September 2011 Archive

I can honestly say I’d never had a fresh pear until 2007. Granny would serve me canned pears in cottage cheese as a child (delicious), but it wasn’t until I watched a certain Meg Ryan movie on my senior beach trip after graduating from high school that I had a “real” one. (In the movie, I can’t remember which it was– maybe Touched by an Angel or something like that?, Meg’s character takes a bite out of a juicy pear and describes in detail the taste, texture… I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t have had the exact same response as I did: to immediately go to the nearest supermarket and purchase a fresh pear!)

Since that fateful day, I have enjoyed countless pears throughout my days. I prefer them barely ripe, crisp, firm, sharp to cut (and I always prefer them cut!). I’ve made grilled cheese & pear sandwiches, made pear crepes and galettes, and yes… even cut them up in some cottage cheese. (Although I’ll tell you… something about them canned makes the consistency perfect for that!) I like to go to Trader Joe’s in Green Hills and buy the huge bags of tiny pears and enjoy them as a snack. Oh, heavenly.

I must admit, however, pears get a lot of flack. I don’t know of many women who appreciate being referred to as “pear-shaped,” and pears tend to get overlooked as THE staple autumn fruit (dang you, apples!).

But recently, I’ve come to fall in love with something else pear-shaped (something that doesn’t offend me or my womanly figure in the slightest!):  a diamond. There’s just something “regal” (as coined by my boyfriend, Drew) about a pear-shaped sparkly stone. It’s classic but unexpected. Gorgeous but probably still under-appreciated.

I love it nevertheless. Hence my inspiration for today’s board:  The Perfect Pear!

From top left, clockwise:  frosted fruit, prickly pear cupcake, caramelized pear, pear champagne sorbet, frosted pears, spiced pear cupcake, dessert buffet, pear decor, pear tree invite, pear escort card, pear-shaped diamond with tapered baguettes, pear waldorf salad, pastry wrapped pear, pear mimosa, honeydew and pear sangria, pear-shaped diamond with pave band and halo.

Inspiringly yours,

~ Kelly

I don’t know if you’ve been outside lately, but fall is definitely on its way! From pumpkin spice lattes (yes, they’re here!) to sweet potato pie and all that yummy comfort food that happens as soon as the air chills and bonfires start popping up every Friday night, ’tis the season. Ashley’s Bride Guide’s got the expert seasonal food advice from Chef’s Market! See excerpt below!

Tablescaping and Design:

Wanting their guests to feel at home, couples have long been breaking free of the tendency to think that a fall wedding reception has to be formal or traditional. The trick is to make it comfortable and elegant at the same time. A stylish look for table tops and food presentation for the autumn 2011 season is what I call “rustic bohemian”. The look is clean and earthy, incorporating farm house tables, antique baskets, wooden cutting boards and using roughly torn brown butcher paper as under-liner for food. In the past, this style might have been accented with an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables on the tables for a farmers’ market look — no more. Cleaner lines are in. A look of abundance is a must, but it should come from the prepared food, not the props or randomly thrown fodder. Decor should have function (i.e. fresh herbs in rustic pots with silver scissors for guests to snip and add to their food).

Colors:

I love the warm, comfortable colors of fall — ivory, taupe, black, eggplant, marigold, browns, and copper. These hues are classics that have long been on autumn wedding inspiration boards and are still popular. The surprising color I am seeing this fall is red, a bright red, and it makes sense. What color is your eye drawn to when seeing a hillside of trees with turning leaves? Vibrant red. In the past, I have played it safe with a rusty red, but this year I’m taking a clue from Mother Nature and throwing in cherry red.

Food:

Because couples really want a comfortable environment that’s not stuffy or pretentious for their guests, comfort food continues to be on trend. But there are new trends in comfort food, such as grits, boneless beef ribs, savory cupcakes, and home-style desserts.

Grits: Shrimp and grits have been around receptions for a while…for so long now that it was just added to Shoney’s menu. In other words: Bye, bye shrimp and grits; it was fun while it lasted. However, we’re not ready to give up on grits just yet. A grits station where guests pick from a smorgasbord of grit features can make the whole concept a fresh idea again. Maybe Lobster and Brie Stone Ground Grits, Smoked Gouda Grits, or Wild Mushroom and Gruyère Grits, with an awesome display of toppings like apple wood bacon, caper berries, and fire roasted corn for guests to garnish however they’d like to the reception site.

To see the rest, click here!

~ Kelly

Ashley’s Bride Guide recently featured some sound advice from Crumb de la Crumb on “Easy Ways to Save On Your Nashville Cakes & Desserts!”

From ABG:

“The first thing is to be honest and upfront with your budget. If I know what your budget is, and I know we can’t meet it, I don’t want to waste your time. If a client doesn’t put a budget on our info form, we encourage them to do that so that we can know whether or not we can work with them up front.

If a client still wants to work with us but we can’t do exactly what they originally wanted, there are a couple of options we can offer:

~ We can make a simpler cake with fewer details and embellishments that will bring the cost down a bit.

~ Or, we can make a smaller cake that will feed up to 100 people.

~ If a couple is having more guests than that, they can get our smaller custom cake and then cupcakes or a kitchen cake (a basic sheet cake without design that is pre-cut in the kitchen). That will save about half on the remaining servings.”

If you’d like for us to set you up an appointment to meet with Crumb de la Crumb, email us at leigh@studiowed.net or come visit us!

This week’s featured photo is by Amber of Lotus Blossom Photography. So precious!

I love including children in wedding parties. Did you have a flowergirl? :)

~ Kelly