Reception Ideas – All In The Invite

January 30, 2014January 30, 2014

Natalie + Brad

What a beautiful couple these two are. Natalie and Brad were married at the beautiful Bakersfield Museum of Art. Such a romantic and elegant setting. Many friends and family completed this gorgeous couples wonderful day. I wish them all the best in life! More from the bride in the images below.

Bride's dress with Mom's dress — Bride’s dress with Mom’s dress

Natalie's wedding dress — Natalie’s wedding dress

From the Bride:

“I first met Maria at a bridal show when I saw her beautiful display of sample invitations. I spoke with her for a few minutes about my colors and style and right away she had great suggestions. I knew of the colors and a little bit of the style that I wanted but never would I have imagined that someone could take those small ideas and turn them into the most beautiful and perfect invitations the way Maria did.”

monogram wedding invitation — Natalie and Brad wedding invitation

“There is so much detail that goes into making the perfect invitation and to have someone like Maria, who met with me multiple times to figure exact colors, styles, fonts, design and wording was such a blessing. I remember the evening I picked up the final invitations from Maria and brought them home. I went to bed shortly after, but had to get out of bed twice to go into the kitchen and turn on the light and stare at the invitation again and again, because I loved them so much! I felt like a five-year old with a new Christmas toy.”

Burlap and Lace Pocket Card Wedding Invitation

“My invitations were one of my favorite things about my wedding and one of my favorite keepsakes from the wedding. My family and friends were texting me as soon as they got them in the mail to tell me how beautifully they matched ME and my style. The funny thing is, even as well as I think I know my own style, I would not have been able to come up with something this gorgeous without Maria’s help. I would highly recommend Maria and All in the Invite for your wedding invitations.”

Elegant table setting with burlap table runner

Brad and Groomsmen — Brad and his Groomsmen

June 14, 2013August 14, 2018

Chalkboard Signs

This custom painted wedding chalkboard sign would be a perfect addition to your wedding or reception, or rehearsal dinner decor. It would also make an excellent wedding gift for newlyweds.

All of our signs are fully customizable!

May 25, 2012May 21, 2012

8 Ways To Keep Your Wedding Guests Happy

When you start planning your wedding, you will be consumed with details that might take months to complete. Think about it. You’ve got to make decisions about the ceremony, receptions, rehearsals, attendants, flowers, food, music, your dress, decorations, a honeymoon to plan and wedding guests to accommodate, to name just a few.

Don’t Make Them Travel Too Far

Think about the logistics of your wedding, your reception and the hotel/motel accommodations you’ve arranged for out-of-town guests. Since popular site bookings for weddings tend to fill up early, it would be a good idea to book your wedding site, reception hall and the overnight accommodations for your guests as early as possible in order to get them reasonably close to each other.

Pass on the receiving line

Thank each guest for coming during the reception (table by table or as a toast) and don’t hold up the party by having a receiving line. Trust us, your guests will appreciate not having to wait around after the ceremony.

Plan Your Menu Carefully

Food is another possible mistake at your reception. Your guests will be hungry and hors devours and a supply of cold soft drinks will be welcomed by those who arrive at the ceremony before the bride and groom. If you are serving the traditional reception meal, stick to customary food. You will be serving a meal to many guests with many different tastes and tolerances for food. Your taste for exotic dishes or ethnic selections will not be a hit at your reception with children and those with tender stomachs. Any caterer can help you with your food selection. It might be a good idea to send a request for information about any food allergies to your reception guests along with your invitation.

The Never Ending Speech

While guests appreciate the sentiment of wedding speeches, sometimes they can be too much of a good thing. If you have many people speaking–even if the speeches are good ones–it can become boring for the guests. Harsh? Perhaps. True? Definitely. Keep it as short and sweet as possible and should be refreshing for guests to hear.

Two Strangers and a Wedding

Nobody likes being at a table of strangers. A table where strangers are all seated together will be very uncomfortable for your guests. You should attempt to strike a balance and arrange a mixture of guests where everyone knows a few people at their table. This way everyone will feel comfortable chatting with him or her and have a great time at the reception.

Stick To Your Timeline

Sticking to your time frame will keep prompt guests happy. Consider hiring a wedding planner. They keep you on track. They live by their calendar, their lists, and their plans. They are super organized and make sure that you are always on track and on schedule with your wedding plans. They are the “mothers” of the wedding world. Don’t write the start time on your wedding invitation as 4:30pm if you really meant the ceremony to start at 5 pm.

I Can’t See Who I’m Sitting With

Table centerpieces are a key element to dressing your room although they can sometimes cause issues for your guests. Choose low floral arrangements or something high with a thin stem so that the main arrangement is above eye level. This will make it easier for everyone on the table to see and talk to each other, helping them feel involved in the conversation.

We have to pay for our drinks?

Having a cash bar, is a big don’t. All ceremony and reception costs should be covered. If the bar is breaking your budget, scale back by limiting what type of alcohol is served. Most guests feel that if they are going to the time and expense of attending your wedding, the least the happy couple can do is make sure they don’t have to peck their way through the Chicken Dance stone cold sober.

May 18, 2012May 18, 2012

Top Trends in Wedding Food

If you don’t care to serve the fancy plated dinner, then don’t. Wedding food has switched from the typical plated meal to a reception filled with food stations and a selection of several foods. When considering a stylish food option, think about your own preferences, your guests’ taste preferences — and your budget. You should also consider the time of the reception and how eager the guests will be.

Downsize to Minis

Guests love picking up bite sized minis. Food items like a cheeseburger slider that they can eat in one bite. Mini sized tasters have become one of the hottest trends in wedding food, from shots of soups to large spoons of macaroni and cheese or whatever you prefer.

Comfort Foods

Dress up conventional comfort foods. Mashed potatoes look absolutely stylish at a martini potato bar. Guests create their own potato mixture in a martini glass and get both a side dish and a conversation piece out of it.

Food Stations

Giving your guests the option of visiting food stations creates a comfortable and informal atmosphere. Guests will enjoy the variety and being able to converse with people not seated at their table. Personalize your wedding by creating a food station that says something about you and your spouse. If one of you loves grits, then feature a grits station with different toppings — anything from cheese to spicy shrimp.

Fondue Station

Fondue isn’t new to weddings but it still feels new and fresh. Provide bread and vegetables for dipping and if you can, offer more than one fondue. Less courageous guests will enjoy a basic cheese offering, such as the traditional Gruyère, while other guests might prefer trying something unusual, such as a goat cheese fondue.

Cross-cultural Cuisine

Marriage is often a fusion of two cultures. Embrace it and create a wedding menu to reflect it. Creating a theme such as East meets West (Asian-Mex food, anyone?) can inspire creative and delicious dishes that will impress your guests. Be sure to talk to your caterer to see what they can create and make sure they can carry out your wishes.

Ordinary Transformed

Many foods can be elegantly transformed into an innovative entrée for wedding guests. Instead of serving the traditional filet of fresh fish, have the chef serve it as stuffed roulade medallions.

Sushi/Raw Bar

A sushi/raw bar will please the most health-conscious guests, but these can be expensive. This option is not recommended for couples who are on a tight budget.

Eco-Friendly Fare

This can run up the price tag of your wedding if you want all-organic, cage-free, wild-caught items. But there are ways to be eco-friendly and stick within a budget. Look to local, seasonal foods as inspiration for your menu, which require less gas to transport, lessening your wedding’s carbon footprint. Some farms practice green approaches to growing food, yet haven’t completed the process of becoming organic-certified. They tend to have lower prices than certified organic farms; your caterer may be familiar with these suppliers.

Nix the Cake

While cutting the wedding cake may be a tradition, don’t let it box you in if you’re more of a creme brulee kind of girl. You can serve whatever type of dessert you like at your wedding, whether that’s individual cobblers, milkshakes at a milkshake station, or an array of cookies and candies at a sweets table.

Original Article on DexKnows Weddings

April 4, 2012May 2, 2012

Easter Brunch Inspiration

I can’t believe month of March is behind us and we are now in April . Easter is coming right up and spring is here! Springtime…..the freshness, the passing of dreary winter to bright, fresh spring. There are very few times during the year that I enjoy being outside and Springtime is definitely one of those times that I can say I don’t mind being outdoors. It just doesn’t seem to last long enough and because this is Bakersfield our weather seems to go from cool to scorching hot in no time at all!

Speaking of spring, this outdoor spring colored tablescape is right on trend for your Easter brunch.

I love this beautiful table setting. The original article can be found here. These nests are filled with large peonies instead of eggs!

So simple to add any colored flower inside the nests to match your theme colors. Makes a pretty table setting for Easter, Mother’s Day, weddings or “Nesting” baby showers. These peonies are sitting in a shallow plastic bowl of water then placed into nests of twisted fern vines. Finish off the theme with miniature nest place card holders. These smaller stems would be placed into a floral water tube and then placed into the smaller nest. The large round wine glasses kind of mimic the roundness of the nests .

Of course you can use any flower you prefer and hopefully one you have in your own backyard!

I love the muted coral, pinks and whites of this traditional looking table setting, the banded vintage jar adds to the overall look, as do the handwritten food labels. The original story can be found here SMP

Alternate idea for spring bridal shower or baby shower or spring wedding

This spring green invitation features intricate butterflies and colored stars throughout the card. Add your personalized text to complete the look. It would also work for a spring themed shower as well. Give us a call to discuss ways to make it unique for your celebration.

And now for the fun part…..the kids have their candy and so the adults need something too.

Mango Peach Sangria

Try serving this lightly sweet, fruity white-wine sangria over plenty of ice cubes. Using Viognier gives it the right balance of fruity sweetness. Yummy!

Recipe: Mango-Peach Sangria

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup Grand Marnier
1 bottle Viognier
1 mango, chopped
2 peaches, cut into thin wedges
1/4 cup mint

MAKE-AHEAD

In a saucepan, cook the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves; transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until cold.

Stir in the Grand Marnier, Viognier, mango, peaches and mint and serve over ice.

I am so ready to try this out today…….Let me know how it turns out for you if you happen to try this recipe.