Friday, October 8, 2010

When a group of friends hear wedding bells, a special party ensues…light & delicious luncheon fare for the Bride-to-be!




World news, believe it or not, can be tasty! That’s why, when Disney introduced it’s own line of 7 princess wedding gowns, I got inspired, and started doing a little research on weddings…and why not? As a party planner and caterer, they’re your bread and butter! Anyway, Yours Truly, along with the rest of a nuptial-minded consensus, decided that October is a great month to think about engagement parties, showers and so much of the mouth-watering “else” that comes with this celebration; I’m talking black and white marble cakes that remind you of bride and groom, a gathering of close friends—one of whom is headed down the aisle—and a stack of brides magazines that let you talk turkey about the one element in the wedding that is—let’s face it—what everybody shows up for: to see that gown!

When I looked at wedding statistics I found that the average American engagement is approximately 16 months long, and the bride-to-be chooses her wedding dress 4 months before the big day, which means that if you know someone this October shopping for the perfect dress, she’ll be saying “I do” in February! Valentines, anyone?

My party menu of hearty, yet delicate-in-presentation dishes for those who celebrate love, can be used not just for pending marriages, but for those coming up on anniversaries, and October, as I understand it, knows its fair share of them. Fall weddings represent 29% of the minister’s appointment book! If any of my readers are celebrating an anniversary, please leave me a comment that marks the exact date; it’ll make everyone smile!

Decorating for a bride inspired soirée can be done pretty inexpensively; a trip out to Party City showed me wedding trimmers and attention grabbing advertisements like: “It’s all about the dress!” For $10 you can get a formidable (at least a size 8) wedding dress balloon, but plenty of us will stop at simply putting out a pretty bouquet of roses and maybe some bride and groom salt and pepper shakers.

You know, I thought that a fun version of this party could be calling it a “Tapa-Wear” event, where the bride-to-be tries a few things on, while tapas are served in her midst. Ultimately, though, I left tapas to that hypothetical honeymoon in Spain, and chose Pitas Stuffed with Chicken and Walnut Salad, Chilled Cream of Cauliflower Soup (cauliflower is in season right now), Sautéed Fruit and Cheese Platter (this is the perfect post luncheon accompaniment that may just rival the dessert) and Vanilla & Chocolate Marble Cake with coffee afterward, its colors a perfect meld of what traditional brides and grooms are all about. Thank you, Queen Victoria, for establishing the centuries old tradition of white wedding dresses, a cherished theme in the minds of (most, all??) little girls until they become big girls…and actually wear one down the aisle.

So that’s all for now, my friends. Set your table for the well dressed, and don’t forget the white wines, and lone bottle of special champagne—have a nip and take a peek at beautiful things yet to come!

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