Healthy Food Trends for Your Wedding - Fabulous Fruit and Vegetable Displays

The New Year is a time when we find ourselves jumping on board with new diets and workout regimens and pledging to have a healthier outlook for the year ahead. Certainly any of us with a wedding this year are vowing to be fit for the big day! While you're on a health kick leading up to your wedding, why not let some of these healthy food trends continue into your wedding day! These easy wedding reception food ideas would also be appropriate for bridal showers or any pre-wedding gathering where food is being served.

You were always told to eat your fruit and veggies when you were growing up, well now days it's a little more tolerable and enjoyable to consume these nutritious treats. While wedding receptions are no strangers to fruit and vegetables, the same old displays are dated and boring. Why not spice up the menu for the evening with a beautiful presentation of fresh fruit and vegetables. Fresh produce is not only a tasty option for your wedding reception, it also doubles as beautiful decor. The bright colors and variety of shapes and sizes of these types of foods create an eye catching showcase that will have mouths watering. Think of innovative and unique ways to display your vegetables, like individual mini baskets of everyone's favorite veggies. These sweet packages look like they came straight from the garden. Display vegetables in clear glass containers to let their gorgeous colors show. Individual clear cups can be filled with dip and topped with carrot and celery sticks. Even kids will love these easy appetizers. Consider alternatives to the usual veggie offering by instead serving a tasty and stunning layered salad in a clear glass container or serve individual caprese salads (tomato, basil and mozzarella) in small dishes. These offerings would be perfect to set out for cocktail hour but will surely be enjoyed throughout the whole evening.

When it comes to fruit, consider serving a fruit pizza or individual fruit tarts. These sweet treats could be served as appetizers during cocktail hour or along with the wedding cake or other desserts later in the evening. For a country garden feel, separate fruit out and display in its own cup or can, place the fruit containers inside a wire milk jug carrier or rustic farm basket. For a fancier touch, consider cubed watermelon with feta cheese topping or other exotic combinations. Fruit smoothies or purees can be passed around in lieu of a fruit display, how perfect for a hot summer wedding!

Enjoy!

Image Credits: Main fruit and veggie display image, Mini veggie baskets, Layered salad and full veggie display, Veggie and dip cups, Caprese salad cups, Fruit tart, Fruit buckets, Individual fruit tarts, Watermelon cubes, Fruit smoothies

Creative Centerpiece Trends for 2012

As the focal point of each reception table as well as the overall look of the room, a bride wants to put a lot of thought into her wedding reception centerpieces.  Of course, one can never go wrong with fragrant floral arrangements, but a bride these days has no reason to limit herself to bouquets and topiaries made of flowers and greenery. There are many options for creating stunning displays that are often less expensive and more memorable than your standard arrangement of blooms. The lovely candle display shown here from Real Simple is only one alternative. Here are our favorite non-floral centerpiece ideas for 2012.

Edible Elements 

Image Credits: Strawberry Topiary from The Bride Suite, Veggie Bouquet from The Hostess Blog,
Doughnut Tier from Martha Stewart

Dessert buffets and other food stations were a favorite for 2011. This year, scale it down and bring the banquet to your guests' tables. From mini wedding cakes on each table to tiers of donuts and macaroons, your guests certainly won't mind having their lovely desserts right at their fingertips. You can also offer healthier options like bouquets of veggies or fruit with decorative dishes full of sweet and savory dips. The center of the table is the perfect place to display these colorful treats. The best part? The centerpieces double as part of the menu, which can save you quite a bit of money if you plan it right.

Balloon Brandishing 

Image Credits: White Dessert Table from Once Wed, Balloon Table Number from Martha Stewart,
Pastel Balloons from Martha Stewart, Balloon Room from Green Wedding Shoes

Yes, normally balloons are meant for birthday parties but the lovely, oversized helium variety can actually look quite elegant and romantic, floating like a physical manifestation of the weightless joy a bride feels on her wedding day. These large round balloons can create the same whimsical look as hanging lanterns without the worry over how to hang them as they literally suspend themselves. And as a famous little yellow bear is noted for saying, "Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon."


Paper Presentations 

Image Credits: Book Display from Once Wed, Pinwheels from Emmaline Wed,
Paper Spheres from Better Homes and Gardens

Paper is relatively inexpensive, can be recycled, and can also be upcycled from what you already own to create fabulous DIY centerpieces. Paper flowers and origami spheres make lovely arrangements that guests can keep forever, unlike real flowers. Whimsical pinwheels put a cheerful spin on any table display, while upcycled books and pages can show off your intellectual side in a playful and romantic way.

Still struggling to come up with the perfect centerpiece? Make a list of your hobbies and interests, either individually or as a couple, and find a way to showcase them on each table. You may be surprised how simple is it is to come up with something wonderful and unique when you are drawing ideas from your true passions and interests.

Fading Season - A Delicate Wedding Color Story

As the holiday season is coming to a close, we look forward to freshly fallen snow and the beauty that comes with it.  With muted hues and alluring winter scenes, it is truly a season full of breathtaking landscapes.  This season brings with it delicate colors that you may be able to use to dream up the wedding you have always wanted.  Soft pinks, steel blue, glacier blue and caramels bring your wedding to life with a feeling of gentle bliss.  From the use of flowers to the gorgeous cake and decorations, this inspiration board shows that simple is beautiful.  Use these peaceful hues in different aspects of your wedding to give your guests, and yourself, a stunning day to look back on for years to come. 

Image Credits: Bride and Father, Cake, First Kiss, Flowers, Flower Girl, Heat-Stamped Box, Bride and Bridesmaid Bouquets, Invitation, Flower Pot Place Card Holders, Bride's Bouquet, Shoes, Fabric Tied with Bow

Things We Love - Unique Wedding Save the Dates

As we move into engagement season, more and more brides will be searching for unique ways to announce their wedding date and engagement.  Save the dates are becoming the popular choice with couples to do double duty as both their announcements and reminders.

Couples are taking advantage of their engagement sessions with their photographer and creating unique set ups that showcase the date of their wedding through props.  This idea is a great way to get to know your photographer better and create a one-of-a-kind save the date for your guests to have as keepsakes.

To help you get started with some ideas, we've put together a few of our favorite unique and innovative save the date ideas to inspire you.

Image Credits: Hand Stamped, Tree, Banner, Handkerchief, Ribbon Stamp, Post Card, Chalkboard Dog, Swing, Rocky, Chalked Shoes, Baseball, Balloon, Apples, Photo Magnets, Umbrella, Message in a Bottle

Winter Daydreams: A Winter Wedding Color Story

Dreamy, peaceful, pretty and sophisticated. A winter's daydream comes to life in a color story of slate gray, soft peach, dusty aqua and rose brown. The holidays will soon be over and the winter months will continue. With a backdrop of white snow, a winter wedding is the perfect opportunity to showcase a color scheme with cool tones and pretty pastels. Reminiscent of the sunrise glistening of the morning snow and bare branches, shades of rose, peach and a minty aqua seem to hint at the approaching spring. The months of January through March would be a wonderful time to feature these wistful winter colors together. Anyone lucky enough to attend your winter wedding will be daydreaming about it long after it's over.

Image Credits: Main bouquet image, Girl holding watering can photo by All Things Beautiful by Loreta and color inspitation, Winter tree sunrise, Bouquet on chair by White Loft Studio, Winter bride from Kelly Hicks Design, Winter pine landscape, Badgley Miskan shoes, Winter terrain