Cheese and Chalkboard Themed Party

For my 26th birthday, I held a cheese-themed party for my family.  In lieu of gifts, I asked each guest to bring cheese.  We ate the cheese for an appetizer, and I prepared a three course meal featuring cheese in each of the selections.  Because cheese and wine go so well together, I kept the decor casual with chalkboards, mason jars, and vintage accents.

Inspiration

My love of cheese inspired the entire party.  The picture above is an aged gouda, which is my favorite.

DIY "Chalkboard" Place Mats

I wanted to use real chalkboards for place mats, but I was afraid the chalk would be messy at my dining table.  Instead, I found black poster boards and cut them in half.

I used a silver permanent marker and drew stitching along the perimeter.  Then, I hand wrote the name of each guest in the upper left-hand corner for a personal touch.  I love that they look like chalkboards but are disposable.

Appetizer Station

I prepared a station for appetizers on my counter.  A personalized place mat thanked my guests for the cheese and asked them to label it with porcelain labels I got from Crate and Barrel.  

I also made homemade crostini and laid out olives and salami.

Mason Jar and Rose Tablescape

The table was lined with mason jars and roses.  The DIY chalkboard place mats fit perfectly.

I used jars of varying heights to add some interest to the centerpiece.

I kept the place settings very simple with a clean white plate, single fork/knife, and crisp white linen napkins.

These vintage crystal goblets in purple, green, pink and blue added extra color to the table.

Cheese Filled Three Course Menu

I served a garden salad with gouda cheese, scalloped potatoes, broccoli with a Parmesan cream sauce, and chicken stuffed with Borsin cheese.  The guys enjoyed steak.

I really enjoyed the party.  It was simple to put together and very laid back.  Kevin and I learned a lot at our first dinner party, and I didn't make the same mistakes again.  I think the center piece would be perfect for a rustic, vintage, or castle wedding.  What do you think?

Design Your Perfect Wedding Cake

When I started out on the journey of selecting a cake, I had no idea how quickly the cost of a wedding cake adds up.  Since I am a sweet tooth, I made sure I had enough in my budget to order the cake of my dreams.  This post helps you figure out how much the wedding cake of your dreams will cost.

To create your perfect wedding cake, draw inspiration from different sources.  When doing my research, I found that most cakes have the same cost structures.

Bridal Shows:  My mom, sister, and I went to numerous bridal shows where we tested cake samples. The displays were always so large and impressive.  

Referrals:  We visited bakers based off referrals from friends.  If you are at a wedding and love the dessert, ask the bride who made her cake.

Piece Together Elements:  I liked certain features from different cakes, so I pieced them into my dream cake.  A little bling, vintage floral details, and 3 tiers made the cut.

Local Bakeries: It was love at first site with this cake from Elite Sweets.  It had all the elements I was searching for.

Most cakes are priced per slice and start around $3.00 per slice  There are also additional charges:

• Fondant ~ $0.50 per slice
• Fruit Filling ~$0.50 per slice
• Trendy Flavor (like Red Velvet) ~$0.50 per slice

Usually, there are additional costs charged for a fruit filling, a unique flavor, or a special frosting.  There is also usually a minimum number of slices you have to order, like 85 or so.  On top of the variable costs here, there are also quite a few hidden charges to think about when you select your baker.

• Cake stand rental ($35 to $50)
• Sugar or fondant flowers ($25 to $50 depending on intricacy)
• Real flowers from your florist ($35 to $50 depending on type of flower)
• Delivery ($100+ if more than 1 person is needed to carry the cake)
• Cutting the cake (~$1 per slice charged by your venue)
• Linens for your cake table ($20 to $60 per table cloth)
• Cake topper ($20+)
• Pillars between layers (~$10 each or free depending on bakery)

The top two layers were lemon chiffon cake with a whipped raspberry filling and the bottom layer was a chocolate chiffon cake with chocolate Bailey's Irish cream mousse filling.  I had a description of each flavor on my wedding menus.

This butter cream cake has tons of vintage floral leaves piped onto it.

For all you brides-to-be, be sure to have a slice set aside.  Dinner happens so quick, and it's hard to eat during the evening.  A wrapped up slice of cake would be a perfect midnight snack with your new husband.

Be sure to write all details like rhinestones or a special display stand into your contract so that you can ensure you get what you expect.  Even though I loved the way the cake tasted, I was not 100% satisfied with the way it turned out.  The cake was displayed with pearls and three beautiful tiers, but it was not delivered that way on my wedding day.  Don't make the same mistake.

Is there something you would have done differently on your wedding day?  Did you serve a cake?  What flavors did you select?  I'd love to hear from you.

Giving Back Holiday Party

My favorite thing about the holidays is buying gifts for others and seeing their reaction as they open them.  Phil and I feel so fortunate to have our own home and make enough money to pay the bills each month.  Being back in Detroit, we see poverty everyday.  From the homeless war veteran collecting donations outside of the Jimmy Johns downtown to the family at the grocery store counting food stamps.  It is all too clear that we are lucky and that other people need help.

There are often negative stigmas around those in need.  They are going to use the money on booze or since they got themselves into the situation that they should get themselves out, to name a few.  I've seen my own family and friends go from extremely comfortable lives to living pay check to pay check.  It can happen to the most ambitious of people, and I truly feel that we need to help those in need as a community.  Not just in times of disaster, but all year round.

Phil and I decided to adopt a family of four for Christmas this year.  We knew we could not give them a special Christmas by ourselves, so we decided to host a Giving Back Holiday Party to collect donations.

We set up another tree in the basement to collect our friends donations.  We also had a box wrapped in paper to collect donations.  Everyone was so generous!  The family we adopted is going to have an amazing Christmas!

Apologies for the photo!  I did not have time to take pictures before my guests arrived.  We prepared a variety of appetizers:

• Cheese platter with a variety of cheeses from Trader Joe's
• Baked Brie (my mom's recipe - I'll post soon...unreal)
• Mini hot dogs with a variety of mustard and ketchup
• Santa's chex mix (rice chex, pretzels, marshmallows, peanuts, cranberries drizzled with white chocolate and mixed together)  It was a hit!
• Veggie platter with a dill yogurt dip from Trader Joe's
• Pulled pork bites (a play on this recipe)

My sister and I decorated sugar cookies and my mom sent over some of her delicious cookies for my sweets station.  Yummy!!

I made a citrus punch with Pear Cinnamon juice from Trader Joe's, orange juice, club soda, orange slices, and rum.  It went very quickly!

The party was a huge success!  We were able to see a lot of our close friends that were in town from Chicago, DC, and Detroit.  And we were able to collect enough donations to give our adopted family a great Christmas.  I can't wait to deliver the gifts and meet the family!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

What do you do to give back around the holidays?  What are your favorite holiday appetizers?

-xoxo-
Kaylin

How to Find Your Dream Unique Wedding Venue

When looking for wedding venues, I knew I wanted something outside of the box.  A place that would set my wedding a part from the several country club weddings I had been to earlier in the year.  Finding the perfect venue took me way longer than I anticipated, but it was worth the wait.  Both Phil and I cannot wait to get married there--it will be our own fairytale.

Inspiration

I knew I wanted an outdoor ceremony.  I grew up camping and hanging out on Lake Michigan.  It seems only natural to say "I do" to my true love surrounded to be natures beauty.

The Blue Dress Barn in Michigan is absolutely stunning!  After spending countless hours on Pinterest, I knew a more rustic location like a barn would be perfect for us.  However, every other bride loves the idea as well and the most popular barn wedding venues were completely booked!

Misty Farms in Ann Arbor was completely booked up as well.  I loved the old barns at this property, but even more than that, the rolling hills and beautiful farm land as a backdrop was stunning.

I actually considered this property in Michigan called Waldenwoods.  It was the only more traditional venue we considered--the rustic interior is exactly what we were looking for, but the lack of flexibility in doing what we wanted inspired us to keep looking.

My Venue

We are getting married at a beautiful vacation rental property in the thumb of Michigan.  There are 48 acres on this beautiful property and our families and bridal party will have the chance to stay there for the entire wedding weekend.

Behind the doors is the bridal suite where my girls and I will be getting ready.  When it is time to walk down the aisle, I will exit through these doors and make my way to the outdoor chapel.

How cool is this?  The couple that lives on the property built this chapel for spiritual purposes--it is so perfect for our ceremony.  I love that we will be surrounded by our loved ones and nature. 

After the ceremony, we will have cocktail hour around the pool.  I am hoping to add floating candles to the pool to set the mood for the evening. 

Right behind the waterfall is an intimate space for smores as the night comes to a close.  I love it!

How to find yours:

I think the hardest part about finding a unique venue is knowing where to look.  The Knot and Pinterest were super helpful in figuring out what my vision was, but it definitely does not give you a comprehensive view of all your options.

Search for unique venues in your area:

• Local photographers blogs and facebook pages: I would search for a venue I knew in the area, then continue to explore their pages
• Google image search: I would type in "rustic Michigan wedding" and click on the images that stood out to me
• Local wedding sites: You would be surprised how many exist.  Fresh Coast Weddings was on that helped me identify quite a few options
• Vacation rental properties:  I used VRBO to find the venue I landed on.  You can search based on area and property type.  Most places do not allow big weddings, but it is worth a try!
• Local vendors: Ask around--I got some of the best advice from photographers and florists that have worked at different venues
• B&Bs: My wedding is a tad bit too large for most B&Bs, but I think it is a great place to look.  B&Bs are so unique and offer an intimate environment
• Exclude the word weddings from your search:  As I was searching for barns in Michigan, I was able to find a lot more options when I just typed in "barn rental" into the search
• Follow links to other links: My sister did a lot of searching for me and she continued to find the coolest, most unique places in Michigan by following links in one site she was on to another

Things to consider when selecting a venue:

   

1. Budget - set a realistic budget with all of the costs prior to making a decision.  You will be surprised at how quickly things add up, especially when you are building your own venue
2. Capacity - is there enough space for all your guests?
3. Distance from home - this was a big con to the venue we ended up selecting.  Think about vendor meetings and your guests having to drive a long distance
4. Connection with property owner - personalities need to jive.  You will be working with them quite a bit
5. Meets your must haves - you do not want to regret your decision.  Make sure your and your fiances biggest must haves are available at that venue
6. Venue flexibility - make sure you are able to bring in the vendors that you want to use and there are options to make the space your own
7. Indoor v. outdoor - we knew that we wanted an outdoor ceremony, so this limited our options quite a bit
8. Time to build you own venue - in a build your own venue situation, you will have to do a lot of the work the venue would typically handle on your own
9. Accommodations in the area - our venue has limited accommodations nearby, but there are just enough!
10. Catering options - at a DIY venue, you will need to bring in your own caterer.  There are limited options in the area, but I think we are close

How did you go about selecting your venue?  Do you have any suggestions for finding a unique venue?

 



Elegant Dinner Party (Think Pink)

For our wedding, Kevin and I were so blessed to receive a beautiful china set and Waterford glasses. To help celebrate his mom's 60th birthday, we hosted our first event using our wedding gifts.

Kevin's mom raised two boys, so she was never surrounded by girly things...that is how I came up with the idea of an intimate pink themed dinner party.

Inspiration

This table setting with silver and pink accents is fancy and grown-up.  I love the pink peonies and colorful china pattern.

My Take

First - a view of the finished product.  The setting was so feminine.

All the Pretty Little Details

I found a gorgeous silver mercury vase at HomeGoods.  This centerpiece inspired the entire decor. 

Kevin and I took out our fine china and crystal stemware.

Those lovely plates are Parchment china by Mikasa.  I love the pearlized pattern and silver trim.

Our Waterford crystal goblets and ice beverage glasses are the Lismore Essence pattern.  The Venetian Lace flatware by Lenox is delicate and coordinates with the swirl design on our china.

The gray placemats are from Target.

Dessert lined our granite counter and was displayed on white serving plates.

I surrounded the floral arrangement with silver mercury tea light candles for a soft glow.

These long-stem blooming roses made the table.  They were so beautiful and smelled lovely.

Tips for Hosting Your First Event

I made a couple of rookie mistakes during the night, but it played out nicely anyway.  

Remove the Floral Arrangement:  I think the biggest mistake was leaving the floral arrangement on the table during dinner.  It was too large and obstructed the conversation.

Pre-Fill Water Glasses:  I forgot to fill the water glasses before dinner.  It left an awkward pause after everyone was seated.  Next time, I will pre-fill them and have a pitcher full of ice ready.

Cautiously Double Recipes:  I doubled the recipe for most of the dishes we served.  Since there were 8 guests, I wanted to ensure there was enough...but I had almost half of everything left.  This was wasteful and took a lot of effort on my part.  I'll save time and resources next time by preparing just enough food.

Serve Salad First:  We served the salad and main course at the same time.  This sounds like an easy going plan in theory, but in real life, space on the table was limited.  Guests had to lean over their main plate to reach their salad.  It was very uncomfortable and I worried the whole time about someone dropping dressing onto my oatmeal colored upholstered chairs.  Thank goodness that didn't happen.  Next time, I will serve the salad first and then the main course.

What have you learned along the way when you have entertained?  Do you have any advice for my next event?