RECEPTION Say Cheese

Amanda Hinton - Fri 16 May 2008

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Cheesey but true, wedding cakes made from Stilton, Pecorino and Yarg are getting first tier attraction. Serving cake made from cheese, adds a cheese course to the wedding breakfast while the happy couple still get to 'cut the cake'.

Tiered cakes made entirely from cheese are the latest fashionable wedding food says Nick Lindley who runs the award-winning Deli Select (0161 427 9255) at Marple in Cheshire. “People are now increasingly looking for something different from conventional fruit cake that is usually just handed out in little portions to guests, taken home and probably thrown away a few weeks later,” he said.

Tiers of Cheese

The cake pictured here, with model “bride”, former Miss Manchester Louise Cliffe, is made with a base of Brie Meaux topped by a Cornish yarg, a Colston-Bassett Stilton, an Italian Pecorino Rossa, a local White Nancy goat’s cheese and soft Langres cow’s cheese from France.

“But the combinations are almost endless – people can make up a cake with whatever cheese they like.- and we can decorate it with flowers and fruit such as figs and grapes that are the perfect accompaniment for cheese”.

Something Blue

In Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, Stilton producers, Long Clawson say that it has to be Stilton. Available in multi-tiers of blue Stilton and white Stilton blended with blueberry or apricots, the Stilton cake is expected to be a massive hit with this year’s wedding season.

Complete with cake boards, pillars and dowels, prices vary upon size and individual requirements. Starting at £19.99 for approximately 17 people and going up to £99.99 for 100 people.

The Stilton cheese wedding cake is available through select Tesco outlets and direct via Long Clawson Dairy’s Occasion Cake Hotline 01664 821746.

And finally...

Cheese-inspired cake maker Liz Straw at Crumbs! (01295 771145) has joined forces with Neals Yard Dairy to offer delicious cheesey stacks made with the very best cheeses for farms all over the British Isles.

Connoisseur's Choice is made with Kelsey Lane, Ticklemore, Berkswell, Gorwydd Caerphilly with enough to serve 100 portions and costs £265.

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RECEPTION Ice Cool

Amanda Hinton - Fri 09 May 2008

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Everybody loves icecream! Perfect for a summer wedding, why not hire an icecream bar for the reception? It'll be a real talking point amongst your guests and it will keep the children well-entertained - just watch out for sticky fingers!

The Incredible Icecream Company is the travelling circus of the 'gelato' world. It takes 45 minutes to assemble the brightly coloured bar, complete with freezer department, sprinkles dispensers and sauce pumps. An attendant remains on site to assist, but guests are left to help themselves to their favourite flavour, pulling down a lever to fill a crunchy cornet. Next the sprinkles and the sauces...et voila! Your bespoke icecream cornet.

As wedding day hosts, all you need to do is make sure there is a 13amp power source. The costs? In and around the M25 you can expect to pay from £700 for the hire of the bar, inlcuding delivery and collection, and around £2 per icecream. Yum, yum!

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RECEPTION Beautiful Bouquet

Amanda Hinton - Fri 02 May 2008

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Flowers can be the most important decoration on your wedding day – and so getting them right is crucial. Winner of last year's Teleflorist UK Florist of the Year competition, Helen Jamieson shares some top tips for choosing a bouquet.

• When choosing a florist, ask to see examples not just photos. Look at the level of attention to detail. What is the finish like? Look at the underneath of a bouquet - can you see any glue? Is the bouquet comfortable to carry? The level of care doesn’t cost more but can make all the difference.

• Let your florist know your budget from the start, that way they can select the flowers to fit into it.

• As well as giving your florist your colour theme, give them an idea of your personality and preferably a photograph of the dresses. That way the florist can create flowers that are truly unique to you.

• Always request a ‘trial run’ of your flowers a few weeks before the wedding so you know exactly what you are getting - it’s simple but it is one less thing to worry about. Florists should always offer this service.

• On the day of the wedding, keep the flowers somewhere cool until they are needed to keep them fresh and wilt-free.

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RECEPTION Night In...

Amanda Hinton - Fri 25 Apr 2008

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P.S. I Love You available to rent or buy (£19.99) 12 May
This bitter-sweet chick flick is perfect for a girl’s night in before your wedding day. With the dashing Gerard Butler starring alongside Hilary Swank, you can hardly go wrong. A young woman, Holly, (Hilary Swank) is left the devastated widow after a short but passionate marriage. She feels life can’t go on without her animated husband. However, on her 30th birthday things take a drastic turn when she receives a birthday cake from her deceased husband. It turns out that he has left her ten messages to help her deal with the massive life change. Each letter is delivered a different way. They all end with the heartbreakingly sweet, ‘P.S I Love You’. By letter 10, Holly manages to get her life back on track, discover new things and possibly new love too. The film takes on a series of romantic flashbacks from her old life as well as hilarious scenes with her best friends, including incredibly funny, Lisa Kudrow. This film will have you in fits of laughter and tears all at the same time, delivering the perfect romantic comedy.

©2007 Cupid Distribution, LLC. All Rights Reserved

NEXT FRIDAY... more ideas for the lead up to the big day

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RECEPTION D.I.Y. Bride

Amanda Hinton - Fri 18 Apr 2008

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MAKE YOUR OWN...
We love ideas for making table and decor accessories, adding that personal touch to your wedding day!

How excited all the girls were in the Forum when Angel444 finished making her favour boxes (posted under Favours Finished if you want to see more. Lovely job! →

Even if you are not 'crafty' yourself, you probably have a friend or relation who is! This week we take a sneak peek at a new book and DVD series with a clip for you to click on from Show Me How... Wedding Flowers.

Packed with illustrations and step-by-step instructions, the book comes with a DVD to watch at the same time. There are lots of money-saving ideas and professional hints and tips on projects ranging from buttonholes and chairbacks to binding and decorating the stems of a bouquet. As well as Wedding Flowers, other Show Me How... in the series include Wedding Stationery and Wedding Decorations.

Get a preview by clicking on this link Show Me How - Wedding Flowers and find out how to make your own napkin rings!

Available from bookstores or online at www.showmehow.im, the DVD Book is £14.99.

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RECEPTION Golden Ticket

Amanda Hinton - Tue 08 Apr 2008

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We loved all the suggestions the WeddingPath girls came up with...

Jamesanddiane found more than one company for personalised chocolate bars, including Keepsake Kreations, and Raspberry Swirls where you can download candy wrappers to print yourself - what a scoop!

But it was Barbara at Every Detail who had the inside story on Ben and Elaine's Wonka bars. Lisa4Lee was right - they were in fact Galaxy bars. A clever friend had re-designed and printed the wrappers along with a golden ticket that was slipped inside one of them. Barbara says 'it was a mix of home-made and a bit of professional help'.

For more chocolate ideas
click Sweet Treats and Chocolate Treats

NEXT TUESDAY - more d.i.y. wedding ideas!

©Elmcroft Studios

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RECEPTION Slumber Party

Amanda Hinton - Fri 04 Apr 2008

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Wedding Daze available to rent or buy (£17.99) 4 February 2008
After Anderson (Jason Biggs) proposes, the love of his life, in true tragic-comedy style, drops dead. Anderson, left in shock, becomes obsessed with his girlfriend’s perfection and vows that he will never fall in love again. However, after his friend urges him to move on, he proposes to their waitress (Isla Fisher) - and to his surprise she accepts. As they begin to get to know each other in this heart-warming comedy, there are embarrassing difficulties to get over. Parents, police and other scenarios stand in their way, but despite the unlikely circumstances, they find themselves truly warming to each other. In fact they start thinking, they might just have found exactly what they were looking for. This adorably sweet romantic comedy is perfect for a night in on the sofa and will give you some giggles and some tears, so get the tissues at the ready!

NEXT FRIDAY... new DVD release reviewed

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RECEPTION Bubbly Ideas

Amanda Hinton - Tue 01 Apr 2008

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Give your wedding reception a garden-party theme with summery cocktails.

Elderflower & Champagne Cocktail
For the ultimate summer wedding celebration, add 15ml of elderflower cordial to a champagne flute and top with bubbly. The Elderflower & Champagne cocktail is a refreshing, clean and fragrant drink – perfect for a garden or summer evening reception.

White Flower Martini
For a luxurious and supremely romantic cocktail try the White Flower Martini. It’s not only a beautiful drink which will be sure to impress your guests, its layered fruit and flower flavours will also be a hit with even the most discerning palates.

Recipe & Method: Pour 15ml of Belvoir elderflower cordial, 35ml vodka (suggest raspberry flavour), 15ml Limoncello and 50ml lychee juice into a cocktail shaker, add a handful of ice, shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a floating rose petal.

Elderflower Fizz
Don’t let the non-drinkers amongst your party feel left out of the celebrations. Spoil them with an Elderflower Fizz. Containing elderflower cordial, lime juice, pink grapefruit juice and cloudy lemonade, its light, tangy and fragrant bouquet is an ideal non-alcoholic alternative with ‘wow-factor’.

Recipe & Method: Pour 20ml of Belvoir elderflower cordial, 50ml pink grapefruit juice and 50ml cloudy lemonade over ice in a hiball glass. Stir and serve with 3 freshly squeezed lime wedges. For a unique touch add flower heads, such as pansies to decorate.

For Belvoir cordials and more ideas on summery drinks for your reception, go to Belvoir Fruit Farms.

NEXT TUESDAY... more ideas for your reception

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RECEPTION Sweet Treats

Amanda Hinton - Fri 28 Mar 2008

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CHOCOLATE BARS
A chocolate-themed wedding is the perfect excuse for some delicious chocolates on the reception tables! Fine organic chocolate by Green & Black comes in miniature bars, just right for weddings. Select three flavours from either the sophisticated dark or moreish milk ranges then choose ribbon to match your theme. Green & Blacks wrap your three little bars with your chosen ribbon and deliver direct to your door. Each stack of three bars is £1.50.

For more chocolate favour ideas, click here!

For other favours, click here...

For favours with a difference, click here.

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RECEPTION Picture Perfect

Amanda Hinton - Tue 25 Mar 2008

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Wedding photographs help preserve some of your most precious memories - for you and for future generations. Experienced wedding photographer, Annabel Williams has some practical tips to help you choose the right photographer.

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•The most important thing is that you relate to your photographer. Spend all day with them to make sure you like them and they like you.

•Look at their portfolios of pictures and look at the expressions on the brides' faces - do they look happy or miserable?

•Ask to see a complete wedding album, not just excerpts - it will give you a much fuller picture of how the photographer shoots.

•Don't assume because someone is an advertising/fashion/landscape photographer that they can shoot weddings. Shooting people is a very different kind of photography.

•If the photographer doesn't already offer a pre-wedding shoot, ask for one. Have some pictures taken of you and your fiance in casual clothes - this will instantly tell you whether the photographer is the right person for you.

•Check out the location with the photographer and suggest where you would like to have pictures taken, and ask them for their ideas, so you can work it all out between you. Time spent doing this now is worth its weight in gold to make sure you are both on the same wavelength.

•You might think it’s cheaper to book someone who just gives you the discs of images afterwards, but make sure that you don't end up without an album.

•Remember - you get what you pay for. It is impossible to photograph a wedding and produce excellent results cheaply.

NEXT TUESDAY...more essential advice

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