| Emily's Bridal Blog | Installment #3

I believe the perfect color combination sets the tone for every wedding. Inspiring wedding combinations are endless -- ranging from "fall harvest" (chocolate brown and burnt orange) to "bright spring" (crisp white with lemon yellow accents) to "understated sophistication" (shades of ivory and beige). The color possibilities are only limited by our imaginations! We want the atmosphere at our wedding to have a fun, summer, chic feel. So the colors I envision are....

raspberry pink with bright orange accents.

These colors also reflect my personality seeing as my favorite color happens to be pink! Some guys would likely veto this idea, but lucky for me, Brian is supportive and lets me be "creative director". I was so excited when I found invitiations that will help convey my vision even before the big day!

In the ballroom, solid ivory linen with a circle of gold chivari chairs will feature a pink folded napkin and colorful flowers as a centerpiece. The cocktail and bistro tables on the patio will be a little more bold and daring featuring this funky linen!This was an easy and exciting part of the planning process as my vision was pretty clear, although I can't say that it has been this easy with many of the other decisions....more to come on that!

Reflecting On Our 2010 Parties

"Wow - what an exciting and busy wedding season it has been! I'm so grateful to have worked with so any wonderful brides (and grooms) in planning and overseeing their celebrations. As I reflect on the sites, various styles and tastes of each, some highlights stand out" - Dave Thomas - Event Coordinator. dave@athymetocook.com

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION the staff of A Thyme to Cook - headed to Fishers Island

"One very special wedding location was on Fishers Island - a more picturesque site you could not ask for. It was so much fun getting to know the family. Bringing the staff, the food and everything we needed on a Ferry was definitely an adventure! Forgetting anything is not an option when you're catering an event on an island became our mantra."

"Another unique location was center stage at the Katharine Hepburn Theatre in Old Saybrook. What a beautiful venue! A pre-opera brunch was served." http://www.katharinehepburntheatre.org/





"We thoroughly enjoyed planning and working with everyone involved for this Carnival themed charity event. The staff even got in on the act wtih their outfits - red suspenders and bow ties."

Check out the next installment reflecting on The 2010 Bridal Season - Fabulous Food!

Music with a Purpose

The Holiday Festival of Trees and Music
Lyme Art Association, Old Lyme CT
November 21 – December 4, 2010

A Thyme to Cook was proud to collaborate with our friend and colleague Josh Chalmers. Our Pastry Chef, Bill made a selection of treats for guests to nibble on. The decorated tree & table presented Rice Krispy Treats (the star tree topper was also a rice krispy treat), Melon, Champagne and Strawberry flavored Lollipops, Chocolate Bonbons, Mint Candy Cane Cookies & Almond Spritz Cookie Wreaths. The table featured Tiremisu Cups & Lavender Lemon Squares. http://www.lymeartassociation.org/

Proceeds from The Festival of Trees and Music will benefit the youth in music initiatives supporting musical artistic development of youth, programs and services with in the shoreline community & New London counties. Visit their web site for more information on their initiatives. http://www.bringourmusicback.org/

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you're still looking for something yummy for your Thanksgiving table, try one of our tried & true recipes. Our pumpkin soup is out of this world. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Pumpkin Soup

(1) 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
6 ounces chopped celery
6 ounces chopped onion
3 ounces chopped carrot
4 ounces sweet butter
1 tbsp curry powder
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
32 ounces chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

Sauté carrot, celery & onion in butter til onion becomes translucent. Add stock & seasoning then bring to a boil. Add pumpkin puree and reduce heat to a simmer. Continue cooking for ~ 20 minutes. Puree soup together with an immersion blender, food processor or blender. If using a food processor or blender, allow soup to cool first. Add cream while blending

For an element of surprise place toasted pine nuts, sultanas (or golden raisins) and sautéed crisp julienned Serrano ham on the bottom of the bowl. Pour soup over.

YUMMY CAKES!

Here is one of Lynn's latest gorgeous cakes. Linda's daughter in law, Amy had her baby shower this past Sunday and fun was had by all. The flavor of the cake was marble spice with caremel mousse. So delish! Not a piece left. Look for Lynn's other creations on her web site http://www.yummycakesbylynn.com/

Deciding on a photographer was much easier than I thought it would be! But, deciding on a location for the wedding….that was exhausting! My fiancée and I struggled to find the perfect spot. We really wanted the water to act as a beautiful backdrop, so with that as a priority, our search began! We looked at some stunning locations such as

Eolia Mansion at Harkness Memorial State Park ,

The Branford House at Avery Point, and The Florence Griswold Museum on the Lieutenant River. Eventually, we decided on Eolia Mansion! It had everything we were looking for…except our guest list is much larger than the 150 guests that it can hold. We went back and forth a 100 times – cut the list or start the search all over again? Ultimately, we decided everyone on our list was too important.
We finally settled on The Crocker House Ballroom – an 1873 historic building that has plenty of room for both dinner and dancing. Inside, it has beautiful gold chivari chairs and four elegant pillars that give an architectural presence. Some drawbacks for us…it doesn’t have a beautiful water view and parking can be challenging.
Do I still think about having our wedding at Eolia Mansion…yes, every now and then! (especially since I am frequently catering weddings there!) ….. But, The Crocker House is where we will dance the night away, surrounded by our family and friends, and in the end, it’s not so much about the space as it is about who we are sharing the space with!

RED HOT!!

Linda is on her way to the warmth of Orlando Florida for the latest RED - Regional Education Day. Host Warren Dietel of Puff 'n Stuff Catering has assembled two days of "red-hot" education and two nights of events.

Linda is especially looking forward to speakers Rebecca Grinnals and Simon T. Bailey. Rebecca, the owner of Engaging Concepts Consulting will be discussing "Capturing the Luxury Wedding Market" and Simon, author of Releasing Your Inner Brilliance is sure to capture the attention of his audience as he discusses "discovering how to motivate your team and bring out your company's hidden brilliance". We all can't wait to hear about both seminars (and of course the night life) when she returns!