Lily Belle Events: December 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year! Goodbye 2011!

I'd like to quickly thank our clients of 2011 for a great year! Being in business for a year and a half already and we have slowly grown, and more than doubled our weddings/events in our 2nd year. We hope to double that in 2012! We have met some fantastic vendors in 2011, had weddings at some amazing venues and participated in our 1st photo shoot(would love to do more, contract us if interested!) Be sure to pick up your copy of the 2012 edition of Seacoast Weddings Magazine!

So again thank you to our clients, vendors/venues, and friends,family and supporters. Here's to 2012 being our best year yet!

Now onto the fun stuff;New Year's drinks! Oh and a few simple but delicious recipes to accompany your drinks ;) First up is a champagne cocktail. I'm a big fan of the Chelsea Lately show. Her brother Roy(a personal chef) was on last night and made a perfect-sounding Peach Champagne Cocktail:

Ingredients(makes 4)
8 oz peach nectar or fresh peach puree
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
4 oz peach schnapps
4 oz chilled sparkling Champagne
2 cups crushed ice

In a pitcher combine the peach, lemon juice, peach schnapps and crushed ice. Pour the Champagne into the pitcher. Stir it up and serve.

After already shopping for my New Year's food/drink supplies, I'm going to have to go out again because this is a must try tonight!

Here's my go to drink and I must say I make it perfect(Kerry would agree)!

Danielle's Hot n extra Dirty Martini:

Ingredients

2 oz. Vodka

2 oz. olive juice

1 oz. extra dry vermouth

.5 oz. peperoncini juice

3 quick dashes of tabasco

Fill a shaker with ice, combine vodka,olive juice,vermouth,peperoncini juice & tabasco(in this order)

Shake, shake, shake vigorously for 40 seconds(very important!)

Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with 3 large olives and 1 peperoncini

Now vodka brand is usually a preference, my favorite is Tito's, way better than even Grey Goose,which used to be favorite until I discovered Tito's Handmade from Texas! (see older picture above) Tito's has a smoother texture than Goose and just tastes better to me. Try it, I bet you'll love it!

Next drink is super easy and my husband's favorite:Honey & Lemonade:

Ingredients

2 oz. Tennessee Honey

5 oz. lemonade(Newmans Own Roadside taste best with this recipe)

Simply fill a shaker with ice, combine ingredients and "roll" back and forth in glass and shaker

That's it, easy huh?!

Mine has pink on top because my husband used pomegranate limeade(Trader's Joe's)

to make ice cubes!

Okay that's it for drinks, please share your recipes on our Facebook page. I love getting more for my stash :)

Now you need some food to go with your drinks, right? I like to make quick,easy but absolutely tasty apps and "picky" foods. Who really wants to be cooking all day? Here's my menu for the evening:

-Bite-sized Baked Brie:

Photo credit: Joythebaker.com

I have never made these but am today and they look fabulous! And yes, I am putting the popsicle sticks in(my kids will eat anything with a stick!) For the recipe click the photo above!

-Mexican Layer Dip(every party has to have one of these!):

I don't have a picture, but I'm sure you've seen one and honestly they all look the same.

Ingredients

*(all items from Trader Joe's, but you can substitute)

1 can Black Beans(I heat these up for 2 minutes)

1 package of guacamole topped with spicy pico de gallo

about 20 green olives(sliced, you have to slice them)

1 cup lite shredded Mexican cheese

1 cup fat free sour cream

1 small can of sliced black olives(these ones are sliced for you;)

1 cup lite shredded Mexican cheese

Layer all ingredients in order I posted, it's so good!

Eat the dip with carrots, pita chips, and/or tortilla chips!

-Tropical Romaine Salad:

Ingredients

1/4 cup canned pineapple juice
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tBsp. red wine vinegar
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 large head of romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
4 lean bacon slices, cooked crisp & crumbled
3 scallions/green onions, chopped (both white & green parts)

For instructions click the photo above. The original recipe calls for macadamia nuts, my oldest has a severe nut allergy so we omit these, but I'm sure the taste great in it! I just like how refreshing this salad is, especially in chilly New England.

-Provolone & Prosciutto stuffed Peppers:These I do not make, I could but I don't have time to core and marinate peppers! These are wonderful and can be purchased from your local butcher or Whole Foods.

Now for dessert! I made Salted Sunflower Truffles!(sorry can not post recipe, it's my own secret :) But wanted to post a picture for you:

I know, I know what a tease! But how am I ever going to open my own cafe(10 year dream), if I give away all my best recipes? I will make them for you, if you ask nicely!

I will however share this:Champagne Vanilla Pudding

This dessert will make a gorgeous and tasty treat to ring in the New Year(with a special drink in the other hand of course!)

I hope everyone has a fun-filled evening to ring you into a healthy, happy, and perfect 2012! Enjoy!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Determine Your Wedding Reception Vision BEFORE Booking Your Wedding Venue!

By Avid Entertainment

After being a part of the industry for nearly seven years as Boston wedding DJ's, we have seen what aspects make a great wedding and what details take away from the party. Often, there are inviting distractions outside of the main reception room that may take your guests away from the party. When this happens, it becomes difficult for your wedding DJ to keep a packed dance floor. A tip that we suggest is to take some time and think about exactly how you vision your reception before booking your wedding venue. Are you looking for a laid back event where some guests may be dancing while others may be chatting outside by the waterfront with a glass of wine and enjoying the beautiful view? Or are you looking for a reception where the dance floor is packed the entire night? Ideas such as this need to be in place before booking your wedding venue, as the reception site plays an integral part in making your vision become a reality.
If you are looking for a relaxed reception where you would like your guests to do as they please whether it be dancing, socializing by the bar, sitting out on the patio, playing lawn games, or sitting by the waterfront and socializing with other guests, then any wedding venue that offers these types of amenities will probably suit your needs.
If you would like all guests to remain in a single area and be on the dance floor all night, please consider these next few tips before making a decision on your venue. Think about what distractions there might be at each venue you visit that would cause guests to venture outside of the main reception hall. Is your party outside on the water where guests can easily leave the tent and roam around on their own in order to enjoy the view? Is there a very inviting patio area that will remain open to guests during the dancing portion of the evening? Is the bar outside of the room where guests may congregate and socialize? By limiting distractions that take place outside of the reception hall, guests are more likely to remain together in one room. This will then allow your wedding DJ to have more control over keeping your guests dancing all night long.
You may also want to think about the time of day your reception will take place. Guests tend to find it easier to dance during the evening and night time, rather than in the morning or middle of the afternoon. If you have a reception hall with windows that let in a significant amount of light, you may want to try to plan your reception so that the dancing portion takes place when it will be darker outside. This will lend for more of a party atmosphere. But again, if you are looking for a relaxed reception and not a packed dance floor all day/night, then the time of day for your reception may not play an important role.
Lastly, if you are looking for that jamming party and would like guests to indulge in a few extra cocktails, then you may want to choose a venue that has rooms onsite for guests to stay. Or providing guests with bus or trolley transportation to and from a local hotel is also another option that guests will be be very appreciative of.
So before making that huge decision on where to have your wedding reception, it may be worth taking the extra time to sit down with your fiance and really discussing what it is that you both envision for your party. Once you have your expectations set, it will make booking your wedding venue much easier and will help to make that wedding vision become a reality!
Happy planning!

Looking for a Boston wedding DJ? Contact Avid Entertainment for information on wedding packages.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Krista & Jeff 7.16.11

On a gorgeous afternoon in July, Krista & Jeff were married at the Henry Law Park in Dover, NH. For months we had planned along with Krista and her mom, Pat the perfect wedding for this special couple.

After changing venues(just a few times ;) they had picked the Rivermill at Dover Landing.

The Rivermill has a very neutral color palette making it an ideal venue to bring in all your personal touches. If you're still looking for a venue, I suggest you give Michelle a call for a site visit and tell her we say hello!

The seating chart, table numbers, and candy buffet were created by us, Lily Belle Events. For information on any of our services or for a complimentary consult for your wedding, contact us. We'd love to work with you!

The guests were up dancing the entire time, thanks to Chad from Get Down Tonight Entertainment for providing such a fun and exciting mix of music! Please enjoy the beautiful photos below from the wonderful photographer Dave, A Photographic Memory.

Flower's were designed by Drinkwater Flowers of Hampton, NH.

Us with the just married couple!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Perfect gifts for the women in your life!

It's that time of year again! The holidays are just around the corner. We all know the saying "what do you get for the woman who has everything?" Well below is a list of perfect gifts to please all the ladies on your list! (click the pictures to go right to the website to purchase!)

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*Kate Spade All-Occasion Card Set...$35