Wedding Blog

Who says that you have to have a dinner reception to have a proper wedding? I certainly don’t think that’s the case. A brunch wedding can be a formal elegant affair, or a more casual gathering. It can be outrageously expensive or very cost effective. My favorite aspect of a brunch wedding is that the couple doesn’t spend the day sequestered away from family and friends while going through lengthy preparations for the wedding. You can get the formalities over with bright and early and then relax and enjoy your day.

I spoke to a couple of my friends in the wedding industry, Bonnie Garfield, Director of Catering from Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and
Jennifer Lyzinsky , Director of Exceptional Events at the Double Tree Castle Hotel here in Orlando. Each of them has their own perspective on the wedding day brunch. Here is what they had to say.

Susan: What is your favorite brunch menu?

Jennifer: I really like breakfast items. My favorites are brioche French toast and eggs Florentine, Belgium waffles, and omelets to order. Then you can add some lunch items like a carving station with prime rib, ham or turkey. I also like salads, fruit salad, vegetable salad, pasta salad, and potato salad. Finish it off with a mini desert bar including, petit fours, melons, and berries.

Bonnie: I like a lot of lunch items, that’s what makes brunch, brunch and not breakfast. Some of the most interesting things items I’ve included on my brunch buffet are Corned Beef sliced to order served on a scallion hash brown potato pancake, eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and spinach, and caramelized banana and mascarpone French toast.

Susan: Can a couple save money by doing a brunch reception?

Jennifer: A brunch can save the couple money because they aren’t doing the wedding during a prime time. A wedding vendor could possibly do another wedding that day, so the couple may be able to negotiate special pricing.

Bonnie: There isn’t as much emphasis on alcohol which can save a lot of money. I don’t typically see brunches with full bars. Most often the couple chooses to serve mimosas, or Bloody Marys, others skip the alcohol and serve juices and coffee.

What else would you like to share about wedding brunches?

Jennifer: I think early weddings are becoming more popular because they can be cost effective and the couple can spend a more relaxing day with family and friends.

Bonnie: Brunches can be a cost-saver, but you have to be careful what menu items you choose. Some can be as expensive as dinner items. Also, if you have any dietary restrictions, like keeping kosher, or vegetarian, there are many breakfast items from which to choose.

For more information on choosing menus for your wedding, click here. Also, if you would like to share some of your brunch wedding ideas, post a comment here or email me at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

Your Partner in Perfect Planning,
Susan

centerpieces can be off-center, the photographer can miss a few shots, but if the food isn’t handled properly, you can make your guests sick!

I am not an expert on food handling, so I searched the Internet for articles to share with you on the proper way of cooking and serving food to your guests. I found a really great article on ezinearticles.com. Here is what writer Kathi Dameron had to say.

The following list is not a complete list. However, this list includes 10 of the most common tips that I shared with my food preparation staff when I was in the catering and special event business.

1. Secure your hair. Tie it back. Cover it or at least spray it liberally with hairspray before you step into the kitchen. Make sure you don’t have any hair on your clothes, too! Use a lint brush before you go into the kitchen to start cooking. While loose hair is not necessarily a big food safety issue, it is very unappetizing in food!

2. Remove all rings and other jewelry from your hands. Wash your hands and lower arms with hot soapy water before, during and after preparing food. During food preparation you will need to wash your hands often. Just use common sense and remember to wash between tasks, if you cough, if you scratch yourself, etc.

3. Start every new session with an immaculate kitchen. Wash down your prep area and counter tops. Use a solution of 1 quart water to 3 teaspoons bleach. (Bleach in a kitchen can ruin nice clothes fast. Don’t wear your best clothes in the kitchen! There is nothing worse than finding tiny bleached dots or splotches of white on a favorite nonwhite garment. Believe me I have had this happen more times than I want to remember.)

4. Keep a supply of disposable food service gloves on hand. The choice to wear gloves is up to you. If you keep your hands spotless, you will not need to wear gloves, unless you want to do so. However, if you have any type of cuts or wounds on your hands or exposed arms - it is very important that the wounds be properly bandaged. If the wound is on your hand, you need to wear a glove on that hand. There is nothing more disgusting than finding a Band-Aid in food. Yuk.. you really don’t want to give new meaning to the term “cold cuts”!

5. If you are going to be cooking with raw meat, fish or poultry always keep the raw food on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Do you know the reason for this? The reason is that you do not want any raw juices to accidentally drip onto other food in the refrigerator.

6. The temperature of your refrigerator should always be below 40 degrees. Keep a thermometer in it and monitor it. When you use the refrigerators at your wedding reception venue… check the temperature. Make sure the refrigerators are working properly. Ask the venue staff at the reception site to check the temperature of the refrigerator for you in the days preceding your reception. Also ask the venue staff, very nicely, if they will make sure to have the refrigerator clean for you.

7. Perishable food needs to stay under refrigeration! Only take food out of the refrigerator as you need it in the different stages of preparation. As soon as you are done preparing food get it back into the refrigerator or freezer.

8. Wash, rinse, sanitize, and rinse cutting boards between steps. Use common sense!

9. Transport food in insulated coolers. Borrow or rent big coolers.

10. Leftover food should never be kept out of refrigeration for more than two hours. If in doubt, throw it out.

Dameron said that you shouldn’t let food-safety issues intimidate you from catering your own reception. If you want to read the complete article, you can find it at: http://ezinearticles.com/?Self-Catered-Wedding-Receptions:-Food-Safety-101-Ten-Tips-From-A-Caterer&id=268230

Tomorrow, a conversation with one of my favorite florists. He has some great DIY tips as well as suggestions on saving money while working with a professional florist.

I mentioned in my last post that oftentimes, the DIY bride and friends don’t know exactly what they are getting themselves into when they embark in doing aspects of the weddings themselves. I find catering to be the most challenging. It is afterall, the one area where you can make all of your guests sick.

Before I get into food safety, let me tell you a little bit more about the responsibilities of the caterer on the wedding day. My friend Heidi Brice from Puff N Stuff Catering in Orlando helped me out with a bit of a Q & A.

Susan: On the wedding day, as a caterer, describe what you need to do when you setup for a wedding.

Heidi: Set-up for a Wedding at venues we cater at usually involves: setting up tables, chairs, moving chairs to other areas, setting the tables, glassware, set-up of beverage station with all equipment, buffet with all equipment and setting up kitchen with equipment in order to execute the meal. (Susan’s note: They also provide all the dishes, flatware, glassware, serving items, and linens for the buffets and service areas.)

Susan: What is the hardest thing about food and beverage for the bride or her friends to do?

Heidi: Service, Service, Service!!! Preparing a meal for 10 is hard enough, for 50, I cant even imagine. But most importantly, the service end of a wedding is what shows most. We take care of the guests by clearing plates in a timely fashion, refreshing beverages and offering additional services to them.

Susan: What do you think a bride is most likely to overlook if the food is not done by a professional?

Heidi:: Quantity is what is mostly overlooked. Some brides feel that just a few mini sandwiches and a cheese platter is enough, but when a guest goes through a buffet line and these are the only options, they take more than what was quantified and food runs out before everyone has had a chance to eat. (Susan’s note: I think that presentation is also a difficult part about setting up food. Making the food look appetizing, or even beautiful, it time consuming. Experience counts.)

Susan: How can a bride work with a caterer to save money?

Heidi: We don’t have a minimum! Most hotels have a minimum price for food and beverage, whereas we are happy to customize a menu to suit your budget. (Susan’s note: I have found that working with a caterer tends to be less expensive than with hotels and restaurants. The big issues that you have to consider are the fees incurred by renting a location that allows an outside caterer, and rental items like tables, chairs, dishes, etc may also be an issue. Make sure to put all of those fees in your budget before making a final decision.)

Susan: What other advice do you want to share?

Heidi: One of the biggest mistakes a bride can make is to mistake price for value. So many brides go with the company that offers the lowest price right off the bat. You have to go beyond the surface and find out what you’re really getting for your money. A lot of “extra fees” can be averted if you take a little extra time to find out the details. Or expectations are not met when pre-set iced water ends up being a pitcher of iced water with plastic cups on a table versus sparkling stemmed glasses with lemon wheels.

One of the best ways to save with a caterer is to find one that has the capacity to provide linens, decor, and service in-house as it’s much more expensive when (1) you have to find those things separately or (2) the caterer has to outsource.

Now for the really important issue… food safety.

Germs, Viruses and Bacteria which cause food borne illnesses grow in temperatures between 45 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Food should not be at these temperatures for more than four hours. It is also crucial that food be cooked to the proper temperature before serving. There are many resources on the Internet that give guidelines for the proper temperature for poultry, beef, pork, etc. Check those out before cooking for your wedding.

Tomorrow I will post a list for you to use as a guide for handling your food safely on your wedding day.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for the DIY bride, please post here or email me at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

I just came from the most wonderful appointment. Well actually, I am still here. I am in the lobby of the beautiful Portofino Bay Hotel here in Orlando. You can see a photo of it on our website: I just left a menu tasting and I am waiting for a wedding rehearsal.

So, I have a beautiful wedding scheduled for May here at the Portofino. Today we made our final menu selections. The chef prepared petite selections of various soups, salads and entrees for us to try. For the soup course we chose between Cream of Acorn Squash Soup (so yummy) and Wild Mushroom Cappuccino Soup with a truffle foam (we chose this one).

Our salad selection was among Baby Greens with Grilled Fruit with walnut crusted goat cheese, grilled apples and pears with a balsamic vinaigrette; Warm Four Cheese Tart with carmelized onion, mixed herbs and mushrooms on a bed of greens with chilled asparagus; or a Golden Beet Salad with chevre and a crispy basil leaf. The were all great, but we settled on the Four cheese tart.

Finally, my client is doing a dual entree, fish and beef. We had to choose among Sliced Tenderloin of beef stuffed with Porcini Mushrooms, Fillet Mignon, Striped Bass, Black Grouper or Trout. We chose the stuffed tenderloin and the grouper. It was all so good. You can see the final plate in the photo below.

We didn’t get to try dessert because in addition to wedding cake, they are having a sundae bar (the groom’s one and only request). I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. I will have photos for you at the end of May.

Menu planning and food tasting is a very important part of the wedding planning process. You can tweak the food presentation with the chef and make sure you like the way all the flavors were combined.

Besides, it’s lots of fun!

Happy planning!

Hi All,

I am very, very excited. After working for a year, my new wedding planning DVD is finally here and available to you! Susan Southerland’s Wedding Planning Secrets has my most sought-after advice in one DVD.

I share my secrets for choosing colors, creating a reasonable budget, dealing with vendors and organizing the day. Check out the website for more information.

I will be at the Perfect Wedding Guide wedding show on Sunday at the Buena Vista Palace. If you are in Orlando, come see me. I am looking forward to discussing your wedding plans with you and on my table, is my Ten Inspirational Ideas for an Out of the Ordinary Wedding idea list, to assist you in planning a memorable wedding!

I hope to see you there!