Browsing all posts in Holiday Parties.
Unique Wedding and Party Favors
The last thing you want your guests to say at your wedding or party is “I’ve seen that before.” You want your special day to be a one of a kind, super unique event. One of the more popular trends for wedding favors or party favors is to plan a reception, bridal shower or party around a theme. The most unique are the ones that speak to your own personal style, flair or cultural background.
For Wine Lovers
“Maison du Vin” Wine Cork Place Card/Photo Holder with Grape-Themed Place Cards (as low as .95) — When two wine lovers wed, perhaps in a lovely vineyard, and the house wine at the reception is naturally spectacular, there’s a favor made just for you. You can share your affinity for wine with guests by choosing this charming place card/photo holder.
A Touch of Irish
Shamrock/Trinity Love Knot Key Rings (as low as $1.05) — Throughout Ireland, both the shamrock and the trinity love knot are much loved emblems of the country’s culture and spirit. And, these keychain favors bring both together in one special memento.
The Glamour Couple
Crystal Kissing Swans (as low as $2.65) — Add an enchanting touch of elegance to your event with these charming favors.
For more unique wedding or party favors, check out Moments of Elegance’s Unique Wedding Favors Catalog.
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Get Your Party Planning Questions Answered HERE
Planning a wedding can be a wee bit stressful, can’t it? How many people should you invite? How much should you budget for flowers? And likewise, planning any event, a birthday party, holiday gathering, baby shower, wedding shower, anniversary party, you name it, and it’s tricky. Well, never fear Moment of Elegance is here! Here to help you answer any party planning or entertaining questions you may have.
Need to know how many bottles of wine you’ll need for your next party? No prob. Here’s the wine bottle equation, figure one bottle of wine yields four glasses. Next figure that you’ll need a half of bottle of wine, per guest, (that’s two glasses per person). If you have 20 guests coming to your party you’ll need ten bottles. Or for you math savvy peops, 20 people x 2 glasses = 40 glasses of wine. 40 glasses/4 = 10 bottles.
If you have party or wedding planning questions, that you need answered ASAP, here’s what you need to do, just post your answer below in the comments section and our party planning expert will respond.
Want to sign up for special offers and coupons? You do! Great! It’s so easy. Just enter your email address in that little box over there to the right of the post. See it? Perfect.
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It’s a Heart Shaped World of Favors
Yep, V-Day is right there around the corner. The world has gone heart shaped. It’s hearts, hearts, and more hearts. Here are just a few of our fav heart shaped favors, heart shaped gifts, and heart shaped jewelry:
“My Hearts” Stamped Necklace ($65) — As seen in Pregnancy Magazine! Two itty bitty sterling silver hearts (1/2″) are hand stamped with the initial of your choice and strung from sterling chain with a freshwater pearl. Absolutely darling!
“Measure Up Some Love” Heart Shaped Tape Measure (as low as $1.40) — Guests can “measure up
some love” with these heart shaped tape measures. With its key ring attached, this favor is sure to stay handy and add a “lovely” accessory to their keys.
Golden Hearts Cookie (as low as $5.95) — These cookies are as delicious as they are gorgeous!! These Orange Vanilla Spice Cookies are painted with a pink heart that is then edged with rolled fondant and finished with gold luster. Each cookie measures about 3-1/2″ in diameter.
Triple Strand Heart Bracelet ($27.99) — Make your wrist say, “Ooh La La!” with this Triple Strand
Heart Bracelet. Chain linked hearts dance gracefully along this one of a kind toggle, making it an ideal blend of trend and tradition.
Two Heart Wine Pourer In Gift Box (as low as $2.25) — With prominent interlocking hearts at its top, this sleek and light weight favor, from Fashioncraft’s Vineyard Collection, makes a tasteful
addition to any love filled occasion
For more heart shaped favors for your wedding, baby shower, or Valentine’s Day Party, check out our heart on-line catalogue.
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Out With The Old & In With The NEW
It’s out with the old and in with the NEW…new favors and gifts that is! At Moments of Elegance, we have over 2,000 new products to add that extra pop to your wedding, bridal shower, baby shower, baptism, confirmation, birthday party, or graduation. Because as you know, the key to a fantastic event is in the details!
You won’t want to miss our New Products catalogue featuring fun and festive favors and gifts. There are literally thousands of favors and gifts to choose from, here’s just a small sample:
Cheery Cherry Blossom Design Candles (as low as $1.60) – A pretty symbol of good fortune, love and the rebirth of spring – not to mention its beautiful color combination of pink and brown – the cherry blossom is gaining in popularity as a decorative element at weddings, showers and more.
Fleur de Lis Design Mint Tins(as low as .70) — Add a touch French flair to your special occasion
with these fleur de lis design mint tins as your favors.
Tiny Square Hand Stamped Necklace ($62) – Two hammered squares (About 1/2″ each) are hung from a thick, sterling ring and strung on sterling chain. A cream freshwater pearl adds the perfect detail. Each square can fit up to 6 characters.
Olive You Always Collection Oil & Vinegar Sets (as low as $4.20) – Looking for fun favors that are destined to be used over and over again? Well these flavorful kitchen favors make a recipe for success.
Angel Design Letter Openers (start as low as $1.55) — What could be better than sending your guests home with an angel at the end of your special day? Angel favors are an inspirational and beautiful choice for weddings, Christenings and so much more.
NYC Icon Natural Tote Bag ($20) — What a unique way to welcome your guests to an out of
town/destination wedding! Perfect as out of town welcome bags, rehearsal dinner gifts, corporate gifts, or even wedding favors.
This is just a sample of a few of the new fab gifts and favors we have, so you just have to check out our New Products Catalogue. You must! Really.
Christmas Dinner
Christmas will be here in a few short days. So, what are you making? If you are looking for some ideas, no need to look any further. We’ve found holiday menus that will make your mouth water.
“I think the mistake people make most when entertaining is to get too fancy with the food,” says Nigella Lawson. “No one is ever too sophisticated for the basic pleasures of home cooking, and there is something about those old favorites that makes everyone feel a little leap of joy in the heart.”
Nigella Lawson’s Christmas Dinner Menu is featured on epicurious.com is complete with a crab cocktail starter and ends with a decadent chestnut cheesecake .
Martha Stewart’s Baked Ham Christmas Menu featured on marthastewart.com is centered around her recipe for Honey Orange Baked Ham.
If you want oodles and oodles of ideas, check out Jamie Oliver’s Family Christmas site. He boasts a recipe for “The Best Turkey In The World.” Hmm, too bad we didn’t have this one LAST month, but better late than never! Right?
According to Oliver, “In my books, the perfect bird is 6.5kg– 8kg in weight because that’s a good size to handle, feeds about 10 to 14 people and has better flavour than bigger birds. If you’re buying from a small producer, like the lovely turkey I used from my mate Paul Kelly, you’ll often find these birds come with their own cooking instructions. Really good-quality birds do cook in a shorter time so follow the instructions if it has them. “
For more Christmas Dinner Menus, be sure to check out the following:
Happy Cooking!
Happy Baking!
And Happy Holidays!
Ho, Ho, Holiday Hostess Gifts
It’s the holidays and you’re out and about going to this party and that. Do you arrive empty handed? No way! Only the Grinch would show up without a hostess gift. Yes, you can go the bottle of wine route, but seriously, what fun is that?
Here’s an idea for you — why not stock up on fun holiday gifts? Keep them on hand, so when you have a party to go to you can just wrap, tag, and go. At Moments of Elegance, we have the perfect holiday hostess gifts. Just check out our Holiday Party Favors for fabulous and festive gift ideas!
Here are our favs:
“A Winter Holiday” Personalized Lollipop (starts at $1.70 for 24 units) — leave a “sweet” strawberry reminder for your hosts!
Holiday Dots Favor Boxes (starts at $2.50 for 20 units) — personalize your gifts with this sweet box.
Winter Wonderland Snowman Globes ($2.85 min order 6) — who doesn’t just love, love, love a snow-globe?
Other fun gift ideas include:
- Winter Flowers — such as Narcissus Bulbs or a Poinsettia
- Holiday Ornaments
- Speciality Foods — olives, olive oils, flavored vinegars, coffees, teas or chocolates
- Picture Frames
So this holiday, ditch the bottle of wine in “favor” for some fun and festive gift ideas!!!
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Wine &Turkey
You spent days preparing the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. Wine is the perfect accent to compliment your Thanksgiving dinner. The question is…white or red? The answer is either!!! Yes, you can serve red or white wine with turkey. It depends on your preference.
If you like ………………then you must try:
- Dry white wines – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or a White Burgundy
- Sweet wines — White Zinfandel
- German wines — Gewurztraminer or Riesling
- Red wines — Pinot Noir (served slightly chilled)
- Sparkling wines — Champagne
For recommendations, Wine.com features a Thanksgiving Wine Guide. Here are some of our favs:
- Kenwood Jack London Vineyard Zinfandel ($19.99) — features an aroma of boysenberries, accented by hinted of white pepper.
- Pacific Rim Organic Riesling ($13.99) — features aromas of jasmine and citrus.
- A to Z Pinot Noir (17.99) — features blackberry, raspberry, black cherry and earth.
- Mumm Nape Brut Prestige ($14.99) — features a touch of vanilla and melon.
Make Hot Chocolate from Scratch
We live in this instant gratification type society. And on some days there is nothing wrong with that! But on other days, you just want a nourishing cup of home made hot chocolate to sustain you through a cold winter’s day. And why not? It’s so super duper easy!!!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 4 cups of chocolate chips
- 2 cups of milk
Optional Ingredients:
- Cream
- Pinch of salt (believe it or not the salt brings out the chocolate even more…yum!!!)
- Flavorings, such as herbs, spices, liquor, mint etc
Here’s how you prepare it:
- Get your hands on some chocolate — milk, dark, white whatever strikes your fancy!
- Chop the chocolate on a wooden board with a serrated knife — you’ll need 1 ounce of chocolate per cup.
- Warm your milk on a medium to low setting ( you can also use a double boiler) and gently add your chocolate. For super chocolaty chocolate milk use 4 ounces of milk for thinner use 8 ounces of milk. This is the point where you can add your spices or liquor.
- Stir completely with a whisk (vigorously if necessary) until the chocolate completely disappears.
- Viola! Turn off the heat, pour into cups, and garnish with cinnamon sticks or whipped cream. Enjoy!!!
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Event Planning Top 10 Mistakes
Whether you are a professional event planner or a novice planning an event, here are the top ten mistakes that you can make.
- Failure to budget properly or uncover hidden costs such as travel, audio visual, labor and shipping.
- Hiring entertainment based on price. Along with food, entertainment is the most important element in your event…have you been at an event with a bad DJ? What was that like?
- Not obtaining and checking references when using a new vendor or facility. In the event planning industry everything is done by word of mouth or on a referral basis. If you are using a vendor you never used before ask for and check references.
- Knowing and understanding the “objectives” of the event. Are you launching a new product? Trying to woo new customers? Build corporate morale? You should always have a clear idea of what your company or client is trying to achieve before you create the event.
- Not trouble shooting audio visual issues. Before any event in which any kind of audio visual presentation is happening, you must do at least two dry runs.
- Not setting and hitting time lines. You must create a time line in which you lay out all your time lines for ordering, payments, etc.
- Selecting the wrong venue for the event. This goes back to your objective, do you need a massive space equipped with audio visuals for a multi-media presentation or do you need a quiet cozy space to woo clients?
- Poor planning. You must create a day of itinerary that outlines EVERYTHING that is too happen on the day of the event from the delivery of the flowers to the break down of the table and chairs.
- No water for the speakers. This is a rookie mistake. You must have water available for your speakers.
- No access to your contact list. On the day of the event, you better have the names and numbers of every single one of your vendors, so you can quickly call them if. Also, you must have a main point person at your venue to help you trouble shoot any issues that can and will come up. This person will be your best friend the day of the event.
The most important rule of event planning is that no matter how much you plan, something can and will go wrong at your event. It’s the law of events. Keep a clear head, do what you can to rectify the situation and then let it go. Your job is to create the right kind of environment so your guests can enjoy themselves.
So don’t sweat the small stuff. At the end of the day, no one will remember if they were served tap water verses sparkling water, but if the venue is too small, the entertainment was bad or the food was cold that’ll stick with ‘em!
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How Do Ya Like These Apples?
Today is officially the first day of the fall season. When I think fall I always think of apples. Of course there is nothing better than a fresh crispy apple, but there are so many fun things to do with apples from cider to chutney. Enjoy these festive fall apple recipes.
Easy Apple Cider featured on allrecipes.com
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (64 fluid ounce) bottle apple cider
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
DIRECTIONS: In a slow cooker, combine apple cider and cinnamon sticks. Wrap allspice and cloves in a small piece of cheesecloth, and add to pot. Stir in brown sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and keep warm.
Apple Chutney from Clean Food cookbook by Terry Walters
Makes 3 cups
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup apple cider or juice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 5 cloves
- 8 firm and tart apples (Granny Smith, Macoun or other)
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 fennel bulb, halved, cored, and diced
- pinch of sea salt
- zest of 1 lemon
DIRECTIONS: Place apple cider, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a small pot over medium heat and simmer 15 minutes. Turn off heat, remove cinnamon sticks and cloves and set aside. Meanwhile, peel, core, and dice apples.
In 2-quart pot, combine apples, raisins, maple syrup, ginger, onion, fennel and salt. Place over medium-high heat and add in spiced apple cider. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes or until chutney is thick. Remove from heat, fold in lemon zest and serve warm or cold.
Apple Crisp recipe by The Neelys featured on the FoodNetwork.com
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS:
Filling:
- 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped small
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Topping:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For the Filling:
- Mix all the ingredients together. Place into 7 to 8-ounce ramekins.
For topping:
Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Blend the butter into the mixture until it forms pea size lumps. Stir in pecans and sprinkle over filling.
Bake crisps for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
Planning a fall dinner party or evening get together? Consider these recipes and then look for some cool fall party favors!