Weddings become more and more amazing every year. That formal event seems more fun than in the past. Couples these days want a memorable wedding that fits within their personality. For these reasons, they are always an incredible source of inspirations for any big party.

You probably have seen the wedding of the creative director of Hello!Lucky, Eunice with Daniel. It is featured on The Spring 2010 edition of Martha Stewart weddings and many on the blogosphere have praised it this month. This remarkable wedding illustrates so well key components that can make any party one that your guests will remember for many years.

1. Set the Tone with Stages, Props and Custom Signage

If you wish to make a statement, you need to invest in out of the ordinary party decor elements. They use the service of Because We Can to build a portable flat-pack grand stage, various signs, and fun props. Look for local people with a background in theater set, or even an excellent store window designer. They know how to create make believe props and stages.

And do not underestimate the power of custom signage. It does not give directions to your guests. It look should reinforce your party theme.

2. Parades and Costumes

The idea of a parade to bring the guests from point A to point B is a great and fun idea. It sends the message that it is time to celebrate. People of all ages love parades. Anyone with an artistic flair coupled with some building experience can made their own version of hand-painted silhouettes, if you have time on your hand. At a kid party, the kid can decorate their own silhouettes. When selecting the materials, make sure the silhouettes once attached to the stick will still be lightweight.

3. Attention to the Comfort of Your Guests

Assuring the well-being of your guests is the number #1 rule of entertaining. Every party has their high and low moments. Make sure that your guests always find something to do. It is not just about paying attention to food and drinks. It is also making sure that nobody is too hot, or too cold. It is about self-servicing snacks all day long, just in case someone is really hungry. All these little details translate into fun and happiness for your guests.

The last point applies to everyday entertaining. If those are planned ahead, the host and hostess will be free to enjoy the company of their guests. It does not always work that way in real life. But as long as you aim for more work before and less work during the party, you should be OK.

SEE MORE:
+ Eunice and Daniel feature on Martha Stewart Weddings
+ Portable stands, props and signage by Because We Can
+ Behind the scenes coverage on the blog of Hello!Lucky
+ Get the vendor list on Hello!Lucky
+ via 100 Layer Cake

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We are not always able to be with our love one for a birthday or the holiday. But with video on the Web, it is easy to send them very personal wishes. Look at this couple did for the birthday of one of their friend. They recreate a birthday at their home. Imagine receiving a video where your friends took the time to decorate their apartment and bake a birthday cake for you. It is adorable! Watch it!

+ via Party Perfect

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I was one of the few epicurean bloggers and journalists in Montreal invited to experience the Bombay Sapphire Collins event last Tuesday at the upstairs meeting room of Le Local. It was a fun, intimate evening developed around cocktail, food and entertaining. The night seems tailored for At Home with Kim Vallee.

As a bonus, my husband Jerome is my official photographer at events. Jerome was delighted to help me out since he is always on the lookout to expand his bartender skills. On top of that, Bombay Sapphire is his favorite gin.

We got the chance to meet and chat with Merlin Griffiths, the renowned mixologist who is the global brand ambassador of Bombay Sapphire. He came from the United Kingdom for a Canadian tour. During the evening, Merlin demonstrated how to prepare 4 easy drinks; each one is perfect for when you have guests over. The cocktail recipes contain 4 ingredients each. And the best of all is the fact that these recipes take almost no time to make. Merlin is knowledgeable and passionate about what he does. He is funny and a great entertainer. Later when we chatted with him, Merlin gave my husband cool tricks. He helped him refine his green tea martini recipe.

In each city, Bombay Sapphire teamed up with a local Chef to pair appetizers with their drink recipes. You may have noticed that cocktails and food pairing for an entire meal is in vogue. We had the chance to learn how to make and taste 3 appetizers prepared by the popular young Chef Louis-François Marcotte of Le Local. I will publish the recipes of the cocktails with the harmonizing appetizers next Wednesday on my Gastronomic column.

Jerome took beautiful pictures. I had a hard time limiting the number of pictures when I produced my photo montages. The glittered Bombay Sapphire bottle, used for displays and photos, is made with Swarovski Crystals. It is gorgeously crafted.

We received a swag bag with everything except the shaker and the Tonic water to prepare a Sapphire Tom Collins at home. After we prepared our Sapphire Collins with the gears in front of us, everyone was thrilled to know that a cool lemon squeezer will be given to us. It is perfect for making drinks since you can put it on top of your glass and no pits will fall on the glass. Inside a luxurious pocket file, we found all the recipes discussed during the evening. Like I said, I will publish the recipes with photos next Wednesday.

We sat next to Carrie, Jennie and Eric of Zurbaines.com, Jenny Harrisson of Culinary Escapade. Amongst the attendees I met that night, I have a nice chat with the 2 guys behind Eat Well Montreal.

On a final note, I wish to compliment the organizing team. I am giving you my seal of approval when it comes to the set up, the activities, the swag bag and the overall party program. Putting an attention to details pays off. To be fair, I want to mention that it is not the first year that Bombay Sapphire with their agencies in Canada organizes this event. I am looking forward to next year’s event.

Update: See more photos of the evening on the dedicated album on my Fan page in Facebook.

MORE:
+ Bombay Sapphire
+ Le Local – get directions p (514) 397-7737
740 William Street, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3C 1P1
+ Simple et chic – a cookbook by Jean-Francois Marcotte $39.95 CAD at Amazon

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For everyday entertaining, we may use these actions for convenience or for cost savings, but the important thing is to the reduce our footprints.

1. Use online invitations instead of printed invitations, unless it is a milestone event. With Facebook and plenty of free event invitation management services available online it is easy to do and look stylish.
2. Add a link to Google maps for people to find the directions to your home. With iPhone and BlackBerry, people often will not print the instructions.
3. Let go of the imported bottled water. Instead recycle glass and cute plastic bottles to serve tap water. Look at the modern bottle they used at La Fabrique.
4. Avoid as much as possible disposable tableware when you host a party.
5. Tea towels make wonderful napkins. You can buy them in bulk or sew your own. In the long run, it is cheaper than using patterned paper napkins.
6. Try to promote carpooling
7. In summer time, use local flowers that you get at the farmer’s market or in your own garden

If you are curious to know how its work, Lara of Ready 2 Spark produced a video tutorial that explains everything. I could be fun to host Twitter chats from time to time about everyday entertaining topics. Would you be interested to participate in something like that?

MORE:
+ Eventprofs chat by Ready 2 Spark

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I bring style, creativity and comfort to my parties. I believe in time saving solutions. This includes buying fine products from local shops instead of doing everything myself. I am not ashamed to say that I am not crafty. But once in a while, I will engage in handmade projects for my parties.

According to Martha’s quiz, I am a Thoughtful Hostess. I lose points for not do everything hand-made and not wrapping the left-over meals. I am too busy for that and I do not eat left-over. I like that we can compare our quiz answers with how other participants answered.

Interesting Patterns in Answers

To the question How long before a dinner party do you invite guests?, I answered 1 month. In fact, for a casual dinner (no special occasions) I typically invite people 2 weeks in advance. For birthdays or a special theme party, I will invite people at least one month in advance. The overall results show that

• 65% invite guests 1 week in advance
• 32% invite guests 1 month in advance

When a guest offers to bring something to your home, most people (58%) declined the offer since they plan for everything while more than a third (40%) welcome that the guests bring their favorite treats to share.

One question that was awkwardly asked was about the guest room. This question illustrated the disconnection in Martha Stewart’s ideal living and reality. Many urban people live in a small house or a condo unit where clearly there is no space for a guess room. This is my case. For that reason, I did not know if we should answer how we wish our guest room to be instead of how we do it right now, out of necessity. The answers were:

• 58% answered: Simple wall art and bedding in calming colors, a bedside water pitcher, reading materials, an extra toothbrush, and a single flower in a bud vase.
• 34% answered: What guest bedroom? Guests are always invited to stay, and can grab a spot on the couch or air mattress; there are plenty of extra pillows and blankets.

This weekend Lianne of Babyburrito described me in her blog as “Martha Stewart with an edge and way more appeal.” It is SO nice of her to say that! I will stick to my style.

MORE:
+ What Kind of Hostess Are You? quiz

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The February/March 2009 issue of Ready Made presents 5 cool and fun recurrent party themes with variations on the theme.

If you enjoy playing the mixologist, go for the Spirit tasting party. Make it trendier by adding food and cocktail pairing.

The membership movie card makes the attendance more special. Design your own card to tailor the type of movies you will be watching. The host punches the card for each movie they attend.

Instead of going for take out food at the movie night party, serve homemade pizza. It tastes so much fresher. A few people can be assigned each time to the task of making the pizza. It is one way for everyone to chip in. The moviegoers can even vote for their favorite pizza recipes.

Making Popcorn on the Stove

From the pictures, they do not own a popcorn machine. They simply master the art of popping the corn on the stove. And serve it with herbs and spices. If you never made popcorn the old-fashioned way, watch this video that illustrates the classic technique but makes me to have a bigger bowl at the end.

To get the basis on how to plan these parties, consult Ready Made Magazine.

SOURCING:
+ Ready Made Magazine
+ pizza with spicy salami, courgette, basil, tomato and mozzarella recipe by Jamie Oliver
+ Movie Theater Retro Popcorn Scoop Boxes – $14.95 to $18.95 USD for a case of 100
+ Let’s Start the Show invite on evite

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+ I published the tastiest Asparagus risotto recipe plus the wine that we drank with it. We basically did the asparagus, mint and lemon recipe from Cook with Jamie

+ I shared my 9 Tips to Throw a Stress-Free Buffet Party for 30 to 40 Guests plus how I set up my bar station. I also tell you how to welcome your guests with icy cold sake

+ Another great idea from Martha Stewart is her Handmade Package for A Cake Slice To Go. It is cute and simple to make. You could recycle this presentation to prepare in advance your dessert servings at a big bash.

+ I had the honor to be a guest blogger on Hostess with the Mostess. I develop a Modern Apple Harvest party theme for her blog. Thanks Jennifer.

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Jaime is a happy housewife hoping to become one day a domestic goddess. When I asked her to talk about herself Jaime told me that she was very blessed to have a husband who supports her love for weddings and blogging. So you could say her day job consists of blogging full time and planning weddings and events for friends and family.  She can’t get enough of it! I can rely to that.

Let’s start with the interview about her blog and her tips for home parties.

At Home with Kim Vallee (AHWKV): When and how did you get into blogging?

Jaime: The wedding obsession started after I planned our own wedding back in 2003. After our wedding, I didn’t want to stop planning; I enjoyed it too much! I think it might be because I’ve always loved being “artsy crafty”, so our wedding just inspired me to use that love in a way to help others plan. Oh, how I do love it!

I started blogging as a way to keep all of my creative thoughts, ideas and finding in one spot – nice and organized.  It was also a way for me to share ideas for friends and family who were getting married, as I was helping many of them plan. I never expected it to take off like it has, but I couldn’t be happier! I absolutely love blogging about weddings and entertaining. I am happy that I get to help other brides.

AHWKV: What is the concept behind your blog?  What people can expect when they read your blog?

Jaime: The tag line for my blog, It’s A Jaime Thing is, “Wedding inspiration, ideas and all things creative”. That’s exactly what it is. I try my best to update my blog at least 2- 3 times a day (sometimes more) with fresh content. I love sharing pictures and ideas that are creative and unique – things that I’ve never heard of or seen before. I also enjoy posting about cool finds from fashion to décor. My hope is to be able to help brides personalize their weddings to make it their own, rather than just like everyone else’s.

AHWKV: How often do you entertain at home?  On a personal level, what kind of party do you host?

Jaime: I recently hosted a bridal shower at our home, however I normally entertain else ware. I’m not too domestic when it comes to cooking. So I’m always joking with my best friend (who loves to cook) that she can host the dinner parties and I’ll host the cocktail parties!

When I do host parties at home, I love to keep it simple and intimate. I focus on creating a nice, comfortable atmosphere for my guests with fun décor, good music and very yummy cocktails along with finger foods. Oh, and cookies too – while I have issues when it comes to cooking, I do actually bake pretty well. Is that strange? My favorite saying is, “when you’re sad and feeling worse, just keep a cookie in your purse!”.

AHWKV: What lessons did you learn from organizing parties?

Jaime: Don’t stress. If there’s something you wanted to do but didn’t get done in time for the party, it’s ok! Nobody but you will know.

Allow yourself enough time to plan and prepare! Entertaining can get costly, but if you allow yourself enough time you can shop around for the best deals.

Make lists! There is nothing worse than remembering to buy enough cups but not enough napkins. Keep the list with you, and as you shop for your party, check the items off of the list.

For serving cocktails and food, set up a few areas where guests can fill up so that one corner of the party doesn’t get too crowded. This also helps keep the party traffic flowing.

Have everything ready before the guests arrive, so that you can enjoy the fabulous soiree you’ve created!

AHWKV: When you are doing a party in Chicago, what are the best stores for party supplies?

Jaime: Believe it or not, I love Family Dollar! You can find fabulous party supplies there if you’re on a tight budget. I also love Hobby Lobby, JoAnn Fabrics and SaveOnCrafts.com. Craft stores have loads of items you can incorporate into your event, especially if you like to think outside the box. I’m in my own personal “heaven” when I’m at a craft store. Not only do they offer a lot, but it’s a great place to go to get inspired and get your creative juices flowing.

AHWKV: Which vendors do you use when you organize a party?

Jaime: Fresh and Silk Flowers located in Carol Stream, IL. – They offer excellent prices, wonderful customer service and the most beautiful flowers that you know, coming from them, will always be fresh!

DJ Jimmy Manno with People’s Choice DJ, located in Lombard, IL. – I’ve been to so many weddings. This is by far the best DJ in the Chicagoland area! He’s professional, talented and really knows how to keep the dance floor full. When he DJ’s an event, every guest stays until the last song. Even grandma! He knows how to choose the right songs to keep everyone happy. With him as your DJ, your wedding or event will be one people will always remember as “the best!”. Did I mention DJ Jimmy Manno is extremely affordable compared to the many out there? He even works well with vendors, which is really important too.

Patrick Kramford Videography, located in West Chicago is one of my absolute favorite videographers around. He’s professional, talented and through the beauty of his work you can tell he really cares about it. When you book with him, rest assured you’ll end up with a quality video of your event – and you’ll watch it over and over as if it were a movie. He’s that good! He’s also very affordable compared to many others.

Of course you have to have a photographer? But there are too many wonderful ones to name. We were thrilled with our wedding photographer, Maureen Martini, owner of Portrait In Time Photography, out of Lombard. Again, she’s very professional, talented and affordable. We took 2 years to plan our wedding so you better believe I interviewed like a crazy bride! I found the best vendors at the best prices – we couldn’t have been happier, they all truly did a wonderful job!

AHWKV: Which are the best venues? And what is so special about these places?

Jaime: Oh goodness, there are so many around Chicagoland that it’s hard to name them all – so I’ll name just a few of my personal favorites.  Of course I have to mention the venue we married at – Avalon Banquets in Elk Grove Village, IL. The entire staff was super friendly, helpful and professional, the food was amazing, the prices were great, and they’re newly renovated. We were so happy we booked Avalon Banquets for our wedding!

Two of my other favorite venues for weddings are Riverside Receptions in Geneva, IL and also Danada House in Wheaton, IL. They’re very scenic and both offer outdoor space for your event along with their gorgeous buildings. They’re lovely!

Part 2 of this interview, the city guide, is next.

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With Thanksgiving and the Holiday season coming soon, here are my advices on how to host a stress-free, stylish party.

We received 35 guests for my husband’s birthday party. As a bonus, I published my menu at the bottom of this post.

Nine Tips to Throw a Stress-Free Buffet Party At Home

1. A buffet is easier to prepare and serve. Moreover, a party is more amusing when people can mingle across the room. 
2. If you do not hire servers, you need to plan right and be well equipped in serving ware to pull it off. Do not be shy to ask for the random help of supportive guests. I got lucky that my mother assigned herself to the dishes. At the end of the night, I did not have a lot of after-party dishes to do.
3. Ask help with cleaning the buffet table between services. If you do not own a silent butler or a crumb collector, use a clean folded fabric napkin and brushes to remove the crumbs onto a plate.
4. Be kind to Earth and try to avoid disposable tableware. You can buy affordable tableware at discounted stores. Store them in boxes, ready to use whenever you throw a big bash. Buying standard tableware is cheaper than a few rental rounds.
5. Unless you wish to get the funeral home look, do not crowd the space with chairs. It is not a sit-down meal. Assume that many guests will eat standing up and in rotation. I usually selected main course dishes that do not require a knife; or only a minimal use of knife.
6. Plan a menu that can be eaten standing up with a plate and a fork. If you hire a caterer, ask for delivery 2 to 4 hours before the event to give you plenty of time to set up everything.
7. Serve wines or pre-made cocktails. I often serve a pitcher of vodka and cranberry. On the drink station, simply place in sight the bottles or cocktail pitchers, the glasses, the ice bucket, and a corkscrew. Let the guests serve themselves.
8. Assume that people will gather in the kitchen and next to the buffet table. Leave room for people to move around. Plan your space and food and drink stations accordingly.
9. Whenever happens, keep smiling. You and your guests are there to have fun. If you forget to serve something, do not worry about it. Let it go and continue with the rest.

My Menu

I received compliments all night for the food. I used Chantilly’s, a tiny, local caterer that cooks food closer to home cooking.

I designed a 4-service meal. The first service lasted the cocktail hour. Then, I switch to the appetizers. It was followed by the main course. Last, it is the dessert.

I originally planned a green salad but I omitted to serve it as we already have plenty of food. For a casual buffet event with a main course, I typically forgo the cheese platter. I served more appetizers instead. I do it for a question of time. You see, my events typically start at 7:30-8:00 PM. By the time people finished the main course, it is often 11 PM.

Mises en bouche

• Crudités (raw vegetables) with spinach dip
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus served with an Assortment of Flatbreads, Breads, and Biscuits

Appetizers

• Capeletti Bites – Marinated Capeletti, Peppers, & Olives in a Basil Pesto Vinaigrette on Small Skewers
• Provençal Baguettes served sliced – Baby Baguettes Stuffed with Chevre, Sundried Tomatoes, Black Olives, Roasted Garlic, & Fresh Basil Chilled
• Gingered Shrimp & Snowpeas – Steamed Shrimp Marinated in Fresh & Pickled Ginger with Snowpeas & Water Chestnuts on Small Skewers
• Smoked Salmon Napoleons – Miniature Rectangles of Puff Pastry Layered with Smoked Salmon, Wasabi Cream Cheese & Marinated Cucumber
• Brie and Caramelized Onion Phyllo Flower – Round of Brie Nestled in Phyllo topped with Caramelized Onions & Fresh Herbs. Served with biscuits and bread

The Provencal baguettes and the Brie and Caramelized Onion Phyllo Flower were eaten in a flash. Everyone was talking about these two dishes.

Main Courses

• Genovese Eggplant Tartes – Roasted eggplant, fresh basil, onions, pesto, & light mozzarella in a cheesy herbed polenta crust
• Chicken Cacciatore with Herbed Orzo – Chunks of skin off bone in chicken simmered with tomatoes, peppers, onions, celery, & mushrooms. I served the orzo cooked in rich chicken broth and fresh herbs cold as a salad.

A stew is the perfect dish for easy entertaining. I simply reheated the chicken cacciatore on the stovetop in two Dutch ovens. When the food was hot, I deposited one Dutch oven at a time on a portable heater sitting at the buffet table.

Dessert

• The classic video game cupcake tower

If you have the time and you cook well, plan a meal where you can prepare things in advance. The old fashioned recipes are hip again. Do not be afraid to serve comfort food. The most important thing is that the food tastes great. With the current economic climate, I predict that people will entertain more at home. What do you think?

+ Photography by Renee of En Direct des Iles for Kim Vallee.com – rights reserved

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We wanted something special to greet our guests at my husband’s birthday party. We served cold sake shooters with a twist.

The anniversary cake theme was classic video games which most come from Japan. Serving sake at the start announced the end. We wanted something playful. That is when I remembered my Fred cool shooters ice mold.

I made in advance 40 ice shooters. I kept them in large freezer bags. We displayed them on ice after the first guest arrived. You have between 45 to 60 minutes before the ice shooters become unusable. It is best to keep half on the freezer, until you need them.

We served women the pink bottle sake while the men received a shot from the blue bottle. The girls enjoyed the creamy white Hakutsuru Sayuri Nigori Sake with its refreshing aroma, natural sweetness and smooth aftertaste. The guys tasted the flowery fragrant Hakutsuru Junmai Ginjo sake with silky, well-balanced smoothness.

Our cold sake shooters were a hit. With an original, easy to do setting, we created a lasting impression.

SOURCING:
+ Fred Cool Shooters Shot Glass Mold – $7 USD
+ Can be used for a Guitar Hero – Rock Band Party

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Friday night, we hosted a big bash at my house to celebrate the birthday of my wonderful husband. I will cover the party elements over a few posts.

I am starting this series with the drink station. We served a buffet style meal. We knew that our friends would prefer drinking wines. We also prepared a pitcher of vodka with cranberry juice.

How to Reproduce that Look?

I used my outdoor kitchen cart that I bought at IKEA a few years ago. It is ideal as a bar station because it has a stainless steel top. With condensation and drink spills, you need to protect the wood surfaces, if you used them. The bottom shelf is perfect to store backup party supplies or to keep nearby things that we will use later.

I made my own ice buckets using two wine boxes that I bought at the SAQ for $5 each. What a deal considering that the wood boxes are reusable. We placed a big cat litter plastic bag inside to protect against leakage and fill the boxes with ice cubes. Voilà!

If you are doing a formal event, consider the Hotel collection at Pottery Barn. It is affordable plus it comes in several formats and shapes.

SOURCING:
+ Hotel Oversized Bucket – $189 USD at Pottery Barn
+ Hotel Champagne Bucket – $79 USD
+ Hotel Double Wine Cooler – $89 USD

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I am happy to host a giveaway. Thanks to the book publisher, 5 lucky winners will receive a copy of Katie Brown Celebrates. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec).

Katie Brown Celebrates: Simple and Spectacular Parties All Year Round, Katie will inspire you to host a party every month of the year. The premise of the book is excellent. The book will hit the store November 3, 2008. I will tell you as soon as I receive my copy.

How do you enter this giveaway?

Register to Places on Kimvallee.com (we do not sell, rent or distribute the list of our members) and praise a total of 3 places in Canada or the United States. You must praise:

1. your favorite place to eat (i.e, restaurant, caterer, fine grocery shop, market, etc)
2. your favorite shop for clothes, and
3. your favorite place to sleep (i.e, hotel, bed and breakfast, etc).

After you praised the 3 places, come back to this post and write a comment where you specify your username on Places. The 5 winners will be determined through a random draw from the posted comments.

You have until October 22, 2008 23:59 (11:59 PM) EST to enter the Katie Brown Celebrates giveaway. Good luck!

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