Spring 2014 Catering Trends

It won’t be officially spring until March 20th, but now is the perfect time to get a jump on the latest trends to inspire your seasonal menus. Your kitchen is now your lab, so let’s have some fun experimenting with color, flavor, and presentation that result in Spring’s best trends.

1. Organic and Local produce to make refreshing beverages (with or without alcohol)
A delicious beverage is hit at any event. Refreshing and colorful is the name of the game this spring with it comes to drinks. Head down to your local market and find organic ingredients to combine together and create beverage delights that not only taste great but look amazing. Oh, and don’t forget the garnish, drinks need their accessories too so they can entertain as well as be enjoyed. A great idea for garnishes is freeze them in ice, a simple idea that makes a cool effect.

The flavors of cucumber and mint are delightfully refreshing when combined together. Try this simple Spring Cucumber-Mint Tonic-the green color reflects the Spring season perfectly. *photo courtesy of missrenaissance.com

Freezing flowers in ice cubes create a beautiful presentation. They can easily add elegance to a glass of citrus infused water, tea, or a light effervescent beverage. You can show off all the colors of Spring with this trend, or coordinate the flowers to go with a certain color theme.*photo courtesy of chestnutherbs.com








2. Spice It Up
We are extremely excited about this trend. Couples want their menu to reflect themselves, and everyone has a spicy side to their personality. You can really have fun with adding a spicy flavor to hors d'oeuvres or entree selections. This trend goes great with a cool refreshing beverage made from local ingredients...wink wink.

Margarita shrimp with a jalapeno lime sorbet, the combination of hot and cold is a perfect hors d'oeuvre that is bright and packed with flavor. *photo courtesy of catering by seasons.com

Crab Cakes are a classic at wedding and special events, but they are even better with a spicy rémoulade. To keep them less messy and you guests hands clean, try serving them on a single portion spoon. *photo courtesy of pictureperfectmeals.com








3. Comfort Food
Comfort food is a classic dish that never lets down the taste buds, but it is not very event-friendly. There is a lot of room to reinvent and innovate comfort food and make it exciting for your guests to eat lasagna and not get it all over themselves Create a down-home feel to any elegant event with this fun spring trend.

Fish & Chips make a great Cocktail Hour appetizer before the main event begins. By serving it in newspaper wrapping, your guests can schmooze freely without having to bother with a plate and utensils, also the presentation is just darling. *photo courtesy of alowcountrywed.com

Lasagna can be messy but not when it is baked into mini pastry cups. This is a simple appetizer that will add color and rich flavor to any menu. You don't have to do just lasagna, mac n' cheese or a tuna melt version would be great for spring and add pops of color to the plate. *photo courtesy of alowcountrywed.com








And what catering trend update is complete without the Sweets!

4. Frozen Treats
Frozen desserts will be all over the menus this spring and summer. You won't have to worry about these frozen treats melting because they will not be on the serving tray long enough. Just keep portion size in mind when creating your cool delights, think of the guests moving around and how they will be holding the desserts - that will help you in the creation process.

Smaller portions are great for frozen treats. Try serving a cool and refreshing Kiwi Gelato in the Kiwi. *photo courtesy of  tastespotting.com

Appeal to your guest's inner child with these Frozen Poptart Pops. They are not actual poptarts that have been frozen but pastry with frozen filling, so basically miniaturized frozen poptarts with delicious frozen fruit filling. They are bright, colorful and portable. Convenience is key with desserts, your party guests can keep dancing the night away and not have to worry about plates and spoons. This dessert is completely customizable too, you can use any type of fruit and coordinate the colors to match the event theme. *photo courtesy of trendhunter.com



You can reflect the colors and tastes of spring with any of these great trends for 2014. Remember portions should stay small so guests can try many different options and make everything easy to handle. Having to hold onto a plate and utensils is inconvenient when mingling during cocktail hour or the reception. Have fun planning your Spring 2014 menu options

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10 Reasons To Hire A Makeup Artist

photo courtesy of beautylish.com

A professional makeup artist has the tools and skill set to give you a flawless look for your wedding day. Doing your own makeup is not an easy endeavor because nerves and anxious emotions do not provide the steadiest hand, that is when you need a makeup artist to take the stress away and turn you into a masterpiece. Here are the top 10 reasons to hire a Makeup Artist…

1. Get Your Best Skin
A professional makeup artist will be able to examine and give recommendations for improving your skin, so you can have the most flawless makeup application on your wedding day. This is one reason why a trial makeup run is so important. Your makeup artist will be able to tell you if your skin is dry and needs to be exfoliated, give tips to avoid flaky lips, and suggest if you need to make a visit to your esthetician or dermatologist.

2. Knowledge is Power
A professional makeup artist will be trained in the art of highlighting your best features and contouring any imperfections. They will know how to fix your brows to best frame your eyes and cover any last minute imperfections. Did you know that using a foundation with SPF in it will make you look like a ghost in flash photography? If not, then you should consider leaving your wedding makeup to a professional.

3. You Are Worth It
You have spent so much money on your photographer, your dress, your venue...why would you skimp on your face? You will be looking at your wedding photographs for the rest of your life. Although you may do a great job on your everyday makeup, for your wedding day, hire someone who specializes in makeup for photography.

4. It’s Not About The Money, Honey
If you are planning on DIYing your wedding day makeup, you should have a professional makeup lesson first, and then plan on spending hundreds of dollars on makeup and products that you may never use again. You will most likely be nervous and shaking on your wedding day, so keep that in mind, your nerves may get the best of you!

5. You Get What You Pay For
You will find a large range of prices for makeup artists in your area. If there is a makeup artist sporting super cheap prices for on-location wedding makeup, they are most likely lacking experience. Book with a professional with a portfolio, reviews, and a good reputation, because it is not worth hiring the wrong person for your wedding day!

6. Camera Ready
A professional makeup artist will have you looking beyond gorgeous in person and in photographs. Your makeup will be flawless and last all day and night! They can suggest false lashes when your natural ones need a little help, and will be amazed at how gorgeous you can look in your wedding photographs, just by hiring the right makeup artist.

7. Be Stress Free
An on-location makeup artist will come to your location of choice. They will create an environment where you will feel pampered and totally relaxed before the festivities begin. They will save you time from having to run from one location to the next and will keep everything on a scheduled timeline.

8. Your Party Will Be Perfected
A professional makeup artist will take into consideration each bridesmaid’s coloring and personal style to create a unique but uniform look for your entire bridal party. This will avoid the issue of the one bridesmaid who loves shimmery silver eyeshadow and looks like she has disco balls on her eyelids, or the one bridesmaid who refuses to wear makeup and looks half dead in your photographs. These are real and serious issues that come up on the wedding day.

9. Be the Center of Attention
Just because you have a cousin or bridesmaid who knows how to apply makeup, that doesn’t mean that she will do a great job on your wedding day makeup. Most likely she will have a lot going on and things to do that day to get herself ready, you won’t be her center of attention, and your makeup may suffer because of it. A professional makeup artist makes it his or her job to make sure that the bride is the most important face of the day!

10. Trials, Reviews, and Attitudes
With the exception of being an out of town bride, all brides should have a trial with their makeup artist before their wedding day. You will want to meet them and make sure that your personalities are compatible, because they will be the one person all up in your face at the most crucial part of your day. You should be able to communicate your ideas or concerns and receive timely responses on emails and phone calls. They will be willing to work within your comfort zone, but will also advise you on your best look, so you know you will look and feel amazing.

Take a look at one of Inspherio's featured Professional Makeup & Hair Artists - Danielle Doyle, Creator and President of The Perfect Face. Check out her amazing before and after portfolio.

About Danielle
A noted makeup artist and talented hair stylist, Danielle has worked in the beauty industry for over 15 years. Her work can be seen in many national ad campaigns, including Mercedes Benz, Sherrie Hill and Laura Mercier Cosmetics. Danielle created The Perfect Face, an on-location makeup and hair artistry company in 1999. Since then, the company and its artists have enjoyed great success, working with not only the best clients in Houston, TX, but clients all over the world.

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Happy Valentine's Day!

What do you get your special valentine? Most people would say chocolates are best, others go for the jewelry option, or a sweet thoughtful message on the perfect card and plush teddy bear. There is one Valentine’s Day classic that should not be forgotten - The Flowers!

Florists around the country are creating the most beautiful rose bouquets, but why are these symbols of love given on Valentine’s Day? It is said that Saint Valentine left his love a red rose and a note before he met his tragic fate on February 14, 269. If you can’t get anything else on this day of love, make sure to get a rose. Here are some unique ideas for the perfect bouquet of flowers for your special someone…

First a twist on the classic - Flower in Vase

courtesy of squidoo.com

Roses look amazing in giant martini glass.

courtesy of examiner.com 

Sweeten up any bouquet with with candy.

Make your valentine (gasp) and say Aww that is so sweet!, by making a bouquet with the music to their favorite song, or a map of the world.

courtesy of etsy.com

Combine the idea of roses and delicious cookies that look just divine!

                                                         courtesy of monstermarketplace.com

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Over The Top pt.3 - Wedding Bands

The past Over The Top blogs focused on weddings, but what about the entertainment? A wedding band is the perfect addition to liven up any reception. A great way to appeal to new clients is having an amazing video that showcases the unique style of your band. Check out some of these Over The Top wedding band promotional videos!

First to take the sage is The Pearls...

Next up to entertain you is The Seducers...

To close the show..Wedding Band of the Year 2013 - The Good Guys

Encore! Encore!
Give it up for Mother of The Bride from the hit show "The Wedding Band"

Get on your feet for the most over the top wedding band - Dan Finnerty & The Dan Band

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Inspherio Integrates SmugMug

One of the most innovative ways to optimize and automate a business operating within the event industry is provided by the web-based business management program Inspherio. Launched in January 2013, Inspherio celebrates their one year anniversary by announcing their integration with SmugMug, the leading photo hosting service for photographers. 

With Inspherio's integration of SmugMug, photographers no longer have to bounce back and forth between

programs to manage a single event. Now photographers can manage all aspects of their business in one place, from managing leads to recording payments to uploading images with their synced SmugMug account. This makes completing tasks even faster, creating extra time that photographers can invest back into their business or taking some personal time to truly admire their great work. 

About Inspherio

Inspherio is an easy to use, web-based business management program designed specifically for wedding and event professionals. Its creators understand that event professionals have a lot on their plate: working with clients, vendors, employees, and variety of administrative tasks that steal time from the creative process. The old event management process that required four to five different programs: spreadsheets, word processing, accounting, etc was outdated and obsolete. Inspherio has streamlined the entire event management process in one single program: from organizing leads, generating and e-signing contracts, uploading photos with the new SmugMug integration and everything in between...

• Leads - Seamlessly import leads from websites or other sources, as well as, create leads within Inspherio. All the information stays organized and easily accessible, simplifying the process of following up with potential clients.
• Pricing Packages - Users can send pricing packages or custom quotes to potential clients with just a few clicks or even from their iPhone or Android device. This means no more missing out on clients because of out-of-office meetings.
• KYE (Know Your Event) Form - Exclusive to Inspherio, the KYE Questionnaire helps event professionals collect specific information from clients. The questions are easily customizable and put the client in charge of entering detailed event preferences. Never get caught up in last minute preparation guessing or miscommunications again.
• Contracts - One of the unparalleled features that Inspheriooffers is the ability to create, send, and electronically sign contracts.
• Year-End Financial Reports - Effortlessly prepare for tax season by running year-end financial reports with a few clicks, and these features are only a glimpse - Inspherio offers so much more!

Inspherio provides live 24 hour U.S based support. For event professionals who want to see Inspherio in action, a complimentary 30-day trial is offered along with live 1-on-1 product demos, and free account set-up.

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