Outdoor Reception Fun: Lawn Games

Maybe it's our complete giddiness over the glorious sunshine we're finally enjoying here in North Texas, but we cannot stop thinking about outdoor weddings! This is one of the loveliest times of year here in the South for outdoor ceremonies and receptions but the torrential rains we've had all but put the kibosh on that! NO more - hooray! So that has us thinking about all the wonderful things about outdoor celebrations - enjoying milder weather, taking in beautiful scenery, dancing under the stars and playing lawn games! That's right - lawn games!

Lawn games are fantastic to have available during cocktail hour, giving your guests something fun to do while sipping and noshing so you and your wedding party can finish up photos! While lawn games will feel like a better fit for a less formal affair, most people love games and the "usuals" aren't so physically demanding that they can't be playing in wedding attire. And, let's be honest, lawn games make for some stinkin' cute photo opportunities!

 

Cornhole (or Corntoss or Bean Bag Toss) is always a favorite and it's simple.



 

Another standard is Croquet!

Bocce Ball or Lawn Bowling, anyone?

Who doesn't love Jenga? Make it epic with Outdoor Giant Jenga!

Ring Toss or Horseshoes are classics that anyone can master.

Another crowd pleaser that possibly not everyone has seen is Ladder Golf.

Whether or not you can incorporate such good times in your wedding reception will depend, of course, on your venue. Check with your facility contact to see if they're open to gaming during your celebration! And get out there and enjoy this sunshine!


image credits (all via Style Me Pretty): Anne Marie Photography, Austin Warnock, Brett Heidebrecht, Carrie Patterson, Christian Oth Studio, Claudia McDade Photography, Erin Hearts Court, Honey Honey Photography, Jasmine Lee Photography, Krista A. Jones, Marianne Wilson Photography, Mike Larson Private Estate Weddings and Our Labor of Love

Trends We Love: The Pre-Ceremony Beverage Station or Cocktail Hour

A wedding is a time of celebration and fun - and an opportunity to flex your hospitality muscles! All good hosts know it's best to welcome guests into your home by offering them something to drink right away. We love extending this sentiment to weddings with the pre-ceremony beverage.

Think of this trend as the cocktail hour before the wedding. But, the beverages do not necessarily have to be alcoholic! The pre-ceremony cocktail hour is a fun way to have your guests mingle and get to know one another before the official festivities start.

This idea really works best when your ceremony is at a venue that's not a church, temple or other place of worship because of time and space constraints or the facility's policies. The pre-ceremony drink station is especially appreciated if your ceremony is outside. In the fall, a warm beverage station (think coffee, cider and hot cocoa - spiked or not) is a fantastic way to welcome your guests and help them ward off a chill while waiting for your walk down the aisle.

And, now that we're enjoying warmer weather, something cool and refreshing would be the go-to for a pre-wedding drink!

It can be something simple, such as flavored or sparkling water to lemonade and tea (ooooohhh, Arnold Palmers!) to mimosas or maybe even a signature cocktail just for your special day. Just make sure if you decided to serve cocktails to keep the time relatively short and consider having the drinks passed so guests don't consume too much alcohol before your ceremony.

 

 

Consult with your caterer or ceremony venue contact to explore what your options are for a pre-ceremony beverage offering. Or brainstorm with your wedding planner on other fun and creative ways you can make your day special. Oh, you don't have one of those? Our talented Weddings by StarDust planning team would love to chat with you about how they can help you have the beautiful, imaginative wedding you've dreamed of! Schedule your initial consultation with one of our expert wedding planners online now!

images: first shot Helmutwalker; all others via SMP

Find the Perfect New Year's Eve Party Dress at A Bridal Closet

Yes, we know that tomorrow is Christmas, and we are all looking so forward to celebrating with our nearest and dearest (see our holiday hours here). But we're also thinking ahead to next week when many of us will ring in 2015 with a fabulous big party. Do you have your cocktail dress yet? No?! Then you must head over to A Bridal Closet this weekend!

A Bridal Closet (ABC) is StarDust Celebrations’ outlet, where you can find spectacular special occasion dresses for 40-75% off of the original retail price! The gowns are samples of our stunning Mother of the Occasion and bridesmaid dresses, most of them perfect for a holiday cocktail party! Not only do we have a great selection of designer gowns, but we also offer a variety of accessories at ABC. 

 

A Bridal Closet is located in West Plano's upscale Shops of Willow Bend. ABC is only open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so get on over there this weekend to find your party-tastic dress for New Year's Eve (that is one week from today!).

**gowns and accessories shown are representative of types of styles that can be found at ABC, but these exact dresses and jewelry pieces may not be available.**

Trends We Love: Seasonal Cocktails, Part 2

Last week, we poured on some inspiration for your wedding reception cocktails in the first of our two-part series on seasonal cocktails. Seasonal cocktails are a fun way to bring in the holidays' best flavors and provide your guests with a unique signature cocktail. Last Friday, we focused on apples and pears, sparking wine and champagne and cranberries. Today, we're all about ginger, pomegranate and eggnog!

Ginger is delicious and gives a cocktail a nice bite, perfect to warm your guests up during this chilly season! And the spice mixes very well with other seasonal flavors to create a unique taste. Here are a few tasty ideas we think sound fantastic!

This crisp Ginger Sparkler features the unadulterated flavor of ginger with a fizzy accompaniment.

This beautiful and luscious beverage is a Ginger, Mint, and Pomegranate Vodka Cocktail - what a great mix for the holidays! Enjoy a video of the drink being made here.

The classic Ginger Sidecar - this World War 1-era cocktail gets a modern twist. 

Pomegranate often makes an appearance during the holidays, not only for its gorgeous red appearance but also for its festive seasonal flavor. The tart and tangy fruit is great in a punch but also lends itself to mixed drinks.

This Pomegranate Champagne Punch is a gorgeous hue of red and packs a sparkling tang.

The classic martini gets a seasonal facelift in this Pomegranate Martini.

This pretty Sparkling Pomegranate Punch is tart-sweet and bubbly.

We could not have a post about holiday cocktails without ubiquitous eggnog! Love it or hate it, this rich, creamy beverage is always made better with a splash of a little somethin' somethin'! We like these scrumptious concoctions as potential cocktail hour signature beverages:

It can't get much more traditional than an Eggnog Martini featuring the quintessential flavors of the season.

We die! Bacon is still all the rage, especially in unexpected ways. Why not wow your guests with this bacon-accented Maple Bourbon Eggnog?

The Texas Farm Nog is a unique twist on eggnog featuring layers of rich flavors - created right here in Big D a few years back!

We hope we've whet your appetite with these lovely libations and now you're thinking about a unique holiday-inspired cocktail for your winter wedding celebration! There are so many more options on all of the linked sites where we've found these recipes, but you can always talk with your wedding planner, catering manager or bartender/mixologist about creating something special for your big day! Cheers!

Trends We Love: Seasonal Cocktails, Part 1

Ahhh, the holidays! The time of year when we can enjoy delectable food and drinks during many wonderful celebrations guilt-free. Well, at least a little bit guilt-free. Lucky for those of you planning your winter wedding, you can incorporate some of the season's most adored flavors in your wedding day menu and your guests will be oh-so-grateful! Today, we are focusing on cocktails!

Seasonal cocktails are festive and tasty, and they give you an opportunity to do something fun and different for your signature drink at your reception. There are so many delicious flavors of the holiday season, it's not hard to find something special for your big day. And we discovered that there are so many fabulous options that we're going to break this into a two-part series. Let's take a look at some of your numerous options!

Apples and pears are what's know as pome fruits, but all we really care about is that they're crisp, juicy and sweet - a perfect jumping-off point for a luscious cocktail while these lovely fruits are in season.

An Amberjack is a beer-based cocktail mixed with apple vodka.

Isn't the garnish on this Apple Cidercar just so pretty?

Would you believe this Pear of Desire cocktail features a slash of cream soda?!

The Pear Essence Cosmopolitan features two flavors of the season: pear and cranberry!

Which brings us to our next featured flavor - cranberry! This tart little berry can help balance out sweetness that can overtake a cocktail. Here are some tasty-looking beverages.

The cranberry stirrers are super-cute in these Cranberry Cocktails, but for your wedding, you might want to ditch the Santas.

This Cranberry-Mint Martini features vermouth that's been infused with the tart berries.

Spice things up with this Cranberry-Spice Cocktail.

Keep things festive with a signature drink made up of wine, champagne or sparkling wine. A little more special than just a glass of wine or champagne, a mixed drink starting with one of these is perfect for your wedding reception cocktail hour.

A Bubbly Poinsettia calls for either a Rose Brut Champagne or sparkling wine, so it's flexible.

As if mojitos could get any better, but they did, when someone decided to add a splash of champagne to these Champagne Mojitos!

Mmmmm...Hot Spiced Wine, guaranteed to warm your wedding guests from the inside out!

This Marasca Fizz is light and bubbly and so pretty!

A Mulled Manhattan is a lovely seasonal take on the classic cocktail.

Crispy and woodsy - a surprisingly good combination in this unexpected Sparkling Bourbon Cocktail.

What lineup of seasonal drinks would be complete without mint- or candy cane-inspired beverages? There are a surprising number of options when it comes to these mint-centric drinks, but it seems the mixologists all agree - they should be served in a martini glass!

Super-minty and a pretty shade of red, this Candy Cane Cocktail includes both peppermint schnapps and candy cane-infused vodka.

A richer, creamier version of a Candy Cane Cocktail features peppermint, vanilla and white chocolate.

This pretty little Candy Cane Cocktail is a berry-mint combination, sure to make your guests' spirits bright!

The White Chocolate Candy Cane Martini - we think this sounds divine!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this feature, when we'll focus on ginger, pomegranate and (of course!) eggnog cocktails! And if you're looking for ways to bring special details or unexpected surprises into your wedding day, give our phenomenal team of wedding planners a call!

Trend Alert: Whimsical Cocktail Clouds

With warmer weather finally heading our way and spring knocking on our door, we could not be more excited about the carefree feeling that this season can bring! Springtime heralds in all things new, fresh and fun! Spring weddings often lend themselves to more whimsical elements, and we adore this particular touch of whimsy suggested by Martha Stewart Weddings: "cloud" garnished cocktails!

Seriously, how precious are these beautiful cocktails adorned with fluffy goodness of sweet cotton candy?! These feature differently flavored varieties by Spin-Spun out of Chicago. The all-natural (as in fat-, gluten-, nut-free and no preservatives and artificial colors or flavors, etc.) confection is offered in luscious flavors such as coconut, peppermint, strawberry and cinnamon, to name a few.

But did you know Dallas has its very own gourmet cotton candy company too? Fluffpop offers organic and exotic flavors including cherry, guava, lychee and caramel in a few options, such as tiny pops to accent drinks, a live spin action station for your special event and mini-mason jars perfect for wedding favors! Check them out to see the full line of flavors and ordering options. Such fun treats will make your guests so happy, they'll feel like they're walking on clouds!