A Celebration of French Wedding Traditions, Revisited

Yesterday, French president Francois Hollande signed a bill making same-sex marriage legal in France. To mark the occasion, we’re revisiting our celebration of French wedding customs. The tone is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but our love of small, elegant weddings is real. Raise your glass of champagne and join us in a toast to croquembouche and dragées Read

If They’re Special Enough to Make Your Small Wedding Guest List, They Deserve an Awesome Dessert

A slice of flourless chocolate cake. And yeah, it was really good.

Having a small guest list means that the people who made the cut must be pretty special. It also enables you to be adventurous with your wedding menu. Flourless chocolate cake is a non-traditional but certain-to-be-appreciated wedding cake. Bonappetit.com serves up a recipe for this bête noire topped with chocolate ganache. It’s not only sophisticated and decadently delicious, but if you’re catering the wedding yourself, it’s one of the easiest cakes to make.

The only fiddly part of the preparation is covering the outside of the baking pan with three layers of foil. The first time I tried the recipe, I managed to put small, unseen tears in all three layers, apparently, because water seeped into the batter during baking. Not good. Here’s a tip that solved the problem on my second try: Handle the foil as little as possible to avoid tearing it. The recipe…

And take a look at our previous post: 10 Scrumptious Wedding Cake Dessert Pairings

10 Scrumptious Wedding Cake Dessert Pairings

Small weddings don’t need big dessert buffets. Simple can be celebratory. Start by choosing a wedding cake with personality. Then add a second, complimentary dessert to the plate. Think seasonal fruits, home made ice-creams, sherbert, refined cookies, and the many manifestations of chocolate.

Consider these wedding dessert matches made in heaven:

1. Coconut Chiffon Cake & Sour Cherry Compote
2. 

   Chocolate cupcakes with chili chocolate frosting.

   Chili Chocolate Cupcakes & Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
3. Croquembouche & Honey Lavender Ice Cream
4. Hazelnut Cake & Chocolate Mousse (Both parve)
5. Flourless Chocolate Cake with Fresh Whipped Cream & Fresh Raspberries
6. Angel Food Cake & Spring Berry Compote (Both parve)
7. Vanilla Pound Cake & Ginger and Lemon Sherbert
8. Orange Almond Cake & Chocolate Almond Truffles
9. Ricotta Cake & Broiled Honey-Glazed Spiced Figs
10. Lilikoi Layer Cake with Fresh Passionfruit & Ginger-Macadamia Nut Snowballs

Thinking of another great pairing? Share it in the comment section!

And you might want to take a look at these:

• 

  Garland on the stairs. Source: Fiftyflowers.com

  How Big of a Wedding Cake Do I Need?
• Our 100 Favorite Backyard Wedding Themes
• Vintage Champagne Wedding Punch Recipe

Vera Wang Unveils Spring 2014 Bridal Collection

Vera says next spring’s designs are about architecture and discipline. As I write this, you won’t yet see links to the designs on her homepage, but you can find them here: See the pics. Watch the video.

Martha Stewart Endorses Jello Shots for Weddings

Source: Martha Stewart Weddings on The Huffington Post

Rarely do I post anything on a Friday afternoon — I know the wedding vendors among us are racing to get ready for this weekend’s weddings — but I had to post this, because it feels like the earth just shifted. Martha Stewart has endorsed jello shots for weddings. Either Martha Stewart Omnimedia is finally starting to run out of content, or this could be a signal that we as an industry are outgrowing the candy buffet. Either possibility would be a shame.

Still, we’re not talking about the jello shots you’re probably used to seeing. These shots are very Martha Stewart. Very Pinterest. In fact, they look like they could have been created by sushi master Jiro Ono.

David Tutera might not be on board yet, but if I was planning a small cocktail or hors d’oeuvres reception, I’d consider serving one of these jello shots, especially if the flavor matched the sophisticated visual punch. But I wouldn’t serve more than one kind.

Yes, I lifted the photo from the article at The Huffington Post, because there’s no way to tell the story without a visual. Will trade traffic for image. You really should take a look.

MORE TO SAMPLE:

• Persian Pomegranate Sangria (Kosher Recipe)
• Another Budget-Friendly Alternative to an Open Bar (With Recipes)
• Vintage Champagne Wedding Punch Recipe
• Summer Bliss Wedding Punch Recipe

Walk-in ice bar at Damenti’s Restaurant, Mountain Top, Pennsylvania. Photo: Bill Bywater.

AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS:
Oh, Martha Stewart, THIS is an ice bar

Another Budget-Friendly Alternative to an Open Bar (With Recipes)

Summer Bliss Wedding Punch. Source: Huppahs.com. (Photographer: Jason Weil)

This week, Bridal Guide published a great list of 5 budget-friendly alternatives to an open bar. The options involve finding inspired ways to narrow down the types of alcohol you serve at your wedding so that you can avoid the cost of stocking a full bar. Examples: Team up with a local microbrewery or serve a signature cocktail.

Here’s another option along those same lines: a wedding punch. A wedding punch isn’t just for a vintage wedding with white gloves and hats; you can also find great modern options for contemporary tastes.

Some of our favorite wedding punch recipes:

• Vintage Champagne Wedding Punch Recipe
• Vintage Wedding Punch Recipe (Non-Alcoholic)
• Summer Bliss Wedding Punch Recipe (Featuring Watermelon and Gin)

Any other suggestions? Please share in the Comment section!

Wedding Reception in a Biker Bar?

Did you see the recent episode of Worst Cooks in America where the contestants had to feed a pack of hungry bikers? Show hosts Bobby Flay and Anne Burrell brought their cooking-challenged challengers to Brooklyn to duke it out at the East River Bar.

The contestants served up some grilled figs and chicken wings, and the production crew served up some biker-worthy wall flair in the form of hubcaps and skulls. But last year, my littlest brother and his bride held their wedding reception at that bar, and I can tell you the place cleans up real nice.

See for yourself, with wedding and reception photos by Jacob Arthur.

(BTW, is it really fair to make people who didn’t know anything about cooking a few weeks earlier come up with their own original chicken wing recipe in 90 minutes?)

And here are pics from another real-life wedding: Natalie + Richard Wed Under an Ivory Silk Huppah in a New York City Park

A Photograph of My Parents on their Wedding Day

I love this photo of my parents, Sharon and Wally, on their wedding day.

DIY wedding dress in Kate Middleton style from Butterick Patterns

DIY brides and Kate Middleton fans: Butterick Patterns has released a pattern for a Kate Middleton-inspired wedding dress. The design features the high lace collar, tight bodice, and pleated skirt we know and love from the Duchess of Cambridge’s royal wedding.

Sizes: Misses 6-20
Difficulty Rating: Advanced
Pattern Number: B5731

Pippa Middleton inspired bridesmaid dress pattern from Butterick.

And yes, Butterick also offers a Pippa Middleton-inspired bridesmaid dress pattern in sizes 6-22. Difficulty rating: Average.

Photo credit: http://butterick.mccall.com

Thank you, Butterick!

Grace Kelly-esque pattern from Vogue.

ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT:

• DIY wedding dress in Grace Kelly style from Vogue Patterns
• The Traditional French Wedding: An Endangered Species?
• Royal Wedding Hors d’Oeurve Reception Menu with Kosher-fied Recipes

Pre-Passover Is a Great Time to Choose a Kosher Wine for Your Jewish Wedding

When we asked a group of prominent wedding rabbis to give us their tips for organizing a Jewish wedding, one of their comments was that couples and wedding planners should make sure that the wine used for the huppah ceremony is kosher. If you don’t know a lot about kosher wines and aren’t sure what’s available in your area, then this is a great time to check out your options. In these last weeks before Passover, lots of kosher wine shops, synagogues, and Jewish organizations offer wine tastings and special sales.

Passover begins on March 25 this year, and we’re well into the Pre-Passover wine tasting season, so take a look today to see what’s going on in your area.

If you’ve missed the special wine tastings in your area, experiment during the Passover Seders. After all, if we’re drinking four glasses of wine during each Seder, you can make each round a different variety. Not many options available locally? This is also a good time to order great kosher wines online so that you can have them in hand in time for the holiday.

Can you recommend a wine? Share it in the Comment section!

TAKE A LOOK AT:

• HE’BREW: Great Kosher Beer for Your Jewish Wedding
• Free printable templates:Do a favor for your guests and a good cause: Give a charitable donation instead of wedding favors (Huppahs.com)
• 7 Ideas for Decorating a Huppah (Chuppah)

A Wedding Chuppah for All Venues: The Simplicity Huppah

While finalizing the reservation of a Simplicity Huppah yesterday, I realized that of all our rental huppahs, we’ve probably shipped this style huppah to the widest variety of wedding venues, from backyards to bistros and hotel ballrooms. Its clean, classic design fits just about any setting (and like all of our huppahs, it’s easy to transport and set up anywhere).

Just for fun, we went back through the files and revisited some of the varied venues where couples have wed under Simplicity Huppahs:

• Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, New York.
• The Foundry in Long Island City, New York.
• Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo.
• Virginia’s Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.
• The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.
• Shell Island Resort in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
• The Inn at the Round Barn Farm in Waitsfield, Vermont.
• An apartment balcony in Washington, DC.

You can check the availability of our Simplicity Huppahs for your wedding day or get more details at Huppahs.com. Or see all our huppah designs.

VISIT:

• DIY wedding dress in Grace Kelly style from Vogue Patterns
• How Big of a Wedding Cake Do I Need?
• What do the Jewish bride and groom wear?

Colorful Ketubahs, Eco-Friendly Kippot, Re-Invented Cake?! Mazelmoments.com Lays Out the 2013 Jewish Wedding Trends

Want a quick overview of the smoking trends for Jewish weddings in 2013? Mazelmoments just released their 2013 Wedding Trends Report. The folks at Mazelmoments filled the report with colorful, informative snapshots of what we’ll be seeing a lot of at Jewish weddings this year, including decor, catering, ketubahs, and huppahs (Spoiler alert: just like Huppahs.com, Mazelmoments finds that couples are having a love affair with organza huppahs).

To get the report you’ll need to sign up for Mazelmoments’ newsletter, but if you’re planning a wedding or if you’re a wedding vendor, their mailing list is a good place to be. Sign up and get the report.

Are you loving a trend that you’re seeing? Shout it out in the Comments section.

You might like:

• Royal Wedding Hors d’Oeurve Reception Menu – Kosher-fied!
• 7 Ways to Decorate a Wedding Huppah
• Our 100 Favorite Backyard Wedding Themes