Food and wine: How to create a perfect marriage
Food and Wine Tips
Food and wine: How to create a perfect marriage
(ARA) – Weddings are one of life’s most celebrated occasions. For brides- and grooms-to-be and their families, an incredible amount of creativity and planning is poured into this all-important day: from the wedding gown to the ceremony, from the invitations and flowers to the wedding cake itself. One of the most-remembered details is what guests are served, so the wedding menu should reflect the couple-to-be’s unique style and personality.
Aida Mollenkamp, host of the popular Food Network show “Ask Aida” says, “The food you serve should be like your dress – reflect you and fit you like a glove – so, if you prefer a cupcake tower to a cake, go for it!”
Tips for a memorable wedding menu
* Find your inspiration. Couples should think back on their relationship, and choose a meaningful place or a time that will inspire their food and wine choices.
* Indulge. This is a celebration so forget about calories and choose the food and wine that truly reflects the couple.
* But don’t lose yourself. Remember, the wedding day is supposed to reflect who the bride and groom are. If they aren’t fans of foie gras and caviar, now is not the time to serve it.
* Personalize. Consider displaying menus at each place setting that describe the couple’s food and wine pairings – and include anecdotes for why they were chosen.
* Last all night. It’s a marathon to make it from the ceremony to the reception for the bride and groom and their guests. Make sure the food is substantial enough to keep everyone filled, yet light enough that they don’t slip into a groggy fog.
* Ah, dessert. It might be your guests’ favorite course, and for a wedding, it can truly be a showpiece. Let the dessert reflect the couple’s sweet tooth, and remember Riesling is a lovely accompaniment to most wedding desserts.
David Mirassou, sixth-generation of America’s oldest winemaking family agrees. “Riesling is a delicious wine pairing option for wedding desserts. It may also help a couple’s budget too, because it can be paired with both the first and main courses, as well as dessert.”
For more wedding inspiration, as well as video tips, Aida’s recipes and David’s food and wine pairings, visit Mirassou.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Food and wine: How to create a perfect marriage(ARA) – Weddings are one of life’s most celebrated occasions. For brides- and grooms-to-be and their families, an incredible amount of creativity and planning is poured into this all-important day: from the wedding gown to the ceremony, from the invitations and flowers to the wedding cake itself. One of the most-remembered details is what guests are served, so the wedding menu should reflect the couple-to-be’s unique style and personality.
Aida Mollenkamp, host of the popular Food Network show “Ask Aida” says, “The food you serve should be like your dress – reflect you and fit you like a glove – so, if you prefer a cupcake tower to a cake, go for it!”
Tips for a memorable wedding menu
* Find your inspiration. Couples should think back on their relationship, and choose a meaningful place or a time that will inspire their food and wine choices.
* Indulge. This is a celebration so forget about calories and choose the food and wine that truly reflects the couple.
* But don’t lose yourself. Remember, the wedding day is supposed to reflect who the bride and groom are. If they aren’t fans of foie gras and caviar, now is not the time to serve it.
* Personalize. Consider displaying menus at each place setting that describe the couple’s food and wine pairings – and include anecdotes for why they were chosen.
* Last all night. It’s a marathon to make it from the ceremony to the reception for the bride and groom and their guests. Make sure the food is substantial enough to keep everyone filled, yet light enough that they don’t slip into a groggy fog.
* Ah, dessert. It might be your guests’ favorite course, and for a wedding, it can truly be a showpiece. Let the dessert reflect the couple’s sweet tooth, and remember Riesling is a lovely accompaniment to most wedding desserts.
David Mirassou, sixth-generation of America’s oldest winemaking family agrees. “Riesling is a delicious wine pairing option for wedding desserts. It may also help a couple’s budget too, because it can be paired with both the first and main courses, as well as dessert.”
For more wedding inspiration, as well as video tips, Aida’s recipes and David’s food and wine pairings, visit Mirassou.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Three secrets to creating your dream wedding
Wedding Rental Tips
Three secrets to creating your dream wedding
(ARA) – Wedding season is here and millions of couples are finalizing plans for their big day. But what many couples don’t know is that there easy ways are to avoid stress while planning a wedding.
By following these tips, you can focus on all that is special about your wedding and reception, and avoid the headaches that sometimes come along with them.
Turn your dream into reality
Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, and is most likely one you’ve spent hours, days or even years dreaming about. When the time finally comes to start planning the big day, you don’t want to cut corners or settle for a run-of-the-mill, impersonal event. With the help of the American Rental Association (ARA) and your local rental store, you can be sure your wedding day will be one that will be remembered by all.
Rental opens the doors to options you may have never even considered due to time or budget constraints. A romantic outdoor wedding is possible any time of the year with large tents and elegant canopies, equipped with heating or cooling equipment. Make a statement by skipping the traditional tiered cake and going with something more unique, like an impressive chocolate fountain with brownie or cheesecake bites or an ice cream cart complete with all the fixings. You can even create dramatic scenery on the walls and ceiling of your venue with a variety of accent lighting options.
Don’t break the bank
While your wedding day may be the most important day of your life, there is no reason why it has to be the most expensive. You can save money on seating, centerpieces and more by renting. Why buy all your wedding supplies when you are only going to use them once? Why bother paying for their storage and upkeep after the big day is over? Simplify your wedding and your budget by letting the rental store take care of the cleanup, maintenance and storage of all your decorations and supplies.
And forget about running all over town, wasting time, energy and money – make one stop at your local rental store and get everything you need. ARA members, which include more than 7,000 rental businesses and 1,000 manufacturers and suppliers, are located in every state, so you can get all the supplies you need in one stop. To make finding the rental store nearest you even easier, ARA offers RentalHQ.com, the world’s largest and most comprehensive rental store locator. Here, people planning their wedding and reception can find the rental store nearest them, read how-to tips and get ideas and inspiration for their event.
Enlist the experts
To make planning your big day even easier, some ARA member rental businesses offer Certified Event Rental Professionals (CERPs). And most offer on-site support, relieving much of the stress associated with planning a wedding. These professionals are ready and willing to share their knowledge and experience with you, from pre-wedding set-up all the way through the day of the event.
Deadlines, budgets, decor – these are all aspects of a wedding that need to be managed and sometimes are better left to the professionals. CERPs know what needs to be organized right away, and what can wait until later. They will think of that one detail that never would have crossed your mind and keep your budget in check.
Enlisting the help of a CERP from your local rental store will not only ease the stress and tension of planning an entire wedding, but it will also ensure that the wedding you always envisioned is the one you will remember for years to come. From the latest trends and themes, to innovative budget saving strategies, CERPs know the ins and outs of planning a wedding.
Don’t let the burden of planning your wedding overwhelm you as you approach one of the most memorable days of your life. Make it an enjoyable experience with the help of ARA and your local rental store.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Research, Visit and Reserve your Reception Hall
Key Factors To Consider When Choosing a Venue
12 Months Before Your Wedding
Every bride has a vision of what they want their wedding to be like. You have probably envisioned yourself in the white gown ever since you were a little girl. You’ve likely even had a place that you wanted to hold your reception at in mind long before that ring was ever on your finger. So now it’s time to get down to business and figure out where you will hold your reception. This can be a very involved task as there’s much to consider, but once this is determined it will make the rest of the planning much easier. Selecting your reception hall and ceremony are the two most important elements in the journey to the altar, and once these are picked then you have officially set a date. How exciting!
Many venues offer virtual tours and video presentations that will allow you to get a feel of the venue from the comfort of your home. Many venues have posted their videos on ReceptionHalls.TV, where you can browse video presentations at your leisure. Another excellent source is to look in local bridal magazines, where many venues take out full page ads.
Look into reception halls in the area you want to get married; picking a general vicinity will help you narrow your search a bit. If you are in a larger metropolitan area you may have to add a few more criteria to narrow your search even more, but location is the best place to start. Also very important in researching your reception hall is the size—determining how many guests it will hold will be a very important factor in your final selection. Once you’ve narrowed your search a bit, it’s time to consider some of the more fun and flexible elements of a reception hall. The type of food and style in which it is served, the atmosphere for the reception itself, and other amenities such as an outdoor patio or staircase for pictures can help you in selecting your very best choice.
Cost is of course an important factor in finding a reception hall, but this can’t be fully determined until you’ve visited a facility. It is recommended to make a list based on the criteria that are important to you and visit several halls so that you can fully visualize how your wedding could play out in each location. You will likely know when you’ve found the location that is perfect for you, but you must first ask questions such as cost and options for feeding your guests, bar selection, table set up, and what amenities are included with your final cost. Some halls for example will give you one flat rate for a full meal plus bar, as well as services that are part of the package such as cutting the cake. Other halls have many hidden costs and you want to be sure you understand each line item prior to putting down a deposit.
After you’ve visited several halls for comparison and asked many questions, it’s time to reserve the magical place that your wedding reception will take place. So long as all of your questions have been answered and you feel comfortable making this the reception hall for your dream wedding, it’s time to put down a deposit. Most of the time you need to put down a percentage of the grand total to hold the reception hall, but be sure you understand exactly when payments are due and how this wonderful chapter in your wedding planning will play out.
Useful Links
ReceptionHalls.TV – Video tours of local venues
