Time for a spooky celebration

Whether it’s a themed wedding or an annual costume party, Halloween always offers lots of exciting possibilities for party planners and guests alike.

Décor options range from the elegantly spooky, (think drapes of black and a few flashes of orange or red) to the Gothic, (vampires, black, coffins, and death); from typical Halloween fare (pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, and ghosts) to the downright horrific scenario that comes straight from a Hollywood horror movie set (complete with animatronic axe murderer)! One wedding I recently attended featured the entire wedding party in full zombie makeup, and an incredibly detailed graveyard theme. The only limit is your imagination. Blood spatter on white table cloths? Great! Dried/dead rose centerpieces draped with fake spider webs? Go for it! If the event is a wedding, the bridal party might also choose to dress in black or dark red as opposed to the traditional white.

If you’ve gone to that much trouble planning the décor for your event, you don’t want to then spoil the mood by having boring food options. Again, let your imagination play and create food to match the theme. Finger foods can be made to look like fingers. Hollowed out pumpkins can be used as soup tureens, candy bowls,… you name it.

For the wedding toast, you might consider red wine instead of champagne, served in ornate goblets. And of course, don’t forget to ask your bartender in advance about a special Halloween themed cocktail. Choose anything that’s orange, black or deep red in color. You can always give it an appropriate name for the evening. There is even a black vodka that can give your drinks a more Gothic appearance.

Halloween is one of the most popular times of the year, if not THE most popular, for themed weddings so don’t be afraid to go a little wild. Or perhaps you should be afraid, very, very afraid…!

Orange Weddings

Continuing on from last month and our discussion of using Tennessee orange as the main color for your wedding, here are some more ideas and resources to show your loyalty to the Vols, even on your big day.

Luckily, orange being the bright, cheery color that it is, it makes an ideal color for weddings in spring, summer, or even fall. Mixed with golds and warm browns, it conjures up thoughts of autumn. Put it with white, a little greenery, and even some pink, and you have a color match suitable from spring through summer.

Your devotion to orange can start with the invitations. You can find an array of stylish choices at InviteSite.

The biggest way to incorporate Tennessee orange is in the outfits worn on the day. I have spoken to dressmakers who have made everything from tuxedos to bridesmaids gowns and even wedding dresses in orange. It could be as simple as the men wearing orange ties and the bridesmaids having an orange sash, all the way up to a full on explosion of Vols support. (Be forewarned though that not everyone in the wedding may share your love of Tennessee sports).

Alternatively, you could have orange décor. Your caterer and reception host will be able to help with this. A simple table decoration can look stylish and be the perfect offset to your orange wedding cocktail (see last month’s entry on orange cocktails).

The key thing to remember when planning a wedding theme around a certain color is to have fun. Sometimes less is more. A small posey of orange roses against a white dress can be elegant and stunning. On the other hand, match your personalities. If you are both loud and proud Tennessee fans, and it suits your style to be decked out from top to toe, go for it!

A shot of orange

When planning your wedding, it can be fun to coordinate with your bar caterer to come up with a cocktail or two that match the colors or something specific to your wedding. Since BarBop is based in Tennessee, this month we’ll be looking at a few ideas for showing your love of the Volunteer State, starting with a few cocktail suggestions. Ask your bar staff if they can whip up one of the following for you to enjoy:

Think of Tennessee and alcohol, and you think of Jack Daniels, so what better way to celebrate matrimonial bliss than with a little Southern Harmony for the wedding party:

Mix 1 ¼ oz Jack Daniels with ¾ oz Southern Comfort and 4 oz of sweet and sour mix. Add a splash of 7Up and pour over ice. Serve with a lemon wedge.

Or how about a Tennessee Julep for those hot summer evenings:

Cover about 12 mint leaves with 1 tsp powdered sugar and a few drops of water. Smash the mint up a bit and put half of the mint in a julep cup. Half fill the cup with crushed ice. Add 1 jigger Tennessee Whisky and 1 jigger Apricot Schnapps. Add the rest of the crushed mint and some more ice.

You’ll notice one more thing these have in common. That’s right. A Tennessee cocktail has to have something orange in it if you’re a Vols fan.

One drink that looks bright and sunny and would be perfect on a sunny day is a Tennessee Peach:

Blend 5 oz canned peaches in syrup. Add the juice of 2 limes, 3 oz Tennessee Whiskey, 2 tbs sugar and some ice. Blend together and pour into 2 tall glasses. Top with whipped cream.

Finally, if you want something orange, not featuring whisky, but still a little different, try a Red Surf:

Shake together the juice of 1 orange, 1 measure Vodka, ½ measure Noilly Prat Red, a dash of lime juice and 1 tsp Grenadine. Serve over ice with a cherry.

Of course, these are just a few ideas. Talk to your bar caterer before your special event and they will be able to work with you to come up with something different for your celebration.

Fiona Young-Brown

An Alternative to Wedding Favors

Wedding favors – pricey little things aren’t they? And how many weddings have you been to where, at the end of the evening, little bags of candied almonds or books of personalized matches are littered across the tables, destined for the trashcan?

I went against the grain and didn’t have any favors. Guess what – no one even noticed. When people are having a good time at your wedding, the last thing they are interested in is whether you’ve given them a small container of bubbles.

I know there are lots of brides who want to have favors for their guests, but they want something a little different. So how about some of the following ideas:

If you’re having a themed wedding, choose a favor to match the theme instead of something generic. Even candy can be a little different. Beach wedding? Chocolate starfish and shells. Halloween? Choose little candy skulls. A Japanese themed wedding can have mini cherry blossom dishes. You get the idea.

Are guests going to be fighting the heat of an outdoor summer wedding? Give fans as favors. Not the usual, cheap ones you see being handed out for free at festivals. Go for something elegant that guests will be pleased to use. Alternatively, if it’s a beach wedding, use palm fans. The design can match the wedding party colors.

Will you have a lot of guests coming from out of town? Think of a local product you could use - miniatures of bourbon for a wedding in Kentucky. Tiny bottles of bbq sauce in Texas. Trust me – there won’t be any of those left on the table.

Instead of given the guests a small gift, use the money budgeted for favors and make a charitable donation. You can then make little tags for each place setting letting them know that a donation has been made in their name to your favorite charity.

The trick with wedding favors is to be creative. Have fun with them and give guests something that matches your personality.


Fiona Young-Brown

A wedding gift you must check into

Hands down one of the neatest event ideas I have seen.

Sheila Kurtz is a master graphologist who assembled a team of graphologists, psychologists, computer programmers, and more to form graphology consulting group. This company analyzes handwriting. Sheila has spoken all over the world, analyzed for a variety of events, and was even called in to help the New York Jets communicate better.

I just recieved my writing analysis, and the easy to read report described me perfectly. Also, it noted some possible things that may benefit me in the future. My report revealed insites into my thinking patterns, imagination, goals, achievments, and emotions. Personally, I am a very skeptical person about pretty much everything, but the proof is in the pudding. I recommend this idea to anyone looking for unique wedding ideas, event entertainment, or their own use. Click here to get more information about this unique wedding idea.

Fun lemonade stand wedding bar

Surely, one of my very first mobile bar experiences had to be the time I set up a lemonade stand, for my mother's big garage sale back in the late 80's. As a way to make a few extra nickles, I created a well equipped umbrella shaded, fresh lemon packin, only 5 cents a serving, lemonade stand. What fun it was to create that advertising sign, "Made in the shade and stirred with a dog's hind leg". Some of you may not have had the chance to do this as a child, but either way, you have probably seen or visited one.

This was the source for one of our mobile bar creations last summer. Our version featured a little more than your typical non-alcoholic lemonades, but you can make it work both ways. We started off with a 4' table and covered it with a disposable yellow plaid table cover. Next, we filled a huge glass vase with fresh cut limes and strawberries. Just behind the bar area we placed a huge shady umbrella over the entire table, sat our bartender in a chair, and put him to work behind the blender. Ofcourse, we topped this all off with a custom sign that you can view above. If you need a custom designed bar idea for your event be sure to give BarBop.com a call.

Wedding bar drab or fab?

Your may or may not want your wedding bar to be the focal point of your reception. Most couples will state something like "make it classy" or "I want elegant" when imagining their bar, no matter how much attention they want it to bring. It's very easy to add "curb appeal" to your bar with or without a budget.


Big budget weddings can employ any number of items from large center peaces to custom built bars. Some companies, like BarBop, offer custom designed light bars, high bars, and more. Also, many rental companies can supply you with alternative designs. Another idea is to offer an ice bar like the ones from SpecialtyIceCarvings.com. The possibilities are almost limitless these days with so many new styles of wedding vendors competing for business.


Ofcourse adding the features above are nice, but what if you don't have that kind of budget? No worries, it's easy to snazz up low budget bars as well. Adding a floral design with height is a great way to put life into any bar. Also, you can use what you have. For example, if your serving wine all night, don't just keep the extras in a box and wait for them to be used. Line the bottles up along the front of the table. The bar to the left used unopened wine bottles and a simple large vase filled with limes to add a nice touch to the front. The rear table used a simple wooden slab stacked on 2 evenly cut oak stumps.


Either way you look at it, snazzing up a wedding bar is easy and there are numerous options available. Some simple points for any bar design are to leave a clean center area for guests to get drinks and keep items organized throughout the night. You want the bar to look nearly as good as it does at the end of the night, as it did at the start. If you have some great wedding bar tips or ideas please post them below.