Keepin’ It Local
September 21st, 2007 @ 5:44 pm by Mrs. Penguin
I love a bride that introduces her guests to local fare. One of the easiest ways to leave a lasting impression on your guests is to introduce them to the area. Sure, you can serve salmon, but why not serve fish native to the region? And yes, Heinekens are a crowd pleaser, but why not treat your guests to beer from a local microbrewery?
Many guests travel hundreds, even thousands of miles to attend a wedding. Caesar salad, steak and steamed veggies with a country club backdrop can certainly equate to a successful affair, but I can travel 15 minutes down the road any day of the week to eat that meal. So even if your wedding takes place in a banquet hall or at a country club, you may want to mix up a little “local flavor” for your guests to enjoy. Here are some of my favorites that we’ll include in our Northern California winery wedding, and brunch the day following:
Cowgirl Creamery - Point Reyes Station, Ca
Scharffen Berger Chocolates - Berkeley, Ca
Anchor Steam Brewery - San Francisco, Ca
Acme Bread Co - San Francisco, Ca
Villa Toscano Wines - Plymouth, Ca
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co - Chico, Ca
Are you incorporating any local fare into any aspects of your wedding?
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17 Responses to “Keepin’ It Local”
I’m thinking about our entire wedding and I think the only local thing we had were Frangos. They aren’t exactly local anymore, but there were originally created by Frederick and Nelson for their Seattle stores in 1918.
We did more at the welcome party (aka rehearsal dinner) than at the wedding and reception. That way, yes, the welcoming event was all about the location (Cape Cod Potato Chips, clam chowder, cranberry margaritas, etc), but the next day’s focus was us, us us.
If you need a local coffee company for brunch, Peet’s originated in Berkeley. 
I LOVE Scharffenberger. YUM. Now I want some chocolate…
Annapolis, MD: We served CRAB (in many forms) at each event all weekend long.
We’re in Chicago so our rehearsal dinner was at a deep dish pizza joint with local Chicago beers available For the cocktail hour, we served mini deep dish pizzas!
I love Cowgirl Creamery espcially their triple cream cheese!!
For participants in the wedding, we’re giving local wines from some of my favorite wineries: Cakebread and Grgich Hills.
I’m also giving Ghiradelli chocolates as a favor!
My company prints the labels for 3 of those brands: Anchor Brewing, Cowgirl Creamery, and Villa Toscano.
Way to represent NorCal, Miss Penguin!!
Having both just moved to Portland, Oregon a year ago and 95% of our guests will be from OOT, local goods is something we want throughout our wedding. We have the following list so far for our rehearsal dinner, OOT bags and reception.
Widmer Hefeweizen
Mia Sonatina Cellars
Moonstruck Chocolates
Rogue Creamery Blue Cheese
Halibut and/or Salmon
Tillamook cheese and/or ice cream
Crater Lake root beer
Local marionberries
Hazelnuts
Your post is making me so homesick!
We are doing local stuff for our wedding. This includes chocolate made with cacao that grows in the forest, banana bread from bananas grown in the forest, local fish catch, and produce from local organic farms.
Our OOT bags will include Costa Rican rum (Ron Centenario) or beer (Imperial) and plantain chips. We will also have lots of TRITS and other Dos Pinos ice cream on hand in the main guest house.
everyone’s coming out to the big island for the wedding, so we’ve got lots of local stuff!
Big Island Bees Honey and Hamakua Macadamia Nuts for the OOT bags
Kona Brewing Co. beer at the reception
All of the FOOD! If it’s not grown in Hawaii, they don’t serve it.
hmmm anchorsteam… great idea miss penguin
mmm…you had me at sharffen berger. that’d bring me up to sac-town happily.
BAY AREA! yes ma’am
Do not ever use All Occassion Limousine for your wedding in the Cleveland area. The driver was forty five minutes late and made us late to our own wedding.
We are having our wedding in Hawaii and are planning a Hawaiian luau minus the hula show. However, I will be dancing a hula for my husband to be.
Being from Seattle, we are actually using the city as a theme. Our tables with be named after streets in the city that have meaning to us and have pictures of us under the street signs. Escort cards with be mini street sign’s. Of course coffee & umbrella’s with be incorporated as well as local wines and beer’s. Our location in in the city so all your pictures will be in the streets and alley’s and our venue has a definate street party feel so it all works together perfectly. Very”Street Chic” 
Mrs. Penguin, Sacramento
Age and Occupation: 26, Video & TV Producer/Director/Editor
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Doctor of Physical Therapy
Engagement Date: January 29, 2007
Wedding Date: June 7, 2008
Blogging Since: September 14, 2007
Venue: Winery in the Gold Country
About Me: I'm a silly mess of a girl who, above all else in this world, LOVES the Spice Girls. I eat sushi at least 3 times a week, and feel guilty about how much it costs the other 4 days a week. I love designer jeans and cheap accessories. I don't like sweets, but I love the UCLA Bruins!
oh!! i love all of those stores/brands!! i’m so glad to hear you’re incorporating our norcal specialities into your wedding.. mmm…
give me some acme bread and cheese from cowgirl .. and some red wine from the ferry bldg wine bar and i’m a happy camper =P