The 411: Creative Food Bars

Men, women and children all will remember one main element at your event.  Be it a wedding or a summer bbq, the food is a key element to any party's success.  I have been seeing a ton of creative additions to weddings with creative side bars to keep guests happy until the last song.  But scale down these same ideas and they would be a perfect fit for a more casual affair.  Here a four of my favorite inspirations right now:

#1. Ice Cream Parlor
Wedloft featured a spectacular ice cream parlor set up that made me curse the stars that I am lactose intolerant and don't have free range of every item on this table.  Of course you can provide soy ice cream for your guests along every topping under the sun, making sure there are labels for each item for any guests with allergies.  Timing & location is an issue since you don't want your beautiful display turning into a sloppy mess, so save this idea for an indoor reception, limit the bar's availability to 2 hours and always check with your venue first.  If you want to try this out for a home party, limit the types of ice cream and keep any unused cartons in the freezer.

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#2. Trail Mix Buffet
Who doesn't enjoy trail mix?  This is a personalized and fun update to the dessert bar featured on Style Me Pretty.  You can set out the different items for guests to create their own trail mix or you can set out different styles of pre-made trail mix.  Perfect for health nuts and this is the lowest cost bar on the list.  Yum!

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#3. French Fry Bar

So mashed potato bars have become fairly common but what says all-American party more than french fries?  Wedloft featured this mouthwatering setup which makes french fries look classy and chic at a wedding, imagine that!  I could easily see this being a huge hit at a house party as well as a great compliment to burgers and dogs.  I would suggest using plates so guests could pile on cheese, crab meat, bacon, chili... the possibilities go on and on.

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Hitched!!! Ford Wedding 9.25.10

Nothing like a beautiful September wedding to get me through these winter months!  Plus, Christmas day was exactly 3 months of wedded bliss for this couple.  I am so excited to feature the Ford wedding and all the fantastic details!  I have known the bride, Kate since high school when we met through our church's youth group.  Unfortunately, we lost track of each other after college and about a year ago we reunited through a wedding blog!  She saw Felicity C Weddings featured on Charm City Bride Blog and the rest is history.

Kate was a great bride to work with, not only because she's a friend but because she knew exactly what she wanted and had great ideas from the start.  A literary theme with specific personal details was the plan for Kate & Mike and I believe that is exactly what we accomplished.  The ceremony & reception took place at the Howard County Conservancy in Woodstock, MD.  It is a gorgeous property and we could not have asked for a better day.  Reverend Laura Cannon officiated the ceremony and Kate & Mike could not have chosen a better officiant.  She took the time to find out what they were looking for and created that personal, close vibe for the day.

Next up was the cocktail hour in the honors garden.  Atlantic Caterers did a fantastic (and delicious!) job from start to finish and they even went above and beyond to create a s'mores bar specifically for this wedding!  It was a HUGE hit!  Procopio Photography's wife and husband duo of Cicely & Jason were a perfect fit for this wedding and effortlessly captured every moment from the ceremony kazoos to the book that Mike & his brother put together for the guest book to the excitement on the dance floor.  Their passion for photography is obvious in working with them and the pictures speak for themselves (see below!).  Speaking of amazing details, Kate & Mike honored a great Howard County tradition by having The Snowball Stand in Woodstock serve snowballs at their cocktail hour.  Guests were treated to blue raspberry, watermelon & wedding cake (of course!) with optional marshmallow topping (a local favorite). 

Moving onto the reception inside the Howard County Conservancy, DJ Bill Bowen kept the party going all evening.  Bill actually did the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception music (three separate places) and was great to work with.  I was really impressed with the Fords' florist, Local Color Flowers.  I had heard rave reviews about the LoCoFlo crew and after working with Ellen, I can tell you that every compliment was deserved.  Even more amazing than their work, the company is based on "creating personalized arrangements and bouquets from fresh, seasonal, and sustainable flowers cultivated by local specialty growers" so it is a purchase couples can truly feel good about.

There are so many details that I cannot even begin to list.  Thanks to the Fords and their families for making this wedding such a joy to be a part of.  Here are the photos of this beautiful day.  Enjoy!