Is the drink pouring all over the floor?!

"Ummmm, yep, but I can't do much about it, so why don't you just keep telling me about your summer!!"

OKok, a bit of background... remember this post, where I discussed the pros and cons of the punch bowl and the "beverage dispenser"...

you know, the punch bowl (sorry, I can't for the life of me figure out where this picture came from... somewhere on the oncewed site though!):

and the "beverage dispenser":

picture from here

Well, I decided the "beverage dispenser" would be the best choice, since I was worried about the inherent spillage that comes with the punch bowls. So I went off and found myself these perfect (i.e. CHEAP) containers on ebay that I thought would work well:

PS... I totally recommend the seller... he was great, and the containers arrived really quickly, they looked great, and I know I will use them again!

So after I got the jars in the mail (and unpacked them, sending Styrofoam pellets All.Through.My.House) I proceeded to DIY 'em making labels...

I had brown cardstock in my craft supply, and some left over ribbon from my guest book table sign (stay tuned!), and since I had a font I was loving, I quickly printed off some signage. I made a couple slices in the cardstock to weave the ribbon through:

And then glued the label over top the ribbon to keep everything in place:

And tied the ribbon around the jar:

The cocktail that would go in to the containers was a drink that my hubs coined when he took a bartending course. He called it the Kjearsy Royale (incorporating his last name), and we also made a virgin drink for the non-drinkers and kidlets. The signs read:

"KJEARSY ROYALE: created by the groom in the mid-90's... yours to enjoy today!"

and

"VIRGIN KJEARSY: as close as it gets to the real deal... refreshing for everyone".

Cute right?!

Now, I am no dummy, I know that turning a little spigot, holding a glass, and balancing a camera, a wedding program, maybe a purse, and perhaps a plate of munchies would not necessarily be the easiest thing in the world, so I suggested to my caterer that I have a couple of my friend's daughters help out. She assured me that she would have it under control during cocktail hour, and to let ALL my guests just kick back and have fun. So... I trusted her. Well, without going in to too much detail... the caterer quite simply overestimated her capabilities for the entire evening, and needless to say, the cocktail station was NOT manned by ANYONE, and the guests were left to operate these beauties on their own. Not the end of the world right?! hahaha... well, there is a reason I don't have any pics of these guys in action.

At one point during cocktail hour (before I escaped of course!), I was chatting with one of our guests when he sort of jumped and gasped... I looked to see what he was reacting to, and there was signature cocktail pouring all over the floor. He said to me... "it looks like the end cap came off, and like the drink is pouring all over the floor?!". I smiled and nodded, and said, "Oh well, hopefully the staff will clean it up, cause I am not saving this one!!".

So, the moral of the story is two-fold: firstly, as great as the drink containers are, make sure the spigot has a safety stop on it, cause not everyone can remember the ol' "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey" bit; and secondly, TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!! If you think you need to recruit someone to help (yes, even to help your paid professionals), DO IT!! Our caterer was simply NOT prepared/capable to execute all the tasks she assured me she would take care of.

It was funny though!! And I still love our containers!! The funniest part: the spigot didn't just drop to the floor... the pressure of the drink actually made it shoot out across the room... and LAND IN SOMEONE ELSE's DRINK!!! hahahaha... ok, we were lucky it didn't hit anyone in the eye... but... hahahhaha... it really was kinda hilarious!!

all pictures from personal collection, unless otherwise noted

The Menu (Final Part)

OK, so much has been discussed about our casual, family focused wedding, and the inspiration for our menu. Also, I think I have made it pretty well known that our caterer, Donna Marie, is an absolute dream to work with, who, when I told her about troubles we were having with our venue, told me that "if worse comes to worse, I have a barn that we can put some tables up in, and we can do your wedding there!"... unheard of right??

So the bottom line is, to stick with our casual feel, while trying to avoid a 'typical wedding meal' of dry hotel chicken, we have come up with a cajun themed menu. My mom and step-dad have thrown cajun parties ever since they went to New Orleans, probably ten years ago now. Ian first had it when they put one on for my going away party, a couple of months before we got engaged... he loved it, and so did his parents. It is a tasty menu, in which diners get their hands dirty, and I hope it will give our guests something to talk about. The other really exciting component is the fact that we are serving family style. We definitely did NOT want buffet (it seems to take wayyyy too long, and we want our evening to have momentum!), and plated just didn't seem the best way to set-up the cajun menu. Family style service is essentially how you would serve a meal to your family... each menu item is served at the table, from large serving dishes. This means guests will be passing the ribs, getting to know eachother, and hopefully enjoying themselves!

Here is what our menu looks like now:

Cajun BBQ'd ribs and Chicken, Cornbread, Sweet potatoe pie, Cajun Veggies. Delicious right??

We decided that we wanted to self cater our appetizers during the cocktail hour (we will move right from ceremony into cocktail hour into reception). So of course sticking with the cajun theme, or ideas right now for appetizers are:

Peel-and-eat shrimp (except we are serving already-peeled-just-eat-shrimp... yes, that means shrimp rings!), stuffed artichoke, crabmeat cheesecake (totally different, but totally cajun!), and cajun nuts... but I am still looking for 1-2 easily eaten appies to serve... any suggestions??

The music during the dinner will match the food... cajun of course! It won't be the really twangy cajun tunes (think banjo), but will range from bluegrass, to blues, to big band... New Orleans baby!! To round off the theme of the food, in our napkin assembly, we will include a rib-bib (hopefully custom printed) and wet naps!

(images from http://www.sandscripts.com/)

We really do want our guests to take this meal for what it is, a fun, messy, tasty menu! We hope everyone will have fun with it, and that it will break the barriers of the stuffy-wedding meal with assigned seating, where people are just looking forward to getting up and mingling (and drinking!). We want this dinner to be an absolute highlight!! And as for dessert, more details will follow, but rest-assured, key lime pie will be served!!

How are you guys using food to create atmosphere or to get the party started??

The Menu (part 2)

image from here

The menu has, like most elements of our planning so far, not come together without some bumps. We knew we wanted to serve fun food, in a casual, homey environment. While the wedding will still be a classy affair, it is definitely more rustic-chic than casual elegance. It's a wedding in the mountains, with all of our family and closest friends by our side... and we want the food to reflect our excitement at having our nearest-and-dearest celebrating with us!

Before the details, I must comment on working with caterers. The Lodge that we have booked has an in-house caterer (ok, he's not technically in-house, but he is their go-to-chef for weddings) that we were strongly encouraged to use. After speaking with said-chef, it became clear that his plan was really not in line with ours... our conversation went something like this:

chef: "Prices start at $38.50/head for a 3 course meal"

me: "Ok, that's great, but we only need you to do a 1 course meal, as we will be DIYing the cocktail hour and dessert"

chef: "Oh, you have to serve a 3 course meal... this is a wedding"

me: "But we don't want 3 courses"

chef: "No no no, it's a wedding, that is how it's done"

me: "I don't care how it's done, I want to do things my way, in budget, with you saying 'yes maam' the whole way" ... OK, that was what Bridezilla said in my head, but you get the idea as to how I was feeling!!



So what did we do?? ... found another caterer!! Listen ladies, this is your day, and regardless of what the wedding industry will have you believe, you don't need to serve your guests the standard hotel-style 3 course meal, just because that is "how it's done". If you like this type of meal, go for it, but if you have your own ideas, you will (and MUST) find a vendor that will work with you, not against you!



So, introducing the new caterer... Donna Marie. This is how our conversation went:

me: "I don't want the typical 3 course wedding meal"

DM: "Great, what did you have in mind?"

me: "A fun, family style cajun meal!"

DM: "Oh, that sounds fantastic... I make a mean cornbread!"

me: "(sigh of relief) Awesome... and by the way, I want it all for under $25/head..."

DM: "This is your day, you tell me what you want, and I will make it happen... within your budget!"

me: "WAHOOO!!!" (I think that was meant to be in my head, but I am pretty sure DM heard it all!!)



So, DonnaMarie from Fernie Fine Foods is making it happen for us. She is fun, honest, sincere, and best of all, completely ego-free. This is not her show, this is our wedding. She knows that whatever we decide in terms of menu, her food will be amazing... so she doesn't need to write the script for how the food will look! I trust her whole-heartedly, and in the see of difficult vendors we have come across, she is truly a breath of fresh air. For all you BC brides, definitely check out Donna Marie and Fernie Fine Foods Catering!!