Create My Event - Event & Party Ideas Blog

Bridal Party Order: How-To?

[photo credit: stylemepretty]

From  WeddingBee:

It tends to go unspoken or just mentioned in jest. However, having attended several weddings and been a bridesmaid myself, I have observed one small potential area of tension: the order the couple chooses to arrange its bridesmaids and groomsmen. While the bridal party for the most part either seems to understand or doesn’t seem to care, I have noticed in some cases where some BMs/GMs feel slightly hurt that their names are at the bottom of the list or that they stand at the outermost end of the line.

Because the bridal party is often arranged in some kind of order of their relationship to the bride/groom, I have just noticed a few cases where a BM/GM is just a little bit hurt. But they usually don’t make a big deal out of it, since after all, it is the couple’s day and they should be able to arrange it the way they choose!

It’s a non-issue for many couples, but for others, it can sometimes get to be a big deal, especially if you have an extremely tight-knit group of friends! That has been the case for us…in fact, we have an extremely large wedding party with multiple MOHs and best men because each of these particular friends are so important to us and in no way do we want to suggest they are a lesser friend than anyone else. Among other couples I have talked to, we’ve observed a few ways that some brides/grooms have gone around this issue. To avoid this, some have arranged their wedding party as follows: :

• By height
• By alphabetical order
• By how long you have known them w/o regard to how close you are
• By age
• Or leaving the decision up to the wedding coordinator and having nothing to do with it!

What I most likely will do is arrange my bridesmaids in chronological order in terms of when we became friends. However, I thought these questions might make for some interesting discussion…

Have any of you given this subject some thought? Was it even a concern at all? And for those of you who have already done this, how did you decide to arrange the order of your bridal party?

The Great Pumpkin

Pumpkin raisin bread pudding, glittery centerpieces by Martha, pumpkin cupcakes with cream, and good old fashioned pumpkin pie...

Happy Halloween everyone!  Put The Great Pumpkin to good use today.

by Kate Sinclair of Life In Style. 

Mori Ex Cacao

MORI EX CACAO or “Death by Chocolate” would be my treat of choice this Halloween if I needed a luxurious and indulgent extravagance to compliment my decadent tricks.  The macabre chocolates come as intricately carved and painted skulls that contain delightful and dangerous combinations of flavors to tempt your taste buds.  Three different chocolate covered skulls await you in each black velvet lined and ribboned gift box including:

• Scorched Caramel - organic cream and sugar cooked until bronze over an open flame to create the center of these delicacies.
• Bitter Brandied Cherry – bitter chocolate, Kirsch ganache and liquor steeped sour cherries in a white chocolate shell.
• Curious Chili – the darkest chocolate combined with chilies and spices creates a treat with heat.

If you aren’t scared away by expensive self-indulgences, here’s the treat to top all of your tricks this Halloween!

Created in a partnership with Valerie Confections.

Trash the Dress Giveaway!

Are you a newlywed fresh off the honeymoon wagon and craving some excitement? Or, perhaps your wedding pictures were less than par and you're looking for something to frame in your fabulous new home. Maybe you're wondering what to do with that OH SO expensive dress?

Look no further! Karen from Karenscape Photography is offering a FREE portrait session to develop her 'Trash the Dress' portfolio! Yes, you'd be 'trashing your dress', and you'd wind up with a FABULOUS memory to keep forever!

Interested? Visit Karen's blog for more details and to enter into the contest.

GOOD LUCK!

The Local Hive

Always buy honey locally.  Honey carries bits and pieces of pollen from the surrounding area and can be very effective as an immune system builder.  With allergy season in full swing- take a teaspoon in your tea everyday. Plus it's sweet to support local farmers and native bees.

Image courtesy of lLOccitane.  By Kate Sinclair of Life in Style.

"Dead Ringer" Cocktails

I love a good drink, (anytime of the year!) and I really love new and creative ideas for every occasion, including Halloween.  Here are some "Day of the Dead" cocktails forwarded to me by a good friend who was working with Sauza Tequila during the Toronto International Film Festival.  These cocktails were served at the post-screening premier party for the new movie Diary of the Dead, directed by George A. Romero, and they were a smash hit!

Corpse Reviver

• 2 oz. Sauza Gold Tequila
• 1/2 oz. Anise Liqueur
• 1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
• Club Soda

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well.  Strain into a highball glass over ice and top with a splash of club soda.

Brain Hemorrhage

• 1/2 oz. Sauza Silver Tequila
• 1/2 oz. Sourz Sour Apple
• 1/2 oz. Starbucks Cream Liqueur
• A few drops of Grenadine

Pour Sauza Tequila and Sourz Sour Apple into a shot glass and slowly add the Cream Liqueur on top.  Top with grenadine drops.

Smashing Pumpkin Martini

• 3 oz. Sauza Silver Tequila
• 1 oz. Amaretto
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tbsp Gingerale

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and gently stir.  Strain into a chilled martini glass.

If to see the pics from the TIFF Premier Party visit http://www.myspace.com/sauzatequila

BOO!

LIGHTS OUT TONIGHT!

See the stars, enjoy the candlelight (soy, beeswax or LED tealights), and fight climate change by simply turning off your lights from 8pm to 9pm this Saturday, October 20, 2007.

This is the first time for the United States. Lights Out events happened earlier this year in Hong Kong, Sydney and London.

** Atlanta
** Boston
** Boulder
** Chicago
** Denver
** Los Angeles
** Miami
** New York
** San Francisco
** Seattle
** Washington DC
are all promoting "Lights Out"!

Everyone is invited to install 1 compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) and turn off all non-essential lights for 1 hour from 8-9 pst.

See http://lightsoutamerica.org

If you participated, WRITE IN AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU DID!
We will post it here at this entry.
We are planning an Thai cuisine candle-lit dinner.

Tips for Apple Pies

As a citizen of Pennsylvania, one of the largest apple states in the nation, I'm happy to present a few tips for making your apple pie a main attraction at your event this autumn. While it's already difficult to pass up this gooey, cinnamon smothered, comfort food, here's a few resources to make your pie perfect.

1) Combine two different kinds of apples to get the most flavor. Try using tart and sweet apples together. If you can find local apples from a farmer's market, use those for the freshest results. Check this list for apples that do well in your area, or look for flavor combos that are appealing to you: Apple Varieties

2) Avoid apples that get mushy when cooked: MacIntosh and Courtland are two you should steer clear of for baking.

3) Mix just-sliced apples with a tablespoon of lemon juice to keep them from browning till you pour them into the pie.

4) Crust Lattice and edging can be very difficult to make. Try this easy-as-pie method of making faux lattice and edging from Martha Stewart.

5) Try dripping caramel sauce over your finished pie--it's more delicious than you can imagine!

fall into orange.

Orange has always been a tough color for me. I love the vibrant shades and contrast the color brings when paired with the right shades and tones. But when I think of orange and brown together, I immediately revert to the days of Halloween; pumpkins and scarecrows and candy corn [oh my!].

So is it possible to pair brown and orange together without making the palette so... Hallow?

Sarah Dennis, author of Toast and Tables, shows us how:

"For a warm and cozy look, pair rich orange elements and accessories with textiles
in varying shades of chocolate and espresso... A subtle range of nature infuses this scene with tranquility. Accent with elements from nature, such as pumpkins, to enhance the organic theme."

And she's so right. Judging by these pictures, I'd say orange and brown go swimmingly together. I think I've found my new favorite fall palette!

Thanks, Sarah!

Cupcake Crawl

   

 

Our country's current cupcake craze shows no sign of slowing down - from New York's classic Magnolia Bakery  to Vegas's hard-to-beat Cupcakery and on to L.A.'s enterprising Sprinkles.  Recently, a friend in Brooklyn reported that she was partaking in a Cupcake Crawl across Manhattan. What better way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon than collecting your best girls for a sampling of the local bakery's finest?   One for me...one for the box...one for me...  Forget the coffee date.  Bring on the Cupcake Crawl. 

by Kate Sinclair of Life In Style.