It’s summertime! Woo hoo! Which means it’s time to bust out our favorite Summer Bliss Wedding Punch. Never have watermelon and gin tasted so cool and refreshing. Find the recipe here. Find our instructions for the table garland decorations at DIY Weddings Magazine.
Hey, Joe, any watermelon in that backyard farm?
(Photo: Jason Weil for Huppahs.com)
Filed under Recipes
Lace Wedding Huppah
Party planner Sojourner Auguste explains:
It is “fairly common” for non-Jewish couples to use a chupah, or chupah-like structure, as part of the “décor” for the wedding ceremony. For these couples, she said, “The wedding canopy still represents a sacred space where they exchange vows.” But Christians want something beyond the standard floral arrangements that flank the altar. “By using a chupah,” Soujourner said, “they elevate their ceremony and make it special.”
From event planner Melisa Imberman:
Non-Jews who use a chupah, she said, are often thinking about how their wedding pictures will look “They may not know what it’s called or be aware that it’s a Jewish concept,” she said. “They see a picture of a wedding arch in a magazine or on a website, and they notice that it frames the bride and groom, creating a focal point for the ceremony.”
It makes sense. With so many couples getting married in non-traditional spaces like parks, museums, and bistros, a huppah is a way to make a ceremony space special and pretty.
Filed under Huppah Traditions
You don’t need to be involved with wedding planning very long before you run into quotes for the average wedding cost, which these days hovers around $27,000 to $28,000. Turns out, most couples spend far less than that. As Slate’s Will Oremus explains, a small number of mega-expensive weddings skews the average upward pretty heftily. The typical American couple actually spends something like $15,000.
Oremus’ takeaway:
Once you realize that the typical American wedding costs closer to $15,000 than $30,000, it becomes that much easier to say “no” to things you don’t need and embrace the expenses that are important to you.
(Photo: By Jason Hutchens (Flickr) via Wikimedia Commons)
Filed under Jewish Wedding Planning
That’s one of my favorite lines, at least the way I remember the line, from the 1950 movie “Father of the Bride.” The bride-to-be, played by Elizabeth Taylor, says it to her father, played by Spencer Tracy. They’re meeting with the wedding planner, and Dad is just not keeping up. You’ve probably seen the 1991 remake of the movie with Steve Martin as the father. But the original is less silly and more, well, charming.
As in the modern version, Dad ends up in the middle of planning for a wedding that is bigger than he counted on and nearly more than he can wrap his head around. But instead of the bevy of swans that trip up Steve Martin, the symbolic over-the-top extravagance here is a tiered wedding cake, which, as Elizabeth Taylor’s line seems to indicate, was a relatively new addition to the list of wedding must-haves. It’s a reminder that a lot of today’s wedding expectations arose over a fairly short span of human history, and that a lot of must-haves are things people didn’t even know they needed just a couple of generations ago.
Oh, but that wedding dress. Who would begrudge Elizabeth Taylor that dress? See it in action in the official movie trailer, below.
Here’s to fathers.
(Photo: Elizabeth Taylor and Spencer Tracy in a promotional image for the 1950 film ”Father of the Bride” by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer [public domain] via Wikimedia Commons | Video: “Father of the Bride” trailer, YouTube.)
Filed under Jewish Wedding Planning
Small weddings don’t need big dessert buffets, we pointed out in an earlier post of 10 great wedding cake dessert pairings. One carefully chosen food to accompany the wedding cake makes the dessert course special. Here are four more awesome wedding dessert duos:
If they’re special enough to make your small wedding guest list, they deserve an awesome dessert
Filed under Huppahs, Wedding Cakes
Summer Bliss Wedding Punch. Source: Huppahs.com. (Photographer: Jason Weil)
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:
Any other suggestions? Please share in the Comment section!
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
Filed under Real Life Weddings, Wedding Vendors
I love this photo of my parents, Sharon and Wally, on their wedding day.
Filed under Real Life Weddings
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.
Photo credit: http://butterick.mccall.com
Thank you, Butterick!
Grace Kelly-esque pattern from Vogue.
Filed under Wedding DIY, Wedding Dress
Chocolate cupcakes with chili chocolate frosting.
As the resident baker in the Bywater family, I recommend these chili chocolate cupcakes for a wedding cupcake buffet (or a great dessert for your Mom’s birthday). Also, I’m told they go well with champagne.
(What was the best cupcake flavor you ever had? Share it in the comment section!)
For the chili chocolate cupcakes, start with Devil’s food chocolate cupcakes from a mix, then add this chili chocolate icing:
Baking tip: When baking the cupcakes, fill the cupcake pan liners a little more than 2/3 full. You’ll only get 20 cupcakes instead of 24, but the cupcakes will be a nicer size.
ALSO VISIT:
Filed under Recipes, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Reception
This gorgeous, sweet sauce can be made with fresh blueberries in the summer and frozen berries year round.
We post this sauce to accompany our baked pears for an autumn or winter celebration, but can’t you imagine it with something lemony? Let us know how you use it.
The recipe comes from one of my go-to cookbooks, Marlene Sorosky’s Fast & Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays. Not all of the recipes in the book are kosher, but sticking to the kosher recipes, I’ve found them to be not only delicious, but fast and foolproof.
Maked 5 cups of sauce
In a medium saucepan, stir all ingredients together. Bring to a boil over moderate heat and cook, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly and sugar is dissolved. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Sauce can be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 weeks.
Yesterday the BBC reported that French couples increasingly are abandoning traditional French wedding customs and adopting American and British-style wedding details. I find this alarming.
As a champion of small weddings, I like to know there are pockets of the world holding out against the big, bridezilla-inducing wedding machine. Traditional French weddings are intimate and elegant. Until recently, French couples typically have forgone bridesmaids, groomsmen, and the budget-straining trimmings that have become customary for American and British celebrations. That the French in particular, who generally are known for taking pride in their national culture, would now abandon their long-standing allegiance to elegant simplicity seems a fair reason for concern.
The BBC credits last year’s wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton for making the first significant cracks in the cultural defenses of France’s brides. When those blushing mariées saw Kate’s wedding dress of English lace, they deserted their silk dresses. Since then, French couples have been waving wildly in welcome as save-the-date cards, personalized wedding favors, and tiered cakes veritably march in victory along the Champs-Élysées.
Surely, this development is a net positive for France’s wedding vendors and the British vendors who are marching on Paris to take advantage of the trend. But couples around the world who want a small, elegant wedding are losing a style ally.
This was going to be the paragraph where I compared the traditional French wedding to an endangered species and made the case for the importance of preserving biodiversity in our wedding planning ecosystem. But at this point, I think we all want to move on to the pretty pictures.
So, like scientists who gather and protect species in danger of extinction, let us preserve here the details of a traditional French wedding, so they can be enjoyed by future generations — even if not in their native habitat.
Traditional French Wedding Details:
 Wedding Dress: Silk.(Source: Alexandra King on Etsy, Bristol, England, United Kingdom.) |
Le Vin d’Honneur: A mini reception directly following the ceremony. Many of the ceremony guests, such as work colleagues and friends of the couples’ parents, attend this vin d’honneur but not the main reception. The expected beverage: Kir Royale. |
 Drinks: Champagne, coffee.
|
 Dessert: Croquembouche(Source: Fancy That Wedding Cake. Oxfordshire, England, UK) |
 Flowers: Roses
|
 Favors: Dragées (sugared almonds).(Source: Milena Bertarelli, MilenaSupplies on Etsy) |
Bridesmaids/Groomsmen/Save-the-Date-Cards: No/No/No.
Filed under Wedding Cakes, Wedding Decor, Wedding Dress, Wedding Reception
Take a look at the newest Weekly Wedding Tips enewsletter:
Photo: Jason Weil for Huppahs.com
Filed under Huppahs
Flash sale on peonies from Fiftyflowers.com:
“Our Peony fields are bursting with flowers which allows us to pass on a VIP flash sale to you! Get 100 Peonies for $199.99, but only for a limited time!! Peonies are a picture perfect flower that will WOW you with its beauty and elegance. Choose from our Blush, Hot Pink, Pink Sarah Bernhardt, or a beautiful Mixed pack!”
Hurry, Only Available for Delivery from Now until July 1st, so get them while you can! Go to the peony sale now…
Filed under Wedding Decor, Wedding Vendors
One of the goals of event planning is to never have guests asking each other, “What are we supposed to be doing now?”, or even worse, having to answer each other, “I don’t know.”
Help your guests have a wonderful time at your wedding by reducing the confusion that can creep into the proceedings during transitions. In my previous post I gave tips for easing transitions in space — moving from one place to another. Today, I’m giving you tips for guiding your guests through transitions in time — moving from one part of the event to the next.
During a Jewish wedding — for most weddings, actually — transitions from one part of the program to the next usually involve moving from one room to another. After the veiling ceremony, everyone moves to the place where the huppah stands. When the huppah ceremony is over, everyone moves to the next room, anticipating cocktails. Later, it’s on to the meal. In these instances, the tips that help people move smoothly from one space to another will also do most of the work of easing their transition from one part of the program to the next. But there are still more things you can do to make these transitions as smooth as possible for your guests.
Tips for Managing Transitions Between Parts of the Wedding
Following these tips will help produce a fabulously organized wedding. They’ll also do much more. The personal interactions that happen when people are welcomed and joyfully invited to the next part of the celebration, and when someone is nearby to answer their questions will impart a wonderfully personal touch that costs you nothing but will make your day more meaningful and memorable for your guests.
Filed under Jewish Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Reception
#1: Attach Garland to the Edge of the Canopy
A garland of fresh leaves or flowers around the edge of the huppah canopy brings a bright energy to the wedding space. The garland should be fairly light-weight. Use light flowering branches, wildflowers, or herbs. You can DIY the garland or more…
#2: Attach Bouquets to Poles
You can evoke a world of different wedding styles depending on the types of flowers and other elements in the bouquets: romantic roses, shabby chic lavender, rustic sunflowers, wheat stalks tied with gingham ribbon, simple white hypericum berries, or bright pink and orange more…
#3: Drape Swags of Garland Between the Poles
If your huppah has valances, that is, fabric pieces hanging at the sides, draping garland from pole to pole in front of the valances creates an interesting visual interplay of color and texture.
This is another approach that works best with fairly light garland, otherwise the huppah can more…
#4: Scatter Flower Petals on the Ground
If your wedding ceremony is outside, scattering flower petals on the ground under the huppah evokes a sense of natural beauty that is easy and inexpensive to achieve. If you are getting married outside in the spring, you might be lucky enough to have nature spread a carpet of blossoms more…
#5: Hang Ribbons from Poles
Add color and movement to your huppah with long ribbons that catch the breeze. Ribbons make simple and inexpensive wedding decorations. They should hang one-third to one-half the length of the huppah poles. You can keep the look simple with one color, or combine ribbons in all the colors of your more…
#6: Wrap Garland Around the Poles
This is another huppah decorating option that works especially well for outdoor weddings.
If you are using a huppah or poles from Huppahs.com, attach the garland to the screw at the top of the pole with florist wire. Anchor it to the bottom more…
#7: Don’t Add Any Decoration at All
Your last option in decorating your huppah is to not decorate it at all, but to leave it unadorned and keep the emphasis on the people standing beneath the huppah and the ceremony.
Filed under Huppah Examples, Huppahs, Wedding Decor
Find out which huppahs are available for your wedding day
Ice Sculptures
For winter and summer.
Convenient, Dependable, Beautiful!
Hand-held huppah rentals and huppah poles delivered to your door where ever you live in the U.S. from Huppahs.com.
