Category Archives: Reception

Inspiration // Cake!

Cake!
So you’ve decided to hold true to the tradition and have a wedding cake on your big day…now you just have to decide on the flavor. These days the flavor combinations go far beyond the classic vanilla and chocolate. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

wedding cake flavors

Milk Chocolate Cake
•Filled with cookies and cream mousse and white chocolate mint ganache.

Lemon Cake
•Filled with fresh lemon mousse, lemon filling, and homemade strawberry preserves.

Vanilla Bean Butter Cake
•Filled with bavarian cream and raspberries.

Marble Cake
•Filled with mocha Chocolate Chip Cream with espresso ganache.

Dark Chocolate Cake
•Filled with chocolate truffle mousse, chocolate ganache, and raspberries.

Spiced Walnut Cake
•Filled with spiced caramel apple and cream cheese butter cream.

Red Velvet Cake
•Filled with toasted almond cream cheese and topped with traditional southern icing.

Almond Cake
•Filled with marzipan and vanilla cream as well as brandy soaked apricot preserves.

Can’t decide on just one flavor? Do each tier a different flavor. It will give your guests options while sticking to one classic dessert. I’ve seen many brides and grooms choose their favorite flavor for the top tier (which they then save for themselves and take home!).

very simply designed wedding cakes

classic wedding cakes
So when you go into talk cake with your baker make sure to ask what fun combinations they have. Never be afraid to give some ideas of your own, after all it’s your day and you deserve to have just the right taste when it comes to the cake you’ve been dreaming of.

photos by molly lo

Inspiration // Sophisticated Country

This bride chose a location for her wedding day where she felt completely comfortable, her family’s farm. The land boasted sweeping fields, water views, and elegant country charm. It made for an absolutely ideal wedding location. Elegant flowers, a clear-top dinner tent, and details galore were strikingly chic for an outdoor farm wedding.

a clear-top dinner tent

elegant blooms

centerpieces lined the farmers tables

a sparkling water served in a mason jar

raspberry lime rickey's served in mason jars
The elegant décor of the day was in perfect contrast to the rustic setting. The clear-top dinner tent, twinkling with light,s was definitely the main attraction when dinner time hit. The bride and groom made their entrance into the massive tent while the wedding party cut a path with sparklers ( it made for such an exciting entrance!).

a just married sign hung on the back of the bride and groom's chairs

summer wedding strawberry salad

big elegant floral arrangement

fish n chips in cones

elegant flower arragements

a way for a bride and groom to make a dramatic entrance!

a striking clear-top dinner tent

For dessert the bride had a traditional wedding cake, and enhanced it with an out-of-the-box idea. Mini-ice cream cones along with cotton candy were passed and of course matched the décor of her day: pink!

mini pink ice cream cones and a pink wedding cake
The sophistication and downhome country feel of this wedding showed exactly how you can have a completely high-end event right on your family’s farm! The rustic farm ideas are always beautiful but this wedding proves you don’t have to go that route if you are more of a glam girl!

clear top dinner tent

photos by molly lorincz

295_0467

Real Wedding // Kate and Mike Hewitt

From Wedding Essentials Bride Blogger, Miss Heartland: By the Monday before our wedding, I was checking the 10 day forecast every hour and it was looking like a 30% chance of rain and 85 degrees, not too bad for an outdoor wedding. Our final projects were punching holes in 350 lemon leaves,rolling 350 napkins, finalizing flowers, getting final numbers to the caterers, contacting all of the vendors to make certain everything was on as planned, etc.  On Wednesday I had a relaxing lunch with my fiance and one of his best friends from England, then went on to all my appointments: waxing, spray tanning, hair, and teeth cleaning.  I wanted to make sure I was in tip top shape for the most important day of my life!

On Thursday the butterflies began.  By then a few things had to be changed with the “wedding plans,” but I promise you it didn’t do any good getting mad, it just made everyone else stressed out too.  We quickly learned that the most important thing was still going to happen, Mike and I were going to be married in 2 days.  My mother and our wedding planner, Juli, tackled all of the changes that were taking place in the background! Every bride needs a mom, a friend, and a wedding planner to help with any of the stressors that inevitably come up, no matter how much you’ve planned.

Friday started off as a day of pampering for the girls and a fun day of golf for the guys and then came the rehearsal dinner at Firethorn Golf Course, hosted by my fiance’s parents. Once the (delicious!) food was served and everyone had a few drinks, the night turned a bit emotional … Both sets of parents got up and said a few words and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. Their words were so encouraging and touching, neither of us had ever been happier than we were that moment.  Then our friends said such kind things, we realized how lucky we both were to have such a huge support system around us!

The Big Day

At 6:30 a.m. I jumped out of bed with a grin on my face which lasted nearly 48 hours.  I ate breakfast with all my best friends and we were off to W Hair Studio to get dolled up for the day. We caravanned out to the wedding site inMalcolm,NEand everything looked magnificent — like straight out of a movie, I was speechless.  The tent was set up, the decorators were perfecting every detail, the caters getting final numbers squared away, Juli was running around like crazy, and me … I was surprisingly calm, to be honest.

One of my bridesmaids said,  “I mean this out of love, but I totally imagined you would be bridezilla, but you are not.” There was nothing to be bridezilla about, ohhh  well nothing except the 50% chance of rain and some severe storms, that were set to come through at or around 6:00.  Did I mention that our ceremony was outdoors and that it started at 5:30 p.m.?

The last thing I said to my father before beginning our trek down the isle was, ” Please make sureto not let me fall okay?” The guests were all smiles while watching, the music was beautifully playing and I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in all my life, this very moment while all eyes are on you, you realize how unbelievabl yblessed you are and that life always happens for a reason.  As we said our I Do’s, two geese (which are said to “mate for life”) flew by in the background. It was quite the omen and everyone at the ceremony was awestruck.  I think someone asked, “Didthey plan to have those geese fly by?”

The Rain

As soon as we were pronounced husband and wife, we ran down the isle, and not a second after we got inside, the rain came a pouring!!!!  All of our guests sprinted down into the reception tent. Yes, the storms were coming, Yes it was going to rain on our wedding day, but guess what… it held out for the ceremony and hey, a little rain is good luck (I could havegone without the 60 MPH winds that nearly knocked the tent over, but hey, what can you do).

Ever After

We all ran down to the tent, trying not to get soaked in the process.  I took a moment before entering to “take it all in.” It was another one of those moments of, awe that I wanted to push pause, to see that this many people came here for us, to watch us get married was such a beautiful moment. We spent the rest of the evening soaking it all in as husband and wife, we danced to our amazing band, DFUNK, talked to all our guests, laughed, cried, and most importantly we loved every minute of it together. We knew that this was the beginning of an absolutely amazing life together!!!!!!!!

Photography – Taura Horn Photography
Graphic Design – Amalia Van Bloom
Caterer – Catering Creations
Band – DFunk
Flowers – Stem Gallery
Hair and Makeup – W Hair Studio
Men’s shirts and ties – Men’s Wearhouse
Her ring – 14 Karat
Glen Manor House

Inspiration // Quirky Brilliance

This wedding was anything but typical.  It was full of funky details, vibrant colors, and combinations that you wished you had thought of yourself.  The out of the box designs and attention to the smallest of details put this event into a category all of its own.  The best part about it was the bride herself envisioned all of it!

fun wedding picture idea

green and pink square wreaths

The aisle was even part of the quirky brilliance of the wedding…it was a crooked path made entirely with rose petals.  And the brides bouquet–it matched no other flowers but somehow was perfectly mismatched with everything else.

creative aisle for a wedding

alternative bridal bouquet

You just couldn’t ignore the green and black with pops of salmon at the reception.  Monogrammed napkins, handmade drink stirrers, a color coordinated candy bar, amazing two tiered wedding cakes, the bride had her hand in almost all of it.  Even the food fit the theme perfectly…all fun, comfort food that no one could say no to.

modern details for a wedding

modern wedding place card

bold wedding decor

creative way for guests to leave notes for the bride and groom

fun wedding food

treat bags for favors at a wedding

fun wedding desserts

two tiered black and white modern wedding cakes

The best thing about this wedding was it was a reflection of the bride and groom themselves. When it comes to your wedding think about the things you like. Let your own personal preferences (even quirks) inspire you…and then you can let Pinterest help you from there!

photos by Kristin Spencer

Recipes // Three Summer Cocktail Favorites

These three summer cocktails are sure to add some pizazz to any warm weather wedding. Passing one of these signature cocktails to guests post ceremony is a perfect way to kick off a reception. It’s a signal to guests to start having some fun!

First up: The Blueberry Lemonade Cocktail

Blueberry Lemonade Cocktail

  • 5 oz. Lemonade
  • 2 oz. of Blueberry Vodka
  • Sugar and Fresh Blueberries for garnish

Mix together the lemonade and vodka. Pour into an ice filled glass rimmed with sugar. Garnish with blueberries.

Number 2: The Aperol Spritz

An Aperol Sprtiz

  • 3 oz Prosecco
  • ½ oz Aperol

Pour Prosecco in champagne flute and top with Aperol garnish with an orange slice.

Last but not least: Summer Lemon Thyme

Lemon Thyme Cocktail

  • 1 ½ oz Russian Standard Vodka
  • Lemonade
  • Fresh Thyme Sprig

Mix together the lemonade and vodka, garnish with a thyme sprig, and serve in a highball glass.
(Nothing screams summer more than a Summer Lemon Thyme!)

So get out there and get mixing. Taste testing is always encouraged!

photos by molly lorincz

Inspiration // How to plan a weekend-long wedding

I’m coming down from a high of the most fun, never-ending double-weekend wedding celebration!  It was such a great time, that I’m re-thinking how I see my future wedding being played out.  Let me tell you about it…

Give a Warm Welcome

Part 1:  Friends and family from Omaha, Chicago, Iowa and southern California all meet on the beach on the central coast of California.  See the groom is from Nebraska, the bride is a California girl.  At 9am – we all meet at the beach house (rented by the bride’s parents) where we were all staying.  After we claim bunk beds – yes, bunk beds! — we do a a quick rehearsal on the beach.  Did I mention the officiant is the BFF of the bride and got ordained on the internet.   He was proud to wear his “Minister” T-shirt during the rehearsal, courtesy of his Minister Kit complete with parking pass!  No worries, he took his role very seriously, and blew us all away with his ministerial skills.  We called him “The Rev” for the remaining of this wedding adventure. 

Sandwiches were delivered to the house for lunch.  Then we piled onto a limo bus to go wine tasting around wine country.  It was beautiful!  I didn’t want to come home.  We ended up at a mexican restaurant where we had endless margaritas and nachos.  We walked back to the beach house and played football on the beach, built a bonfire and made smores late into the night.  It was the perfect day.

Part 2:  It’s Wedding Day!  I’m coordinating the set up of the ceremony and mini-reception with 10 guys who surprisingly took their job as the set-up crew pretty seriously.  “Which way do we face the wine bottles?”  “How many shells go each table?”  “Do you think we need another keg?” 

The noon ceremony was heart-felt, the bride was beautiful, and the shells all found good homes with the bride’s 5 year old cousin.  We cleaned up, took naps, then repeated the same football-bonfire-smores routine that evening.  For two days straight, we did nothing but laugh.  It was sad to say good bye to everyone, but we all knew this was only halftime in this epic wedding.

Part 3:  Two weeks later, the same crew is back in Omaha – Yay!  We all meet at a groomsman’s house the Friday before Memorial Day.  We’ve rented Olly the Trolly to take us around for the day to our favorite “establishments”.  Unexpected surprise – the groomsman hosting the event had T-shirts made for everyone!  There were 3 different shirts designed all including funny images and quotes from the wedding weekend two weeks before.  Depending on which t-shirt you had determined which team you were on.  There were challenges for teams to complete throughout the day. 

Part 4:  The following day we all had a pool day at the groom’s parents house.  A perfect sunny day that included more laughing, of course. 

Part 5:  It’s Reception Day!  The gals spent all day getting our hair and make up done.  False eye lashes are key!  Amazing, fun, beautiful party at a top-notch country club in town.  We ROCKED that reception.  Apparently, playing Whitney’s “How Will I Know” is the key to getting guys on the dance floor.  Who knew? 

After Hours:  Headed to a favorite dive bar in town, because no one was ready to say good bye.  Alas, 2 am came and lots of hugs around to all.  Sad.  Felt like summer camp just ended and you knew you had to wait until next summer to see all your friends again. 

Looking back, I don’t think I could ever forget about this wedding.  I had so much fun and made some amazing new friends.  It got me thinking, why should weddings be just one day?  It’s your WED-DING!  Make it last for a year!  I always hear brides say it goes by too quickly.  We made vacations out of the two trips, and I know we’d all agree that we had more fun on these two mini-trips than we’d ever had on a vacation before. 

Disclaimer:  It took a village to plan this.  But all the details were thought out – meals, transportation, where we would be sleeping at, etc.  I was so impressed.  This article from The Knot has some good tips for planning weekend weddings.    Martha Stewart Wedding’s Idea of the Day was Tips for Planning a Flawless Weekend Wedding. The bride and groom made it easy to have fun and enjoy ourselves.  So now we’re waiting for the other couples in our group to get married so we can ‘go back to summer camp’.  Cheers!

Inspiration // What Will Your Head Table Look Like?

When it comes to the topic of a “Head Table” what pops into your mind? This bride totally changed my mindset with her extravagant (and brilliant I might add) idea of what a head table should look like. She took a traditional idea and made it completely original. Pin cushion love seat and grand silver table…so fitting for a bride and groom on the most important day of their lives!

A new twist on a head table.

The bride and groom had this whole table to themselves!

An extravagant silver table was used at the head table at this wedding.

A pin cushion love seat acted as the seating for the bride and groom.

A head table with seating just for two!

If you are not thrilled with the style don’t worry; did it not just give you so many more ideas of what your head table could look like?!

photos by molly lorincz

Trend // Everything Goes With Stripes

You know that boatneck striped shirt that looks great with everything in your closet?  Those bold, graphic stripes can pair with anything in your wedding as well.  Check it out:

Stripes + Pink + Metallic

Striped-Wedding-Decor

{pink and stripes table runner styled by The Collection Event Studio, photo by Edyta Szyszlo via 100 Layer Cake; striped drapes photo by Our Labor of Love via Once Wed}

Black-and-White-Striped-Napkins

{gold and black tablescape and photo by Vitalic Photo via Wedding Chicks}

Modern-Wedding-Table-Decor

{striped table runner photo by Erin Hearts Court via La Partie Events; hand painted burlap table runner photo by Alison Conklin via Ruffled}

Stripes + Bridesmaids

Black-and-White-Striped-Bridesmaids-Dresses

Vintage-Striped-Bridesmaids-Dresses

{top left: parisian striped dresses photo by One and Only Paris Photography via Style Me Pretty; top right and bottom: mod striped bridesmaids dresses photo by Kate Osborne via Snippet & Ink}

Stripes + Flowers

Striped-Bouquet-Ribbons

{black and white wedding bouquet by E.G. Geddes Inc., photo by Christian Oth Studio via Martha Stewart Weddings; colorful striped bouquet photo by Erin Hearts Court via La Partie Events}

Stripes + Formalwear

Striped-Wedding-Dress-Sash

{striped wedding dress bow photo by Erin Hearts Court via La Partie Events}

Striped-Bow-Ties

{formal striped bow tie photo by Scott Andrew via Style Me Pretty; rustic striped bow tie photo by Ben Sasso via Grey Likes Weddings}

More stripe ideas here.

Diann Valentine Wedding

Inspiration // Rooftop Receptions

I change my mind weekly about where I want to have my dream wedding reception.  My new favorite venue – rooftops!  I began searching for rooftops in Omaha.  I came up with five condo buildings that have rooftops.:  Old Market Lofts, The Bank, The Paxton, Tip Top and River Front.  

Still looking for something bigger, I looked out the windows of our 6th floor offices over downtown Omaha checking out the tops of buildings.  Then I thought – what about parking garages?  Hmmmm?  You’d have to dress it up a lot, but it would be so worth it!  I’m not giving up on my search for my perfect rooftop, so stay tuned! 

In the meantime, here’s a little inspiration for you:

Diann Valentine Wedding

Rooftop Pancake Bar

Urban Rooftop Picnic Wedding

 

Traditions // Polish Breaking of the Chair

Wedding Tradition of Breaking the Chair originated in poland for omaha wedding essentialsFrom Lindsey George Photography: “With 300+ guests, Jaynie & Zach rocked out their reception to country tunes.  My night came to a close with something I’ve never witnessed….the “breaking of the chair”, a Polish wedding tradition.  First, the bride and groom took a seat on the chair while they were serenaded by their family and friends with a Polish song.  Then, the best man took his best shot at breaking the chair, and he did a good job!  Each broken piece is counted to predict how many children the bride and groom will have.  Congratulations Jaynie & Zach!”

Photos by Lindsey George Photography, preferred vendor

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