Welcome Fall Wedding Season!

There is something so rejuvenating about the aroma of roasted butternut squash, sage, browning butter, and apple cider in September. And what better back drop than a historic red barn and field stone Mill on the Delaware River?

This couple's ceremony in front of the Saw Mill on the property was followed by a cocktail hour that featured a St. Germaine Cocktail and NJ Artisan Cheese Table. Butlered fare included Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlets, Bite Size Crab Cakes, Focaccia Pizza Bites, and Ahi Tuna on Wonton Crisps with Avocado Cream.

Dinner on the main level of The Mill included a festive pairing of seasonal features and crowd pleasing comfort food. Chef's carved a Whole Roasted Pig served with a Coffee BBQ Sauce, while guests made their own Soft Shell Fish Tacos. Dinner was rounded off by items including French Fries in Parchment Cones with Chipotle Aioli, Jersey Corn Fritters with an Apple Compote, Butternut Squash Ravioli, and Grilled Vegetables with a Basil Pesto Drizzle. From a menu planners perspective, I have to say that September is one of the most plentiful times in NJ. On the cusp of the seasons, we are able to still highlight summer bounty, while also incorporating the early autumn harvest ingredients.

Dessert, instead of traditional wedding cake, was a sweets station with Espresso Cookies, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bites, and Coconut Macaroons. And though a gelato station may not be a typical Fall offering, it was a total winner with the Bent Spoon flavors featured: Blood Orange, Dark Chocolate, Apple, and Sea Salt Vanilla Caramel. Guests paired the refreshing treat with Java Bar beverages.

Happy Fall!

An End of Summer Tented Wedding

This wedding, on the grounds of a Princeton private school, was a dream! The lush grounds were the perfect setting for the two very special ceremonies - one Hindu and one Christian. While the B+G took photos and changed (as traditional Indian attire was worn during the first ceremony), guests enjoyed tea and cookies. Then, cocktail hour on the lawn of the manor house was followed by a seated dinner under the elegant tent. Our menu featured Local Greens and an Eggplant Napoleon, Pistachio Crusted Salmon, Filet Mignon, and House Made Ricotta Gnocchi with Roasted Squash and Sage Brown Butter sauce.

Guests danced the night away and enjoyed the delish lemon wedding cake and chocolate covered strawberries until the B+G were sent off in a Rolls Royce while guests waved sparklers in farewell.

A Garden Chic Sayen House Wedding

This Sunday wedding at Sayen House and Gardens was charming from start to finish! The blue skies and gorgeous landscape of Sayen Gardens were a perfect backdrop for our B+G's ceremony, and cocktail hour on the lawn was festive and quaint. Guests enjoyed Gazpacho and Crab Claw Shooters, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlets, Fig Marscapone with Candied Bacon atop Tuscan Toasts, and Skewered Blue Cheese Stuffed Mission Figs Wrapped in Prosciutto, while sipping on Belini, Freshly Brewed Iced Tea and Lemonade, Izzy Sodas, and full bar cocktails. Upon finding their escort cards clothes-pinned to an antique window strung with twine, guests took seats at their tables, which were overlayed with Jute fabric (which is a burlap like material that is soft and does not shed). They dined on a buffet including rack of lamb, a summer seafood grill (of scallops, shrimp and mahi mahi), cous cous, grilled vegetables drizzled with basil pesto, and panzanella salad. Dessert was a perfect pairing of wedding cupcakes and seasonal pies.

Our bride's choice of details for her wedding, including fresh seasonal ingredients and classic summer fare, along with perfectly adorable blue glass mason jar centerpieces, farm flowers (Dahlia Floral Concepts) and jam jar favors covered with brown butcher paper came together beautifully! The inherent charm of Sayen House, which has classic craftsman style woodworking and pretty rooms overlooking an exquisite garden, set the stage perfectly for her whimsical touches.

Family Style at a Barn Wedding

Here are some photos from a recent wedding that we catered in a restored Barn on a farm property in Bucks County.

Following a tented ceremony outside, guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvre in the front section of the barn, which is divided into two, spacious sides.

Guests then found their "Escort Card" tied on a flower in mason jars, and made their way to tables marked by centerpieces of the coordinating flower (loved this touch by Dahlia's Floral Concepts!)

Dinner was served in one of my very favorite styles - a plated first course salad of Baby Greens with Sliced Jersey Peaches, Candied Pecans, Goat Cheese and a White Balsamic Vinaigrete - followed by family style main fare. The one long (90+ feet long) table lent itself perfectly to an easy passing around of yummy comfort food dishes including Lemon Chicken, Roasted Sausage with a Fennel Pepperonatta, Baked Ziti, and Panzanella.

I love that this couple chose to mirror the rustic barn setting with deliciously fitting comfort food. Both were jazzed up, the barn with unique square lantern lighting and burlap table runners...and the food with flavorful local ingredients and thoughtful presentation.

This wedding was a great example of a perfectly laid back ambiance pairing with just enough elegant touches to create a unique guest experience and super fun party!

A Picture Perfect Farm Wedding

At a fairy tale wedding this weekend on a Bucks County farm, our bride chose pretty strawberry accents as a way to complement her deep pink and lime green color palette.

Strawberry lemonade, adorable strawberry jelly jam jar favors, and a basket weave wedding cake decorated with fresh strawberries were a few of the sweet, fruity details. The jam jars were decorated with personalized labels that read "Spread the Love", with the B+G's name and wedding date on them, such a crafty touch!

After riding in on a horse drawn carriage in view of guests who were seated facing a picturesque meadow, the ceremony took place on the back lawn of the stone farm house. Then guests walked down to the pool side cocktail hour, while we butlered Summer Breeze Cocktails (a Malibu Bay Breeze, light pink in color) and white wine. Facilitating guests getting their first cocktail was the goal, and butlered cocktails are a great way to diffuse the initial bar rush. Cocktail fare featured passed hors d'eouvre, a summer salsa bar, and an artisan cheese table. And in a full, well planned use of her parents' property, our bride then invited guests to the 60x90 reception tent which was set on another grassy area near the rustic red and stone barn and guest house. A stations style dinner of Rosemary Encrusted Beef Tenderloin, Grilled Salmon with Tropical Salsa and Ricotta and Basil Ravioli was framed by a plated first course salad of Baby Greens with Sliced Peaches, Toasted Hazelnuts and Shaved Aged Gouda.

Hosting your wedding an a friend or family member's well suited property is an extra special way of personalizing the day, and a great avenue to creating special memories in a venue that you will likely enjoy for many years.