I recently had the very great fortune to meet (and enjoy a thoroughly fabulous long lunch with) the internationally-adored photographer Andrew Clark. I was able to meet most of his team (whose incredible work is not even remotely undermined by the fact that they are all too cute for words), and learn more than I ever expected to about Andrew's photography career and the high-end event market. Andrew has shot weddings and events for some seriously big names, but his photographs will make you look like ten million bucks even if no one other than your neighbors know you.
Check out examples of his beautiful work at andrewclarkphotography.com, and also see his incredible detail photographs I got to use to update the Events Laureate website (!!!) gallery and homepage slideshow. Thanks, Andrew! I'm excited to work with Andrew on some upcoming events, so stay tuned for more incredible pictures!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Everything you ever wanted to know about cake but were afraid to ask
Cake is pretty much everyone's favorite part of a wedding (or frankly, of life), so it's important that you have a good one. Unfortunately, many bakeries know how important it is and charge you accordingly. One reader needs help navigating the wilds of deliciousness vs. priciness, so listen in!
Dear Party People,
Do you have any suggestions for a cake shop in Denver that is good quality, but affordable? We want to have a very simple cake, but still elegant and tasty!! We don't have a huge budget for it so any help would be great!
Sincerely hoping to melt in frosting,
Eagerly Excited Fiancée
Dear Eagerly Excited,
Don't worry, it's possible! The primary thing to keep in mind is that most of your guests won't remember what your cake looks like, and they'll also probably forget what it tasted like the morning after the wedding - it's only important that YOU love how it looks in your pictures, and that you think it's tasty enough to eat another piece on your first anniversary. Cakes can get expensive quickly, especially if you want lots of intricate decoration, but it sounds like you're already on the right track by wanting a simple but elegant design.
My biggest money-saving TIP: (it gets its own paragraph because it's such a big one): get just one or two tiers of the decorated cake that you want to display during the wedding and cut for pictures, and then serve your guests equally-as-delicious but undecorated and much less expensive sheet cake that the caterer will keep in the back. No one will ever know.
Now for the cake itself. Most bakeries price bridal cakes by the serving, and the more cake you get the more the per serving price goes down (although, of course, the total cost will go up). In the Denver area it's possible to find prices anywhere from $3.50 per serving to $9.50 or more per serving. Usually the less expensive servings will cover a tier that has a basic buttercream or chocolate frosting, one filling, and little or no design. Once the design starts getting complicated or includes fondant, the price goes up fast. A few delicious and reasonably-priced Denver recommendations:
Mermaids (mermaidsbakery.com): $3.50 for vanilla/chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and filling. Their website has a great, clear explanation of how the prices go up for fillings and decoration. Their half sheet cakes feed 35-40 people and are $69.
Cake Crumbs (cake-crumbs.com): $3.50 for cake with filling, frosting, and basic decoration. This is one of the few bakeries that includes fondant dots on the cakes for no extra charge (per Greg). Their half sheet cakes serve approximately 30 people and are $60.
Mulberries (mulberriescakeshop.com): $4.25 for cake with filling, frosting, and decoration including some piping. The extra-awesome news about this bakery is that their full sheet cake serves 100 and is $69.95!
One last thing to remember: some bakeries will include delivery and set-up within a certain mileage from their shop, but some charge for it. TIP: Don't forget to ask about this when calling bakeries, because a delivery fee will add to your overall total. Hopefully this helps give you a few ideas. Congratulations on your wedding and best of luck finding a delicious, elegant, and affordable cake. Now go out and do the fun part ... tastings!
Happy partying,
Party People
Dear Party People,
Do you have any suggestions for a cake shop in Denver that is good quality, but affordable? We want to have a very simple cake, but still elegant and tasty!! We don't have a huge budget for it so any help would be great!
Sincerely hoping to melt in frosting,
Eagerly Excited Fiancée
Dear Eagerly Excited,
Don't worry, it's possible! The primary thing to keep in mind is that most of your guests won't remember what your cake looks like, and they'll also probably forget what it tasted like the morning after the wedding - it's only important that YOU love how it looks in your pictures, and that you think it's tasty enough to eat another piece on your first anniversary. Cakes can get expensive quickly, especially if you want lots of intricate decoration, but it sounds like you're already on the right track by wanting a simple but elegant design.
My biggest money-saving TIP: (it gets its own paragraph because it's such a big one): get just one or two tiers of the decorated cake that you want to display during the wedding and cut for pictures, and then serve your guests equally-as-delicious but undecorated and much less expensive sheet cake that the caterer will keep in the back. No one will ever know.
Now for the cake itself. Most bakeries price bridal cakes by the serving, and the more cake you get the more the per serving price goes down (although, of course, the total cost will go up). In the Denver area it's possible to find prices anywhere from $3.50 per serving to $9.50 or more per serving. Usually the less expensive servings will cover a tier that has a basic buttercream or chocolate frosting, one filling, and little or no design. Once the design starts getting complicated or includes fondant, the price goes up fast. A few delicious and reasonably-priced Denver recommendations:
Mermaids (mermaidsbakery.com): $3.50 for vanilla/chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and filling. Their website has a great, clear explanation of how the prices go up for fillings and decoration. Their half sheet cakes feed 35-40 people and are $69.
Cake Crumbs (cake-crumbs.com): $3.50 for cake with filling, frosting, and basic decoration. This is one of the few bakeries that includes fondant dots on the cakes for no extra charge (per Greg). Their half sheet cakes serve approximately 30 people and are $60.
Mulberries (mulberriescakeshop.com): $4.25 for cake with filling, frosting, and decoration including some piping. The extra-awesome news about this bakery is that their full sheet cake serves 100 and is $69.95!
One last thing to remember: some bakeries will include delivery and set-up within a certain mileage from their shop, but some charge for it. TIP: Don't forget to ask about this when calling bakeries, because a delivery fee will add to your overall total. Hopefully this helps give you a few ideas. Congratulations on your wedding and best of luck finding a delicious, elegant, and affordable cake. Now go out and do the fun part ... tastings!
Happy partying,
Party People
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
We gave away a wedding!!!
If you are an avid reader of this blog (and even if you're not, this is only my 8th post so scroll down a little bit and catch up), you'll remember hearing about the incredibly cool Hitched in the Highlands event I was a part of: several Denver vendors donated wedding services and goods, and a fantastic bakery (Happy Cakes) organized a scavenger hunt for 10 couples competing to win the wedding ... which was worth over $20,000! Well, the race was on Sunday, and we not only had a fabulous time, but we have winners: the fabulous and well-deserving Tami and Greg!
The ladies at Happy Cakes did a great job of keeping the race course and challenges a secret until the very last second, so I still don't even know everything that went on during the race, but I DO know that these 20 intrepid challengers had to begin their Sunday morning at 9am by eating a jumbo (and I seriously mean L-A-R-G-E) Happy Cakes cupcake (http://www.happycakesdenver.com/menu.html) with no hands ... and then running 5 miles! I'm quite sure I couldn't ambulate myself 5 miles if I was wearing roller skates and holding onto the back of a truck.
Photos courtesy of www.davidlynnphoto.com
They also had to do field day-style challenges like wheelbarrow and piggy back races in a park covered in goose droppings (which I'm pretty sure was not actually part of the challenge), play Name that Tune, make and toss a bouquet, and do a blindfolded obstacle course while holding an avocado on a spoon among other challenges. These ladies and gents worked seriously hard for the money (or rather, the donated stuff). After almost three hours of racing, Tami and Greg completed all 9 challenges and made it back to race headquarters at Happy Cakes first ...
... and ran off with a $20,000 wedding!!
As the wedding coordinator, my job is both easier and harder for this wedding because most of the services have already been donated ... and, oh yeah, because the wedding is in less than 8 weeks. I met with Tami and Greg last night to go over their incredible prize and start planning, and Greg (you know it's true, sir) is a little freaked out about the timeline! I tried to reassure him that I've done weddings in less time than this and that we'll actually save a lot of time because they don't have to select many of their vendors, and hopefully he and Tami will feel like they're in good hands as we start meeting (soon!) with the generous companies and business owners who donated the pieces of the wedding (Anna Bé, Wordshop, Biscuits & Berries, and Mile High Station, we'll see you this week!).
So what else? A bit about Tami and Greg, of course! They met the way most professional people meet in the 21st century: at the circus. Greg is the strongman and Tami is the lion tamer, and they are excited to get married soon and start having kids to make a tumbling troupe. Okay ... that's not really true, but they DID submit a picture of themselves with their application dressed as the strong man and the lion tamer, so that's close enough, right? In real life Tami is in construction management and Greg does some smart guy computer thing that involves designing databases and which I can't hope to understand. They have a beloved weimaraner, Keiser, whom you will likely see featured in the wedding and whom Greg adoringly calls "the guy." As you might guess just from these few tidbits, these are people with serious personality. They are obviously very much in love without being sappy about it, and they are so sincerely grateful for this opportunity from Hitched in the Highlands. We had a great and productive meeting last night, although the poor kids were so exhausted and sore from the race the morning before that they were practically falling asleep at the table.
Stay tuned for updates here (and hopefully from local news stations, who covered the race: http://cbs4denver.com/entertainment/wedding.scavanger.hunt.2.1526948.html) as we race Tami and Greg to the altar! Congrats, you two!
The ladies at Happy Cakes did a great job of keeping the race course and challenges a secret until the very last second, so I still don't even know everything that went on during the race, but I DO know that these 20 intrepid challengers had to begin their Sunday morning at 9am by eating a jumbo (and I seriously mean L-A-R-G-E) Happy Cakes cupcake (http://www.happycakesdenver.com/menu.html) with no hands ... and then running 5 miles! I'm quite sure I couldn't ambulate myself 5 miles if I was wearing roller skates and holding onto the back of a truck.
Photos courtesy of www.davidlynnphoto.com
... and ran off with a $20,000 wedding!!
As the wedding coordinator, my job is both easier and harder for this wedding because most of the services have already been donated ... and, oh yeah, because the wedding is in less than 8 weeks. I met with Tami and Greg last night to go over their incredible prize and start planning, and Greg (you know it's true, sir) is a little freaked out about the timeline! I tried to reassure him that I've done weddings in less time than this and that we'll actually save a lot of time because they don't have to select many of their vendors, and hopefully he and Tami will feel like they're in good hands as we start meeting (soon!) with the generous companies and business owners who donated the pieces of the wedding (Anna Bé, Wordshop, Biscuits & Berries, and Mile High Station, we'll see you this week!).
So what else? A bit about Tami and Greg, of course! They met the way most professional people meet in the 21st century: at the circus. Greg is the strongman and Tami is the lion tamer, and they are excited to get married soon and start having kids to make a tumbling troupe. Okay ... that's not really true, but they DID submit a picture of themselves with their application dressed as the strong man and the lion tamer, so that's close enough, right? In real life Tami is in construction management and Greg does some smart guy computer thing that involves designing databases and which I can't hope to understand. They have a beloved weimaraner, Keiser, whom you will likely see featured in the wedding and whom Greg adoringly calls "the guy." As you might guess just from these few tidbits, these are people with serious personality. They are obviously very much in love without being sappy about it, and they are so sincerely grateful for this opportunity from Hitched in the Highlands. We had a great and productive meeting last night, although the poor kids were so exhausted and sore from the race the morning before that they were practically falling asleep at the table.
Stay tuned for updates here (and hopefully from local news stations, who covered the race: http://cbs4denver.com/entertainment/wedding.scavanger.hunt.2.1526948.html) as we race Tami and Greg to the altar! Congrats, you two!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
T-Shirt update
Because the first round of discussions is almost never enough, I talked to the t-shirt people again and they brought the price down! Now you can get Events Laureate t-shirts for only $18 AND you can buy them online and have them shipped directly to you. Check it out at eventslaureate.spreadshirt.com and get your shirts a-comin'. Hooray!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
T-Shirts are here!
I don't have a marketing or advertising background, but I like to think that I'm no fool when it comes to promoting businesses. I know that if you're going to a meeting you take a shower first. I know that if you're giving an interview you pronounce the name of the company right. And I know that EVERYONE loves cute t-shirts. So here are the Events Laureate t-shirts for your wearing pleasure!!
We have shirts for guys and gals, and baby shirts may be on the way soon. Shirts are in both green and brown with the logo on the front and the tagline on the back (see below for an example of each), and the women's shirts are a fabulous soft jersey-type material. Sizes S-XXL in both genders. The shirts are cute and cozy, and will entertain you for a mere $21. Email us at info@eventslaureate.com to order your own (and one for your mom and one for a friend and one as a housewarming gift and one for your sister's new baby ...). We love them and you will too!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Dinner time!
So, several weeks ago I was asked to audition (granted, after sending a bunch of information about myself to the casting director) for a new reality show on Fox about people with no formal cooking training who just happen to be really good cooks. My audition went really well, but I wasn't called back ... until I several days ago when I received a message from the casting director saying that they'd LOST MY APPLICATION and they really liked me but now it was too late and would I please consider auditioning next year and she was so sorry and oh wasn't this embarrassing etcetera. Wak wak. So although I won't be on the show, you guys get to reap the benefits of my (incredibly long) application process: applicants were asked to invent two dishes based on challenges, and I made and tested mine out on my family. Although I don't think this is the best or most interesting of the dishes I made, this is the one that everyone keeps asking for:
Bacon and Sage Macaroni & Cheese
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1/2 pound orecchiette or other bowl-like pasta
8 oz sharp cheddar, grated
8 oz buffalo mozzarella, grated
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp mustard powder
4 oz beer of your choice, preferably an amber
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon
8-10 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup panko or breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 425º. Fry bacon over high heat until crispy. Reserve bacon drippings, and fry sage leaves in the grease. Set bacon and sage aside on paper towels to drain. Break into bite-sized pieces when cool. Melt the butter over medium-low heat and stir in the flour to make a roux in a medium saucepan. When the roux is golden brown pour in 2 ounces of beer and begin putting in grated cheese mixture one handful at a time, stirring continuously. Continue adding beer, cheese, and spices until cheese mixture is blended and smooth (do not let it boil). Add bacon and fried sage. Meanwhile, cook pasta and drain when ready. Add 1/3 of pasta to a large casserole dish, cover with 1/3 of cheese sauce, and repeat until all the pasta and sauce are in the dish. Mix the pasta and sauce together with two large spoons, and sprinkle panko crumbs on top. Note: You can also make and serve this in several individual ramekins or smaller dishes, but don't bother with the layering in that case. Bake the casserole dish for about 25 minutes, or until cheese and crumbs are browned and bubbling. Decorate with fresh sage leaves and serve hot. Makes approximately 4 entrée servings.
The good news about this dish is that it's incredibly forgiving to substitution and error. Don't like spicy food? Leave out the cayenne! Prefer a sharper taste? Add a few drops of Worchestire sauce! Short on cash? Leave out the expensive buffalo mozzarella! It's pretty hard to mess this up, with a few exceptions: do NOT let the cheese get plasticky (this is why you start with a roux and add the cheese in small batches and cook over medium-low heat), and do not overcook it and let it burn in the oven (I warn from personal experience). Otherwise, mix and match it up and make it your own ... and let me know if you find a particularly delicious alteration! Enjoy!
Bacon and Sage Macaroni & Cheese
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1/2 pound orecchiette or other bowl-like pasta
8 oz sharp cheddar, grated
8 oz buffalo mozzarella, grated
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp mustard powder
4 oz beer of your choice, preferably an amber
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon
8-10 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup panko or breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 425º. Fry bacon over high heat until crispy. Reserve bacon drippings, and fry sage leaves in the grease. Set bacon and sage aside on paper towels to drain. Break into bite-sized pieces when cool. Melt the butter over medium-low heat and stir in the flour to make a roux in a medium saucepan. When the roux is golden brown pour in 2 ounces of beer and begin putting in grated cheese mixture one handful at a time, stirring continuously. Continue adding beer, cheese, and spices until cheese mixture is blended and smooth (do not let it boil). Add bacon and fried sage. Meanwhile, cook pasta and drain when ready. Add 1/3 of pasta to a large casserole dish, cover with 1/3 of cheese sauce, and repeat until all the pasta and sauce are in the dish. Mix the pasta and sauce together with two large spoons, and sprinkle panko crumbs on top. Note: You can also make and serve this in several individual ramekins or smaller dishes, but don't bother with the layering in that case. Bake the casserole dish for about 25 minutes, or until cheese and crumbs are browned and bubbling. Decorate with fresh sage leaves and serve hot. Makes approximately 4 entrée servings.
The good news about this dish is that it's incredibly forgiving to substitution and error. Don't like spicy food? Leave out the cayenne! Prefer a sharper taste? Add a few drops of Worchestire sauce! Short on cash? Leave out the expensive buffalo mozzarella! It's pretty hard to mess this up, with a few exceptions: do NOT let the cheese get plasticky (this is why you start with a roux and add the cheese in small batches and cook over medium-low heat), and do not overcook it and let it burn in the oven (I warn from personal experience). Otherwise, mix and match it up and make it your own ... and let me know if you find a particularly delicious alteration! Enjoy!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Party People to the rescue!
It seems that people out there were listening, and have started sending some event questions to us for expert help! Hooray!
Dear Party People!
I'm going to be hosting a house-warming party in a few months, and I would love for it to be fabulous but inexpensive. I'm quite a good cook (if I do say so myself), and would love to cater it, myself. Also, I'm not much for decorations... and shouldn't the apartment speak for itself? It IS a housewarming, after all! How do you suggest I proceed?
=Thanks for the help!
Sincerely,
Welcome to my Home
Dear Welcome to my Home,
Congratulations on moving in to a new apartment! People love any excuse to attend a party, so a housewarming is a great way to show off your new digs and visit with friends whom you may not get a chance to see very often. It's best to host an open house (no pun intended) for this kind of event, so people can come and go as they please and your apartment is less likely to be filled to the brim with guests for the whole time.
In terms of decorating, you're absolutely right - your home should speak for itself since that's what people are there to see! If you want to have a theme (luau, toga, whatever) by all means go ahead, but don't feel like you have to do anything extra to dress your home up. Decorate your apartment as you want to live in it, and let people get a feel for your personal style and taste. If you have the budget, it's nice to place a few bouquets of fresh flowers around the party area (and especially the bathroom) to make it extra-homey. TIP: buying flowers wholesale and creating arrangements yourself will save a bundle.
Fabulousness comes from the warmth of the host, and making sure that your guests don't go hungry or thirsty, so catering is extremely important. Doing it yourself will save you the most money but cost you the most time. If you're short on time, a good and relatively inexpensive option is to order catering trays from your local grocery store or deli. If you're up for doing the work yourself, we recommend creating lots of finger foods so you don't have to provide utensils (which will end up all over your new floor). Some classic options are a crudité platter (veggies and dip), a cheese plate with fruit and crackers, deviled eggs, and shrimp cocktail. Some slightly more unusual choices are marinated chicken or beef skewers, soup shots in dixie cups (or shot glasses if you have enough), stuffed mushrooms, and caramelized bacon bites. You can dress this kind of food up (foie gras bites) or down (bowls of chips) to fit with your hosting style. TIP: Websites like epicurious.com, marthastewart.com, and foodnetwork.com have great search functions to find recipes that will let you show off your cooking skills. We like to try to provide at least one meat, chicken, and veggie option to cover most dietary restrictions. TIP: Calculate 5 appetizers per person per hour. So if you are hosting an open house from 5-9pm and inviting 20 people, 20 people x 4 party hours x 5 appetizers = 400 pieces. Also, be sure to save some trays of food for guests who may come at the later end of the party.
And don't forget the drinks! Have a few bottles of non-alcoholic sodas or juices on hand for pregnant ladies and teetotalers, but otherwise plan to serve wine and beer. If you want to serve something harder, we recommend making a special cocktail for the event (the Homewrecker?) and offering just that one option to save on expensive alcohol costs. TIP: Assume that your guests will drink two drinks per hour for the first two hours they are at the party, and one drink per hour thereafter. And don't forget the cocktail napkins!
A last word on gifts: Housewarming parties came about because new homeowners didn't have have many of the items they might need or want for their new pad, so it was common for guests to bring mixing bowl sets, candleholders, and other items you now more commonly see as wedding gifts. If you are hosting the party with the intention of receiving these items we certainly hope you get them, but you are much more likely to receive candles and bottles of wine. If you already have everything you need, just add a line at the bottom of your invitation (Evite or email is perfectly acceptable for this kind of event) that says: "No gifts, please."
We wish you happiness and prosperity in your new home!
Happy partying,
Party People
Dear Party People!
I'm going to be hosting a house-warming party in a few months, and I would love for it to be fabulous but inexpensive. I'm quite a good cook (if I do say so myself), and would love to cater it, myself. Also, I'm not much for decorations... and shouldn't the apartment speak for itself? It IS a housewarming, after all! How do you suggest I proceed?
=Thanks for the help!
Sincerely,
Welcome to my Home
Dear Welcome to my Home,
Congratulations on moving in to a new apartment! People love any excuse to attend a party, so a housewarming is a great way to show off your new digs and visit with friends whom you may not get a chance to see very often. It's best to host an open house (no pun intended) for this kind of event, so people can come and go as they please and your apartment is less likely to be filled to the brim with guests for the whole time.
In terms of decorating, you're absolutely right - your home should speak for itself since that's what people are there to see! If you want to have a theme (luau, toga, whatever) by all means go ahead, but don't feel like you have to do anything extra to dress your home up. Decorate your apartment as you want to live in it, and let people get a feel for your personal style and taste. If you have the budget, it's nice to place a few bouquets of fresh flowers around the party area (and especially the bathroom) to make it extra-homey. TIP: buying flowers wholesale and creating arrangements yourself will save a bundle.
Fabulousness comes from the warmth of the host, and making sure that your guests don't go hungry or thirsty, so catering is extremely important. Doing it yourself will save you the most money but cost you the most time. If you're short on time, a good and relatively inexpensive option is to order catering trays from your local grocery store or deli. If you're up for doing the work yourself, we recommend creating lots of finger foods so you don't have to provide utensils (which will end up all over your new floor). Some classic options are a crudité platter (veggies and dip), a cheese plate with fruit and crackers, deviled eggs, and shrimp cocktail. Some slightly more unusual choices are marinated chicken or beef skewers, soup shots in dixie cups (or shot glasses if you have enough), stuffed mushrooms, and caramelized bacon bites. You can dress this kind of food up (foie gras bites) or down (bowls of chips) to fit with your hosting style. TIP: Websites like epicurious.com, marthastewart.com, and foodnetwork.com have great search functions to find recipes that will let you show off your cooking skills. We like to try to provide at least one meat, chicken, and veggie option to cover most dietary restrictions. TIP: Calculate 5 appetizers per person per hour. So if you are hosting an open house from 5-9pm and inviting 20 people, 20 people x 4 party hours x 5 appetizers = 400 pieces. Also, be sure to save some trays of food for guests who may come at the later end of the party.
And don't forget the drinks! Have a few bottles of non-alcoholic sodas or juices on hand for pregnant ladies and teetotalers, but otherwise plan to serve wine and beer. If you want to serve something harder, we recommend making a special cocktail for the event (the Homewrecker?) and offering just that one option to save on expensive alcohol costs. TIP: Assume that your guests will drink two drinks per hour for the first two hours they are at the party, and one drink per hour thereafter. And don't forget the cocktail napkins!
A last word on gifts: Housewarming parties came about because new homeowners didn't have have many of the items they might need or want for their new pad, so it was common for guests to bring mixing bowl sets, candleholders, and other items you now more commonly see as wedding gifts. If you are hosting the party with the intention of receiving these items we certainly hope you get them, but you are much more likely to receive candles and bottles of wine. If you already have everything you need, just add a line at the bottom of your invitation (Evite or email is perfectly acceptable for this kind of event) that says: "No gifts, please."
We wish you happiness and prosperity in your new home!
Happy partying,
Party People
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
