral Ordered
  • Detailed Instructions of Setup and Pictures if Possible
• Tab 10   Vendor Contracts
  • All of them. Always have it in writing!!!

2. Make Backup Plans

Ok, now that you’ve got everything in one place, there are probably some things for which you should have backup plans. Examples are – outdoor events, which should have an indoor location secured in case of inclement weather, flower girls/ring bearers who may be suddenly shy and unwilling to walk the aisle in front of all those people and your iPod playlist which should be copied onto someone else’s iPod too!

3. Find the Missing Details

Read wedding grad posts, consult online checklists or friends who’ve gotten married, ask a planner – whatever. There is probably something you forgot, reserved signs for your family’s seats, someone to press play on the iPod, toasting glasses your grandmother sent you a month ago and if you take a little time now to check your list twice, you’ll figure it out before the big day arrives and thus avoid panic.

4. Make sure you have a planner or day of executer

On your wedding day, you do not want to be setting up chairs and centerpieces before you run back to the hotel to get ready, wearing a watch to keep things happening on time, or talking to the catering manager every twenty minutes about what food to bring out and which tables go where.

5. Practice

I know everyone’s schedules are crazy and it’s hard to get people in the same place at the same time, but even if it’s fifteen minutes the morning of the wedding, try to schedule at least a quick walk through of your ceremony.

6. Relax

Hand over your binder, your watch, and your cell phone to your planner and simply relax!   Soak up all the moments in the first day of the rest of your awesome married life.

Q.

Is it improper to have a cash bar at our reception, even if we will have around 400 people and don’t have the money to provide for everyone?

A.

While it is often necessary to find ways to cut costs, a cash bar is never a good choice. When you have a wedding, you’re inviting people to a party, and they shouldn’t have to pay for anything while they’re there. Yes, it’s true that when you have a bash in your apartment and invite all your pals, you say “BYOB,” but it’s not quite the same at a formal event. Better to try and save money on the alcohol itself — and don’t worry, there are a number of ways to do that.

Consider having a “limited” bar. Serve only soda, beer, and wine or have a champagne toast. Some couples have a signature wedding cocktail, which cuts down on the different liquors and ingredients

This great advice came from the Industry Experts at The Knot!!!

http://2013winterweddingopenhouse.eventbrite.com

We are seeing cake trends go to a smaller compact design with a lot of wow!  Sugar flowers, bling and texture are in!  The smooth buttercream with fresh flowers on top is out!  The presentation of the cake itself is also dramatically different.  Elegant cake pedestals are definitely in!  Some of them look very much like what your grandmother may have displayed her famous pound cake on when you were a child.  The vintage glass is hot!!  Jewels are also very popular.

As you search for the perfect cake, take into consideration a few things right off the bat.  You will usually find one of the following and it is important to know the difference:

• commercial bakery
• boutique bakery
• reception hall caterer

A commercial bakery usually has very limited designs and flavors and cost a lot less.  You will probably not find the most trendy of designs with a commercial baker and the flavor is usually ok at best.  We find that the cakes are not quite as durable and it is sometimes scary who they send to deliver, if they even deliver at all.

With a boutique baker, you will find a lot of creativity and flexibility as far as design and they can usually recreate anything.  You will pay more, but you will be able to captivate your personality.  We find that the service is much better and that brides are usually very delighted with the end result. The old saying  that you get what you pay for is very true with wedding cakes.

A caterer/reception venue can often provide a good product, but keep in mind that chef’s specialize and it is difficult to find a chef that is good as catering/food in general and can also bake.  They almost don’t exist. So, ask the question of your venue, do they do the cakes in-house or have they partnered with someone who specializes in pastry.  You may be surprised.  You may be getting a caterer and a boutique bake all in one!  Make sure you know what you are getting, that you have seen their work and had a cake tasting.

Food for thought!!

]]> http://hazlehursthouse.net/2012/10/wedding-cake-designs-are-ever-changing/feed/ 0 http://hazlehursthouse.net/2012/10/wedding-budgets/ http://hazlehursthouse.net/2012/10/wedding-budgets/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:09:13 +0000 felicia http://hazlehursthouse.net/?p=1869 Continue reading →]]> Congratulations on your engagement! Now your biggest question, “What is my wedding budget? How much does a wedding actually cost?” Let’s consider a budget planning process and maximize your family dollar. The chart below, The True Cost of a Wedding Knot, provides the national average costs of a wedding. There are ways to have your day without killing your wallet. Let’s get started!

As ideas flurry, let’s ask yourself a few questions…….

1. What should my budget be—realistically?
2. How do I establish a realistic wedding budget to meet my needs?
3. Priorities—what are the most important elements of vision?

As you think about these three things, make a list of everything you need for your day based on your current vision.  For example, dress, venue, ceremony site, food, flowers, cake, entertainment, etc.  As you list all of these categories, put a dollar amount based on what you can afford and then take that list and compare it to the national average for each category.  How does what you can afford compare to what an average bride spends based on all of her research.  This will tell you a lot.  It will tell you if you if you need to tweak your vision or if you can expound on it and make it bigger.  This first exercise is crucial as you establish a budget and start planning and shopping!  Being an informed shopper always translates into more value!!

As you shop, you always want to know what questions to ask.  For example when shopping a venue, you want to ask up front what is included in the shell of a venue.  What rentals will you need to add?  Rentals add up quick!  Ask if the venue includes service staff?  Staffing is another cost not often considered in a budget process.

When shopping for floral and décor, a good question to ask is if the company is a flower shop or an event design company?  For example, do they supply more than just flowers?  Do they have access to and experience in designing an overall “look” including the décor aside from just fresh floral arrangements.  A mom and pop flower shop isn’t always capable of overall event design.

When shopping for a baker, always request a tasting and talk to previous clients and not always a client from three months ago.  You want to establish that the baker has a long list of very happy brides.

These same principals apply to every category of planning a wedding.  At the end of the day, you want to ensure your day is in the hands of very skilled professionals that will take the stress out of planning a wedding so that you and your family can enjoy the process and look back on this time as enjoyable and pleasant.  Doing homework on the front end is never a bad idea!

Bridal Gown Trends for 2012

We welcome the glamorous, romantic and old Hollywood-style in bridal gowns. Designers have embraced and combined flowing elegance with texture and color to produce show stopping gowns.

Bridal Gown Trends for 2012

We welcome the glamorous, romantic and old Hollywood-style in bridal gowns. Designers have embraced and combined flowing elegance with texture and color to produce show stopping gowns.

Couples will continue to incorporate family heirlooms and traditions into their 2012 wedding, just with less mason jars, tin cans and vintage luggage. The ‘shabby-chic’ will be replaced by detailed French lace on dresses, favors, cake detail, bouquet wraps, and invitations.

Think old-world glamour meets modern sophistication with lavish furnishings, rich textures, lots of white, and some metallic’s in grand traditional settings.

Sweets and Treats Trends for 2012

The cupcake and candy bar trend of previous seasons will shift towards cookies and dessert tables in 2012. Expect to start seeing more cookies, pies and “hand-made” candy being served to fulfill the sweet tooth cravings of guests at 2012 weddings. We also expect to see a much anticipated return of the traditional groom’s cake.

One of the many comments I receive as a professional wedding planner is “I cannot imagine what today would have been like without you!”. This simple and flattering feedback surprises me every time as I am usually so focused on a wedding while I am there, that I give little thought to what it would be like without a planner present. With a bit of reflection, I am about to explore what a wedding day would be like with and without a planner. Please note that the following are examples of worse case scenarios, although they have been known to happen – they do not happen to everyone.

Scenario One: Morning Preparations

Without: It is 9:00 a.m. and the hair and make-up artists are running late and are most likely lost because they are not familiar with the area. Bride has to call her mother to get the hair dresser’s phone number, she Google’s the directions, and texts the artists her hotel room number.

With: It is 9:00 am, the hair and make-up artists have arrived on time having been provided with a map, clear directions, and hotel room number of the Bride from the wedding planner. The Bride calmly sips on a mimosa as she receives a confirmation phone call from her planner to ensure that everyone has arrived alright.

Scenario Two: Getting Dressed

Without: It is 2:00 pm, the Bridal Party is already running behind and the zipper on one of the bridesmaid dress won’t stay up. The Mother of the Bride does what she can to fix it but can’t get it zip all the way.

With: It is 12:00 p.m., the Bridal Party is running late so the planner stops by the hotel room to check on the delay and discovers the bridesmaid’s zipper won’t stay up. The planner pulls out her “emergency kit”; produces a mini sewing kit, stitches the zipper into place and gets the bridal party on their way.

Scenario Three: En Route
Without: It is 2:00 p.m., the Bridal Party is in the hotel lobby waiting to be picked up – the limo is a no show. Bride has to call the limo company and then arrange for taxis to take her party to the ceremony site.

With: It is 2:00 p.m., the Bridal Party is picked up at the hotel by a limo with chilled champagne being poured; the planner having confirmed the date, time and address of the pick up and drop off with the limo company the day prior.

Scenario Four: Set Up & Ceremony
Without: Finally! It is 3:00 p.m. and everyone has arrived at the ceremony site, the Bride gives the decor to the caterer, who is her aunt, and helps her set up escort cards, guest book and signage. The Bride then frantically organizes the wedding party into the procession order.

With: Finally! It is 3 p.m. and everyone arrives at the ceremony site, the Bride has a quiet and special moment with her parents. Meanwhile, her wedding planner oversees the set up of the decor, confirms the final cocktail period details with the caterer, and prepares the wedding party for the processional.

Scenario Five: Introduction & Reception

Without: It is 5:00 p.m., despite a late start, the ceremony and family photos went well. The Bride and Groom now try to gather their wedding party and line them in the correct order so the DJ can formally announce them into the reception but no one can find the Best Man. The Groom goes looking for this friend, delaying the evening further.

With: It is 5 p.m., the ceremony and family photos went great and everything is on schedule. The planner collects the wedding party and lines everyone in order for the formal introduction. The planner confirms the proper pronunciation of the Groom’s last name with the DJ, preparing to queue him. Meanwhile, the newlyweds relax and share a laugh with their friends, waiting for their big moment.

Scenario Six: Dinner & Dance

Without: It is 6 p.m., the DJ senses a lull in the evening and asks the couple if they are ready for speeches and toasts. The Bride leaves the table to tell the Maid of Honor and Best Man that their speeches will be early. The toasts run long, resulting in the main course having to sit under the heat lamps, drying out.

With: It is 6 p.m., the planner checks with the banquet captain that the main courses are being served shortly. She then confirms with the DJ that the speeches and toasts will begin once the dessert course is served, ensuring the meal is served in its optimum condition and satisfied guests give their full attention to speakers.

Scenario Seven: Send Off

Without: It is midnight and the DJ has just announced the Bride and Groom’s last dance. As the newlyweds take the dance floor, the Bride’s mother misses the moment having been too busy boxing up left over personal items (i.e.: toasting glasses, Bride’s veil, presents) and loading them into her car. She then misses their farewell because she was finding the banquet captain to pay the final bill and writing checks for the final vendor payments that are still due.

With: It is midnight, the planner has already loaded the personal items into the limo before the last dance and has packed up the remaining wedding day items. The planner handles giving vendors their last payments and tips in envelopes she had her clients prepare the day before. The Bride’s mother is busy being a great hostess, enjoying the evening with friends and family. The Bride and Groom are blissful as they get into their getaway car having just been a guest at their own wedding, fully able to savor each moment and enjoy their friends and family. The planner has sent them off with a small slice of boxed wedding cake and chilled champagne to enjoy in their hotel room.

The planner is the neutral party who sees the bigger picture of the day. She is not a guest.  She is there to ensure the event runs smoothly providing convenience and a piece of mind. Most importantly, as a wedding planner, she provides a service to couples allowing them to experience their wedding day to the fullest — making all the difference!

Chances are once you got engaged you quickly realized that there is an entire vocabulary or language of wedding-speak. I often hear couples confuse and interchange the terms wedding designer, planner, andcoordinator — understandably so. A planner is almost always a coordinator, but a coordinator is not always a planner. A planner can be a designer as well, but a designer is not always a planner or a coordinator. And some are all three. Have I thoroughly confused you?

Although most wedding professionals are a combination of the three, each have specific duties when it comes to what wedding services they provide. Here are the differences between the three:

A wedding designer is responsible for the overall visual aesthetic of the wedding. Designers think in terms of the big picture. They generate the wedding design and decor concept and how that concept will be threaded through each visual element. Often they will work in conjunction with florists, lighting technicians, and photographers to create the look and feel of the event.

A wedding planner is a responsible for planning the logistical elements that bring your wedding vision to life and is involved from the very beginning of the planning process. Depending on the level of service they are commissioned for, a wedding planner will assist with budget creation and management, vendor referrals, wedding day timeline, seating arrangements, and so on. They can also act as a trusted advisor on everything wedding related and a shoulder to lean on. A wedding planner will also coordinate the day as well, since they are highly involved with the planning.

A wedding coordinator is not deeply involved with planning the wedding. Their primary duty is to be there on the day and ensure that it runs smoothly and according to plan. You often hear them referred to as day-of-coordinators. Many jump in a month before the wedding to finalize the last minute details, confirm vendor obligations, create a timeline, and oversee the set-up of the décor. Many wedding planners offer wedding coordination services to their clients as part of their service package.

When thinking about hiring a wedding designer, planner, and coordinator it’s important to understand what your needs and desires are and which potential companies provide the type of services you want. Happy Planning!