Wedding Blog to Love

Natalie Portman stirred up talk at the 2012 Oscar’s when she and Benjamin Millepied sported wedding bands on the red carpet.  The actress is still mum on the status of her wedding, but it appears the couple was secretly married as Portman continues to be seen wearing the wedding band.  Portman’s ring is very vintage with two platinum bands sandwiching a dazzling engagement ring.  Natalie Portman’s vintage dress at the Academy Awards complimented the debut of her wedding ring appropriately.

In memory of Whitney Houston we have selected some of the best Whitney Houston wedding songs that will always melt our hearts.  These songs will be everlasting at weddings:

I Believe In You And Me - Preacher’s Wife Soundtrack

I Will Always Love You - Bodyguard Soundtrack

Greatest Love Of All - Whitney Houston

One Moment In Time - Whitney Houston

Love Will Save The Day -Whitney

I Belong To You - I’m Your Baby Tonight

This year we expect couples to include at least one Whitney Houston song in their wedding music.  With the news of her death brides are inspired to listen to her music and select her songs.  Whitney Houston’s fabulous voice is unforgettable and her romantic music is charming for weddings. 

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies are a scrumptious treat for Valentine’s Day weddings.  Wedding celebrations such as engagements parties and bridal showers during the month of love call for a special desert and a sweet red wedding favor.  Red Velvet Whoopie Pies are a rich red and chocolaty desert that makes a dreamy addition to your wedding celebration.  For a romantic twist use heart shape cookie cutters to create beautiful red heart shaped treats and wedding favors.  Present these at your desert table, part of your wedding cake tier or a clear favor box wrapped with a matching ribbon a favor tag for lovely wedding favors.

Here is a recipe for Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with yummy cream cheese filling:

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 ounce milk chocolate, chopped
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped

Directions

• Make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the semisweet and milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth.
• Whisk the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring in a bowl until combined. In another bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in four equal batches, whisking each batch completely before adding the next. Stir in the melted chocolate.
• Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets and smooth the tops with a damp finger. Bake until the cookies spring back when lightly pressed, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla seeds. Sandwich a heaping tablespoonful of filling between 2 cookies; repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

We hear about many New Years Eve wedding celebrations because it is the perfect night for celebrations; however a New Years Day Wedding may be a more unique idea.  Imagine a New Years Day brunch for your wedding it’s perfect after a night of partying.  A champagne brunch with tiny details of a new year’s celebration can be included in a New Years Day wedding.  Compared to bold choices for a New Year’s Eve Wedding, a day wedding can be more subtle with soft colors.

If morning is not ideal then an afternoon event following a New Years Eve rehearsal dinner would be perfect.  Shania Twain and Frederic Thiebaud tied the knot with a sunset beach ceremony in Puerto Rico on New Year’s Day.  It was bright and fresh and a romantic start to the New Year. 

Infused sugar feels really special and luxurious, something that a person wouldn’t buy for them self but which they will love to use in the kitchen.  Infused sugars are really easy to make.  Just mix together ingredients, store in an air-tight container for several weeks, then sift before using. Layer granulated sugar with aromatic edibles like scented geranium leaves, rose petals, orange and lemon peel (first set out for a day to dry), or vanilla beans. If you are planning ahead for holiday gifts, this would be a great project to start early - then just package and give to your foodie friends in December.  Here is an unique recipe for infused sugar wedding favors during the holidays:

Recipe: Pine Needle Infused Sugar

Ingredients

• § White Caster Sugar
• § Handful of Pine Needles

Method

• 1. Fill a jar with freshly picked pine needles (washed then dried well), then pour over the caster sugar.
• 2. Leave for a few weeks then sprinkle over mince pies or any of your favorite foods to enjoy.

Quick notes

The sugar might clump together a little as it absorbs some of the oil from the pine needles, but a quick shake should fix that.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 12

 Create a beautiful wedding cake all on your own that will look like a professional delivered it to your wedding.  This is a great idea for chocolate lovers or if you want a white wedding cake dressed with flowers.  Get creative and decorate this wedding cake to suite your wedding theme.

Ingredients

VEGETABLE OIL OR OIL SPRAY

• 1 3/4 sticks/7oz/200g butter, softened
• 1 cup/7oz/200g superfine sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup/2 1/2oz/60g all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup/4 1/2oz/120g cake flour
• 2/3 cup/75g/3oz unsweetened cocoa
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 14oz/400g dark, milk, or white chocolate cigarillos (75 to 80 in total) or chocolate rolled wafers

BUTTERCREAM:

• 2 1/4 sticks/9oz/250g butter, softened
• 4 1/2 cups/1lb 2oz/500g confectioners’ sugar
• 3 1/2 oz/100g good dark chocolate (at least 70-percent cocoa solids), melted and slightly cooled

DECORATION (OPTIONAL):

• Fresh flowers, for a Christening cake
• Strawberries or raspberries, for the girls
• Figs, quartered, for the boys
• Special equipment: 8in (20cm) round deep cake pan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line the cake pan with parchment paper and brush or spray with oil.

Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until they begin to go pale. Add half the eggs and the all-purpose flour and mix well. Add the rest of the eggs, cake flour, unsweetened cocoa, salt, and baking powder and beat for a minute or two until the mixture is uniform. Dollop into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan.

Meanwhile, make the butter cream. Put the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl and whisk together until the mixture begins to go fluffy. Add the cooled melted chocolate and whisk for a further 2 minutes.

Once the cake is completely cool, remove from the pan. Carefully cut the top flat with a large serrated knife. (Eat this bit as a chef’s perk.) Turn the cake upside down on an 8in (20cm) cake board so that the bottom now becomes a nice flat top. Split the cake horizontally and sandwich the top and bottom together with a 1/2in (1cm) layer of butter cream. Spread half the remaining butter cream all over the top and sides of the cake, making it as smooth as possible. Put it in the refrigerator to set before doing another layer. This makes it much easier to get good squared-off edges.

Gently push the cigarillos or wafers vertically onto the sides of the cake; positioning them as straight as possible and making sure they touch the bottom. The next step is up to you. I can’t tell you the wide-eyed looks you’ll get when you walk into the room holding the finished cake. Decorate with fresh flowers for a Christening or wedding, strawberries for a big family gathering or with figs for a man’s birthday. Serve with a self-satisfied grin.

If you are having a fall wedding, then you must be looking for unique ways to decorate your fall wedding without making it look like Halloween or Thanksgiving.  A harvest theme is always a nice way to create just the right fall look.  Here are some unique ideas for a fall wedding simply using pumpkins:

Create an aisle lit up with pumpkins for dusk to evening wedding.  The pumpkins should not be carved as jack-o-lanterns, but with unique designs.

Use large pumpkins to carve your initials and light up your cake table.  Miniature pumpkins and gourds can also be used as cake toppers.

Use pumpkins as tea lights at each table setting for the reception. Pumpkins can also decorate chairs and table runners with clothes pins attached to the miniature pumpkins or gourds.

Hollow out large pumpkins to use as ice buckets or hold cold drinks as a party cooler.

Mix and match creamy white pumpkins, gourds and large orange pumpkins to decorate your fall wedding. Dazzle up the pumpkins as center pieces with sequence and ribbon.  Also use height and different levels to decorate tables.  Pumpkins are a great source for fall wedding decorations.  They can even be used for fall wedding favors and are an inexpensive item.

Fall is becoming a popular season for weddings.  The crisp fall air and warm fall colors are a gorgeous back drop to work around when planning a wedding.  Couples are taking advantage of fall holidays like Thanksgiving to create a wedding weekend.  To stay in tuned with the season a robust fall theme is nice to work with.  Home-style and hearty foods are a key to fall weddings and pies are a perfect addition to these fall wedding menus.  Pies are also the latest trend in wedding favors.  Miniature pies presented in mini jars for individual servings are a hit at weddings.  Not only are miniature pies a sweet idea to present as wedding favors, but they make a great alternative to wedding cakes.  Place the mini pies on cake tiers and maybe even use a regular sized pie on the top tier to cut into.  This will bring a unique touch to a fall wedding in the country side or an elegant backyard wedding.  If a Thanksgiving weekend wedding is the plan, then you mustn’t allow your friends to miss out on pie.  Miniature pie can be made in many fabulous flavors and designs and can be a DIY project.  This can save you a bundle on desert and the wedding cake.  Another great idea for wedding favors with a pie theme are pie pops, which can be wrapped in cello and embellished with personalized tags and ribbons.    

The protocol on wedding favors is sometimes a mystery.  Many couples would like to skip it because of budget.  When it comes to the topic of wedding favors, it is a personal choice.  However something to keep in mind is that a wedding favor is a way to show your gratitude to guests for being present on one of the most important days of your life.  A wedding favor is a special touch that takes your guests into consideration and makes them feel appreciated.  Deciding on the appropriate wedding favor to give to your guests is another dilemma.  The current trend is to give out wedding favors that fit the couple’s personality and the ambience of the wedding.  There is nothing that is strange to give out as a wedding favor if it reflects the bride and grooms personality and taste.  There are many different types of wedding favors that can be given out depending on the type of wedding. 

Many people will choose to coordinate the wedding favor with the theme of the wedding.  With creativity theme wedding favors can also be useful.  For example, sometimes it is nice to give out a wedding favor that is in season with the wedding.  There are a variety of fall wedding favors, winter wedding favors, as well as summer and spring wedding favors.  However, for spring and summer weddings, brides and grooms will often opt for a garden wedding theme or a beach wedding theme.  Thus, there are fabulous beach and nautical wedding favors to select from, as well as wedding favors for spring themes, such as garden wedding favors.  Festive favors are available for any time of the year.  Practical favors are always appreciated.  For example, in the summer or spring shield guests from the sun, if you’re marrying outdoors, with pretty parasol favors that they’ll be able to use long after your wedding day. 

The goal is to find wedding favors that also reflect the bride and groom’s personality or have symbolism for the couple.  A traditional touch to a wedding favor is always appreciated by wedding guests.  Celebrate your culture through your gifts. Items like maracas for a Latin themed wedding or a Mexican wedding would be fun.  Chopsticks are a great idea for an Asian wedding theme or elephant themed items of Indian weddings.  Ethnic wedding favors are becoming more and more popular and they can even add an exotic touch to your wedding.

Keep in mind that wedding favors are also a great to add to the décor of the wedding.  If you’re having a theme wedding, offer a favor that echoes the motif. Think strawberry-flavored lobster suckers for beachside bashes or Seashell candles and tea lights.  Personalized corkscrews and chrome bottle stoppers for winery weddings are a classy favor idea.  It is also appropriate to choose favors that serve more than one purpose.  Wedding favors that also serve as place card holders or even centerpieces are much more useful and practical.   Think small wrapped favor boxes of chocolate that you can stack as centerpieces or labeled Champagne bottles that double as place cards.  These favors serve a dual purpose and also save money. 

The etiquette for wedding favors is that if you choose to offer wedding favors, then make them appropriate for your wedding and present them in an elegant manner.  If you choose scented favors, such as candle favors, avoid setting scented favors on the table as they may interfere with the aromas of the dinner. Have them distributed by the wait staff after dinner has been served.  A nice touch would be to have your bride’s maids distribute the wedding favors to your wedding guests. 

How to distribute the wedding favors and how many favors are needed is often a dilemma with most couples.  If you’re opting for an edible wedding favors like almonds or candy, provide one per guest.   Each individual wedding guest should always receive an edible wedding favor.  You can never go wrong with chocolate. But don’t forget less traditional (and less expensive) sweets that can make a lasting impression, such as taffy sticks or caramels.  Carmel candy favors are also perfect for fall themed weddings.  If you want to splurge of the wedding favors, then think bottle stoppers or gourmet coffee favors, and other personalized favors.  Pricier items like votive candleholders can be distributed one per couple.  Again these can be handed out or a few a left at each table.

The overall etiquette of wedding favors is that they need to be appropriate and tasteful.  The wedding favors should match your wedding theme and color scheme.  They should be something that guests would consider desirable.  The wedding favors are usually a good idea because they may guests feel special and attended to. 

Choosing to have your wedding in a home is an intimate and special affair.  Such an arrangement for a wedding can be a truly special event, as well as include many cost saving factors.  However, there are many elements to take into consideration when planning a home wedding. 

When planning a wedding at home the first thing to confirm is the guest list.  This will ensure whether there is enough room in the home to accommodate all the guests.  Other things to consider are parking in the residential neighborhood and the noise factor.  The last thing you want is for the police to show up at your wedding reception due to too much noise.  One way to eliminate this issue is to let your neighbors know that you will be having a wedding celebration and also to invite them to the wedding. 

Other things that couples don’t think about when planning a home wedding are things like the condition of the home.  The house might need repairs and updates before something as special as a wedding can take place there.  This might be the right occasion to initiate repairs to the home, but it is also a cost to take into account during the planning and budgeting of the wedding. 

The overall impact of a wedding held at home is quaint.  A backyard wedding will be charming with a barbeque or informal buffet after the ceremony.  It is a huge relief on the wedding budget if the food can be prepared at home ahead of time.  Get friends and family to help and it can be a beautiful affair.  One piece of advice is to hire a serving and cleaning crew so that everyone can enjoy them self on the wedding day rather than serving or cleaning. If a caterer is engaged, then make sure to let them know what is available in the way of power outlets and inform them of any restrictions on the space they can use. 

Choosing to have your wedding or reception at a private home can make the event more personal, but it may require more work.  You can hire vendors for all the services to try to make things easier, however in that case keeping the costs low can be more challenging.  The key to a home wedding is keeping it simple and making it a true labor of love.