Fresh finds, unique ideas, and hot trends in the world of weddings
Lift Your Spirits
Upgrade an ordinary champagne wedding toast with a sexy new fusion of wine and spirits in a curvaceous electric pink bottle. NUVO Sparkling Liqueur is made with premium vodka, sparkling wine, and a hint of fruit. The bubbly liqueur is refreshingly easy-to-drink and is best served in champagne flutes over ice. The chic pink color can instantly add flare to your décor and set a lavish vibe - but you may want to hide the lipstick-shaped bottle from the guys at the reception.
where to find
NUVO Sparkling Liqueur, sparklingnuvo.com, $25 for 750 ml bottle
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | In the Details | Nosh and Nog
Wedding Cakes Made of Jello
Cupcakes and doughnuts are trendy alternatives to traditional wedding cakes, but good ol’ Jell-O might be the most creative new option. When molded into cake form with a touch of class like this one with tropical fruit, champagne, and lychee nut from New York-based Elegant Affairs Catering, the family picnic favorite can be transformed into an elegant and refreshingly light treat perfect for a summer or outdoor wedding. Plus, it’s bound to be an instant conversation starter.
where to find
Elegant Affairs Catering, 212-475-6116, elegantaffairscaterers.com, from $550
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | Nosh and Nog
Blushing Bubbly
Pink, the perpetual hot color on the wedding décor palette, has resurfaced to satisfy our palate for the bubbly during the wedding toasts. Rosé, French for pink, is a growing trend in champagne and the perfect accompaniment to a romantic wedding reception. Usually very dry and versatile at the dinner table, the pink color comes from adding small amounts of red pinot noir or pinot meunier juice to the white base wine.
where to find
One to Try: Veuve Clicquot’s non-vintage Rosé (veuve-clicquot.com) offers a luscious aroma of fresh and dried fruits with a luminous coppery-pink color. $65
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | Nosh and Nog
The Pear Infusion
The pomegranate may have enjoyed recent reign as the cocktail flav du jour, but the pear may just take over thanks to the release of two pearl-flavored vodkas: Absolut Pears and Grey Goose La Poire. Paul Westerkamp, beverage director of Boston’s swanky 33 Restaurant & Lounge, thinks the pear will prove to be more than just the latest in a long line of flavored vodkas because of its place in our collective past. Pomegranates may be novel, but who hasn’t had a pear?
“Like the apple, the pear brings back comforting thoughts of Americana,” says Westerkamp, who added a seasonal cocktail using the new liquors to his menu in September. “People respond to flavors like that.”
Pear and Apple Tart
Show your guests that you’re a bona fide cocktail queen by serving up this signature pear drink from Westerkamp to start your wedding reception.You may want to conduct a few taste tests to see how the pear’s crisp mellow sweetness mixes with faves like martinis and mojitos. Ah, the hardship…
We just hope the Pomegranate doesn’t take it too hard.
- 2 parts Grey Goose La Poire or Absolut Pears
- 2 parts sweet and sour mix
- 1 part apple liqueur
- Splash of lime juice
Shake and strain into chilled martini glass. Dust rim with mixture of cinnamon, sugar, and allspice. Garnish with pear slice.
where to find
link | More: Nosh and Nog
Sip in Style
You’ve meticulously planned every detail from the shoes on your feet to the wedding songs you’ll dance to. Now you can check off refreshing your guests with the new limited edition Evian water bottle designed by fashion designer Christian Lacroix. Dressed in a chic lace pattern, the frosted bottles are pretty enough to display for guests seeking something cool after a turn on the dance floor. Even if you don’t feature them at the main event, the design is stylish enough to include in your fastidiously assembled wedding guest baskets.
where to find
Evian Natural Mineral Water, shopevian.com, $118.00 for a case of 12
link | More: In the Details | Nosh and Nog
Coming Up Lemons
When the time for wedding toasts rolls around, consider swapping basic champagne for shots of chilled limoncello. The liqueur made from fermented Sorrento lemons was invented on the coast of southern Italy more than 100 years ago and is traditionally served chilled as an after-dinner digestive. The sweet, lemony beverage has gained recent popularity in America due to celebrity endorsements from the likes of Danny DeVito, George Clooney and Avril Lavigne. Restaurants this side of the Atlantic have recently begun offering it on cocktail and dessert menus because of its refreshing lemon flavor that lacks the bitterness of actual lemon juice.
where to find
Pallini Limoncello, www.pallini.us
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | In the Details | Nosh and Nog
Sweet Centerpieces
Tables topped with wedding flowers may look and smell good, but these s’mores stations make for a fun way to get guests’ mouths involved too. The all-in-one kits from Cosi Restaurants allow you to enjoy the gooey pleasures of this campfire favorite, minus all the smoke, ash, and mosquitos. As the latest in edible centerpieces, they also add an interesting aesthetic to your tables and an interactive dessert station to enjoy after the dinner plates have cleared. Each kit contains a hibachi, wooden platter, bamboo marshmallow skewers, matches, and, of course, marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.
where to find
If you’re not near one of the 100-plus Cosi locations across the country, order online at getcosi.com, $40 each.
link | More: Aisle Style | Buzzworthy Ideas | Nosh and Nog
Confection-Free Cakes
Scattered plates with barely nibbled pieces of wedding cake are an all-too-familiar sight at receptions. If you want to serve a dessert your guests will actually eat, consider a wedding “cake” made of cheese. No, not the rich, loaded with sugar variety with graham cracker crust - literally a cake made of cheese stacked in tiers and decorated to look like a wedding cake. Adornments like foliage, grapes, berries, nuts, and flowers transform a creamy lancashire or unpasteurized cheddar into an elaborate wedding cake that can match your decor scheme.
The trend is taking off in the U.K. where cheese for dessert is prevalent. In its infancy on this side of the pond, this is a chance for you to be truly on the cusp. Guests with a savory soft spot and those last holdovers from the Atkins revolution will be only too happy to forego the buttercream frosting and rolled fondant.
where to find
Dean & DeLuca, a luzury grocer based in NYC, imports fine European cheese from The Fine Cheese Co. They will work closely with you to select and deliver the right contrast of suitable cheese for a cheese wedding cake. Visit finecheese.co.uk for inspiration, then call Dean & DeLuca, 800-999-0306 for a price quote.
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | Nosh and Nog
Blinged Out Baked Goods
When it comes to wedding day bling, bejeweled brides have some competition. Now your cake can don jewelry too! That’s right, the latest adornments to hit wedding cakes are hand-made Swarovski Crystal Cake Jewelry. Design a sparkilicious cake bedecked with crystal monograms, hearts, flowers or butterflies.
How it Works: Order a cake from your local bakery, then use the customizing tools available at VeryDifferentCakes.com to design dazzling cake jewelry for it. Choose from a variety of sizes, jewel colors and styles. All pieces come with a stem that is easy to stick into any cake. Orders take three weeks to design and ship, so give yourself enough lead-time. Your bakery (or a bridesmaid) can apply the cake jewelry for you.
where to find
Crystal Monogram Cake Toppers (starting at $148), Crystal Heart Toppers (starting at $95), Crystal Flowers (starting at $9), Butterflies, Dragonflies and Lady Bugs (starting at $2) can be found at VeryDifferentCakes.com or call 323-466-1480.
Looking for more? Get even more ideas for unusual wedding cakes here.
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | Nosh and Nog