Choosing Your Wedding Cake
Monday, January 23rd, 2012Your wedding cake is one of the most essential elements of your wedding day. It will appear in your wedding pictures, and will be a focal point for your guest as they arrive into the reception area. As you decide on your cake type remember that it is what will pull together the colors and theme of your wedding. Your wedding cake should be as individual as you. Take time to shop around and decide on a bakery, the cake, style, and decorations. Here are a few factors to keep in mind while you cake shop:
.Create a checklist:
.What is your cake budget
.How many guests
.How many tiers/designs
.What colors/decorations
.What is your cake top?
.When is Your Wedding?
.When is Your Wedding?
The date and location of your wedding will affect the type of cake you choose. If your wedding will be taking place in the summer, mousse or ice cream cake will not be a good choice. Discuss with your baker the types of cake that will be in season.
.Choose a Reliable Bakery
You can begin your research online. This will allow you to obtain customer feedback, and view images of the bakery’s work. Make sure to select a bakery that provides a wide range of cake styles. Once you have chosen a bakery, visit the location and meet with the staff. This is your opportunity to provide sketches, ideas, and samples of your colors to leave with the pastry chef. Make sure to get everything in writing.
.Give Yourself Time to Pick Your Wedding Cake
If you have already chosen a color scheme and the wedding venue, then it’s a good time to get the cake designed and ordered. Your cake should be ordered 6-8 weeks in advance.
.Go Cake Tasting
This is one of the most important steps before finalizing your cake. If the cake will consist of multiple flavors, taste all of them. Flavors like chocolate, strawberry and vanilla will vary depending on how the cake is made, its formulation, its frosting, and more.
.Cake Size, Icing, Decorations
Wedding cakes come in all shapes and sizes—the options are limitless. When deciding on the size of your cake, keep in mind the number of guests attending. The type of icing you choose can be a simple sugar and flour recipe, or even a rich cream cheese icing. Today, many couples are choosing to match their icing color with the overall theme of the wedding. You can decorate your cake based on the décor and theme of your wedding, go with crazy and outrageous decorations or decide on lace, embroidery appliqué or elegant drapes or swag. The decision is all up to you so have fun with it!
Making Your Event a Success
Thursday, December 15th, 2011Have you ever wondered what makes an event a success? There are many components to achieve a successful event such as matters concerning your guests, food, entertainment and the very beginning preparations. With the involvement of speakers, attendees, audiovisual presentations, catering, and venue selections, any event is a complex affair. However, with the right combination of all the event elements yours can become a hit!
Some Tips To Help Get You Started On Your Event Preparation Can Include:
-Create A Checklist—Include food, bar, entertainment, venue, invitations, guest list, etc. Use your checklist as you plan your event. Make sure you add details as you go along and check off the tasks that have been completed.
-Plan In Advance—Send the invitations out and advertise ahead of time. The larger the event, the more time you should give yourself. Allow at least two weeks for a small private party and three months or longer for a significant event in which people have to travel. This gives your guests plenty of time to plan and prepare.
-Guests should be made aware of the purpose and theme of the event. Provide this information on the event’s invitation, poster, or flyer. This information will help your guests know how to dress and prepare for the event.
-Choose An Appropriate Venue—Begin by asking yourself, is there enough space for your guests to mingle, dance, and provide entertainment? Is there a bar and facilities for serving food? Is there enough space for a sit-down meal or is it limited to stand-up? Does it have adequate climate control and restroom facilities?
-Have an adequate number of bartenders and servers.
-Make sure that there is enough food that it is high quality, and that it fits the theme or mood of your party.
-Appoint hosts if you having a large event. Have friends or associates help greet guests and even introduce them
to other guests.
-Think About Having Name Tags—Providing name tags allows attendees not acquainted with one another to feel more comfortable approaching someone they might not know.
-A media presentation is a great enhancement to any event. You can choose from high-tech audio-visual productions to slide shows to exhibits to posters.
-Entertainment can make or break an event. Consider a mix of entertainers to provide a variety of entertainment. Some popular choices are a DJ or a live band. Most recent trends show that event planners and hosts are choosing magicians and stand-up comics.
-Review your checklist regularly to make sure that everything is running smoothly.
Last but not least, remember to show appreciation and gratitude for the groups and individuals who helped to make your event a success!
Lighting Basics for Your Reception
Monday, November 21st, 2011When planning your special day, lighting for your reception is just as important as the flowers and the cake. Making sure you have the right amount of light will turn your wedding site from simple to spectacular. Lighting creates the mood for the whole event, including making your wedding flowers, cake, and guests look better.
A Few Tips To Guide You In Your Lighting Selection Include:
Find a Pro
There are a couple of ways you can find your wedding lighting specialist. First, ask your event planner or wedding florist if they do their own lighting. If not, they may have a lighting pro they regularly work with. You can also ask the coordinator at your reception venue to recommend a lighting company that has worked with the site before. Also, ask to see pictures of the space having been changed by various lighting arrangements.
Assess Your Site
If you’re having an evening reception, make sure to visit your site at least once when it’s dark outside—this will allow you to look around the room and see where the lighting is being focused. Lights that illuminate the walls, windows, and ceiling draw attention away from the center of the room. You want to make sure the lighting keeps everyone’s eyes on the tables, dance floor, and each other. In addition, ask if the site has dimmers for their overhead lights, and if there’s any florescent lighting at all, keep it turned off!
If your wedding is taking place at home, discuss how much electricity your lighting designer is going to need. You may want to consider having your lighting expert bring a generator before blowing a fuse.
Learn About the Different Types of Lighting
Pin spot is a focused beam of light that shines directly onto an object, like a centerpiece or wedding cake, as a highlight effect.
Color wash is a blanket of colored light covering an entire area.
Gobos are circular stencils that are put over a light to project a design or pattern. Some popular gobo designs are monograms, dates, or any other wedding motifs. Keep in mind that the complexity of the design will affect the gobo’s cost. A simple stencil can be stamped out of steel, while a more intricate design must be laser etched out of stainless steel or a glass that can withstand high heat.
Led is short for light-emitting diodes. This type of lighting is currently popular for weddings because they use much less electricity and don’t get as hot as the regular, incandescent light bulbs. LEDs are great for color changes and vibrant colors.
Don’t be Afraid to Use Color
Think outside your wedding palette when you use colored lights. Stay away from colors that are part of your decor. Opt for colors that complement all skin tones, like magenta or a soft rose. Take advantage of the effect color can have on the atmosphere by changing the shades through the course of the night. For example, if your cocktail hour starts around sunset, you can splash your room with golden tones. During dinner, consider soft lighting that will mimic flickering candlelight. Remember you can change the mood of a room with the push of a button.
Lighting Set Up Outside
If your site has a path or steps that people will be using throughout the night, keep it lit with luminaries or paper lanterns so that no one trips. More dramatic lighting might include using dramatic, sculptural lights like large orbs, or rows of vertical poles of light that look like pieces of modern art. You can also fill your centerpieces with clear—glass marbles as well as small battery-powered lights to give an interesting glow to each arrangement.
Choose the Right Lights
The layout of your reception site can determine how you’re going to use lighting techniques. If dinner and dancing are happening in the same room, use a color wash to set the dance floor apart. Work closely with your lighting designer to figure out which type of lighting fits your budget. You can create a lasting impression with just the basic form of lighting and the right preparation.
Building A Lunch Menu
Friday, October 28th, 2011Whether you’re planning a baby shower, sports event, or an office party, a luncheon is a causal alternative to the late day dinner parties. The menu is usually lighter, served buffet style where guests grab a plate and serve themselves. There are different buffets to choose from to create the perfect luncheon. Keep in mind that it is important to include menu items that will hold up for longer periods of time—and don’t be afraid to step out of the box and try new menu ideas.
Caterers offer several buffet options to create a lunch menu suited for your guest. Some options include:
Deli Buffets: this option is popular and includes a majority of finger foods that pleases any crowd. The menu typically includes mixed green salad with different dressings to choose from, fruit salad, potato salad, antipasto or chips, three types of sandwich meats with a bread choice, and a dessert tray.
American and Ethnic Buffets: allows the event planner to select foods that go with the overall theme of the event. Some popular themes include: American burgers and fries, Italian pasta, pizza, Tuscan style chicken, Southwest tacos and fajita stations, Asian spring rolls, stir fries, rice and noddle dishes. You should also include a selection of appetizers, entrées, and dessert options.
Box Lunches: work best for working lunches where the guests can remain focused on the objective of the meeting. Box lunches offer at least four varieties to choose from, such as turkey, roast beef, ham and vegetarian sandwiches, including a piece of fruit with a cookie, and chips. Make sure to include condiments and utensils.
Build Your Own Lunch Menu: may include the option to go with a buffet style or plated meal. The menu normally includes lettuce salad options, fruit salads, and soup. The entrée consists of chicken, pork, beef, salmon, or Caesar salad with grilled chicken. There is also an option of sides including vegetables, potatoes, pasta, or rice. Don’t forget to include dessert.
No matter what type of meal you select, offer guests a variety of drinks to go along with their meal. Suggestions include assorted soft drinks and juices, bottled water, coffee and tea.
Have fun planning a luncheon, there is a lot to choose from to meet your needs and make the event as smooth as possible!
How Can You Get Premium Banquet Facilities in 3 Easy Steps
Friday, February 4th, 2011In order to avail premium banquet facilities may not take a substantial amount of time and energy on your part. However, by hiring the services of a premium banquet your event or wedding may turn out to be very memorable and extremely pleasurable. You may just have to follow simple guidelines and other procedures so that you can avail the services of a premium banquet for your event. However, the best and the most advantageous step is to start consulting your family members, friends or other acquaintances who may hire the services of a premium banquet company in the past. You will be able to obtain extremely beneficial advices and recommendations that may be of immense help to you. In this way you can get the finer details and other important facts about a premium catering company. All these advices or suggestions may be truly genuine without any false impressions and therefore you can easily decide as to which type of banquet facility would be more effective as per your requirement.
Secondly, you can also explore the internet in order to find the best premium banquet service according to your current needs. You just have to explore the net and you can easily get in touch with several premium banquet services located in your city or area. You can call the office telephone number and may inquire about the necessary aspects. Don’t forget to bargain with the selected banquet company in order to avail attractive discounts and other reductions in charges. At the end of the day, your event may turn out to be more eventful if you can manage to secure the best possible deal according to your desired expectations.
Thirdly, you can also check the local advertisements that may publish specific ads about premium banquet companies and their overall packages. It has been observed that several premium banquet services try to promote their products and services to the maximum number of probable client and hence you may obtain an effective and feasible deal from a prominent banquet company. Yellow pages may be other alternative in order to find affordable premium banquet services that may be able to gratify all your aspirations in the most professional manner. In the end you may also have to analyze your existing obligations in order to have a clear understanding.
In order to avail the services of a premium banquet facility you have to make it sure that the number of invited guests is no more. It has been observed that any catering or banquet company may only cater to 75% for invited guests and the rest of the guests may be totally neglected. You may definitely want to avoid this embarrassing situation and thus you have to make a complete list of all the invited guests. In this way a premium banquet company will be able to cater effectively to all the limited numbers of invited guests in the most accurate manner.
The Knot Best of Weddings for Philadelphia
Monday, April 5th, 2010Catering by Mario’s has been keeping busy this winter with weddings, corporate events, & holiday parties. We have also launched a newly designed website which is a one-stop shop for all of our services: off-premise catering, event planning & management, as well as our wedding & banquet venue, Richmond Hall. Check us out at www.cateringbymarios.com.
As the weather gets warmer, you may be starting to plan celebrations such as graduation parties and summer picnics. Check out the menus below for some party ideas. Mention this email and receive a 10% discount if you book a buffet or picnic package before 4/15/2010.
We also have great news to annouce: Richmond Hall has been selected as a 2010 winner in The Knot Best of Weddings for Philadelphia reception sites. We wanted to take a moment to thank all of our wonderful brides who took the time to comment to The Knot on their experience at Richmond Hall. It’s great to know we have lived up to your expectations on one of the most important days of your life. Thanks again!!!
Sincerely,
Mario & John Incollingo
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Thank you and testimonial for our Wedding Catering in Philadelphia
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010Hello Lauren,
I just wanted to say thank you so much for making Saturday’s wedding so amazing. I just received the email about your honors with the Knot and I have to say that I can’t imagine a venue where this is more deserved. Your staff was incredibly friendly and professional! You eased a very indecisive bride and made everything just gorgeous! We received rave reviews regarding the food and everyone had a blast which was the goal of the bride and groom so I again say thank you so much and I will be certain to keep Richmond Hall and Mario’s catering on the top of my list for any upcoming events.
My sincerest thanks,
Tania Kinniry
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Wedding Receptions Philadelphia – Catering Philadelphia – Banquet facilities Philadelphia
Monday, March 22nd, 2010Richmond Hall is pleased to announce it has been selected as a 2010 winner in The Knot Best of Weddings for Philadelphia reception sites.
We wanted to take a moment to thank all of our wonderful brides who took the time to comment to The Knot on their experience at Richmond Hall. It’s great to know we have lived up to your expectations on one of the most important days of your life. Thanks again!!!