Feb 22, 2011
With the endless snow in Tahoe lately, we have been smitten with warm cocktails and couldn’t resist sampling quite a few. You now get to benefit from our cabin fever and hours of taste testing… yum! Someone must do it right?
Not only are these toasty libations ideal as showcase drinks at your winter wedding but they could also be the just-right warm night cap at the end of your summer wedding – along with a late night snack. Served as part of a chocolate bar or a coffee bar at your reception would work fabulously as well. Or as we have found, enjoyable just to cuddle up with on a cold winter night!
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Photo: Chef Mom
The Snuggler
3/4 oz Peppermint Schnapps
1 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Whipping Cream
5 oz (hot) Cocoa
Pour peppermint schnapps and cocoa into an Irish coffee cup, and sweeten to taste. Gently float cream on top, sprinkle with grated chocolate, and serve.
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Photo: Chow
Red Rudolph
1/2 oz Orange Curacao Liqueur
1/2 oz Cinnamon Schnapps
3/4 oz Vodka
6 oz Cranberry Juice
Heat and pour into an Irish coffee cup. Top with whipped cream, garnish with a tall cinnamon stick, and serve.
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Photo: Glamour Cliche
Hot Apple Pie
6 oz Apple Cider, heated
1 oz Tuaca Liqueur (an orange-vanilla flavored liqueur)
Whipped Cream
Pinch Cinnamon and Nutmeg
1 Cinnamon Stick
In a glass mug, combine cider and Tuaca. Garnish with whipped cream, and sprinkle on cinnamon and nutmeg. Add a stick of cinnamon.
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Photo: Martha Stewart
The Tahoe Blizzard
1 1/2 oz Irish Whiskey or Rum
1/2 oz Hazelnut Liqueur, such as Frangelico
1/2 oz Irish Cream Liqueur, such as Bailey’s
Hot Coffee
Splash of Grand Marnier
Dollop of Whipped Cream
In a coffee mug, stir whiskey, hazelnut liqueur, and Irish cream; top with coffee. Add a splash of Grand Marnier. Top with whipped cream and serve immediately.
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Jan 14, 2011 |
This light hearted and mood lifting wedding is the perfect pick-me-up during all these short winter days filled with dark, gloomy skies. We have previously given a glimpse to this charming wedding with a video peek but have been saving this gem of a wedding to roll out when we needed a little reminder of those glorious sunny summer days.
This wedding is sure to put a smile on your face and a hop in your step with its gleaming color palette of white, pewter silver and fresh green. The splashes of magenta modernize a traditional look and the outcome was breathtakingly sophisticated and tailored!
Last June Sarah and Ryan exchanged vows in a church ceremony and then treated their guests to a breathtaking Lake Tahoe view at a private estate for the following festivities. Personalized touches were woven through out from the stick rock candy at the coffee bar to the individualized hand tied flip-flops to the color coordinated pashminas for the guests to, last but not least, the wildly popular and colossal photo board of the couple’s childhood years.
This slideshow is sure to cure any wintertime blues!
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Nov 24, 2010
At long last we are going to experience another royal wedding! I remember as a little girl going to my friend Courtney’s slumber party to watch the wedding of the century as Lady Diana wed Charles, Prince of Wales. In the wee hours of the morning, we watched excitedly as her mom brought us tea cakes and tea (really lemonade, but, hey we pretended!). Still to this day I remember that magical moment as us little gals witnessed a real-life princess come to be.
So now after eight years of dating ‘off and on’, their son, Prince William, and Kate Middleton are finally engaged! The royal proposal happened in October during a private holiday in Kenya. Prince William informed the Queen, close members of his family and asked Kate’s father for the permission before it was announced to the public last week. Although they will not disclose the details of the proposal Kate did describe it as, “very romantic, and it was very personal.”
Photo Courtesy of: Getty Images
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One of the biggest controversies of the engagement is the ring. The ring that Prince William proposed to Kate with belonged to his mother, Princess Diana. It is a stunning 23-carat sapphire and diamond engagement ring. Some people have had harsh criticism because Charles and Diana had a notoriously bad marriage and people think that the ring is cursed because of it. The decision to give Kate this engagement ring was in honor of his mother, “This is my way of keeping her close to it all.” Which we think is a very sweet sentiment, not to mention the ring is GORGEOUS!!
Photo Courtesy of: Getty Images
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The wedding date has been set and is going to be held on Friday, April 29th, 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey has a special place in Prince William’s heart, as it was where his mother Princess Diana’s funeral was held. Kate has not picked a designer for her wedding dress, though she says it will be a British designer. After the wedding the couple will live in North Wales, where William is currently stationed with the Royal Air Force.
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Prince William and Kate’s wedding will not only be a public holiday in the UK but it is also anticipated to be one of the most watched television event ever. This all sounds very familiar but you know I will be staying up and watching live the passage of another Princess… I bet anything that my friend Courney, albeit different time zones, will be awake and watching it with me too!
Oct 20, 2010
Have you ever wondered where certain wedding traditions came from? We picked seven common wedding traditions and found their origins. It is interesting to see how these have evolved over the years into today’s widely popular and accepted versions.
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1. The Wedding Party:
During Ancient Roman times it was believed that demons were out to get the couple about to be married. The tradition of bridesmaids and groomsmen was created to help protect the couple. The wedding party dressed similar to the bride – bridesmaids used to wear white – and the groom so the demons could not tell who was getting married.
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2. The Veil:
The veil worn by the bride was not always sheer or made of lace; it used to be made from a much heavier cloth. This opaque material was a precaution in case there was another man in love with the bride. The veil would hide whomever was under the veil, and her other admirer couldn’t kidnap her before she was wed.
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3. Bride on Left & Groom on Right:
During the wedding ceremony the bride traditionally stands on the left and the groom stands on the right. The origin of this tradition goes back to when the groom used to kidnap his bride. The groom would stand on the right in case he had to fight another suitor, this would allow the groom to hold the brides left hand and still have his right free to be able to use his sword.
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4. You May Now Kiss the Bride:
Sealed with a kiss? There was a time, under Roman law that a kiss was legally binding. In fact, if the couple did not kiss at the end of the ceremony, the marriage would be null and void. The kiss is now for more romantic purposes and, hey it is just plain fun, than it was in those days!
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5. The Grooms Cake:
The tradition of having a groom’s cake in addition to the traditional wedding cake started in the South. The groom’s cake is not only so the groom can reflect his own interests and hobbies into his special day, it also is popular with the single female guests. Legend has it that if a female guest takes a slice of the groom’s cake and places it under her pillow while she sleeps that night, she will dream of her future husband.
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6. Cake Cutting:
Sharing the first piece was a traditions created by the Romans. It was believed that eating the first piece together creates a special bond between the bride and groom. The sweet cake was thought to bring sweetness to all aspects of the couple’s new life together. The wheat used in the cake was symbolic of a fruitful union and fertility.
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7. The Honeymoon:
The honeymoon is a very old Scandinavian tradition. After the ceremony the bride used to be captured by her groom and held hostage until her family called off the search for her. The term honeymoon refers to the time that follows the capture of the bride. This also relates to the origins of a ‘best man’, the best man was supposed to stall the bride’s family until the couple had escaped.
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These wedding traditions have been around for a long time and have evolved into their more modern versions. You now know the originations of these popular traditions so at the next wedding you attend, you can dazzle your friends with your handy knowledge!
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Photos (in order) courtesy of Annie X Photography, Catherine Hall Studios, Jennifer Baciocco Photography, Ben Chrisman Photography (three photos) and Organic Photographs. All from Merrily Wed Weddings.
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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