What a fantastic turnout! We had over 200 brides attend our 5th Annual Autumn Bridal Open House this past Sunday, October 23rd, 2011. Each guest was welcomed by our friendly staff, served an array of delectable foods by Cuisine&Company and greeted by each of our reputable vendors. Many brides left with arms full; loaded down with fantastic door prizes! We would like to thank all our vendors for putting together a beautiful show with lots of options for our future brides. There’s nothing better than having the opportunity to meet each professional face-to-face and ask questions about their services.
Check out our photo gallery below from the Bridal Open House.
*Flowers & table setting provided by Black Iris Floral Events. Catering provided by Cuisine & Company. Photography provided by Tom Sanderson Photography.
If you’ve attended a wedding recently where there was not one but two cakes, you may have enjoyed what appears to be a charming tradition: the groom’s cake. The fact is, the grooms cake isn’t new at all. With origins dating back to the 17th century, the grooms cake is a very old tradition now making a comeback.
The history of the grooms cake is as varied as it’s flavors and shapes. Some sources say it originally was a rich dark fruitcake without icing; some say it was iced to match the bride’s cake which was iced with spun sugar. Still others take the lore a step further and say the grooms cake was placed on the top of the brides cake, then placed in a tin and drenched in brandy to preserve it for the couple’s first anniversary.
In recent years, the grooms cake has enjoyed renewed popularity in the South. Legend has it that if the single female guests take a slice of the grooms cake and place it beneath their pillow at bedtime, they will dream of their future husband.
Today, remnants of these various traditions remain or have evolved into other wedding customs. For instance, the couple now reserves the top layer of the wedding cake for their first anniversary. Although the Southern grooms cake was a dark fruit cake, it now comes in any flavor, shape or color. Many are designed to reflect the groom’s hobbies or interests. These can be original and engaging–perhaps resembling a pair of the groom’s favorite cowboy boots, antique car, or traditional cakes that sport hunting scenes or his favorite hole on the golf course.
Some couples prefer to have the grooms cake at the rehearsal dinner, a fitting time since the groom’s family hosts this occasion. Whatever time or theme you choose for the grooms cake it is a charming tradition that adds a distinctive, personal touch to your wedding festivities while honoring the man you just married.
This “Ask The Experts” was answered by Incredible Edibles Desserts.
Unlike most venues in the area who promote seasonal pricing, The Yacht Club at Marina Shores offers “day of the week” pricing. This gives you the opportunity to get a great discount on Monday thru Friday events as well as a discounted Sunday event, every week of the year! Sunday thru Friday weddings and events are definitely gaining more popularity as a way to stretch the budget.
With our 5 hour, all-inclusive wedding packages, professional and trustworthy vendors, and three beautiful waterfront rooms with covered decks, The Yacht Club at Marina Shores is surely the best kept secret in town! Not to mention less stressful for planning. Be sure to reserve your date before the secret gets out! 757-496-7006.
There’s a hot new color on the wedding palette. Eco-conscious couples are adding a big splash of green to their wedding plans. It’s a great way to begin a sustainable lifestyle together and encourage friends and loved ones to do the same.
Here are some tips for planning your eco-friendly wedding:
Invitations
Invite your guests on unique papers made from kenaf, rice or recycled papers. Another option is to send invitations out via email (save paper invitations for those who do not have Internet access) and set up a website where your guests can find all of the pertinent information. Select a website host who is eco-friendly. Thinkhost.com is a hosting service powered solely by renewable energy.
Rings
Shop for eco-friendly, fair trade gold and platinum. 18 carat gold and platinum from reprocessed sources is also an option. If purchasing diamonds, make sure they are conflict free diamonds. Diamonds grown in a laboratory are a stunning alternative. Check out unique rings made from wood or coconut.
Wedding Attire
The growing eco-friendly industry has widened the choice for wedding attire. Regardless of your taste – fancy or simple – hemp and organic cotton dresses are available. Select a dress or suit you can wear again or have dyed after the wedding. The same ideas apply to bridesmaid dresses. Opt for a family tradition, wear your mother or grandmother’s wedding dress or shop vintage stores for just the right fit. After your wedding, donate your dress to the idofoundation.org.
Blooms and Candles
The flowers and plants that adorn your wedding venue should be organic, and preferably locally grown. Use potted plants when possible, especially for reception centerpieces, and allow guests to take them home as a reminder of the important role we all play in preserving our natural resources. Plants and flowers can also be donated to nursing homes or Hospice facilities after your ceremony. Philodendrons are a top choice because studies have shown they remove formaldehyde from the air. Black Iris Floral Events has planned a number of green weddings.
Candles add a romantic air to your wedding, but select environmentally friendly unscented or candles made with 100% nontoxic essential oils for your wedding day.
Reception
Arrive in style at your reception in a hybrid car or limo. Select our eco-friendly caterer Cuisine & Company, a Certified Green Company.
Your wedding day is the day you never forget. Getting ready for it is another memory you will not soon forget as well. While there are those stressful times during the planning of this special ceremony, the fun and excitement you feel will prevail. The most fun and exciting parts of the preparations you might enjoy is making your own wedding cake.
Start your plans ahead of time so you do not have to be stressed at the last minute. Check recipes to make sure you have all the ingredients you will need. Make sure you know the flavor you want for the cakes while also thinking about the best tasting icing as well. These are two of the most important decisions about this project you have to make.
Many people have recipes for their favorite icing. However, you can visit a bakery shop to get some great selections ready to use. While at the bakery, make sure you get the square pans you may need for creating the unique masterpiece. The baker can help you in choosing the right ingredients and let you know if you are missing an important part.
One way to help you remain organized throughout the planning of your ceremony is by making check lists. This is especially true for the ingredients and items needed for making cakes. You should look through online websites for the exact type of cake you would like to have. This will help you to know the pans to get, whether square or round, the colors you will need, and the other vital ingredients. Call Chocollage Bakery Norfolk, VA 23510. 757-553-5335.
With a major hurricane scheduled to roll in on Rebecca and Joe’s wedding day, the team at Marina Shores scrambled to move the entire wedding back a day. Although this meant some of their guests wouldn’t be able to attend, they had a really strong turn out, and all the vendors put out a stellar effort despite the adversity that Mother Nature dropped on everyone. The day started off by capturing Rebecca 
and the ladies getting their ‘final touches’ applied in the bridal changing room at Marina Shores, followed by a beautiful ceremony upstairs overlooking the marina.
Moving the wedding back a day gave us some really amazing weather, and I was able to take the couple to a nearby beach for some portraits after the ceremony, while the guests enjoyed happy hour on the new deck behind the Shoreline Room. Ivan from Arch entertainment handled the introductions and music, and had everyone quickly forgetting about the impending weather, and dancing the entire evening. Cuisine & Co. produced a fantastic meal that the wedding guests will be raving about for quite some time; and to think they had to move their entire food production schedule back a day. For a catering company, that’s a logistical nightmare, but they pulled it off with ease!
-Tom Sanderson Photography
Three Amigos Cocktail
Think of this as Mexico in a glass: the vivid flavor of fresh lime juice plus beer and salt. For a traditional finish, add a dash of hot sauce.
Ingredients:
Ice cubes
2 bottles Mexican beer
1 1/3 cups Limeade
Directions:
Fill a large pitcher with ice cubes. Stir in beer and limeade. Pour into salt-rimmed glasses.
The Blizzard Cocktail
This tasty cocktail recipe is courtesy of Charles Corpion from the Four Seasons
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces Irish whiskey or rum
1/2 ounce hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico
1/2 ounce Irish cream liqueur, such as Bailey’s
Hot coffee
Dollop of Grand Marnier Whipped Cream
Directions:
In a glass coffee mug, stir together whiskey, hazelnut liqueur, and Irish cream; top with coffee. Garnish cocktail with whipped cream and serve immediately
Pineapple Gin “Kir”
Ingredients:
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup gin
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons creme de cassis
2 pineapple wedges (for garnish
Directions:
In a pitcher, mix together pineapple juice, gin, and lemon juice. Divide between 2 tall (Collins) glasses. Pour 1 teaspoon creme de cassis in the center of each glass; do not stir. Carefully fill glasses with ice cubes, and garnish each with a pineapple wedge.
You can prepare these cocktails without the pineapple garnish, if desired.
Fall is Just Around The Corner…
Cranberry Spiced Sparkler
Ingredients:
8 fresh cranberries
1 tsp. Pumpkin spice Agave nectar ***
Splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 oz. Champagne or sparkling wine
Directions:
In the bottom of a mixing glass, muddle the cranberries, agave nectar, and lemon juice. Then add ice and the champagne or sparkling wine and gently fold. Strain out into a champagne flute. Top off with an extra splash of wine. Garnish with 3 floating cranberries.
