Festivities

A full-service catering and event planning company in fairfield county CT

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Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 eggs

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3 cup flour

1 cup blueberries

1/2 pkg cream cheese, cut into 1 tsp cubes

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Mix-and-Match Deep-Dish Fruit Desserts. Um, yes, please.

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National Zucchini Day is August 8, how will you celebrate?

August 8th is National Zucchini Day!  By this time of the year, I have more zucchini than I know what to do with!  My neighbors draw their blinds when they see me bearing armfuls of these delicious vegetables coming their way.  Rather than giving the zucchini, why not have a zucchini dinner using these delicious recipes?  

In honor of National Zucchini Day, we are offering a delicious Curried Zucchini Soup at the Wilton Farmers' Market tomorrow along with a selection of delicious nibbles that are perfect for a pop-up party anywhere!  Stop by and see us tomorrow between 2-6p.m. 

Summer Zucchini Bread

The perfect way to use and share all of that extra zucchini growing in your garden.  These loaves are a snap to make and freeze beautifully.  Make mini loaves to share with your friends and neighbors.

3 1/4 C. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. apple pie spice

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 C. sugar

1 C. vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

1/3 C. water

2 C grated zucchini

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 C chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

1 C. dried cranberries, optional

½ C. semi sweet chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, spices, baking soda, and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

Zucchini Fritters

Even the most adamant zucchini hater will gibble these crispy savory morsels up!  They are delicious as a first course over a simple green salad, or as the main course with sliced tomatoes and nestled in a baguette and smothered with tzatziki!

2 medium zucchini

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 Tbs. chopped fresh mint

1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill, plus hold dill for garnish

1 large scallion, thinly sliced

2 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Grated zest 1 lemon

1 large egg

3 Tbs all purpose flour

Canola oil for frying

1/2 cup tzatziki

Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a grater onto a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle with kosher salt and set aside.  Wrap the zucchini in a towel and squeeze out liquid, discarding the liquid. 

In a medium bowl, combine zucchini, mint, dill, scallion, garlic, pepper, feta, and all but 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest. Stir in the egg and flour and mix until well combined.

Add the canola oil to a large shallow pan; you want about a ¼ inch or enough so that when all the fritters are in the pan, the oil comes halfway up their sides. Place the pan over medium-high heat. Form fritters by hand or by using ¼ cup measure, and fry them in the hot oil in batches. Cook until the fritters are golden brown on each side, 4-6 minutes. Drain on paper towels and transfer the fritters to a plate.  Serve with tzatziki for dipping.

Grilled zucchini coins with za’atar

The easiest and most delicious way to serve this quintessential summer vegetable. Take care not to overcook the zucchini, they should still be bright green.

2 zucchini, sliced into ½” rounds

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. kosher salt

2 Tbs. za’atar spice

Heat grill to high.  Toss sliced zucchini with olive oil, kosher salt and za’atar in a bowl.  When grill is hot, add zucchini and grill for 2-3 minutes per side. Can be eaten warm or cold.

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Wilton Farmers' Market menu for July 18, 2012

        It will be another hot week here, why cook when you can come to the Wilton Farmers' Market and buy dinner for everyone!

It will be another hot week here, why cook when you can come to the Wilton Farmers' Market and buy dinner for everyone!

Here's our menu for Wednesday.  

POPCORNS

Apple pie spiced

Tandoori 

Crackers

Zahtaar Crisps

Homemade potato chips 

Cheese Spreads & Dips

Peppadew cheese spread

Artichoke & spinach dip

Cocktail Pies

Spinach & onion

Broccoli & feta

Chorizo

Beef

                                Signature Gourmet Condiments & Marinades

Tomato Jam – Vegan

Berry Chili Jam

“Magic Sauce”, the ultimate marinade & dressing- Vegan

 “Legacy”, Extra Virgin Olive Oil- Vegan

Bento style meals to go

Spinach & onion legacy pie, eggplant salad & hummus- Vegetarian

Grilled chicken kebab, snap peas, fresh fruit-Gluten Free 

Grilled shrimp, haricot vert & cannellini bean salad, fresh fruit

Signature Standards

Ratatouille

Haricot vert & cannellini bean salad

Soups

Watermelon Gazpacho

Signature Beverage

Arnie Palmer

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Wilton Farmer' Market Menu for July 13th

                We have a fantastic menu for this weeks farmers' market.  Lots of farm fresh veggies from Ambler Farm.  

Stop by Wednesday between 2-6p.m. at the Wilton Historical Society and pick up some thing yummy!

Wilton Farmer’s Market

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 

POPCORNS

Maple sugar

White truffle & black pepper 

Crackers

Zahtaar Crisps

Cheese Spreads & Dips

Peppadew cheese spread

Artichoke & spinach dip

Cocktail Pies

Spinach & onion

Broccoli & feta

Chorizo

Beef 

Signature Gourmet Condiments & Marinades

Tomato Jam – Vegan 

Berry Chili Jam

“Magic Sauce”, the ultimate marinade & dressing- Vegan

“Legacy”, Extra Virgin Olive Oil- Vegan

Bento style meals to go

Spinach & onion legacy pie, eggplant salad & hummus- vegetarian  

Grilled chicken kebab, wheat germ & couscous salad, fresh fruit

 Grilled shrimp, Asian salad, fresh fruit

Roasted stuffed tomato, wheat germ & couscous salad, ratatouille, vegetarian

Signature Standards

Ratatouille

Wheat germ couscous salad with roasted summer vegetables

Asian salad

Soups

Watermelon Gazpacho

Signature Beverages

Arnie Palmer

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Wilton Farmer' Market Menu for June 27th

           Summer is officially here, it's time to kick back and relax-let us help! Buy your picnic/ beach/pool/boat dinners at the Wilton Farmers' Market, there's something for everyone! Where will you pop up?

Here's our menu for the week, and if there's ever anything special you'd like to see, please let us know!

POPCORNS

Maple sugar

Mesquite BBQ

Crackers

Zahtaar Crisps 

Cheese Spreads & Dips

Peppadew cheese spread

Goat cheese & olivada spread

Summer vegetable dip

Savory Cocktail Pies

Spinach & onion

Broccoli & feta

Chorizo

Beef 

Signature Gourmet Condiments & Marinades

Tomato Jam – Vegan

 Berry Chili Jam

 “Magic Sauce”, the ultimate marinade & dressing- Vegan

“Legacy”, Extra Virgin Olive Oil- Vegan

Bento style meals to go

Spinach & onion legacy pie, eggplant salad & hummus- vegetarian 

Kids chicken bento box- grilled chicken kebab with snap peas & fruit salad-gluten-free

 Grilled shrimp with orzo couscous salad & fruit salad

 Roasted vegetable and pinto bean burrito with black bean salad & grilled pineapple salsa-vegetarian

Signature Standards

Ratatouille

Black bean, corn & red pepper salad

Orzo couscous with summer vegetables, chickpeas & basil

Broccoli rabe with caramelized onions & garlic

Soups

Watermelon Gazpacho

Carrot Ginger Soup

Signature Beverages

Arnie Palmer

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Salty and sweet, these Nutella dipped shortbread cookies are a perfect end to any meal.

  Nutella Dipped Espresso Shortbread Cookies | Dessert Recipes | PBS Food

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Wilton Farmers' Market Menu for June 20

                   It's going to be too hot to cook this week! You won't need to if you come by the Wilton Farmers' Market every Wednesday between 2-6 p.m. and pick up some of our delicious (and healthy) bento style meals to go.  You can take 'em anywhere, and they're always packaged in our completely eco-friendly containers that are not only ENTIRELY compostable, but made from 100% renewable plant material.  

A special thank you to our loyal customers who've requested some of our most popular items, we're listening and we'll be bringing them along with our ever changing seasonal items.  

Take a look at our menu for the week:

Tandoori spiced popcorn

Brown sugar and apple pie spiced popcorn

 Zahtaar Crisps

Cheese Spreads & Dips

Peppadew

Goat cheese & olivada

Asian Sweet potato dip

Bento style meals to go

Spinach & onion legacy pie, eggplant salad & hummus- vegetarian 

Kids chicken bento box- grilled chicken kebab, potato & haricot vert salad with basil lemon balm vinaigrette, fruit salad-gluten-free 

Grilled shrimp with Asian sesame noodles, fruit salad

Grilled portabello Panini with caramelized onions and roasted peppers, potato & haricot vert salad with basil lemon balm vinagrette-vegan

Signature Standards

Asian sesame noodles

Potato & haricot vert salad with basil lemon balm vinaigrette

Faro, Swiss chard & cannellini bean salad

Ratatouille

Orichette with broccoli rabe & garlic scapes

 Soups

Watermelon Gazpacho

Cold vichyssoise

Signature Beverages

Very Berry Iced Tea

Ginger/Mint Lemonade

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Happy National Peanut Butter Cookie Day!

We love peanut butter and we especially love peanut butter cookies! What better way to celebrate this day than by making a batch of peanut butter cookies with the signature fork mark on top!

Peanut Butter has been a household favorite for generations since the early 1900s and current estimates say 90 percent of American households have a jar of peanut butter on their pantry shelves. In honor of today being National Peanut Butter Cookie day, we wanted to find out the history behind the peanut butter cookie and share one of our favorite recipes.

Through our research we discovered peanut butter cookies became a popular treat sometime in the early 1900s. The first recipe is actually found in George Washington Carver’s cookbook.  His cookie recipe calls for cutting peanuts into chunks and placing them in the cookie batter instead of using peanut butter.

The peanut butter cookie we are used to having on a regular basis became popular in kitchens around America in the 1930s. These cookies were served rolled out and cut into shapes. Today you can find several different variations of peanut butter cookies.

In honor of National Peanut Butter cookie day, we thought we would share one of our recipes for Triple Peanut Butter cookies. This recipe has peanuts, peanut butter and peanut flour. It’s also gluten-free.

Triple Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 30 cookies

Ingredients

1¼ cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup all-natural peanut butter

(creamy or chunky)

2 large eggs

1 cup low-fat peanut flour

¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350. In a medium bowl, beat together brown sugar and peanut butter with a wooden spoon. Beat in 1 egg at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in peanut flour, peanuts, baking soda, vanilla and salt.

Roll dough into 1½-inch balls. Place balls two inches apart on a cookie or baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Use a fork to make criss-cross marks on tops of cookies and to flatten to about ½-inch thickness. Bake 10 minutes or until cookies are just set. Transfer cookies (still on parchment or foil) to a wire rack; cool completely. (Cookies will firm up upon baking.)

Optional add-ins: ½ cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, and/or golden raisins or dried cranberries into the dough.

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Wilton Farmers' Market Menu for June 13

Wilton Farmer’s Market Menu for Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Snacks for Pool & Patio

Popcorn Bags

-Tandoori

-Brown sugar & apple pie spiced

Cheese Spreads & Dips

-Peppadew

-Goat cheese & olivada

Hot crab dip

Cocktail Pies

-Spinach & onion

-Broccoli & feta

-Chorizo

-Beef

Signature Gourmet Condiments & Marinades

-Tomato Jam – Vegan

- “Magic Sauce”, the ultimate marinade & dressing- Vegan

- Extra Virgin Olive Oil- Vegan Premium olive oil from Kourma, Lebanon

-Apple/peach jam-vegan

Bento style meals to go

Vegetarian bentro box-Spinach & onion legacy pie, eggplant salad & tabouli

Kids chicken bento box- grilled chicken kebab, maple roasted sweet potato, fruit-gluten-free

Grilled shrimp bento box with brown rice salad and field greens

Vegan bento box-Grilled vegetable kebab, brown rice & barley salads

Signature Standards

-Brown rice, roasted fennel & mandarin orange salad

-Barley salad with lacinato kale & shaved radishes

-Watermelon gazpacho

-Zahtaar Crisps

Signature Beverages

Very Berry Iced Tea

Ginger/Mint Lemonade

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Wilton Farmers' Market menu for June 6

What a great opening day we had last week!  People went mad for the peppadew cheese spread and the tomato jam, we sold out quickly!

Here are just a few items from our list of yummy foods we'll be offering at the Wilton Farmer's Market this Wednesday. 

~Tandoori spiced popcorn ~Tomato Jam ~Goat cheese & olivada spread ~Vegan bento style box with quinoa stuffed zucchini boats ~Kid friendly bento style box with grilled chicken, homemade mac n' cheese and fresh veggies from Ambler Farm ~Assorted savory cocktail pies-a MUST try!

The Wilton Farmers' Market is located at the Wilton Historical Society at 224 Danbury Rd along Route 7.  

We look forward to seeing you this week.

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Bill maxwell’s custom easter egg radish mix @unsqgreenmarket (Taken with instagram)

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We are ready to pop up at the Wilton Farmers' Market next Wednesday 5/30, stop by!

Festivities Catering Now at Wilton Farmers' Market

Festivities, one of Fairfield county’s premier catering companies for over 28 years will be “popping up” with their signature, hand-made party food- Party Express at the Wilton Farmers’ Market. Opening day is Wednesday, May 30 from 2-6 p.m. and running each Wednesday through September 12th.

Party Express at The Wilton Farmer’s Market offers freshly made party foods featuring the harvest from local farms. The rotating menu includes a wide range of delicious foods from “Snacks For Beach & Patio” to “Bento Box Meals To Go” to‘Legacy Foods” borrowing world flavors from our families of origin. Also offered are weekly vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free alternatives. Executive Chef/Co-Owner, Bill Kaliff is particularly excited to be expanding his menu to showcase “legacy foods” while incorporating Connecticut Grown whenever possible.

“We are delighted to be at the Wilton Farmers’ Market this summer to provide a new option for people who want to entertain and enjoy the summer with family and friends," says Co-Owner Rosinne Chalala. "Party Express by Festivities can pop up anywhere, with delivery available throughout Fairfield County."

The Wilton Farmers' Market is located at the Wilton Historical Society, along the newly expanded Route 7 at 224 Danbury Road in Wilton. Supported by the Wilton Chamber of Commerce and the Wilton Historical Society, the market is comprised of local farmers and artisans who come together to provide shoppers a venue in which to purchase the best products from local vendors. The weekly outdoor market will feature local produce, baked goods, soaps and teas. It will also serve to educate the public about eating locally and making nutritious, healthy food choices.

Where will you pop up?  At the beach?  In the garden? By the pool?  On the boat? Party Express delivered catering will let you to enjoy your time with family and friends anywhere!

Festivities will be bringing Party Express to the Wilton Farmers Market on Wednesdays beginning May 30th from 2-6 p.m.

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2 weeks until Party Express pops up at the Wilton Farmers' Market!

Our chefs are busy in the kitchen finalizing an incredible menu that we will be bringing you weekly beginning Wednesday, May 30, from 2-6p.m. 

All of our Party Express offerings are created to compliment your weekly fresh farmers' market purchases.  Whether cooking dinner for family or friends, our seasonal side dishes will pair perfectly with any meal (they could easily be the meal!)  

Southern succotash, roasted vegetable ratatouille, Asian soba noodle salad with eggplant and mango, and tabouli are just a few of our weekly offerings.

Want a snack or meal to go?  Our Bento style box meals are just the thing to bring to the pool, tennis courts, boat, or beach.  We will offer a 5 choices weekly with a vegan & gluten free option every week.  These delicious boxes are also great to pack for your child's lunch this summer.

Stop by and say hi, we'd love to see you!

The Wilton Farmers' Market is located at the Wilton Historical Society, located along the newly expanded Route 7 at 224 Danbury Road in Wilton beginning May 30th and running every Wednesday from 2-6p.m. until September 12.

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National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day is tomorrow!

          Soft or crunchy, nuts or not, who doesn't love a chocolate chip cookie?  Tomorrow is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and we wanted to share our favorite recipes and tips for one of our favorite treats.  

If you're making a batch, make 2 and freeze the extra dough into logs so you have the ultimate slice and bake whenever you want one (or two, or three...)  

          Chocolate chip cookies are always the perfect gift, bake bite-sized cookies to share with a friend or neighbor, or wrap a roll of dough in parchment paper so they can enjoy a cookie anytime .

While we are a big fan of the classic Nestle Toll House recipe, the New York Times recipe is also a top contender, but our favorite chocolate chip cookies come from Levain Bakery in New York City.  Their dense soft cookies are the best around. While we couldn't rangle the recipe from them, this one is pretty darn good!  

                     FYI-All of their cookies can be ordered online and shipped..

             Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies (**Yield-  1 dozen cookies) Ingredients

2 sticks ‘cold and cubed’ unsalted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar – not packed too hard. Just spoon it in the cup(s) and press down lightly when full, sweeping off any extra that runs over.

2 eggs

3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups AP flour – Spoon and Sweep method. (feel the dough, it should be moist, kind of like cold cookie dough in a tube.. but not super sticky, so you can portion the cookies with your hands)

3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

3/4-1 teaspoon baking powder ( I don’t fill the tsp fully, hence the 3/4 tsp)

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 cups good quality semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (I usually use half semisweet and half milk chocolate AND, a little birdy told me they use Guittard)

1 cup walnuts (Toast the nuts for more flavor, if desired and/or use any kind of nut you like. I love macadamias in these)

Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time.. and beat until well incorporated.

2. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chunks and nuts.

3. Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions, **about 4 oz each..

4. Place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven 16-23 minutes depending on how gooey and raw’ish you like the middles (I bake mine at 375 for 18-20 minutes, as I prefer a less raw interior), until very lightly browned, taking care not to overbake. Let cool on rack and store what you don’t immediately eat, in an airtight container. To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Levain Bakery Copycat Dark Chocolate Peanut butter Chip Cookies (**Yield - 1 dozen cookies)

Ingredients

2 sticks cold and cubed unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

***1/4 to 1/2 cup good quality dark cocoa powder

2 1/4 to 1/2 cups all-purpose flour- Spoon and Sweep method

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

3/4 to 1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups peanut butter chips

Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well-incorporated, then beat in cocoa powder.

2. Mix in flour, salt and baking powder until just combined. Gently fold in remaining ingredients.

3. Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions, **about 4 oz each, and place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven 16-20 minutes depending on how gooey and raw’ish you like the middles (I bake mine at 375 for 18 minutes, as I prefer a less raw’ish’ interior), taking care not to overbake. . Let cool on a rack and store what you don’t immediately eat, in an airtight container. To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Note – The Levain Bakery doesn’t use vanilla extract in their cookies, as they feel it’s unecessary. However, some feel you need it. You can add 1 tsp to 1 T to each recipe if desired. Just add it after each egg is incorporated.

** Note – The Levain Bakery uses 6 oz of cookie dough per cookie. As mentioned above, If you want 12 cookies out of the above recipes, a little over 4 oz per cookie (4.1 to 4.2 oz. Use a kitchen scale) will get you that. If you want to use 6 oz of cookie dough per cookie, you’ll probably get only 6-8 cookies. However, a little over 4 oz makes a cookie just as thick and huge, so you don’t even notice the difference.

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Party Express popping up at the Wilton Farmers' Market

The rain has finally stopped and we are ready to pop up!  In 3 weeks the Wilton Farmers' Market will open, and we'll be there offering an exciting selection of handmade foods to complement those farm fresh veggies.  

Stop by and pick up some of our delicious handmade snacks, including gourmet popcorn flavored with harrissa & brown sugar, Madras tandoori, meyer lemon & basil, and salted white truffle. YUM!!

Along with delicious take-home sides including Southern Succotash, Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille, Soba Noodle salad with Asian Eggplant, and Tabouli, we will offer weekly dishes that take advantage of the freshest seasonal produce.  

We are excited to offer bento style boxed meals and snacks including spicy feta and olives, marinated artichoke hearts with oven dried tomatoes, poached salmon with tzatziki(made with 0% fat-free Greek Yogurt), lemon orzo wheat germ salad, Asian chicken salad with brown rice and roasted fennel, and Catalan roasted vegetable frittata just to name a few! There will be also weekly vegan and gluten-free bento box offerings.

Let Party Express make every day a reason to celebrate, where will you pop up?  At the pool?  On the softball field?  At the tennis courts? 

The Wilton Farmers' Market runs every Wednesday from 2-6p.m. beginning May 30th and is located at the Wilton Historical Society on 224 Danbury Road.

                      Follow us on Twitter @FestivitiesCT and on Facebook!

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Our newest article for Moffly Media.

Go Big… or Go Small

The first step is to really envision what your wedding day will look and feel like.

Rosinne Chlala

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROSINNE CHLALA

My first instinct was to make the font for the “go small” part of the title in a smaller print… then I realized going big or going small should be exactly the same size, large and bold because it’s all good!

If it’s good for you, it’s good. I love to tell our brides… when you walk into the room, our goal is that you say” YES, this is me!” One of the first choices you will make after the date is where and how many. And that decision sets you down a path that will, in many ways dictate your choices later.

The first step is to really envision what your wedding day will look and feel like. If you both come from large families who are excited to be part of this day, then your list may be longer than you realize, and a big wedding is in your future. Big weddings are for those whose culture and vision include lots and lots of guests.  Intimate weddings give you an excuse to invite only those you love and who know you well… business associates and golf buddies not included…or cousins twice removed. 

How DO you see yourself walking down a long aisle with a stunning train or barefoot on the beach? Everybody you know or your nearest and dearest. Where do you want your focus to be? On each other and your favorite posse or in the center of a dance jam — what excites you?

Intimate weddings are usually seventy-five guests and under. This gives you lots of choices destination either at home or abroad, and the opportunity to go all out… designer dress, incredible location, stunning flowers and all those touches that might not be able to happen with a larger party. 

If it’s important to go big then you need to make sense of it. Logistics and personalities are important to put into perspective. And you will need help. 

The bigger the celebration, the more the stress, the pressure is on to please a lot more people when you go big… especially the pressure to be the hostess with the mostest on your wedding day when all you want to do is to have fun  and celebrate. We do recommend help!

One of the hottest trends in weddings now is the smaller guest list. Here are some of the reasons:

1. Relax! You will feel more at home with your guests. Your wedding will feel more like a soft breeze than a mighty wind.

2. Spending time with your guests:  I just spoke with a bride who's guests are coming from all over the world...and all expecting to spend the week with her! An intimate wedding allows you to really spend time with those who are important to you.

3. Menu - If food design is important to both of you, and the menu is an important part of your celebration, you can customize a menu that is truly your vision. Not as easy when serving 200. 

4. Budget, budget, budget! You will spend far less and have much more. You can splurge or you can be the ultimate DIY bride with 100 napkin rings to make rather than 300.

 5. It is all you - you and your new husband are really the center of attention - not the music or lights.

 6. Location, location, location - You can go just about anywhere! A beautiful inn on the beach or a journey up the river by boat... imagine it and you can make it happen!!

Just be sure that the location suits an intimate celebration.

How do you make it happen when dealing with family and friends? It would be gracious to explain to them how you both feel about your decision. You could even assure them that the people they feel should be included might be invited to a post-wedding gathering.       

I have had the privilege to be part of many weddings, large and small. I have loved them all because we were able to create exactly what our brides wanted for their celebration. I always thought that big and beautiful was really spectacular. However, recently we had the opportunity to be part of a very special wedding celebration with 15 guests. The photos of the wedding reflect the joy of the couple and their families. And that's what it's all about.

Festivities is known for the finest in catered foods, sophisticated presentations and innovative event designs. For almost 30 years, this brother –sister team have kept their business on the cutting edge of food and event design. Multiple time winners of “Best of the Gold Coast”, Roe and Bill offer their clients a warm, customized experience when planning their most important celebrations. 

Rosinne K. Chlala Co-Owner/Event Consultant Festivities 203-847-7774 [email protected] festivitiesevents.com Join Festivities on Facebook Twitter: @festivitiesct