The vendors you choose are a key aspect of the wedding planning process. You want to make sure when picking your vendors, you choose companies and people with good reputations and an understanding of your overall wedding vision.

Most people look at:

Venue – See our last post, Location, Location, Location.

Music – Do you want a band, a DJ or are you ok with hooking up an iPod to a speaker for your reception?

Flowers – Do you want large intricate arrangements or do you want something simpler like some daisies or sunflowers in a vase?

Wedding Official – Are you choosing an officiant so you can get married with your toes in the sand or do you need a priest so you can have your nuptials in a church?

Photographer – Some photographers specialize in a photojournalistic style and help you capture the moment without feeling like you are posing for the camera the whole time. Or maybe you prefer the more traditional posed formal picture style of photography which many photographers still use.

Tent & Rentals– Don’t just consider the products themselves, will the company send staff to replace damaged rentals or in inclement weather to maintain the tent?

Caterer – We will go on and on about food in our next few posts but make sure you pick a caterer you’re comfortable with – chances are they will have the most staff and largest presence at your reception. Also, find out what they do other than food. For instance, The Casual Gourmet is full-service, we can help hire all the other vendors and provide a day-of a coordinator to ensure your wedding goes smoothly.

Beyond  the basics consider some of the less-than traditional vendors to make your special day extra special.

Novelties – We have seen everything from a cigar roller to a photo booth. Consider what you and your significant other love (other than each other!) and add something to your wedding to share that passion with your guests.

Videographer - Videos have come a long way from the time when videographers used to plop themselves in the middle of the dance floor with their invasive lighting and large camera equipment. Many videographers these days are shooting in a cinematic style and can capture the emotions of the day in a short video clip. Here is a great example of a wedding shot over the summer. Check out the video below of Ashleigh and Henry’s wedding we catered in June – video by Damon Dietz from Absolute Media Productions.

Take a look at this year’s creation

Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5-9pm from now until Sunday, December 19 visitors are invited to stroll  the lighted paths, explore the Hart Family Maze Garden and vote for your favorite gingerbread house. Santa will visit from the North Pole for photo opportunities in the Model T from 5:30 until 8pm and drop-in craft activities will be offered from 6-8pm

Come visit us at the HoHo! Cafe (aka Magnolia Cafe in season) and warm up with a delicious hot chocolate or mulled cider. Grab something sweet while you roast your complimentary marshmallows over the outdoor fire pits provided by Cape Cod Fire Log!

Good Luck and may the BEST Bride Win!!

Photo Courtesy of Scott Henrichsen

Contest Info

This contest will be held entirely on Facebook. We will open up a Photo Album with our contestants. The contestant that gets the highest number of points at the end of the contest will be our winner!  You can acquire points by getting your friends to “LIKE”  The Casual Gourmet Facebook page and “LIKE” your picture in our Photo Album! It is important that they “LIKE” The Casual Gourmet Facebook Page before they “LIKE” your picture to assure they have a valid Facebook account.  If they do not hit “LIKE” their vote will be disqualified.

To Enter: “LIKE” us on Facebook! Next, simply email us a picture of the “Bride and Groom-to-be” along with your names and wedding date to Sofia@thecasualgourmet.com you will receive an email confirmation once you have been accepted as a participant for the contest and your picture will be uploaded to our Facebook page.   So make sure that you submit your picture RIGHT AWAY!

FIY: You will not be admitted to the contest if you have not yet “LIKE”ed us on Facebook! This is to assure that you have a valid Facebook account.

Marcy did an amazing job and had all of us around the shop wanting a Cookie Monster Cake too!!

The next question that we asked ourselves was; hmmm who should we invite and where should we have this fabulous party we were thinking about? We immediately thought of Liz Hunter and Abigail at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, not only for their amazing space but because of their central location. We picked up the phone and immediately called them. They loved the opportunity to be involved in our fun little adventure.  Next as we sat around thinking about who we would like to see and spend some time with, we thought it would be great to invite our fellow wedding professionals; people who we love but we never have time to see as much as we would like during the height of the season, since we are all so busy running around trying to exceeding our client’s expectations.

Crudite Garden and Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Linens, Tables and Chairs

Fancy Flowers by Meredith

Bedazzle My Bon Bon

More Bon Bons

Saying a few words!

Frank & Helen Coombs

Matt and Jodi Steight of Cape Cod Valet

Marty Brummel of Prestige Valet & Jamie Bohlin of Cape Cod Celebrations

Allison Liset of Elegant Engagements, Karen Rood and Lyndsay McNiff of Wynchmere Harbor

Carolyn Tarr from Highfield Hall with Mark Abdelnour & Ben Philbrook from Chase Canopy

Rev. Faith Lavendar & Laurel Hartman of Cape Codder Resort

Cyndi Swan of Lady Slipper Stationary & Cathy Dennehy of Bella’s Blooms

Lyndsey McNiff & Karen Rood from Wychmere with Meredith & Art Fancy from Fancy Flowers

It was an amazing week spent at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.  We had a chance to see many old friends and to make a bunch of new ones.  We attended as many learning sessions as we could for four days, learning from and listening to leaders in our industry like Meryl & Andy Snow of Feastivities, Jen Delaye of The JDK Group, Joanne Purnell & Dan Smith of Good Gracious! and Jack Milan & Ken Barrett of Different Tastes.  We perused the massive tradeshow held at the Las Vegas Convention Center for new and exciting products we could bring home to Cape Cod.

The view from the Balcony of Olive's room at the Cosmopolitan

On the last day of the convention & tradeshow, both Olive and I attended the annual meeting of the International Caterers Association which was held on the tradeshow floor.  During the meeting, Olive, who has sat on the Board of Directors since 2010, was surprised by the outgoing President of the ICA with the President’s Volunteer Service Award.  Olive was also officially made treasurer of the ICA at the end of the meeting and will serve a two year term in that position.

It's official ~ Olive is treasurer of the ICA!

We can definitely say that what happened in Vegas over the last week will not stay in Vegas.  We are looking forward to incorporating what we learned into as many of our 2011 weddings as we possibly can!

Customizable Baby Cake                          Brownie Pops with Decorative Cello Wrap

Barbie Cake                                            Assorted Dessert

Did you know Valentine’s day is the third most popular day to “pop the question” right after Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so here’s to hoping this will be the year your sweet gives you a sweet surprise.

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

The Casual Gourmet stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud The Casual Gourmet for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that The Casual Gourmet is among the very best in Catering within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at The Casual Gourmet WeddingWire Storefront 

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit weddingwire.com.