Party Planning

I can't believe that 2007 is coming to a close, so much to be thankful for this past year! And so much to reflect on for the coming year. If you are planning a New Years Party here are some tips on staying organized (this also works for basically any party you might be planning):

• Make a list of everything that has to get done (including your menu for the party)


• On that list note the times that things need to cooked or started or placed in the oven (for instance - make crab dip AM, put quiche in the oven 6:30)


• Have the drinks out already so you don't have to fumble in the kitchen for drinks for everyone all night


• Make sure your champagne is chilled and ready to go


• Know where your champagne flutes are in advance or have them out already


• Make sure you have enough forks, paper goods, ice - ect. before your party begins


• And be ready an hour before your first guest. (this way you can be finishing up in the kitchen when the arrive, not blow drying your hair)

And don't forget to have fun! It's a party after all! (Oh and drink responsibly!!! It's not you I am worried about, it's the other guys!)

Happy New Year Everyone!

Christmas Eve - Celebration!

I promise this is the last Christmas Post, then back to Weddings as Usual! Okay, so the one thing I love about Christmas is the food, I just love entertaining - so for me this is the Ultimate in Entertaining!

The Prep work, after my first cup of coffee I start cooking - here's our menu:

Hor's Deavours:

• Shrimp Cocktail (Fish One)
• Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese, Capers and Diced Onion on Mini Toasts (Fish Two)
• Goat Cheese with Fresh Rosemary and Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil
• Crab Rangoon's with an Apricot Dipping Sauce (Fish Three)
• Mushroom Turnovers
• Spinach Tartlets
• Cheese Souffles
• Blue Cheese with Fresh Honey
• Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Dinner:

• Stuffed Calamari (Fish Four + Bonus Fish in Stuffing)
• Lobster and Crab Potatoes Au Gratin (Fish Five)
• Salmon with a Lump Crab Meat and Lemon Caper Butter Sauce
• Tilapia with an Orange Dijon Glaze (Fish Six)
• Smelts (Fish Seven)
• Inside Out Stuffed Artichokes

Dessert: (Mostly Made by Maria who is an incredible Chef and needs to open a bakery!!!)

• Homemade Cookies and Cakes
• Homemade Canolli's
• A ton of yummy'ness!!!

Here is the Photo Documenting that Greg did such a fantastic job with!!!

The Prep Work:

Me Playing with the Calamari:

The Finished Products:

My Table - wouldn't The Hostess with the Mostess be proud of me! The Dessert:

The People:

My Handsome Husband and his Mommy:Erin, Me and Barb:My Step Dad (Greg), My Mommy, Father in Law and Mother in Law:The Whole Group (Minus Greg)Me Cleaning:Erin and I:

It was such a lovely and Lively Christmas - I hope everyone had a fantabulous time! I know I did! And my apron looked so nice with my Christmas Eve outfit!

Christmas Eve - Pre-Celebration!

I hope you all had a fantabulous Christmas! I know we did! It was filled with so much laughter and love, and fun! And that is what the holidays are all about - regardless of how you celebrate, what you celebrate, or what your traditions are, just being together, your crazy family, your quiet celebration - it's about doing it together.

Like I posted earlier we celebrate Christmas Eve, Italian Style with the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Here's the recap:

We started with Gingerbread Smack-Down, also known as Pimp Your Gingerbread Crib - we all go together started with a standard Gingerbread Kit and made it our own - This was Christmas Eve-Eve (aka December 23rd)

The Gingerbread Mess!

My Gingerbread House (The Snowman is totally cute, no?)

The Cheater's House (aka - My Mom's - she was trying to copy a house from the Internet)

My Mother-In-Law's House:

Maria's House (I love her wreath and trees!!!)All of our Houses!

Next Post - The Food!

Feast of the Seven Fishes

One of the best things about marrying into an Italian family are some of the traditions. One of my very favorites ones is the Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes. Seven symbolizes so many things - Seven days of the week, the seven days it took for the Virgin Mary to travel to Bethlehem, the seven sacraments, the seven days of creation, or the seven deadly sins. Many families, like my husband's aren't strict about which fishes are served- but only that there are seven. (or some bonus fishes that I like to thow into the mix)

I've changed things up since I've taken over for Christmas Eve, and I love every minute of it! We had a delicious feast full of new friends and old, of family from all over - and it was amazing! Once my Stepdad sends me the photographs, I'll be sure to share them with you!

What are your family Christmas traditions?

I need your help!

I need your help! I have a client that really would like a unique way of displaying her table seating cards. I'd love you to help us decide! If you could email me or comment with a link to where we can see them. I'll post them all and then I'll let you know which image she decides to go with.

The ideas can be DIY or professionally done - there are no limits, except your imagination!

This is my last post until after Christmas, as all of the family arrives tomorrow! I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all of that fun stuff!!!

Guest Blogger - Thursday!

Hi! My name is Reilly, and I am an Invitation Consultant for http://www.invitationconsultants.com/ and a writer for IC’s blog. I am so excited to have the opportunity to share some of my predictions for 2008 stationery trends with Adventures in Wedding Planning blog readers! The comment we receive from brides most often is that they are looking for invitations that appeal to their personal style. A wedding is outward expression of the love between you and your fiancé, so of course your stationery should represent your personalities and your upcoming nuptials. Consider your invitations to be a preview for your guests of fabulous things to come!

So without further ado, here are some very exciting new design elements and paper styles that will emerge in the new year:

* Creative Colors- Orange and turquoise look gorgeous for a spring or summer themed wedding, and are sure to grab the attention of the receiver. Stick to sleek and simple designs when combining these bright hues. Other interesting color combinations include: wine and olive in the fall, black and white accented with lemon yellow, and cerulean and sage for a chic duo.

* Fresh Beach Themes- Beach themed and tropical destination weddings are always a hit because they combine the relaxed luxury of a vacation with the excitement of a wedding. In 2008, beach themed invitations and save the dates will be updated with new embellishments and details.

Clambakes and low country boils are rising in popularity, so look out for invitations featuring clams, oysters, or nautical elements like helms or anchors.

* Letterpress- The popular printing technique is not going anywhere anytime soon. The soft and indulgent paper textures coupled with the sophisticated designs leave letterpress the most wanted stationery among style-wise brides. This year, you will see more detailed letterpress designs from save the dates and invitations to programs.

* Unexpected Florals- Bigger blooms peeking out from the corner of square shaped or layered invitations are unique and contemporary. Pressed or dried flowers may also rise in popularity as an embellishment. Brocades will remain popular, as will black silhouettes of classic flowers on bright or pastel cardstock.


My thanks to Melissa for letting me share some upcoming trends in the world of wedding invitations! If you are looking forward to any stationery styles in 2008, let us know and comment below!

From left to right: My Sailor You by William Arthur, Black Photo Floral by Krepe Kraft, Letterpess Little Dahlia by William Arthur, Vinery by Checkerboard, All from Invitation Consultants.

I think I have a problem

77%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Free Online Dating from JustSayHi

How addicted are you?

The Perfect Gift!!!

For those of you who don't know I love to entertain, it's a true passion of mine! I love giving parties, making fun food, hanging out - it's just something I enjoy doing.

I've always wanted a fun apron - nothing too out there, nothing too corny, just something elegant, something you'd see the most elegant, classy person wearing... and I found it!!! There a tiny little square to the left of the Hostess With the Mostess blog- for Lynne's Whim, it looks like this:

And she has the best handmade aprons! Her shipping is super duper fast, and my apron is amazing!!! I went with this one -

I can't wait to have all 20 people over on Christmas Eve and wear my apron while preparing the traditional Italian 7-fishes feast!

Little Black Book!

We are so honored to be recognized in Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book! In case you haven't checked it out, Abby and her team over at Style Me Pretty have put together a highly edited collection of wedding service providers - from mom and pop boutiques to the A-Listers. Personally and recommended by our closest girlfriends. Industry insiders and Style Me Pretty readers, there are three hand-picked listings per category.

We have been honored with a premier listing in the Central Florida area, check out out!

And we are also featured in South Florida as well!

Real Wedding Friday! Maria and Jeff

So - as a wedding consultant you have those clients that you just know you could be friends with. And Maria and Jeff were definitely in that category of clients, and as it happened, after the wedding was over, we've become fast friends. It doesn't happen very often, so when it does - it just means the world to me! Thank you Maria and Jeff for allowing me to be apart of your amazing day!!!

Their wedding was in May, and it was one of those weddings that just showed a real personal side of the Bride and Groom - I love those! Maria is a big fan of sweets, so she opted to do small wedding cakes as centerpieces and as table numbers she made HUGE cupcakes and iced them, stuck a birthday candle in the to use as table numbers! The s'mores bar was a huge success!!! Check out these great images from LifeLong Studios!

I love this image - the bride and groom along in the chapel, because after it's all said and done, it's all about this anyway.

Me, taking a moment to chat with Maria before the craziness of the reception begins.

Aren't they adorable!!!

Just one of the tables with a beautiful cake - each cake was different was way neat, and they all had different cake stands. Here's one of the table numbers - aren't they fantastic!!!

And their amazing invitations, by Erickson Design.

The candy bar, need I say more! The s'mores bar- this is me posing for a marshmallow shot, I did good, no? Gosh, the lengths I go for my clients!