Refreshing Summer Wedding Hors d’oeuvres and Boozy Delights

The cocktails and cuisine served at your wedding are key aspects. Why not combine nourishment with elegance on your big day? Your guests will be in awe of these summer wedding treats.

This DIY sangria bar is perfect for summer weddings. Guests can make their own concoctions, mixed with their favorite fruits, all in a much-loved mason jar. During cocktail hour offer liquor infused iced pops to keep guests cool. 

Consider bite-sized hors d’oeuvres that will be sure to impress. Cold soups, think gazpacho or strawberry soup, are perfect on hot summer wedding days. They’re easy to eat, keep your guests cool, and are delightfully elegant.

Ahh, fruit infused water. This is hands-down the simplest, chicest, most colorful way to keep your guest hydrated. Summertime weddings mean fresh summer fruit! Combine all the fruits you love for a rainbow mix, or separate them out. The flavor combinations are truly endless.

Cool down cocktail hour with these simple ideas that guests will rave about. Mini ice cream cones, or ice cream sandwiches, are a fan favorite. We love the idea of playing with flavor combinations, and colors, to make them unique. It’s also been a proven fact that people love food on a stick! This works perfectly for a summer wedding. Pick your favorite BBQ recipe, put it on a skewer, and enjoy.

Keep your summer wedding local with farm-to-table inspired cuisine. From the sangria to the mini ice cream cones fresh and local is always an option. The food is likely to be one of the most remembered aspects of your big day! Make it stand out.

All of these ideas combine character, elegance, and practicality. Each small detail of your summer wedding is important and ought be a reflection of your personality. 

Banyan Tree Mayakoba - Tranquility meets Rivera Maya

 

Mayakoba is man made property with a lagoon filled with fish and bird species and has a carefully preserved ecosystem.

Banyan Tree Mayakoba is the epitome of luxury resort living, bringing Asian hospitality to the  Riviera Maya. Nestled within the private gated  resort development of Mayakoba, immerse yourself in untouched nature complemented with the Riviera Maya luxury resort's familiar warmth and charm. This resort is home to some of natures most amazing flora and fauna. Enjoy a guided eco adventure boat tour, hosted by one of their nature specialist.

The Asian inspired villas, each host a wonderful plunge pool allowing you to relax while enjoying the sounds of the wildlife that fills the area. Many rooms even offer a private outdoor bathtub that has a candle wall behind you to touch on the senses. The villas each offer private lush, landscaped gardens that just brings that zen feeling to life.

You will be greeted in the lobby by one of the spa therapists who will give you a welcome back rub while you are met by an inviting drink. Sometimes you will even find a monkey taking a seat, just relaxing as you are checking in. Even the wildlife feels at home at this property.

Enjoy dinner in of the many restaurants, you have five wonderful options to tantalize your taste buds. The chef is beyond amazing at accommodating all your special requests:

Saffron - offers a wonderful Thai Cuisine

LaCopa - outdoor rooftop terrace offering, tapas and light cuisine

LaCava - is a private wine cellar, seating 14 people, perfect for small private dinner

Oriente Restaurant - offers international cuisine, but famous for the Tomahawk Steak, we relished in this divine steak and they accented it with sea bass atop salt slabs, which was simply divine.

Tamarind - is the fine dining spices where natural ingredients fuse with the local flavors of the region

Tapas Cruise - this is by far one of my favorite elements of this property, enjoy a relaxing cruise down the canals while sipping margaritas and enjoying tapas

The Spa, one must experience their world class spa. From the moment you enter the rain forest room to the multi jet pool and then into the private spa villa, you are pampered, relaxed and just put into state of utter bliss.

This property has an amazing white washed palapa, perfect for that beach wedding, only steps from the ocean.

Ceremonies can be held on the beach or off the main lobby - the possibilities of this property are endless. 

I became a believer once I experienced this resort and plan on spending many vacations here not to mention sending my clients here to create memories that last a lifetime. 

Lobby Terrace

Seaside pool at Banyan Tree Mayakoba

Wedding Contest 4/11-5/11

WEDDING CONTEST

Calling all newly engaged couples! Do you want your wedding dreams to come true? Do you have a romantic, charming, or hilarious proposal story?? We want to hear it! Tell us your proposal story to win a FREE wedding package! The package includes engagement portrait session with www.4eyesphotography.com, a FREE planning session with www.elegantoccasions.com, a complimentary hair and makeup package for the bride on her big day, AND a 2 night stay in a luxury villa with breakfast included at Viceroy’s Rivieria Maya property!

Entry options:

1) Email your submissions to joann.elegantoccasions@gmail.com

2) Post a photo or video and a description of your romantic, charming, or hilarious proposal story tagging @elegantoccasions and #hashtagging #beaguestatyourownevent. Be sure to include a picture of you and your honey; bonus points for creativity!!

***This contest will run until May 11th, 2016. Best of Luck!

**Follow us on Instagram @joanngregoli where we will post some of the proposal submissions!
 

Mother of the Bride Tips

The day of your daughter’s wedding may just be the best day of your life. Watching her recite vows in front of your closest friends and family is something you’ve dreamed about all your life and now it’s here! Take a deep breath. It’s going to be a wildly emotional day and you’re going to want to remember every minute of it.

Here are 12 tips that I learned from my own daughter's wedding:

1. Remember to remain calm. No matter what your daughter is freaking out about you are the voice of reason.

2. Be prepared with tips for the bellmen, hair and makeup artists, and other personnel who go above and beyond on the big day.

3. Make sure you have a timeline. The planner normally provides this, but be sure to have a copy of the schedule.

4. Have all emergency contact numbers in your phone (just in case).

5. Assign someone to assist with the crowd at the ceremony. The planner will be there to help you, but you must be in control of everyone.

6. Take time to have a private moment with your daughter and give her support and advice.

7. Make up a shot list for the photographer. I remind my brides about this all the time–but still totally forgot when it came time for compiling my own!

8. See the ceremony/reception room and take in all the details before the guests arrive. Marvel at and appreciate what your daughter has created.

9. Eat! Have breakfast with your daughter and make sure you eat something during the reception. It’s easy to forget with all the excitement!

10. Enjoy. Sit back and take it all in. It goes fast.

11. Get off your seat and get out there on the dance floor. And don’t forget to dance with your new son-in-law!

12. Show gratitude to every single person who helped to create the most memorable day of your and your daughter’s life. Send a note or gift to all involved–it makes a world of difference.

Considering a destination wedding?

Working in this industry for many years, I've found that because destination weddings are filled with travel, activities, new sites, etc. they tend to be very memorable. In addition, hosting a destination wedding allows you to spend quality time with your family and friends over a longer period of time. When I talk with my clients who are torn about having a local or destination wedding, we usually review these few points: 

How do I choose a location? The location should be a true representation of your personality. Most couples will pick a location based upon their vacations or the location where they met or even where they were engaged. 

Embrace the destination. If you dreamed of a castle in Ireland, you will experience the beauty of the region around you. Enjoy the culture, experience, and food and have fun.

How does this affect our guest list? The most important people will attend, thus reducing your ever-growing guest list by more than half. This upside not only helps with the overall budget, but it also gives you more quality time with close family and friends. A destination wedding can also become a vacation for the guests, giving them a reason to step away from their day-to-day routine to spend three unforgettable days in a great spot. If you give your guests a 9-12 month lead time, they will be able to plan accordingly.

What are the differences in planning our budget? This is my favorite part. Instead of spending the money on a five hour event, you will get three days of fun with family and friends. You are essentially spending the money for a longer period of party time. 

What will we do there? Enjoy the experiences offered at the destination. While in Italy host some cooking classes or wine tasting tours. In the Cayman Islands swim with the stingrays and in Hawaii enjoy snorkeling.

Incorporate the culture into the plans and activities. In Italy we love to hire mandolin and accordion players to serenade our guests. In Mexico hire a Mariachi band on welcome night. In Hawaii, don't miss out on a hula dance!

It's also worth pointing out that any place can be a destination. If you live in San Francisco, you're a stones-throw away from Napa. Hosting your wedding in a place that might be local for you can still be a destination for your guests.

Welcoming your guests!

Welcome bags are a fun part of destination planning. You want to make a great first impression when your guests arrive at the location.

Greet your guests with items that are native to the region in which they are traveling to. 

Think about some of your favorite snacks that will make your friends and family think of you when they see them. Do you always reach for Salt & Vinegar chips? Consider throwing in a very "you" item. One of my favorites was when everyone knew the groom was really into Spider-Man - everyone received a Spider-Man comic book.

Start with the following items for your bags: 

• Map of the region

• Restaurant guide

• Timeline of the weekend activities

• Bottles of water

• Salty snacks (chips, pretzels, popcorn, or nuts)

• Sweet snacks (chocolates, candy, or fruit)

Want to get a little more creative? Consider:

• The type of bag - tote bags, gift bags, old-school tin lunchboxes, gable boxes, etc.

• Make the snack local! Find a local bakery that can package up some cookies or a favorite local taffy or candy!

• Add a custom tag that matches your theme.

• Add an after party Hangover Kit filled with Advil, Alka Seltzer, Tums, eye drops, Emergen-C, tea bags, etc.

• For planned group activities include some gear. For example, basic snorkeling equipment, sunscreen, and Aloe Vera.

• Use the welcome bag to add the wedding favor. We had a couple who took photos of every guest the first night. We put those photos in a special frame and added them to the welcome bags that night!

• Personalized towels, hats, or t-shirts are always fun to help continue the theme.

Older Posts

For older posts, please visit http://elegantoccasionsevents.blogspot.com/