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

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.

Its a Gingerbread Lighthouse!

Here at the Casual Gourmet we are gearing up for Christmas. While Christmas orders are keeping the phones busy in the office, the bakers have been keeping busy by preparing our beautiful gingerbread houses. This year Marcy and Barbara are building a new gingerbread house for Heritage Museums & Gardens. Below you will find step by step pictures and the process behind the Gingerbread Lighthouse.

The Gingerbread Dough was mixed and then Rolled out into thick slabs.

the walls and the basic structure of the lighthouse were cut out of the dough

all the pieces were then laid out to bake

once the pieces came out of the oven, Marcy began to decorate them with Royal Icing

the roof for the structure was cut out of gum paste with a cookie cutter

 the pieces were then layered together to form the roof

 the entire gingerbread house sat on cookie base

 Rice Krispy Treats were used to give it a 3D look to the water and the rocks on which the Lighthouse sat on

The lighthouse was then filled on the inside by the same rice krispy treats to give it a more sturdy base

icing was spread all over the base to give the effect of snow

Whats a Lighthouse without a Lightkeeper? a smaller house next to the Lighthouse for the keeper was built.

Barbara puts the finishing touches on their beautiful work of art

and Voila the final product!

The Lighthouse was taken to Heritage Museum and Gardens to be displayed during their Gardens AGLOW  exhibit. The Lighthouse was also featured in the Cape Cod Times.

Left: Sour Apple Flavor  Right: French Toast Stick with Maple Flavored Cotton Candy

Pictures courtesy of Brides.com  

  Want something elegant and fun to surprise your guests at your Wedding. Im sure they will enjoy Fancy and Fruity Cocktails with a splash of Cotton Candy on the Rim

Embellish a Casual Old Fashioned Cape Cod BBQ with Cotton Candy garnishing the top of Strawberry Milkshakes. These make for amazing conversation starters at Rehearsal Dinners.

All of the great pictures were courtesy of Biz Bash.com

The weather was perfect, the location was stunning and all the details were just so cute that we wanted to share a few of our favorite moments with you. Guests arrived by bus and pre ceremony had refreshments of iced tea and lemonade created with the family’s special recipe. Weathered shingles on the wide porch held the escort cards -each with a picture to remind them of their dinner choice. Lattice hung on the side of the house with a pictorial history of Ashleigh and John’s relationship.

Fabulous Rental Home on Lower Cape

A perfect setting for a perfect moment!

Placecards hanging on weathered shingles

After a touching ceremony, overlooking the bay -featuring vows written by the bride and groom,  guests were invited to a separate part of the yard to enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, featuring miniature “lobstah” rolls and a raw bar with shrimp and local oysters.  The passing platters were created by Ashleigh, with help from her Dad, who also created all of the various chalkboards that were seen around the property. The signature drink was a pomegranate Cape Codder passed in a mason jar.

Personal Touch!

After cocktail hour, guests were invited into a beautiful Sperry Tent to enjoy a plated dinner with a choice of Georges Bank Scallops, Roasted Tenderloin of Beef or our fabulous Risotto Cakes! The slightly country Cape Cod theme was carried over in the tent with multiple vases of wildflowers artfully created by Flowers by Fancy, natural garden chairs and guest tables were covered with khaki colored linens and chocolate brown napkins provided by Rentals Unlimited. After dinner the guests danced the night away to terrific music  crafted by one of their good friends.  Dessert consisted of our own yummy cupcakes done Betty Crocker Style in three flavors and an incredible assortment of homemade cookies contributed by the bride’s friends and family.

Dinner Tent

Dessert table featuring homemade cookies & Casual Gourmet Cupcakes

We would like to thank Ashleigh & John for allowing  us be such a big part of their special day!  We wish them many years of happiness!

It was one of the most memorable events of 2009: downpouring rains drenched the ‘Fiesta’- themed rehearsal dinner but parted for the wedding day itself; an incredibly personal and deeply spiritual wedding ceremony that began with a smudging ceremony; a predominantly vegetarian menu that celebrated local, seasonal produce; the infusion of hand-crafted details throughout the décor; and the dynamic venue itself.

During the cocktail hour, servers passed an assortment of hors d'oeuvres, including these Toasted Polenta Rounds with Olive Tapenade and Italian Tomato Salsa. The first course was served 'Soup & Salad' - a demitasse of chilled sugar snap pea and ginger soup paired with a roasted asparagus and chiogga beat salad. The buffet dinner featured Roasted Globe Artichokes with quinoa, leaf spinach and flageolet beans, along with an Heirloom Tomato Salad, Roasted Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes and Wood Grilled Summer Vegetables. (All photos except top right courtesy of Lisa Rigby.)

The Overbrook House is part of the 20-acre organic Bay End Farm. The 1920s farmhouse has a traditional New England design and is located at the top of a secluded hill.  The expansive grounds that spill down from the house include large open fields, stone walls, meandering paths, an in-ground swimming pool and a charming old-fashioned dance hall nestled in the woods.

Clockwise from top left, the house on a hill, illuminated with tiki torches. The dance hall, hidden in the trees. A tablerunner made by the bride. Nicoline and Ryan take a path to the dancehall for their first dance. The cocktail hour took place under the canopy of old trees. (All photos courtesy of Lisa Rigby.)

We love that each couple who chooses Overbrook for their wedding puts their own unique stamp on the event by making different use of all the diverse elements on the property. While Nicoline and Ryan chose to hold their ceremony under an enormous oak tree by the house, have dinner under a tent in the big field, and finish the night with dessert and dancing in the hall, other clients have opted to have cocktails by the pool or host their smaller reception entirely in the dancehall.  Overbrook truly is a one-of-a-kind Cape Cod wedding venue.

Interested in Overbrook or a vegetarian wedding? Let us know! We’d be happy to talk with you!

Stefania’s dream included a gorgeous gold and white themed event where no attention to detail was spared. Her linens, a Natural Botela fabric, that is actually made from recycled bottles, set the tone for the tablescape which included gold rimmed china and crystal glassware, gold flatware, and etched gold votives. Lilacs provided flowers in a mixture of white orchids, hydrangeas, and roses all arranged in crystal glass.

Elaborate Table Setting

The guests dined on scrumptious hors d’oeuvres that included garlic rubbed lamb chops and warmed goat cheese toasts with rosemary, walnuts & honey. They were also treated to an elaborate cheese table and raw bar.

Italian Cheese Table

For dinner, the bride and groom selected a four-course meal that started with a Caprese salad and moved on to a traditional risotto course to highlight the bride’s Italian heritage. For the entrée, they enjoyed a traditional Cape Cod ‘Surf and Turf’ with Beef Tenderloin and Lobster Tails.

For the Grand Finale, Stefania’s dream also included an elaborate five-tier wedding cake filled with lobster cream and decorated in gold leaf paint with her new monogram as the centerpiece of the cake. Guests were amazed by the detail of the cake and our pastry chefs did an excellent job fulfilling this part of Stefania’s dream. A candy bar and Viennese table completed the meal.

Five Tier, Gold Accented Wedding Cake

We were truly honored to have been a part of creating Stefania’s dream wedding, but the dream was truly realized when Stefania and Justin met and fell in love. Stefania, Justin and both of their families were wonderful to work with during the entire planning process and we wish them a lifetime of happiness together.

I don’t mean over planning every single detail of the event. It is all about finding a way to express authentically who they are as a couple and allowing their guests to see and feel and share in the joy of the day. We specialize in non traditional weddings and Cape Cod is a destination wedding location, so perhaps here at the Casual Gourmet we have the opportunity to see more than our share of personal and unique touches.

Let me share with you a few stories of how couples I have worked with have spiced up their weddings with games, with gifts and by adding to (or even throwing out) tradition.

The Ceremony at Heritage where the bride and groom played Rock, Paper, Scissors. Click to enlarge.

Earlier this summer, I had a lovely couple who had a simple, but beautiful, wedding at Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich. They were sweet and very in love and planned every detail of the wedding together. Having each written beautiful and meaningful vows they could not decide who should speak first, so right in front of all their friends and family, they played a little game of Rock, Paper and Scissors!

This is a perfect example of the couple taking ownership of their wedding. It was unique, fun and only worked because their family and friends instantly recognized how it fit the couple’s style of communication.

The next story took place back in 2003 with both the ceremony and reception at the groom’s family’s home on Pleasant Bay in Orleans. Everything about this wedding, from the ceremony under a driftwood arch, to the bouquet of wild flowers gathered by family members, to the dancing, the bride and groom made it their own very personal celebration!

To begin the festivities at the reception, guests were told to flip over their seating card where they found a picture of another guest. They then had to go find the person and introduce themselves, as this person would become important to them later in the evening. Pleasant chaos ensued as the guests laughingly found the person in their picture

Then reception started with the bride and groom toasting all their friends instead of vice versa.

After the buffet dinner was served, it was time for the first dance. The bride, having been a dance teacher, had made up a dance for her guests. The bride and groom gave a quick lesson, then told the guests that their partner would be the person they met earlier in the evening. Everyone of the 175 guests found their partner and danced the bride’s special dance in unison with the bride and groom leading the way.

The last story I have for you took place two years ago at the bride’s family’s home in Osterville. The bride and groom were some of the sweetest people I have ever met and they did not just want to thank their guests for coming but they also wanted to wish them good luck.

Could a line on the invitation or ceremony program could have taken care of this? Sure. But that would not have been very memorable.

The card with a lottery ticket and quote that we put under each salad plate. Click to Enlarge. (Photo by Bello Photography)

Instead, the couple had us put lottery scratch tickets under each salad plate with a great quote that said:

Where there is great love there are always miracles. -Will Cather

When we cleared the salad plates, you could hear the oooh and ahhs from the guests as they got a pleasant little surprise that said thank you and good luck!

These stories are just a few examples of the many couples who have taken the step from a great wedding to their perfect wedding. Make sure as you plan your wedding you make find a way to add your own personal touch to it — it’s that little extra that makes your day perfect!