What to make for your Halloween party.

Food Friday- Halloween!

Welcome to a new series... Food Friday  

Every Friday we will bring you great food ideas for your event.  

Try a few out at home on your friends.

Your Halloween Breakfast...

Pumpkin Biscotti

Head over to On Sugar Mountain for the recipe.

Bourbon Pecan Pumpkin Butter- this is absolutely what your toast has been missing.Head over to The Hungry Belgian for the yummy recipe

Photo: Alpha

Pumpkin Spice Latte. 

 Made all by yourself.

Beforehand...

Pumpkin Spice Syrup (oh the places you could use this.)

Simmer

-1C Sugar

-1C Water

when the sugar has dissolved add

-2T Pumpkin Puree

-1 T Pumpkin Pie Spice

Make you own by mixing ...

-3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon 

-2 teaspoons ground ginger 

-2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 

-1½ teaspoons ground allspice 

-1½ teaspoons ground cloves 

-½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Simmer 10 minutes.  Cool.

If you want to be really cool you could keep your pumpkin spice syrup in a cleaned Roundhouse Pumpkin bottle (since they're only 375ml) Just don't confuse the two!

Draw your espresso as usual.

Add Foamed milk to your liking.

Add 2 ounce syrup.

Enjoy the quiet.  This evening probably won't be.

Now's the time to start the desserts for tonight.

 

Pumpkin Pie Bites

Head over to whatscookinglove for the recipe

Pumpkin Ice Cream with Caramel Sauce. mmm.

Head over to Foodie with Family for the recipe



Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Head over to Desserted Planet for the recipe.

Now that we're worried about becoming a diabetic...

Plan a dinner of protein and healthy vegetables.

Easy Guacamole with a twist.

Thanks to Amee's Savory Dish.  You're a genius!

Three Bean Chili (Don't worry, it has ground beef too!)

Head over to Whole & Heavenly Oven for the recipe.

Need some ideas for great vegetables to roast up?

Head over to Fightin Foods for great ideas.

Happy Halloween!

Save The Date!

Photo: David

Do you need a Save the date card?

Save the Date cards serve several purposes...

- If many of your guests will need to book airfare, hotels and the like, then it is a great gesture on your part to alert them early so that they may watch fares.

-If some very important people to you live very far away or are very busy, then Save the Date cards are a great way to make sure they block off the weekend to spend with you ahead of time.

-It can serve as an engagement announcement (only to those who are invited of course.) 

-It buys you time.  Guests may make all the plans they need while you set about finding the perfect site, time and weekend details.  You can then send formal invitations closer to the event.

 I always felt like 6-8 weeks was not enough notice for people to attend a wedding.  Schedules book up fast and travel plans take much forethought. This way it's not a shock and guests to not have to cancel other plans to be with you.

Photo: Kevin Stuart

Save the Date cards are not...

-"Hey, I'm getting married! Send me a gift!" Do not include your registry or gift requests on any stationary.  It's tacky.

-They are not detailed.  Do not detail out your event on the Save the Date card.  Otherwise your invite can be confusing. "Didn't we already get this invite?" Or it can look like somethings changed and so you had to update guests.

-Save the Date cards are not the last word.  They do not contain enough info to act on.  Plus guests need a reminder 6-8 weeks out.  Papers get lost and people get busy.

Photo: Tree Space Studio

Save The Date cards are...

-A great way to set the tone for your wedding.  They tell guests a bit about your style. (I always advise against doing something very different than you normally would.) Guests will assume that it's your style.  Cowboy plates anyone?

-A great way to get guests excited about your event and talking about plans for the weekend or making a mini vacation out of it.

Photo: William Arthur Fine Stationary

How to...

- Save the Date cards should be durable.  They'll need to be around to remember until your invites arrive.

- They should be creative. Pinterest time!

- Inexpensive is totally fine.  Postcards are awesome because your guests do not have to open them.  It makes them stand out against all the bills in the mail and they can pin them up or post them on their fridge.

-Add a phone number or email so people can contact you with questions or to plan a celebratory get together.

Ideas...

One of our favorite wedding blogs is Wedding Chicks.  

Head over to see some great Save the Date ideas.

We've said it before, we'll say it again... Pinterest!

Have Fun!

Enjoy Your Event!

Secrets and Event Hacks- How to pin a boutineer

Photo: Emily Wise

Welcome to a new Monday morning series... Event hacks.  
Quick little tips to save your event and help you 

Enjoy Your Event!

Today: How to pin a boutineer

We've seen you flounder, we've seen the flowers flop. Help is here!

It's really very easy to pin on a boutineer or corsage...

Ready

1. Hold boutineer where you would like it.

2. Pinch lapel from behind around the wrapped stem

3. From back, push pin pearl through lapel, flower, other side of lapel.

(A tip, make sure to push pin through the fattest part of the boutineer)

4. Let go and check. You can pull the lapel flat carefully.

Food Friday- Tapas!

Welcome to a new series... Food Friday  

Every Friday we will bring you great food ideas for your event.  

Try a few out at home on your friends.

Our new favorite thing- Tapas!

Platters of yummy food you can grab and wander with. Perfect for a cocktail hour!

Smoked Paprika Almonds

head over to Devour to get the recipe

Give them something unexpected...

Serrrano Ham wrapped Plum bits

head over to DeliCooks for the recipe

Artichoke hearts are the ultimate tapas item.

Head over to Kitchen to Nirvana for the recipe

Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Bruschetta

Head Over to My Baking Addiction for a recipe

Falafel Balls

Head over to Stone Soup for a recipe

Dolmades

Head over to My Greek Dish for the recipe

Grilled Shrimp

Head over to Closet Cooking for an awesome recipe

Hummus & Warm Pita triangles.

Head over to Inspired Taste to learn to make your own hummus.

Other great tapas ideas-

• Really good marinated olives. (Not those ones on your grocers shelf)
• Salted Edamame
• Those yummy garbanzo beans from last Friday's post make great tapas too!

Now go test out a great cocktail hour!

Vision... Putting it into practice

Every night before marrying tis stuck in your brain...
You're hoping those plans won't go down the drain.

Swags of flowers hung on the mantle with care
It must be a celebration with audacious flair!

Visions of sugared vases dance in your head;

table cloths flowing and perfect, down to every thread.

With the lustre of your dreams for all to behold,

There must be other options than that gaudy gold!

little lights -- how they twinkle! night long dancing- how merry!

If I don't get good help, this may all get very scary!




How do you take all those dreams and visions out of your head and actually make them a reality?

First- 

Look at pictures, a lot of them.  Pinterest is perfect for this because you can begin to make boards for all that you love.

Then-

Once you've gotten a decent collection, make notes on them as to what specifically you like about it.  (It may take you a while to pin it down.)

It may also help to notice what picture you dislike.  It will tell you what not to do.  Sometimes this is much more helpful for your vision.  Especially if it's something that occurs at weddings all the time.  We've had brides who hated bows (It made for a gorgeous modern wedding with cool knots everywhere.), brides who hated white (gorgeous deep hues everywhere.) and brides who thought wild flowers looked like weeds (think great big amazing blossoms everywhere.)

Start to detail it out-

Take your Pinterest boards and divvy them out.

• Dresses
• Hair
• Bouquets
• Ceremony Flowers & Details
• Centerpieces
• Tables
• Invitations
• Drinks
• Appetizers
• Meals
• Favors
• Cake

check our details page to get an idea of things to pin down your style on.

Narrow it down-

You must pick 1 theme.  And no I'm not thinking pirates or the Caribbean.

You need to have a sort of branding for your event.  It must all fit together, look like it was meant to be side by side.

If you like two contrasting items then look for photos of them combined. Or try it out.  It can be done carefully.  Hire a great florist and design company.  A good coordinator should be able to reach into your brain and find the right people to install that audacious flair for you.

Mistakes-

We see 2 common mistake in vision planning.

1-Trying to do too much.

2-Implementing it poorly.

Trying too much

Check your budget and decide (with a professional) what it will really cover.
You can still make it fabulous on a smaller scale- just pick your spots and ignore the others.
Decide what things will make the most impact.  Entryways, focal points, aisles, tables, room centers- are all great places to make a big impact.

Implementing it poorly.

Clients often underestimate what it will take to make a statement where they've decided to pay attention too.

some examples...

• more petals- when your florist asks how many bags of petals you want- A LOT.  petals don't go far and it takes a condensed amount to show up for a striking effect.
• flower arches- think thicker and more massive.  The frail arch might as well be skipped because you will see right through it.  It will not stop your eye.  And the flowers should be striking enough to see- especially outside.  There's so much to distract the eye that it's very important to create something 'opaque' enough to give your eyes something to stop on, not strain to see.
• paper lanterns- these are such a cool thing to use in your decorating but small and few of them just get lost.  Light them up.  Go Big (or group small ones).  Test it out.

Time

Plan enough time.  Hire a professional installer to hang lights, drape fabric, install lanterns and install your expensive floral pieces.  Do not make your mom or friend struggle to make something look right at the last minute.

Things often take more time and more hands than first thought.  

It's worth it to make it great. Just plan carefully. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. right?

Ask for help

Once you've found what you want, take a load off and let someone help you.  A professional will know the pitfalls to watch for, how much it will cost and where to get it done not to mention the best way to install it and how long that will take.

You can do a lot of things yourself but your wedding day is not the day to do it.  Weddings are emotionally stressful (this isn't news to you) remove the possible pitfalls and let others help you...Enjoy Your Event!

You can have the event you want on any budget, really.  Just plan in reality- what it will really take and really look like. A carefully planned event will be noticed by your guests and will please you as...just the event you wanted.

Happy Planning!

How many guests to invite?

Photo: Andre Morrell

You want to invite how many people?!

You're engaged, you're excited and you're telling everyone.
Of course! But wait a minute...

When you run into your long lost friend you haven't seen in years and you tell them the great news... stop... just before inviting them in person.

Tell anyone you want.  Blast it out on social media.  But leave out the "You have to come!" part for a little while.

Vision

Develop a vision for your event first. Your event will look A LOT different if you invite 30 people, 75 people or 150 people.  You can pay a lot of detail to tables, flowers, drinks and food at a smaller level that you cannot at a large scale.  Unless you hire a large staff and have a large budget.
(Vision post coming soon! We know, you can hardly wait!)

Budget

Go read The Cost of a Guest

Make a realistic budget. Goto WeddingWire.com to create an easy and customizable budget.
Then think about how many people that really fits.
For example...
$7,000 may look like a lot of money for food but may really only feed 100 people.


$45pp for a minimal buffet dinner & very light appetizers.
Cake cutting fee $2.50pp
$15 per server per hour (~$1,000)
Gratuity 20%
Tax 8%
Total Due $7.452

Now if you just want a bbq delivered drop catering service you may be able to spend less.  But decide early as this may make you sad when it kills your vision and causes lots of work for you and your family and friends without a budget for set up, refill and clean up help.  If it's your plan from the get go then it's not a problem. Surprises during wedding planning can often burst your bubble.

Inviting Guests

The plan...
1. Announce without inviting all

2. Plan your vision. (We'll help you tomorrow.)

3. Determine a realistic budget.

4. Plan a number of guests.
(Don't worry, we"ll help you determine who to invite and how not to let people feel left out.)

It's a big week here at Icing Side Up.
Don't Fret!

We'll help you...

Enjoy Your Event!

Just Go With It

Weddings can be a tale of two events, the one you envisioned and the one you have.

I'm not saying it won't be the way you dreamed it would be.

I'm not saying it won't be fantastic.

It just might be a little different in a few ways.

How will you survive?

1. Plan in reality.

2. Enjoy the process and event day.

3. Relax.

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it"

Charles Swindoll

Plan

The biggest reason that an event doesn't pan out is due to poor planning.  Either not planning completely or not planning realistically.

If you are overwhelmed...

1- Do less and do it well.

2. Hire help

Is it realistic?

Bounce ideas off friends, read about them and ask your coordinator.

Someone who has done many weddings will be able to tell you if they think it will work, how they've seen it work in the past, possible problems and easy tweaks to make it work awesomely!

Enjoy!

This is easier said than done and is accomplished best by...

-knowing your event is well planned

&

practicing

We live in a fast paced, multitasking do it all world.  

Learn to take time for yourself-

-yoga

-meditation

-reading (no checking your phone!)

-taking a nap

-cook a slow dinner

- go out for drinks and sit in on a quiet patio with your fiance

- be still & be intentional.

Do less, do it better, ask for help and learn... to Enjoy Your Event!

Event Hacks- Unity Candle Disasters

Event hacks.  

Quick little tips to save your event and help you ...

Enjoy Your Event!

Today: Unity Candle Disasters

Photo: Family O'Abe

Unity Candles

What a beautiful tradition.

I especially like it when mothers of the couple light the side candles.  It is a very touching way to incorporate your families.

The list of what can go wrong in a wedding starts with the words Unity Candles.

Veils are flammable (This isn't news to you, don't panic.) 

People are nervous. 

Lighters get left in the wrong place.

Fear not! We've got you covered.

#1- Have a ceremony rehearsal.

Take practice candles- because reused candles don't look like a new creation.

 Actually light them- when people are nervous, it's harder than you'd think.

#2- Decide before the rehearsal how you will light them.

(decide nothing at the rehearsal btw- too many cooks!)

options:

-A pretty match box- test prior to rehearsal to make sure the match doesn't break and lights easily.

-A black long handled lighter. Test it.

- When they are seated, have moms light outside candles off of perimeter candles that were lit prior to guests seating.

#3- Have a back up lighting source nearby

-on the table hidden behind the candles or under a Bible.

#4- If something happens...

 

A candle blows out or doesn't light, then redo it and make a comment like

"See what a resilient couple we are!"

Smile.  Breathe.  

and 

Enjoy Your Event!

Food Friday- Pumpkin Season!

Welcome to a new series... Food Friday  

Every Friday we will bring you great food ideas for your event.  

Try a few out at home on your friends.

It's Pumpkin Season! We'll come close to ODing on pumpkin this month.  

But for now, bring on the pumpkin!

In the vein of enjoying the planning process too, today is recipes for an intimate weekend dinner party. Although, these are so good that if you're getting married next October you could easily incorporate some of these ideas on a grander scale.

Drinks...

Pumpkin Cordial & Pumpkin Martini

Definitely the king of the pumpkin bases... I LOVE Roundhouse Pumpkin King Cordial.  

My favorite way to drink it is just as you would drink a cordial.  A little poured into the bottom of a small glass, room temperature.

 It also makes an awesome martini served up.

Appetizers

Pumpkin Seeds

Head over to She Wears Many Hats for the recipe

http://shewearsmanyhats.com/toasted-pumpkin-seeds/
(if you're wondering about the health benefits of pumpkin seeds, click on over to Fightin Foods.)

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Head over to When the Pigs Fly for the recipe

http://www.whenthepigsfly.com/2012/01/crunchy-roasted-garbanzo-beans.html
(if you're wondering about the health benefits of beans, click on over to Fightin Foods.)

The Meal

Roast Chicken

This is the ultimate fall meal.  It is also a very good skill to master. 

(just make sure it reads 165 degrees before you pull it from the oven.  No food poisoning here please.)

If you mess it up then send your fiance over to the local grocer for a rotisserie chicken. Or if you're short on time or desire then just do that in the first place.

Head over to Number 2 Pencil for the recipe

http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2013/12/02/one-hour-roasted-chicken/

Photo: ilovebutter

Roasted Vegetables

My favorite side- or sometimes as a meal itself.

Use any vegetables you want

Cut to approximately the same size

Drop them onto a jelly roll sheet and cover in olive oil & sprinkle with salt. (and other spices if you like.)

Roast at 450 degrees until they are brown and sweet and crispy- or until your liking.  

Desserts

Pumpkin Cheesecake

This one is swirled.  Yummy cheesecake meets pumpkin cake.  Covered in cream cheese frosting and pecans. (you were planning on running tomorrow, right?)

Find the recipe at Sally's Baking Addiction...

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/09/23/pumpkin-cake-cheesecake/

serve it with...

Photo: Alpha

Pumpkin Spice Latte. 

 Made all by yourself.

Beforehand...

Pumpkin Spice Syrup (oh the places you could use this.)

Simmer

-1C Sugar

-1C Water

when the sugar has dissolved add

-2T Pumpkin Puree

-1 T Pumpkin Pie Spice

Make you own by mixing ...

-3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon 

-2 teaspoons ground ginger 

-2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 

-1½ teaspoons ground allspice 

-1½ teaspoons ground cloves 

-½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Simmer 10 minutes.  Cool.

If you want to be really cool you could keep your pumpkin spice syrup in a cleaned Roundhouse Pumpkin bottle (since they're only 375ml) Just don't confuse the two!

Draw your espresso as usual.

Add Foamed milk to your liking.

Add 2 ounce syrup.

                              Mmm, now that's a good night.

                                                                                        Happy Cooking!

sources: http://www.rodalenews.com/pumpkin-spice?ocid=Soc_Pinterest_Food_Sept20_PSL#_a5y_p=2453714