Relax -- It's Just a Wedding
Shower
(ARA) - Among all the things that can cause the
pre-wedding jitters, wedding showers seem to top the list. Just
the thought of managing all those boxes, making the food and
handling the organization is enough to send even the seasoned
entertainer running for the hills.
But it doesn't have to
be that way, according to Linda West-Eckhardt, a food educator who
has written more than 17 cookbooks and won Julia Child & James
Beard Awards for her books on easy entertaining. With the choice
of the right wine and some showy-but-easy recipes, Eckhardt says
having a shower at home is a lot easier than you might
think.
"The most important thing to remember about wedding
showers is that most people there want light, feminine food,"
Eckhardt says. "You really don't need a big spread -- just some
fun food that people can easily balance on a plate in their laps.
The main challenge is pacing and organizing the
event."
Eckhardt recommends the following timesaving
strategies:
#1 -- Involve the bride in the invitation list,
and choose the guests carefully.
Think hard about the
number of guests you can comfortably seat together in one main
area of your house, either on the floor, in extra chairs or around
tables. If you are hosting the event outside, do you have enough
space to accommodate guests in the event of rain? Is the bride
having any other showers, and are there people who might be
invited to two different events? Asking these hard questions will
help you "right size" your guest list.
#2 -- Make sure
there's enough wine to go around.
"Gone are the days when
every wedding shower features sherbet-y punches. Today's shower
goers expect something more sophisticated, and a nice German
Riesling like Relax brand Riesling, at around $8 a bottle, really
fits the bill. German Rieslings are brighter and more crisp than
Rieslings grown elsewhere, because of the rocky, loamy growing
conditions in Germany. It pairs well with just about anything; and
its fresh taste is very accessible, even for people who are not
regular wine drinkers," Eckhardt says.
She recommends a
twist most people haven't tried -- mixing 3/4 pitcher Relax brand
Riesling wine with 1/4 pitcher peach flavored schnapps. "It makes
a very delicious, girly cocktail. It's considered a classic in
Europe, especially in Germany, where Riesling wines are as revered
as German beer," she says. "Of course, you'll want to make sure
you have non-alcoholic beverages, too. But for the wine, I
generally buy a bottle for every two people attending, assuming
that they will each drink two glasses a person."
#3 -- Make
what you love and buy the rest.
You can still give the
impression of having a homemade buffet if you just make one or two
showy items, like a cupcake tree or tea sandwiches, then buy the
rest of the items at the grocery deli. Eckhardt recommends buying
relish trays of pre-cut vegetables and fruits; deli-case sides
like deviled eggs, pasta or rice salads; and finishing the buffet
with colorful candies like candied almonds or pastel colored
M&Ms. Set up a bar to the side where the wine can be poured,
or allow guests to serve themselves from a fancy pitcher filled
with your pre-mixed wine cocktail.
#4 -- Decorations need
not be expensive.
"You don't need to buy fancy arrangements
from the florist," Eckhardt says. "Just decorate like the
professionals do." She recommends putting down short boxes and
thick hardbound books on the table to create staggered display
heights, then covering them up with a tablecloth that's draped to
create little valleys in between. A few carefully placed flowers
and petals around and between the displays completes the look.
"And bring out the real china plates and nice silverware, even if
you have to borrow or rent them, to add an element of grace to the
event. Many rental services will even let you return the dishes
and wine glasses unwashed," she says.
#5 -- Plan ample
space and time for displaying, opening and cataloging the
gifts.
Make sure you have a gift table that is centrally
located; with enough space so all your guests can watch the gifts
being opened if they so choose. Depending on the size of the
shower, the gift opening could take as much as an hour, so plan to
have your guests go through the buffet line first, and nibble on
food while the gifts are opened.
To help the bride, print
out all the guest's addresses on labels, and buy thank you notes.
As each gift is being opened, have a designated "gift recorder"
peel off each gift giver's address label, put it on an envelope,
and slip a piece of paper inside noting the gift that was given.
After the gifts are open, allow guests around an hour for
socializing. You might even want to put out a guest book that each
guest can sign with wedding wishes and messages for the bride and
groom to-be. Instead of silly shower games, let the guests peruse
photo albums of the bride and groom when they were children, or
offer up their fondest memories of the couple on
videotape.
"Having a shower is really all about expressing
love and support for the couple as they start a new life together.
In the long run, what matters is that people had the chance to
relax, raise a glass for a toast, and enjoy their time together,"
Eckhardt says.
Wedding Bellini
Fill the
pitcher of your choice 3/4 full with Relax brand Riesling. Top the
remaining fourth off with peach-flavored schnapps, and stir. Serve
chilled.
Serve in a tall tumbler, and your guests will have
a silky sweet cocktail that will be truly memorable. If your
guests would like a little fizz, have them fill their glasses 1/3
full with club soda, then fill the glass to the top with the
Riesling/schnapps mixture. Garnish with a Maraschino
cherry.
Simple Party Sandwiches
Nothing could be
simpler than whizzing up three different sandwich fillings in the
food processor the night before the party, then refrigerating,
covered until party time. Serve in three bowls with
mini-croissants or Pullman bread for your guests to make their own
sandwiches. Or, prepare the sandwiches in advance and cut them in
festive shapes with cookie cutters. Here are some recipes you may
want to try:
* Black Forest Ham and Pineapple Sandwich
Filling
Makes about 5 cups (enough for 30 to 40 small
sandwiches)
1/2 pound black forest ham or good quality deli
ham
1 small, sweet onion such as Vidalia, quartered
1 cup
crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup celery,
broken into 3 or 4 pieces
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon
cayenne pepper
Directions: Combine all ingredients in the
food processor bowl and pulse to mix thoroughly. Pack into a bowl,
cover and refrigerate overnight until the party time.
*
Cucumber Onion Sandwich Filling
Makes about 2-1/2 cups
(enough for 15 to 20 small sandwiches)
Choose European
cucumbers if possible. To prepare the cuke, cut it lengthwise, and
scoop out and discard seedbed using a teaspoon.
1 small, sweet
onion quartered
1 English cucumber, ends cut off, seeded and
cut into chunks
1 8-ounce package cream cheese (or
Neufchatel)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
pepper
Directions: Combine all ingredients in the food
processor bowl and pulse to mix thoroughly. Pack into a bowl,
cover and refrigerate overnight until party time.
*
Pecan Olive Sandwich Filling
Makes about 3-1/2 cups
(enough for 25 to 30 small sandwiches)
8-ounce cream
cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup
drained salad olives with pimento (a 5 oz. Jar)
2 tablespoons
olive juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into the food processor bowl and pulse to
mix thoroughly. Pack into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until
party time.
* Lemon Glazed Vanilla Pansy
Cupcakes
Adapted from Cakes from Scratch in Half The
Time, by Linda West Eckhardt, Chronicle Publishing, September
2005
Makes 18 standard sized cupcakes
Directions:
Look for pesticide-free edible flowers in your natural food store
like roses, nasturtiums or pansies; or, use sugared flowers from
the cake-decorating store. The citrus glaze can be made with any
juice you choose, such as orange, blood orange, lemon, tangerine,
or lime juice. For extra panache, consider buying a cupcake tree
to display them, such as the Wilton brand one, shown
pictured.
4 large eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted
butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking
powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Lemon glaze
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Grated
zest of 1 lemon
1-1/2 cups sugar
18 edible
flowers
Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a
muffin tin with paper or silicone liners. Spritz papers with
Baker's Joy or other baking non-stick spray. Place unbroken eggs
in a bowl of hot tap water to warm up.
Cream the butter and
sugar in the stand mixer about two minutes, then break eggs in,
one at a time. Now add milk and vanilla. Sift cake flour, baking
powder and salt together and spoon into the mixture. Mix just
until well blended.
Divide the batter among the muffin cups
(about 1/3 cup batter in each cup) and bake on the middle rack of
the hot oven until a wooden pick comes out clean, 10 to 12
minutes. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, adding glaze and flowers, then
remove to a rack to cool thoroughly.
Meanwhile, make the
glaze by combining lemon juice, zest and sugar in a small heavy
saucepan. Cook over medium heat until transparent, about 10
minutes. Test to see if glaze makes a "string" when dropped from a
spoon. When it does, take it off the heat. Spoon hot glaze over
the cupcakes just as soon as they come out of the oven. Top with a
flower and cool. The glaze acts as a glue to hold the flowers in
place.
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Traditional Roll of the Wedding Attendants
Many couples choose to do most
of the work themselves i.e. Buy the clothes for the bridesmaids etc.. But
the traditional way is as follows
Matron of Honor
(Bride's right-hand woman)
Is responsible for her own gown and accessories
Arranges the bachelorette party and bridal shower (guests, entertainment
etc..)
Keeps a record of wedding gifts
Acts as official witness
Helps to settles the bride's nerves
Helps bridesmaids on the big day
Holds bride's bouquet during the ceremony
Looks after bride's things at ceremony and reception
Assists the bride when changing from her wedding gown to her going-away
clothes
Bridesmaids
Responsible for their own gowns
Assist in all pre-wedding festivities
Helps to prepare for the reception
Fill cups with confetti, rice, or rose petals to throw for the getaway
Decorates the car
Best Man (Groom's right-hand man)
He's responsible for his tuxedo
Makes sure the groom arrives on time
He sees that ushers' function runs smoothly
Gives toast and speeches at ceremony and reception
Pays the officiant's fee
Keeps rings, license, and honeymoon tickets
Acts as toastmaster at the bridal table
Plans for reception exit transportation
Ushers/Groomsmen
Responsible for their own attire
Involved in all ceremony festivities
Greet all guests at the ceremony, ask which family they represent and seat
them accordingly.
Unrolls the aisle runner after the bride's mother is seated
Decorates the car
Flower Girl
Precedes the bride, tossing flower petals down the aisle
Ring Bearer
He walks down the aisle carrying the ring secured to a satin pillow.
Brides Love Pfaltzgraff
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