Posts Tagged ‘Fun’

Our Wedding Wands Make A Fabulous Exit

Out with the rice and in with the wedding wands! Wedding wands are fun and add a splash of color as you’re exiting the ceremony or your reception with your Groom in tow. You want to know a little secret? They’re also really easy to make!

What you need to get the job done:

• Wood Dowels (You can purchase a pack of 50 from Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby for around $9.97)
• Ribbon (Satin looks the best and a medium width works well but if you want to add a bell we recommend getting ribbon that is slim in size to easily secure the bell. We like using several colors that are in the wedding palette for added “pop”)
• Scissors
• Bells (optional)

Those items are easy to gather and they can all be found at Wal-Mart and/or Hobby Lobby right there in the craft section. The ribbon can vary in price depending on the type you decide to go with but can usually be purchased for under $5 per spool.

The process:

• Cut pieces of ribbon to be about 2ft long. (This doesn’t have to be exact but make sure your ribbon is long enough to tie a knot and still have plenty of ribbon to wave around.)
• Tie a piece of ribbon at the top of your wood dowel. (I recommend tying (separately) three pieces of ribbon to each dowel).
• Add a bell! Just slide a piece of ribbon that is already secured to the dowel through the loop of the bell and tie a knot to secure the bell. (Remember to use the slim ribbon to tie the knot!)
• Give that wedding wand a try and wave it around!

Warning: Making wedding wands can be very time consuming so leave yourself plenty of time! Tying wedding wands before the day of your “I do’s” is not recommended and the looks you will receive from your bridal party are not worth it!

Extras:The saying, “Give a wave for the new Mr. and Mrs.” can be printed on cardstock and attached to each wedding wand or displayed by your wedding wands to give your guests a little hint of what to do with these things!

Good luck! Post pictures of your wedding wands to our Facebook page. We love to see your work!

XOXO,

Kathleen

Stress Free Wedding Planning TipsWedding planning can be both exciting and stressful. There are a couple of things to help you through the stresses that come along with planning for your big day; hire a wedding planner (come on, you knew we had to throw that in there!), pour yourself  a large glass of wine, and  follow these simple tips:

1. Get organized from the very beginning.  Create a binder with tabs that organize your favorite ceremony sites, reception venues, floral ideas, color palette, and inspirations.
2. Limit your influencers. Keep your wants as well as your grooms as a priority. Everyone will freely give you their opinion but remember, this day is for you and your groom.
3. Plan! Once you’ve set the date make a To- Do- List for each month; accomplishing a little at a time and not leaving everything for your last few months to plan.
4. Take time to breathe! No doubt wedding planning can be overwhelming but this time will only happen once so take the time to reflect and enjoy it.

Have questions? Tweet @KKSEvents and Facebook us!

XOXO,

Kathleen

photo courtesy of p://weddingparty-boise.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Wedding-Planner1.jpg

Don’t deny it, we all have a list of favorite television shows that we watch every week. One of my new favorites is The Cupcake Girls. I tune in every Tuesday night. The Cupcake Girls is a great show for me because I have such a sweet tooth and so every time I watch it I want to bake! Good thing I resist the urge pretty well or else I might be overcome with enough desserts to last me a year. The Cupcake Girls is about the trials and tribulations of Cupcakes by Heather and Lori, a nostalgic cupcake franchise in the USA and Canada. Heather White and Lori Joyce are the co-owners of Cupcakes by Heather and Lori and the show tells the story of their rise in the cupcake world. It’s got everything. It has charm, whit, and cupcakes, with a lot of business savvy.

I am telling you about The Cupcake Girls to recommend that you watch the show of course, but also to fill you in on why cupcakes are so happening. Cupcakes are like little bundles of joy. They are just as delicious as a full cake, but in a better serving size, and you can get so creative with them. Yes cakes have the same ability, but it’s a little unusual to see a mound of cupcakes instead of one large cake. Cupcakes are becoming so popular because they are unexpected.

I am a creative person and so I see so many possibilities when I think about serving cupcakes instead of one big cake. You can use cupcakes as the main dessert display at any event. Birthday parties, graduation parties, anniversary parties, and even weddings are all great places to serve the little cups of heaven. You can try new flavor combinations, get a little artsy with the icing, or try a new display method. For example, you can line up your cupcakes and spell words with the icing as if it were a puzzle. For a birthday or graduation party you can spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY or any sort of congratulatory message. You can mix icing colors and designs to create your own original cupcake to match any theme or color scheme. As a bride and groom, think about serving a tower of cupcakes instead of layers and layers of cake that would take forever to cut. Contact us here at Kim King Smith Events and we can assist you with your cupcake craze! We would suggest keeping the tradition alive though, by getting one small layer of cake for the bride and groom to cut and then having a crafty cupcake display for the rest of your guests. No need for volunteer cake cutters, the guests can come and pick up their individually wrapped dessert as they please.

Now if you still want to cling on to the idea of one big cake, consider a cupcake cake. Now you can buy new baking pans that are shaped like an oversized cupcake and matching icing topper. These pans make for an unusual cake that can add a little surprise to the party. Nobody will be expecting one gigantic cupcake! So whenever you want to be that person at the party that always brings the best looking and best tasting dessert, think cupcakes!

By Ali

Photos courtesy of:

http://www.cupcakeactivist.com/2009/07/cupcake-girls.html

http://www.thecupcakeblog.com/tag/white-wedding-cupcakes/

http://www.caketodays.com/cupcake/giant-cupcake/

For those of you whom live in the Indianapolis area, you are a bunch of lucky ducks because you know what I’m talking about when I say Ritter’s Frozen Custard. I’m not from the Indy area and so I have never gotten to experience the greatness of Ritter’s until just recently. My first time at Ritter’s I ordered one helping scoop of the chocolate banana flavor and in a waffle cone. It was a whole eight minutes of heaven! Yes, I scarfed that thing down! Now, my new favorite thing is banana ice cream. Every time I go near an ice cream parlor, I hope and pray that they carry banana ice cream. Not many of them do and that’s why Ritter’s was so delicious. It was an original treat on a lucky day! Well, some of my hunt is over. I have found a recipe for banana ice cream that I can make whenever I get a big sweet tooth. I don’t know how it compares to Ritter’s, but I think it will do.

Ingredients

4 cups half-and-half cream

2-1/2 cups sugar

Dash salt

4 eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4 to 5 medium)

Directions

In a large heavy saucepan, heat half-and-half to 175°; stir in sugar and salt until dissolved. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture reaches 160° and coats the back of a metal spoon.

Remove from the heat. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the whipping cream, milk and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Stir in bananas. Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. When ice cream is frozen, transfer to a freezer container; freeze for 2-4 hours before serving. Yield: 3 quarts.

P.S. Drizzle with chocolate sauce if you want to make it like Ritter’s chocolate banana!

By Ali

Recipe and photo courtesy of http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Banana-Ice-Cream-2

Everyone is trying to get their hands on gold this season! Backstage at the Jason Wu fashion show, makeup professionals are layering hand painted metallic gold leaf on the back of each model’s head, just above a low, twisted bun. If you aren’t so keen on painting gold flakes in your hair, try accessorizing yourself with touches of gold that are easier to add to your morning routine. Adding a cute pair of golden earrings or a headband that has a golden broach on it will dazzle everyone. If you consider yourself a crafty person, you can easily make your own perfect headband. Mix up gold bangles and find Grandma’s gold brooch to add to your denim lapel. You can also look just as glamorous as any model on the runway with NYX’s Loose Pearl Eye Shadow in gold yellow, which will add a pop to your normal eye makeup. Go for the Gold this fall! You will dazzle everyone!

A big thank you to Jason Wu and NYX for their glamorous designs and images.