Sep 29, 2010
Fall is a gorgeous time of the year, the weather is crisp (well, not yet in Tahoe at least), the leaves are changing, and the food of the season is warm and delicious. With Autumn right around the corner we thought we would share some of our favorite seasonal wedding details – edible and otherwise!
Accent your place setting with a miniature bouquet of fresh herbs with your guest’s name attached and create a runner (or centerpiece if using a round table) of gourds, pillars of varying heights and wicker woven baskets filled with nuts, berries and pumpkins or more gourds. Use the colors naturally found in the food and drink you serve your wedding guests to emphasize your autumn color palette… Some inspiration is below!
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On Left - M.W. Wedding. Courtesy of: Catherine Hall Studios and Thomas J. Story
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Colorful Food
Autumn fruits like pomegranate and apples (rich golds, reds and greens) are at their peak of flavor and perfect for picking! Savory appetizers such as Onion and Apple Tarts with Goat Cheese or Green Apple & Cheddar Quesadillas are the perfect precursor to any Fall celebration. Your guests will love a salad entree of Baby Greens with Reduced Orange Vinaigrette, Roasted Beets, Laura Chenel Goat Cheese & Toasted Walnuts. Serving a spicy pumpkin or squash soup in hollowed out gourds at each place setting, not only look chic and current but they add amazing taste too. A side dish of cranberry and walnut risotto goes perfectly with hearty fall proteins. Dishes with beets and other root vegetables are always traditional Fall favorites as well as add color to your plate!
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Courtesy of: My Recipes, Rachelle Bowden, and Lou Seibert Pappas
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Dazzling Drinks
Here are a few of our favorite autumn inspired cocktails which can work as your Signature Drink after your ceremony or a passed round at the beginning of your dinner:
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Courtesy of: All You
Pomegranate Fizz
A few pomegranate seeds
1 shot pomegranate liquor
1 ounce pomegranate juice
A few splashes Champagne
Place a few pomegranate seeds in the bottom of a Champagne glass. Pour pomegranate liquor and pomegranate juice in glass then top with a few splashes of Champagne.
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Courtesy of: Grey Goose Vodka
Pumpkin Divine
1 part Grey Goose La Poire vodka
1 part pumpkin butter
1/2 part triple sec
1/2 part simple syrup
Pinch each of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger grated nutmeg and apple chip for garnish
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Courtesy of: The Nibble
A Taste of Fall
1 1/2 parts Vodka
1 large slice of pomegranate, chopped
1 part apple juice
Dash of simple syrup
Pomegranate seeds to garnish
Muddle together the pomegranate and syrup in a mixing glass or shaker tin.
Add Vodka and juice, and fill with ice.
Shake well, and strain into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds.
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Tempting Desserts
Mini versions of your classic Fall desserts, can add a non-traditional aspect and still be a hit with your guests. We love these scrumptious mini cherry pies from Bakerella, who wouldn’t want one of these? Or these cheesecake filled pumpkins cupcakes are a unique fall-inspired flavor that will keep your guests talking.
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Courtesy of: Bakerella and Stephen Scott Gross
Seasonal Favor
A fave Fall wedding favor is the caramel apple. The options of embellishing this with ribbon, wrap and personalized tags are endless. Not only will the caramel apples be a sweet touch for your guests, they will also look gorgeous individually at each place setting or in groupings on display.
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Courtesy of: Bridal Blog, The Knot and Wedding by Color
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Happy Autumn Dining!
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Sep 23, 2010
In honor of last night’s Harvest Moon along with the fact that today is the first day of Fall, we are inspired by the change of season and are sharing some of our favorite seasonal wedding details for anyone contemplating an autumn wedding!
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Courtesy of: Catherine Hall Studios (left) & Dave Getzschman Photography (right) Photos from Merrily Wed Weddings
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Décor: Fall is a gorgeous time of the year, so embrace the beauty of the season. By selecting rich autumn colors for your wedding color palette, you instantly create a cozy and warm aura. Some of the colors we love for this time of year are burgundy, plum, chocolate brown, deep red, burnt orange, moss green and a golden yellow. Metallic accents of gold, bronze, or copper add a touch of richness and finish many looks perfectly.
The colors below in this stunning 2010 Merrily Wed wedding captures Fall’s essence.
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Courtesy of: Lisa Leigh Photography - Photos from a Merrily Wed Wedding
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Centerpiece: You have many colorful options for your centerpiece from traditional florals to objects from nature’s autumn harvest. Selecting one or even combining the looks will work and don’t forget to add texture! Several gorgeous natural choices for centerpieces include gourds, pumpkins, squash, pears, apples, cranberries, wheat, acorns, etc.
If you want a more traditional centerpiece you can use fall-toned flowers. Flowers that are great for Fall weddings include: hydrangeas, calla lilies, dahlias, mums, roses and sunflowers. For non-floral accents – hypericum berries, fiddlehead ferns and wooly lamb’s ear leaves (one of our estates grows these all summer long – they are sooooo soft!!).
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Courtesy of: T&J Studios, Bibiana Heymann and Lisa Leigh Photography
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Don’t forget about WHAT your arrangement may go in – choose copper tins, antique urns or wooden vessels of almost any shape. Potted plants in terra cotta containers – plain or embellished are another idea. Birch wrapped containers and moss accents work well too or if you opt for a clear vase, wrap the interior with leaves or twine; or place nuts or berries around the base of the stems to give more texture to your centerpiece. Include these details around your pillars and you have a fluid Fall look.
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- Design Trend: Monochromatic color palettes are very hot this Fall. Select 2-3 different types of flowers to add a little texture and visual interest.
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Wedding Cake: Carry over elements from your centerpiece to your wedding cake. Succulent plants and twigs are very stylish choice and add a natural touch. They also mix will with floral blooms – not only for your wedding cake but for your tablescape too! Other non-floral accents including miniature pine-cones can be matched with baby roses in seasonal colors.
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Right Cake from a Merrily Wed Wedding - Photo Courtesy of: Catherine Hall Studios (Right)
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We are setting a bountiful table with scrumptious details for not only your eyes but for your taste buds too! Our Fall Inspiration Part II will be posting soon…
Sep 20, 2010
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Ginger and Brannan had just a few butterflies on their wedding day but definitely not of the stomach kind! These two knew at ‘first paper-shredder’ that they had something special, strong and lasting between them. Fast forward to their glorious 2010 Lake Tahoe private estate wedding with amazing views of not only the crystal blue Lake but the Sierras surrounding it.
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Ginger wore a stunning lace Amy Kuschel gown and she selected a chocolate brown Coren Moore bridesmaid dress to compliment this. We summerized the look by adding splashes of light/dark pinks, purples and tangerine orange throughout the reception – in the bouquets, centerpieces, menus, paper lanterns and the scrumptious dessert tower. The Monterey blue sash of the brown dress was also mimicked on ribbons wrapping the floral vases. Whimsical touches of butterflies alighted on top floral and food arrangements while cute floral stamps accented the paper decor everywhere. These colorful accents added to the festive mood of their wedding day!
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As the wooden sign says that Ginger & Brannan displayed at their reception – “Love Much, Laugh Often, Live Well”… and so it was on their beautiful wedding day. We know it will be well beyond too!
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Photos courtesy of Ben Chrisman and Florals by Bellissima Floral Creations
Click for Super Size Slideshow
Sep 8, 2010
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For those of you who adore the vibrant autumn colors of orange, persimmon, burgundy and brown, you will ‘fall‘ for Vanessa & Scott’s Tahoe lakefront wedding. Destination I Do Magazine did and this richly hued Fall wedding is currently featured in their beautiful publication out in the stores now.
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Below is Vanessa’s Wedding Board – I couldn’t resist throwing together with some of the subtle details, that combined, made this an impressive color feast. Gold and pine wood complimented the natural, Tahoe-inspired look she wanted. Loose moss, stray branches and river rocks nicely contradicted the gold chargers and gold-edged table frames which comprised the tablescape. Celebrating Vanessa’s Swedish heritage, two intertwining heart wreaths were hung above their head table.
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Photos courtesy by Dave Getzschman of Ben Chrisman Photography
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The one thing though that I will never forget, is not found in the details on the final wedding day, but rather lies in the first day that I met this incredible couple. We chatted, strapped on some snowshoes like old friends and scouted out their ideal wedding site in several feet of snow. Now that is true Tahoe style.
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Sep 3, 2010
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To trend away from the elaborate and sometimes expensive guest favor, here are a few practical, tasteful, and certainly yummy, edible ideas. We couldn’t help but turn to a few of our favorite things – food & drink!
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Cupcake in a Jar:
This new twist on the “dessert in a jar” favor is not only beautiful BUT delicious too. We couldn’t resist and don’t think your guests will either. The cupcake in a jar makes it easy for your guests to take for later without squishing it but they probably aren’t going to go too far before indulging… These mini-desserts are baked in a variety of flavors and colors – more reasons to eat more than one!
Feeling DIY? Look at the tutorial from Cakies to see how these scrumptious favors are made.
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Courtesy of: Cakies
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Personalized Treats:
There are many different sweets that can be personalized like these fun and quirky flavors of Jones sodas. Choose from a range of vibrant colors that they are offered in, they can match any wedding color scheme. The retro bottle can be personalized with pictures of you with your honey and given to your guests to enjoy, not only at the reception, but to take home with them (if they last!).
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Courtesy of: Erin Browne
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Chocolate Treats:
Ahhh chocolate – we must mention the huge-crowd-pleaser chocolate! From personalizing your favorite chocolate bar with a custom wrapper and message (we can spend hours choosing the right label) to a complete chocolate dessert bar, the options are endless here as well as the price. Use labels, font color and ribbon to compliment your décor perfectly and you will have not only a tasty but gorgeous display for your guests like this candy bar from one of our MW weddings.
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Merrily Wed Wedding - Photo Courtesy of Ben Chrisman Photography
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Fresh Fruit:
Using fresh fruit as your favor is not only beautiful but it is also a sustainable option. Besides being healthy and a “green” favor, fruit can serve many purposes at your reception from a decor accent to actually doubling as your escort card by attaching your guest’s name to each piece of fruit. The fruit you choose will ideally be locally grown, in season as well as compliment your color palette. The granny smith apples below went perfectly with the spring green and cream color scheme at this MW wedding.
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Merrily Wed Wedding - Photo Courtesy of Ben Chrisman Photography
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Keep in mind what tempts your own taste buds when considering the perfect edible favor for your wedding. You will choose something that when all is said and done, your guests will love and leave with their bellies full!
Aug 29, 2010
This charming, but not so small, homespun wedding graced the store shelves in the ultra classy Destination I Do magazine last Spring. If you missed the issue, here’s your second chance – Destination I Do 2010 Spring.
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Kat came to me with several “musts” that she wanted to incorporate into her wedding – a natural, organic feel with muted colors, an Italian touch or two and a setting inspired by the era of “A River Runs Through It”. This is what we came with up after 16 months of planning…
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Their lakeside ceremony was attended by 220 guests, all mesmerized with the unforgettable site of the couple reciting their touching vows just steps away from Lake Tahoe. Katherine wore a lace Carolina Herrera wedding gown. Her bridesmaids wore a modern olive number by Thread – we loved the pockets!
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Ivy wrapped shepherd hooks holding overflowing copper pails blooming with lavender, wheat and hues of orange & white florals marked the aisle path along with a smattering of soft orange, apricot and white rose petals. These elements were mirrored by the square willow arch framing the altar.
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Coming from avid fly-fishing families, these touches were woven throughout the reception from the river rock in the mason jars, to the fly fishing baskets containing goodies staged all over, to the fishing flies tied along with wheat plumes to each of their guests’ place cards. As a surprise to their family members, the couple displayed photos on the place card table of fishing trips enjoyed through the years.
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Custom wagon-wheel chandeliers with antique lanterns dangled overhead, very reminiscent of an earlier time. Olive swags were added to the napkins along with a white flower tied with a silk cord. These were the perfect touches for marrying the “A River Runs Through It” and Tuscany vibes of the wedding.
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Photos courtesy of Mulberry Photography, Florals by Bellissima Floral Creations
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PS – If you love this wedding look, you are in luck as more of these details are being featured in a magazine article due out this week focusing on chic rustic elements. More to come soon…
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