2011 Wedding Food Trends
January 5, 2011
Wedding food trends
The issue of what food you’re going to serve your wedding guests is one of the all important questions you’ll need to address. But whilst there are always going to be plenty of tried and tested long-term favourites on the wedding food menu, if you fancy doing things a bit differently, then what trends can we expect to see hotting up this year?
1. A Wedding Cake Made of Cheese
Cheese wedding cake
Already popular, the idea of swapping a traditional sweet, fruit wedding cake for a funky layered ‘cake’ made of cheese is likely to continue in 2011. The ‘cake’ can be stacked up in the traditional wedding cake style, but instead each layer is a different type of cheese.
The bride and groom can still do the traditional cutting of the cake, and the cheese can be served up at the end of the meal, or kept ready to serve at an evening buffet.
2. Miniature Desserts
Serve miniature desserts at your wedding
If you’re having a dessert at your wedding, then there’s usually a small choice of options. To add variety and a different twist to the dessert course, we could be seeing more wedding parties opting for the restaurant idea of serving a wider choice of miniature desserts.
These miniature desserts, served on a joint platter on a table so guests can help themselves, or a small selection per guest, offer the same delicious sweet desserts, but in smaller form. Popular favourites for this include miniature chocolate brownies, mini crème brulee, mini raspberry cheesecake and miniature lemon tart.
3. Rustic Carved Meats
Serve rustic carved meats
Some wedding experts are suggesting that the trend for serving tables of guests rustic carved meats on wooden boards may gain in popularity this year. The idea is that the potatoes and vegetables are served direct to tables, along with boards of carved meats, such as pork, ham, turkey and chicken.
Serving at the table can reduce the need for guests to queue up for their meals, as is the custom at some weddings, and provides a more informal and relaxed element to the meal.
4. Entertainment Between Courses
Surprise your guests with singing waiters
The format for most wedding breakfasts is that entertainment comes after the meal, but a new take on it, especially if you’re having several courses, is to provide entertainment from singers or other entertainers between courses.
The idea of opera singing waiters for example is increasingly popular. The singers act like normal waiters and waitresses, then suddenly spring into action singing between courses. Many of them offer more than just opera and have something to suit all musical tastes; there may even be room for audience participation too!
As well as making your wedding memorable, it gives people the chance to properly digest each course and adds to the atmosphere of the day.
3 Wedding Reception Decorating Ideas
September 8, 2010
Decorate with balloons
When you’re planning your wedding reception, one of the issues you’ll need to think about is how you’ll decorate the reception venue. There are lots of ways in which you can make your mark on the venue, from simple measures, to extravagant gestures. Even if you only have a modest budget, there are still plenty of great decorating options available for you. Here are three ideas for decorating your wedding reception venue.
1. Decorate With Helium Balloons
A long-term favourite, helium balloons are a popular choice for wedding reception venues. Forget birthday party balloons and think luxury balloons – these are stylish and superior balloons which can transform an ordinary venue into a special location. Helium balloons can be chosen to match your wedding colour theme and they can be plain, decorated with a subtle design or large hearts or monograms. If you want to declare you’re ‘Just Married’ then there’s a balloon can do this for you too!
Tip: Ask a helium balloon specialist to create an arched balloon effect, to arrange over the top of the bridal table.
2. Decorate With Candles
Create a romantic atmosphere at your wedding venue by decorating with candles. For winter weddings, candles are a lovely way of adding flickering light and extra interest to a room, but during wedding receptions in the rest of the year, arrangements with candles – large and small – can look very effective too. Just remember to take care if you’re using lit candles and ensure they’re positioned sensibly and away from the risk of being accidentally knocked – especially by the train of a wedding dress!
Tip: Try arranging candles in groups of three, ideally with three different sized candles. For a personal touch, consider having your wedding date or names printed on them.
Decorate with candles and flowers
3. Decorate With Fresh Flowers
An ever popular choice for decorating wedding reception venues is to use fresh flowers. Flowers can easily be coordinated with your wedding colour theme, as well as linked in with the flowers you have in a wedding bouquet. If you’re keen on creating a contemporary look, then there are plenty of innovative ways of using fresh flowers. Fish bowl style vases, for example, where the flowers are wrapped around the inside of the vase, produce stunning centrepieces for wedding tables.
Tip: Choose seasonal flowers for your wedding, as they’ll be widely available and cheaper to purchase than out of season blooms.
10 Ways to Cut Wedding Costs and Save Money
August 11, 2010
Save money on wedding costs
Weddings are a costly business, but with some careful planning and organisation, there are ways of cutting your costs and sticking to a budget. Here are 10 ways that you could cut your wedding costs and save money.
1. Print your own wedding stationery
Wedding invitations, orders of service, menus, place names and thank you cards can all be made yourself and printed out at home. It’s cheaper to buy the card and ink yourself and do the work than paying a hefty price to get someone else to do it.
2. Hire a wedding suit or dress
Cut the huge expense of buying a wedding dress by hiring one instead. This goes for the groom, ushers and bridesmaids too, who can also hire suits or dresses.
3. Scour wedding forums for wedding sales
Lots of people who’ve recently got married sell their unwanted items through wedding forums. You could find table decorations, veils, shoes, candles, favour bags or tiaras at reduced prices.
4. Get married on a weekday or a Sunday
Saturday’s are the most popular day of the week to get married, but by bucking the trend, you can save money. The cost of receptions, such as hiring a venue, is considerably cheap on a weekday or Sunday.
5. Buy reduced priced items in sales
Keep an eye out for sales and buy items you need for your wedding at reduced price, even if you have to buy them in advance.
6. Look for a wedding dress in sample sales
Sample sales can be a good way of saving money on the cost of a wedding dress, especially if you’re a small size.
Hire a wedding suit
7. Buy a wedding cake from a supermarket
Most of the major supermarkets sell plain iced fruit cakes or sponge cakes in different sizes. Buy three different size cakes, stack them up and you can create a cheap and easy wedding cake. Decorate with ribbon and fresh flowers.
8. Keep the flowers simple and buy your own
Keep your wedding floral decorations simple and elegant and, where possible, buy your own flowers and do your own decorations.
9. Get friends to do the photography
Find friends that are good with photography and get them to do your wedding photos. Digital cameras produce great results these days.
10. Save postage on wedding invitations
Hand deliver as many wedding invitations as possible, or email them instead.
6 Wedding Reception Table Name Ideas
June 18, 2010
Table name ideas
If you’re having a seated wedding reception with a number of tables, then it’s a nice idea to come up with names for each of the tables, rather than just numbering them. Not only does it help people find where they’re sitting more easily and make your table plan better to follow, but it ‘s a lot more fun and can also be cleverly tied into your wedding theme.
If you’re stuck as to how to name your wedding reception tables, then here are some ideas to get you thinking!
1. Your favourite places
Choose table names that reflect your favourite places, be it cities around the world, beaches, local beauty spots or places you’ve lived.
2. Favourite chocolates
A favourite with chocoholics, you could create table names based on your favourite chocolates. For example, tables could be named chocolate truffle, strawberry crème, caramel whirl or chocolate marzipan. If you’re leaving favours on the table for your guests, then naming your tables after chocolates gives you the ideal opportunity of matching the table names with the favours. So the favours on the chocolate truffle table could, of course, feature gorgeous truffles.
3. Favourite dates
If you don’t mind a spot of speculation about what you were up to on each one, then another idea for your wedding reception table names could be based on favourite dates you’ve shared as a couple.
4. Family surnames
A nice way of reflecting the different names that run through both your families is to use them as a basis for your table names. For example, include the bride’s maiden surname, your grandparents surnames and maiden names and any other names that you know run through both your families. This would be particularly apt for anyone involved in tracing their family history, as they’re likely to have unearthed plenty of interesting names along the way.
5. Colours
Name the tables at your reception after different colours. For an interesting theme for the reception, each of the tables could be decorated in a matching different colour.
6. Cakes
Another edible favourite is to name each table after a different type of cake, such as Victoria sponge, chocolate cake, carrot cake or cream bun. You could include a centrepiece on the table with each of these different cakes displayed – edible or fake – or give everyone on each table a mini cake to take home with them.