Happy National Macaroon Day!

May 31st is National Macaroon Day and today's blog celebrates this yummy dessert. If you are unsure about the contents of this delish dessert, a definition is provided below as well as some visual mouth-watering stimulation on this sunny Tuesday. Enjoy!


Macaroons - 1st created in France are a meringue-based cookie made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar. The macaroon is commonly filled with a buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two macaroon cookies. Decedent!!!


Until next time...WEDologize!!!


(photo credits: http://www.stardustpastry.com/; http://www.crazyaboutmacarons.com/; http://www.bobbetteandbelle.com/; http://www.bakerella.com/; http://www.theknot.com/)

Venue Spotlight: Holiday Inn Crystal Lake

I had the wonderful opportunity to check in with one of my former students who is now the Catering Sales Manager of the Holiday Inn Chicago-Crystal Lake Conference Center. My visit of this great location was not only educational, but delicious!

The Holiday Inn specializes in weddings and special events and is minutes away from great shopping, golfing and other fun activities such as the River Boat, Six Flags and museums. With 19 event and meeting spaces, they can just about accommodate any size event. They have a great restaurant in which I had the pleasure of having a wonderful lunch, a gorgeous outdoor deck, a bar that stays open until 11 and a really hip black and white lounge that stays open until 2:00am for the night owls.

Now for the couple who wishes to host their wedding ceremony and reception in the space, they offer some really nice amenities to name a few:

• Personal on-site coordinator;
  
• Award-winning Chef on staff;
  
• Champagne toast;
  
• 4-hour bar; and
  
• Discounted accommodations for your guests and I must say, the rooms are really spacious and comfortable

The per person price is reasonable as well starting at $51.95, minus tax and gratuity. And additions like the wedding cake and speciality linens can be added for a nominal fee. Oh and their provided centerpieces are not the flower in a bud vase, but a really nice hurricane vase that can be used to enhance your decor.

Contact Lena Marnell at 815.477.7000 or lene.marnell@pillarhotels.com for more information and a site tour. She's awesome and won't let you down

Until next time...WEDologize!

(photo credits: www.hicrystallake.com)

A Royal Opps!

Now that the Royal Wedding has now passed and Wills and Kate are moving along with their lives, we must too. But I will say this, I was one of the billions awake at 3am CST to watch the very moments of that beautiful, well-crafted day...BUT!

What were they thinking by using Post-it's on the guests chairs???? I was 100% mortified by seeing this at the wedding of the century! HELLO! Where was their wedding planner or was this a mere oversight??? Can't you see the person sitting in that seat now walking around with a post of their name stuck on their back?!?!?! Okay...enough venting.

I wrote a blog in January about reserving seats for the wedding ceremony - http://wedologize.blogspot.com/2011/01/this-seat-is-reserved-for.html - this may have been a good one for the Royal's to glance at before assigning seats.

Regardless of how you assign guests their seats, it's always classy to have an usher or hostess escort them to their seat. Or should you want to let the guest know where they are seated before hand, include a "within this row" card inside of their invitation ensemble.

Until next time...WEDologize!

(photo credit: www.facebook.com/ThinkSplendid)

Alter My Wedding Gown

Well now that my mini-vacation is over it's back to blogging! One of my bride's wedding gown came in and she sent me the pick of her in it...simply stunning! I asked her about alterations and that's when it hit me...how about blogging about alterations for your wedding gown and your attendant's gowns.

I've had plenty of brides come to me after they learn of the costs of gown alterations and ask if I know a seamstress that can do it cheaper. My suggestion to them is allow the boutique where you purchased the gown be responsible for the alterations. Reason being, should something go wrong, they are liable for your gown while in their possession and will seek the appropriate channels to repair or even order a new gown. Plus, the seamstresses deal with gowns and these types of delicate fabrics all day. Once you take the gown from the store and seek an outside tailor to alter your gown, the bridal boutique is no longer liable.

Yes, alterations can be costly, but remember this is one of the most important days of your life and you want that gown to fit perfectly. The same should be true for the ladies standing up for you. Proper undergarments are key! When going for your initial fittings, make sure to have the undergarments and shoes with you. This will allow the seamstress to take the proper measurements and decrease multiple visits.

Should you decide to seek an outside tailor to alter your gown, make sure to ask the proper questions. I've included a few below:

Have your altered wedding gowns in the past?
Have you worked with this type of fabric before?
When can I expect the gown to be complete?
What liability will you incur should something go wrong?
What are the terms of payment?

Until next time...WEDologize!
(photo credits: www.glamour.com - J Crew)

Cake Table Decor

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you will notice my passion for all things cake and dessert. In wanting to stray away from posting some more fabulous wedding cakes (I'll save that for next week), I decided to put a spin on today's blog and showcase some ways to design the cake table.

Surrounding the cake table with thick bed of rose petals is not only an easy way to add decor to the cake table, but it also created a stunning photo opportunity.

Glamour can easily be added to the cake table with speciality linens and votive candles.

A little whimsy was added to this cake table with the use of candles and letter spelling out "LOVE". How sweet!

Purchasing or renting a cake stand to elevate the wedding cake can make the most simple cake stand tall and POP on the table.

Until next time...WEDologize!

(photo credits - www.vcsphoto.com; www.thecakelist.com; www.flickr.com/photos/holistichenna/4056969368/; www.weddingbee.com)

Making it Legal

Many of the early summer couple are at the stage where they need to apply for a marriage license. Below are the details for making this fabulous day you have planner...LEGAL.

• You must be 18 years of age to apply for a marriage license.


• Both parties must be present and will have to show proper identification.


• In Illinois, no blood test or medical exam is required.


• You can apply for licenses Monday through Friday and sometimes on Saturday's if noted by the office.


• Depending on the county, the marriage license will cost a one time fee of $15-50, in cash.


• The license is valid 60 days from the date of application.

Below are some locations:

Cook County

118 North Clark Street

Chicago, IL 60602

312.603.5656

DuPage County

County Clerk

421 North County Farm Road

Wheaton, IL 60187

630.682.7035

Will County

County Recorder

302 North Chicago Street

Joliet, IL 60431

815.740.4615

More information can be obtained at http://illinois.usmarriagelaws.com/

Until next time...WEDologize!

To Save or Not To Save The Top

Although most cake designers are offering couples an anniversary cake one year later, there are still some couples who want to comply with tradition, save the top layer (or slices) of their wedding cake and eat it a year later. Now the biggest concern for most couples...how do you do you save a cake for one year and it come out tasting good?

Should you decide to save that top layer, below are "how-to" steps:

1. Remove non-edible decorations.


2. Place the cake, uncovered, in the freezer for a few hours so that the outer layer can get hard.


3. Remove the cake and wrap in plastic wrap. Three layers would work nicely.


4. Then wrap aluminium foil around the entire cake.


5. Put the cake in a plastic bag removing all the air.


6. Place the bagged cake in an air-tight container.


7. Last, place in the freezer and remove a couple of days before your one-year anniversary.

Until next time...WEDologize!