Carrying the vineyard theme through to catering

Of course the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a vineyard wedding is wine, and while it's a great first step, there are many ways to carry your vineyard wedding theme through to your food and beverage selections.  Here are a few of my favorites:

1) Try using wine barrels as bases for your buffet or dessert tables.

The modular nature of the wine barrels will allow you to set up one longer table or several smaller tables around your reception or cocktail hour space and the rustic charm of the weathered wood adds elegance and warmth.  The addition of the chandelier is a great way to make the table draw attention with a touch of dramatic lighting.

2) Set up wine and cheese pairing stations.

This is one of my favorite cocktail hour ideas!  You can set up several stations at different areas throughout the cocktail hour space, which encourages your guests to move around and interact with one another while preventing traffic jams in front of one large table.  You can provide descriptions for each pairing in a decorative frame on each table and allow your guests the opportunity to find a new favorite.  This is also great way to cut down on the pricier cocktails that your guests might consume during cocktail hour.

3) Serve a plated meal with a wine reduction.

 

There are few things that I love more in life than a steak smothered in a cabernet reduction and I'm willing to bet your guests will agree!  The sweet, woody flavor of the cabernet combines perfectly with the flavor of the beef and the bordeaux coloration of the sauce makes for a beautiful plated presentation.  Seared scallops in a white wine reduction are also pretty gosh darn tasty and provide a seafood option for your guests.

4) Let your cake get viney.

  

Molded sugar, fondant, and marzipan all make great options for designing a delicious grape vine to cascade down your tiered wedding cake.  The understated elegance of the vine allows you to go with a very basic design for your cake tiers or you can choose to dress it up with textures and colors.

And since I can't get enough of cake balls these days - I love them!

Wine Country Weddings

There's just something about the rustic charm of a vineyard that screams romance; thus, it's the perfect locale for an enchanting wedding.  The vast grounds make for gorgeous photo ops and with Northern California's vast array of vineyards, the venue options are nearly endless!  Whether you're looking for a stunning outdoor wedding...

... or a remarkable reception in the barrel room

...there are so many possibilities for a uniquely beautiful wedding!  So for today's blog, I wanted to share a few of my favorite wine country elements.

I've always loved the classic wine cork escort card for vineyard weddings, but recently I've been inspired to experiment with some new escort card variations, like this wine glass escort display.  Each square of the rustic wooden display case is numbered for each individual table and the escort cards for each guest at the table are secured to a personalized wine glass (which doubles as a favor) with a beautiful wine glass charm.

That's not to say that there aren't plenty of places to work corks into your vineyard wedding theme!  One of my favorites is the cork succulent planter favors that one of our brides DIY'ed.  The corks are hollowed out, planting soil and a beautiful succulent clipping are added and voila... an awesome (and really inexpensive!) favor is born!

And let's not forget the wine bottle centerpieces!  This is one of my absolute favorite elements of the wine country wedding, as there are so many opportunities to showcase the couple's unique style with color and height variations.  For this autumn, rustic themed wedding, the bride's love of calla lilies played perfectly into wine bottle bud vases atop wooden moss-covered boxes that display the table number.

Hmm... all of this wine talk has got me pining for a glass, but stay tuned this weekend as I showcase some more of my favorite vineyard themed elements!

Autumn Wedding Inspiration

The heat wave is finally over in Northern California and the brisk air and brilliant colors make a perfect backdrop for a beautiful autumn wedding!  We don't often think of autumn as prime wedding season, but autumn weddings tend to be a lot easier on your pocket book than a summer affair.  Not only can you take advantage of off-season pricing from your venue and vendors, but your guests will appreciate the off-peak travel prices.  In addition to the cost savings, the autumn theme allows for a cornucopia (see the Thanksgiving reference there?) of decorating, favor, and even cuisine ideas.  Here are some of my favorites!

A mini-pie bar:

Who doesn't wait all year for Thanksgiving dessert?  Pies are definitely the dessert of the season and make a great addition to your dessert table or as a cake alternative.  A cupcake tower makes for a beautiful display of mini-pies in a variety of flavors, all of which evoke great holiday memories for your guests. 

Oktoberfest-inspired beer tasting station: 

This is an idea that will make your groomsmen giddy while helping to save on your bar bill.  Set up a tasting station that offers several different varieties of beer, ranging from light to dark and provide the descriptions of each of the beers as your guests make their way through the flight.  It's a fun way to incorporate autumn's drink of choice, and while your guests are drinking beer, they're staying away from the more expensive cocktail options at the bar.

Dark neutral color palettes with a jewel tone accent:

While you might immediately picture your autumn wedding in oranges and reds, why not try a dark neutral color scheme that allows you to incorporate natural elements like branches and acorns?  Pair the neutral scheme with a jewel tone for beautiful pops of color will stand out against the dark backdrop and provide a very elegant tone for your event.

Decorating with wheat:

Brides often tell me that they're afraid of autumn weddings because flowers are harder to come by off-season.  Though many popular floral varieties are not in season during this time of the year, there are so many great and creative bouquet and decorating options including wheat!  Gathering wheat into bunches and tying with a beautiful ribbon adds an elegant yet rustic touch to any autumn wedding.

Contact us today for your free initial consultation to start planning your autumn wedding!

The Brand New La Dolce Vita Events Blog

Event planning is my passion.  Even when I'm not planning an event for a client, I'm browsing the internet and magazines for awesome ideas, tips, and details that I can share with my clients in the future.  Needless to say, I have accumulated a lot of ideas over the years and I am excited to finally find a place to share them!

On this blog, I will share with you tips I think are important for planning a Northern California wedding or event, ideas that I love for all different event styles, and amazing products that might be perfect for your big day (like the ones below)!  I will also be sharing some photos of our clients' recent events.  If there are any topics that you would like to see covered on the blog, contact us and you'll see your blog topic here ASAP!  

Thank you for stopping by and check back often!

Today's unique wedding details:

Looking for a cake alternative or a dessert table treat that evokes the classic cake flavor but comes in a unique and super cute package?  How about cake truffles?  These custom cake truffles can be color customized to coordinate with your event color scheme. They also come in your choice of cake flavor.  And at only $2.00 a truffle, you can make quite the truffle display for the cost of an average cake.  These can be found at Etsy.com, seller cocoaconfections.

I love the idea of a rhinestoned something blue on the bottom of the bride's shoes!  It's perfect for the bride who is looking to quietly add a little "bling"to her ensemble.  And your photographer will love experimenting with shooting them!  These can be found at Etsy.com, seller idoshoestickers.