The tradition of giving sweet wedding favors started centuries ago when European nobility presented wedding guests with small boxes filled with sugar cubes to take home.  During these times, sugar was very expensive and highly valued because it was believed to have medicinal benefits. From there, sugar coated almonds, which symbolize longevity, wealth, health and happiness, became the most common wedding favor. 

Today, traditional wedding favors are small gifts given as a gesture of appreciation by the bride and groom to their guests.  Favors have evolved and couples no longer feel that they are limited to trinkets and keepsakes as their only favor options.  Edible favors continue to be among the most popular wedding favors.  Some of the most popular edible favors are Godiva chocolates, hot cocoa packets, ground coffee and flavored teas, as well as honey, maple syrup and olive oil in decorative jars. 

The candy buffet continues to be a popular favor but the newer trend is the pastry favor buffet which combines the idea of edible favors with the favor buffet.  Rather than candy in your wedding colors, guests are presented with pastries and cookies, decorated in your colors, to box and take home.  The small bakery boxes are personalized and you can add a framed note thanking your guests for sharing your wedding day with you.   Imagine how guests feel the morning following the wedding reception as they are having coffee and their favorite pastries. 

The Pastry Favor Buffet will be featured at our Bridal Expo scheduled for next Thursday January 12th at 6:30 PM.

If you have ever tasted a chocolate truffle then you know that truffles have a very smooth inside and are usually covered with a slightly harder chocolate shell.   What you may not know is how easy it is to actually make your own truffles.  The filling for the truffle is a combination of chocolate with cream and/or butter.  Once you have the filling made and it has chilled, you simply roll the mix into round drops and then dip into melted chocolate or cocoa powder.  Some recipes suggest refrigerating the filling and then using a spoon or melon ball spoon to shape the truffles. 

You can also add liquer to the mix for additional flavor such as Kahlua, Bailey’s or Chambord.   When you refrigerate the mix, the liquor may end up floating on top so before shaping your truffles, be sure to stir the mixture.    

For the holidays, consider coating your truffles with chocolate and then adding some crushed candy cane topping.  You can also roll the truffles in holiday sprinkles or drizzle melted chocolate on top. 

The joy of baking website has an excellent truffle recipe which can be found at  http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateTruffles.html.    If you love Oreos, then consider making Oreo truffles.  Kraft foods has a very easy recipe for Oreo Truffles on their website:  http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-oreo-truffles-95085.aspx.  The trick with this recipe is in crushing the Oreos.  We have found that running the cookies in a food processor works best.  Also, rather than mixing all the crushed Oreos and the cream cheese at the same time, folding in small amounts of the crushed Oreos works better.

Pantone's Tangerine Tango

Pantone has named the color of the year for 2012 and it is Tangerine Tango.  The color trends from Pantone influence both fashion and design. The color of the year make its way into wedding linens, bridesmaids dresses, invitations and favors so we can look forward to seeing more of this cheerful color.

Accoridng to Pantone executive direction, Tangerine Tango was selected as the 2012 Cololor of the Year because it sends a message of encouragement and builds on the ideas of courage and action.   The color is inspirational and encoursage actions rather than acceptance. 

Apparently, tangerine hued garments were showcased for the Spring/Summer 2012 season.   If you look for images of tangerine weddings in Google Images you will see tangerine colorboards with  tiffany blue, green and bright pink accents.   Images of cakes, invitations, centerpieces and attire are all available so if you are considering tangerine as a primary or accent color, Google Images may be a good starting point.  Below are a couple of our favorite images.

For 2010 the color was turquoise and for 2011 it was honeysuckle. Both colors have been very popular this year so it will be interesting to see if Tangerine Tango or shades of tangerine become popular in event design.

One of the most difficult decisions a couple faces in their wedding planning is deciding who to ask to be their attendants.   Attendants are usually close family members and friends who support the couple throughout the planning process, witness the exchange of vows and share in the joy of the wedding day. 

The average number of attendants for a formal wedding is four to six bridesmaids and a corresponding number of ushers.  Traditionally, the ushers seat the guest for the ceremony and it is customary to have one usher per fifty guests.  Also, traditionally, you would have the same number of bridesmaids and ushers.

Today, many couples forego many of the traditions accociated wtih the attendants.  For example, it is not uncommon to have an uneven number of male and female attendants or for the bride to have a male attendant and for the groom to have a female attenant.  Moreover, more and more couples are electing to only have a  maid/matron of honor and a best man and some couples ask their parents to serve as matron of honor/best man.  Other breaks from tradition include having two best men and/or two maid of honors where selecting one would cause hurt feelings. 

In determining who to have as attendants, each couple has differenet considerations and concens.  Many couples find this to be one of the most stressful decisions because they do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings.   Many times, a bride feels pressure because she has a large family and feels that she has to ask a friend who she was a bridesmaid for to be in her wedding party.   Also, many couples feel they need to include the other’s siblinges in their wedding party, ie, the bride includes the groom’s sisters as bridesmaids and the groom includes the bride’s brothers as ushers.  These are sticky situations and if you elect to have a small wedidng party or you decide not to include someone who is expecting to be asked, you should handle the situation in a tactful and diplomatic way.  If you are having a small wedding party or have a large family and are precluded from asking a friend or close family, you should explain that to the person and ask them to take on another role of honor, such as doing a reading  during the ceremony. 

Another consideration is your budget and the finances of the propesed attendant.  Obvioulsy, the larger the bridal party, the more expenses you will have since you have to provide flowers for your attendants and you have to buy them a gift.  Additionally, if you are covering any other costs such as attire or lodgings that should be taken into consideration.  You should also consider if asking a friend or family member to be in your wedding party will be a financial hardship on them.