Mrs. Jelly Beans, OttawaAge and Occupation: 28, Pediatric Registered Nurse and full time bride to beFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Investor and very supportive groom to beEngagement Date: July 7, 2005Wedding Date: August 25, 2007Blogging Since: June 20, 2007Venue: Cathedral Ceremony and Rooftop Tent ReceptionHoneymoon: ItalyAbout Me: I have been in wedding planning mode since Mr. Jelly Beans popped the question almost two years ago. I am a very dorky and sentimental person. I love laughing and living life alongside my husband-to-be. We have been in a long distance relationship for over 6 years - he is in California and I am presently in Canada, so you can imagine how excited we both are for our upcoming wedding.
Mrs. Bell Pepper, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 28, Resident PhysicianFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Resident PhysicianEngagement Date: May 30, 2006Wedding Date: June 2007Venue: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine ArtsAbout Me: I love whimsical details and design, everything that *sparkles*, sipping on hazelnut lattes, pugs, shopping for antiques and second-hand goods, scenic photography, delicate flowers, and checking out new restaurants in the city with my fianc??. We are planning our wedding at a unique city venue for about 75 close family members and friends. I have a lot of DIY ideas and I like to blog about ways to save money on your wedding.
I discovered this unique menu card idea from Philly Knottie Just_JRM’s wedding. The menu cards were designed by Robin K Designs and she was my inspiration for my pocketfold invites and other reception ideas. I had several ideas for creating our circular menu cards, but nothing seemed to work well. I first thought about adding a gold doily and then I thought about stamping/embossing a design. The ideas just didn’t work and now with our wedding day coming soon, I had to create something…FAST!
Mrs. Pearl, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 26, High school history teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 37, Software engineerEngagement Date: No official date, we just decided :-)Wedding Date: July 2007Venue: St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Church, Ritz Carlton Huntington HotelAbout Me: Mr. Pearl and I have been together for about four and a half years now. We've been "engaged" since 2004 and were originally supposed to get married in June 2006, but postponed the wedding to July 2007. I love shopping for housewares and office supplies, music, reading chick lit, football, and the diverse world of Los Angeles dining.
On Thursday, we had our food tasting at the Ritz Carlton. Food was/is a really important consideration for our wedding — partly because we’re foodies and partly because it’s a major thing that a lot of people notice about your wedding. The hotel used to offer a tasting of all aspects of the dinner menu, excluding hors d’oeuvres and liquor. We did a tasting there last February about a month prior to their rule change…lucky us!
They changed their menus back in June, which meant that we needed to do another tasting of main entrees. Not-so-lucky for me (and you, my faithful readers), I forgot my camera, so there are no pics of the yumminess that sat before us. Also not-so-lucky for me is that I was suffering from what I thought was a pretty bad cold (ended up being bronchitis…yuck), so it dulled my sense of taste a bit.
We had already decided that we were going to have filet mignon as one of the menu options for sure. I am pretty predictable in my eating habits and my favorite out-to-dinner meal is filet. I guess it’s predictable that we’d have it at our wedding. We also tried two different types of fish and one chicken dish. In the end, we decided on the filet, one of the fish dishes, and a vegetarian dinner. Now our menu is as follows:
Mrs. Plum, DallasAge and Occupation in 06: 22, Accountant by day/Floral and Event Designer by night and weekendsFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Security AdminEngagement Date: December 31, 2004Wedding Date: June 29, 2007Venue: Marie Gabrielle Restaurant and GardensAbout Me: I have been engaged for about two years now - yes, a long engagement, because my fiance and I wanted to wait until I graduated college, which I did this past summer! He proposed after dating just two months - crazy, I know, but 2 years later, here we are, still crazy in love :-). We are having not one, but TWO weddings and TWO receptions in one weekend - American-style and Vietnamese-style - in Dallas, Texas, where I was born and raised!
We finally had our menu tasting today - and I have to tell you - it was SO GOOD! I am so relieved now (not that I was too worried in the first place) because I booked the venue before ever tasting/doing any researching on the food! Everyone told me not to worry - that it was the best food at a wedding they’ve ever had - and they were right! (not to hype it up or anything ).
Sooo….here is what everyone’s been waiting for - Food Pictures!
Passed Hors D’oeuvres / Cocktail Hour
(we will be having premium open bar with wine, beer, and liquor)
Our signature cocktail will be a Pomegranate Martini with a Pink Sugar Rim - yummy!
Brie & Portobello Mushroom Quesadillas with Mango Guacamole
Thai Chicken on Cucumber with a Peanut Sauce (not pictured)
Miniature Crab Cakes with a Sundried Tomato Remoulade
Mrs. Orange, New YorkAge and Occupation in 06: 29, LibrarianFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, AcademicEngagement Date: January 25, 2006Wedding Date: March 2007Venue: Nassau County, Long IslandAbout Me: Mr. Orange and I met thanks to my college friend and Mr. Orange's dad in Feb. 05. I love to eat, cook, watch Dog the Bounty Hunter, Without a Trace, L&O, and MTV Hits as well as chill with my cat Illie, work on little DIY projects for the wedding, do extensive wedding related searches on Google using my "skills." Ha-ha. We are having a 150+ ppl wedding incorporating his Jewish background and my Japanese heritage.
We finalized the menu the first week of February, but I waited till 18 days before the wedding to print the menu with my finicky Epson inkjet printer.
3-4 menus/table x 15 tables = approx. 45. Took 2 hours to print.
The text is in dark brown (which matches the invite and place card) and the fonts are those used in the invite as well (Script: Carlotta Block: Garamond). On the top is a diagram of how to make a paper crane (which will again match the invite and the place card).
Mrs. Orange, New YorkAge and Occupation in 06: 29, LibrarianFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, AcademicEngagement Date: January 25, 2006Wedding Date: March 2007Venue: Nassau County, Long IslandAbout Me: Mr. Orange and I met thanks to my college friend and Mr. Orange's dad in Feb. 05. I love to eat, cook, watch Dog the Bounty Hunter, Without a Trace, L&O, and MTV Hits as well as chill with my cat Illie, work on little DIY projects for the wedding, do extensive wedding related searches on Google using my "skills." Ha-ha. We are having a 150+ ppl wedding incorporating his Jewish background and my Japanese heritage.
I have no idea how anyone is going to eat after an hour of cocktail hour. But, here’s what Mr. Orange and I decided on with dinner. We have our semi-final meeting with our caterer this Saturday! As I look back, Papa Orange who does not speak much English saw the menu last year and uttered these words: “Lots of food I like.”
Appetizer
Seasonal Fresh Fruit Salad on a Platter with Raspberry Sauce
Salad
Fresh Mesculn mix with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing and Toasted Walnuts
Intermezzo Penne Pasta with Red Sauce
Entrees
(Pick One)
Prime Rib of Beef Au Jus
Chicken served with Artichoke Hearts in a White Wine Sauce
Jumbo Stuffed Shrimp with a blend of crab and lobster
Norwegian Salmon with Dill Sauce
Dessert Wedding Cake
HÆ’¤agen Daz Ice Cream Sundae Bar
Mini Viennese Hour
Espresso / Cordial Cart
Mrs. Plum, DallasAge and Occupation in 06: 22, Accountant by day/Floral and Event Designer by night and weekendsFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Security AdminEngagement Date: December 31, 2004Wedding Date: June 29, 2007Venue: Marie Gabrielle Restaurant and GardensAbout Me: I have been engaged for about two years now - yes, a long engagement, because my fiance and I wanted to wait until I graduated college, which I did this past summer! He proposed after dating just two months - crazy, I know, but 2 years later, here we are, still crazy in love :-). We are having not one, but TWO weddings and TWO receptions in one weekend - American-style and Vietnamese-style - in Dallas, Texas, where I was born and raised!
Thanks for all of your input towards my wedding daymenu - it really helped! Here’s the menu we decided on (to be confirmed at the tasting in several weeks):
Passed Hors D’oeuvres
Miniature crab cakes with sundried tomato roulade
Brie & Portobello Mushroom Quesadillas with Mango Guacamole
Fire Cracker Shrimp Spring Roll with an Asian Chili Sauce
Passed wine and Signature Cocktails in the Garden
Salad
Grilled Marinated Shrimp
Served on a Bed of Spinach
Topped with Mandarin Oranges, Slice Almonds and Vanilla Mint Vinaigrette
Mrs. Ladybug (formerly Miss Ladybug), New York/PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 31, Full-time blogger from 7 pm to 12 amFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Playing video games while I blog from 7pm to 12 amEngagement Date: August 2005Wedding Date: April 15, 2006Venue: Ballroom at the Ben, PhiladelphiaAbout Me: I am the 2nd of 5 girls. Yes, you read that right, 5 girls. I don't know if there's anything interesting about my wedding that I can tell you but I was proposed to twice.
Mrs. Emerald, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Wedding PlannerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, ParalegalEngagement Date: October 8, 2006Wedding Date: September 2007Blogging Since: November 29, 2006Venue: Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook ILAbout Me: I have been dreaming about my wedding forever, and flipping through bridal magazines since high school, so I am in my element! I am calling our theme "Vintage Inspired French/Asian Fusion." Mr. Emerald is very involved in the planning process, but of course he generally defers to me cuz I have a strong opinion of how I want everything to be :-).
For our traditional sit down dinner reception, I initially assumed that we would give our guests a choice of entrees, be it chicken, beef, duck, or whatever. But the more I think about it, the more complicated it seems to get! Am I wrong? For one thing, we aren’t even scheduled to have our menu tasting until early to mid summer (our wedding is in early September). We’d have to bump up our tasting so we know what we’re serving, in order to put the correct entree choice on the card. Then we’d have to go through the whole hassle of having people mark down their choice on the response card. Another thing is, on most of the sample response cards I’ve seen (on invite websites, knottie bios, etc.), this does not seem to be common… Most cards I’ve seen have simple text along the lines of:
Mrs. Lime, Los AngelesAge and Occupation in 06: 25, DesignFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, ITEngagement Date: July 7, 2006Wedding Date: August 5, 2007Venue: An historic estateAbout Me: Between work and wedding planning, I try to squeeze in napping, drawing, random spurts of craftiness, tennis, and eating lots of Sprinkles cupcakes, dark chocolate, and noodles of all kinds. Mr. Lime and I have spent our adult lives growing up together, and we're very excited to finally be getting married!
Both Mr. Lime and I are quite the tuber lover. Please see below excerpts from one of our potential caterers’ sample menus:
Martini Mashed Potato Bar
Warm Garlic Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
With a Variety of Toppings to Include:
Lamb Ragout,
CrÆ’¨me Fraiche,
Caviar*,
Crispy Onions,
Tomato Salsa,
Shredded Jack and Cheddar Cheeses,
Crumbled Blue Cheese,
Broccoli Florets,
Sour Cream,
Crispy Bacon,
Scallions,
Fresh Chopped Herbs
Mrs. Plum, DallasAge and Occupation in 06: 22, Accountant by day/Floral and Event Designer by night and weekendsFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Security AdminEngagement Date: December 31, 2004Wedding Date: June 29, 2007Venue: Marie Gabrielle Restaurant and GardensAbout Me: I have been engaged for about two years now - yes, a long engagement, because my fiance and I wanted to wait until I graduated college, which I did this past summer! He proposed after dating just two months - crazy, I know, but 2 years later, here we are, still crazy in love :-). We are having not one, but TWO weddings and TWO receptions in one weekend - American-style and Vietnamese-style - in Dallas, Texas, where I was born and raised!
Menu 1 Appetizer/Salad - Marie Gabrielle Crab Cake served on a Bed of Wild Field Greens topped with Tortilla Crisps, Diced Tomatoes and Ancho Honey Vinaigrette
Intermezzo - Raspberry Champagne Sorbet served in a Lemon Half garmished with fresh fruit and kiwi puree
Dessert - Marie Gabrielle Key Lime Brulee with Fresh Berries and Trio of Sauces, Freshly Brewed Starbucks Coffee
Mrs. Plum, DallasAge and Occupation in 06: 22, Accountant by day/Floral and Event Designer by night and weekendsFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Security AdminEngagement Date: December 31, 2004Wedding Date: June 29, 2007Venue: Marie Gabrielle Restaurant and GardensAbout Me: I have been engaged for about two years now - yes, a long engagement, because my fiance and I wanted to wait until I graduated college, which I did this past summer! He proposed after dating just two months - crazy, I know, but 2 years later, here we are, still crazy in love :-). We are having not one, but TWO weddings and TWO receptions in one weekend - American-style and Vietnamese-style - in Dallas, Texas, where I was born and raised!
Please help me pick what you would want to eat (sorry I don’t have any pictures!). These will be passed after the ceremony during the cocktail hour.
Passed Hors d’oeuvres
(Select Three)
Baby Stacked Tomato Mozzarella with Basil Pesto
Brie & Portobello Mushroom Quesadillas with Mango Guacamole
Curry & Grape Chicken in a Wonton Cup
Phyllo Pasty filled with Wild Mushrooms
Thai Chicken on Cucumber with a Peanut Sauce
Miniature Crab Cakes with a Sundried Tomato Remoulade
Phyllo Spinach Triangles topped with Wasabi Cream
Vegetarian Spring Roll with a Sesame Dipping Sauce
Artichoke, Brie and Kalamata Olive Tart with Pesto
Hickory Smoked Barbecue Shrimp Tartlets and Mandarin Sauce
Miniature Smoked Chicken Tostado with a Mango Pico
Avocado Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes with Salsa Fresca
Miniature Beef Quesadillas with Pepper Jack Cheese and Fresh Pico
Fire Cracker Shrimp Spring Roll with an Asian Chili Sauce
Dinner courses to come…
Mrs. Lemon, Los Angeles/MontereyAge and Occupation in 06: 26, Graduate Student (Public Policy)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Environmental ConsultantEngagement Date: April 7, 2006Wedding Date: July 7, 2007Venue: Rosary Chapel & Monterey Marriott, Monterey, CAAbout Me: My FI and I met online, but we like to tell people that we met at a "cookie shop" which is the technical location of our first encounter. He proposed exactly 1 year, 1 month and 6 days after our first date (it's the only part of his proposal speech that I remember), and we're planning long-distance from Los Angeles for a July wedding in my hometown of Monterey, CA. I have a passion for all things "cool, cute and quirky" and I enjoy video games, reading blogs (WeddingBee, trashy celeb, consumer & political) and crafting in my spare time, if I have any!
If you’d like to help your guests with their cocktail choices, a bar menu can do just the trick. BarMenus.com has a wonderful menu generator that does all of the hard design work for you and produces a beautiful PDF copy of the artwork that you can print out yourself!
With 59 backgrounds, a wonderful selection of cocktails (you can even insert your own drinks & descriptions) and the option of adding your own logo to the bottom, this is the easiest wedding design project ever!
Mrs. Bird of Paradise, New OrleansAge and Occupation in '06: 26, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Operations ManagerEngagement Date: November 28, 2005Wedding Date: November 18, 2006About Me: The wedding is around the corner and planning has been a blast! I've enjoyed nearly every detail obsessed minute of it and I can't imagine what I did with my time before all of this! I can't wait for our wonderful day and the rest of my life with Mr. Soon-to-be Bird of Paradise.
These are our menus for the rehearsal dinner and wedding:
- Rehearsal Dinner Menu -
Salad - Assorted Baby Greens with Goat Cheese, Pistachios, Endive, Toasted Croutons and Steen’s Cane Syrup Balsamic Vinaigrette Emulsion
Entrees - Cast Iron Skillet Catfish with Sauce Menuiere, Crawfish Pecan Relish and Brabant Potatoes
or
Grilled, eight ounce Filet Mignon set on Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Baby Carrots
Mrs. Butterfly, New YorkAge and Occupation in 06: 27, Bridezilla in training Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Making me happy by saying "yes dear" to everything related to wedding planning.Engagement Date: February 3, 2006Wedding Date: November 18, 2006Venue: Twenty-Four FifthAbout Me: Our wedding will be small but fun. I want a whole range of music including cheesy 80's music! But we'll see how that works out��‚��
We also tried two different types of fish and one chicken dish. In the end, we decided on the filet, one of the fish dishes, and a vegetarian dinner. Now our menu is as follows:
I am so relieved now (not that I was too worried in the first place) because I booked the venue before ever tasting/doing any researching on the food!
Everyone told me not to worry - that it was the best food at a wedding they’ve ever had - and they were right! (not to hype it up or anything 
).
