Spice Up Your Event With Modern Dishes

Think back to when you were a child attending a wedding. There was dancing, there was excitement and laughter, and you may have been let down by the boring food. Cold briskets with bland vegetables that you have to sit down and properly eat were the worst, but you powered through knowing that the cake would come soon. Unfortunately, there was a plot twist because the fondant cake was also boring and unsatisfying!

Don’t let the food bring your wedding party down! Spice up your menus with modern twists that won’t weigh your guests down.

Comfort Food

No one knows how to eat and feel warm inside like Southerners which is why their comfort food is trending. Avoid basic roasts and serve up some fried chicken instead. It’s a comfort foot that can be quickly enjoyed by hand.

Also, put on a modern twist on a classic favorite, meatloaf. You can have your meatloaf stuffed with parmesan cheese and spinach for a delightful surprise inside, wrap it in bacon, or serve it on a sandwich.

Many types of meat are being served with updated sauces and glazes with hints of southern traditions. For example, salmon pairs great with a peach and pecan glaze, steak pairs well with spicy avocado sauces, and chicken goes great with an almond sauce. The creative possibilities to spice up the meats are endless.

Don’t forget southern sides! Nothing makes a person feel warm inside like hot, made from scratch macaroni and cheese. Plus, fried okra is always great to have around. No one knows asparagus better than southerners so check out their herb crusted and garlic recipes.

Everyone loves pizza and pasta, so consider serving up those dishes to please everyone on your guest list.

Keep it Light

People are healthy these days and don’t want to be weighed down, so serve them up a few clean and simple options.

A salad bar is always a good way to keep health conscious guests happy and snacking. They can serve themselves a variety of fresh and crisp veggies with an array of salad dressings to choose from.

However, isn’t salad slightly boring? Jazz things up with a fruit bar instead. Offer multiple varieties of cheese, nuts, and fruits to get the grazers happily nibbling on healthy items.

Also, you can stick with lighter meats like fish and chicken. Red meat often makes people feel sleepy and too full to function.

Keep it Moving

While being served plated food is nice and elegant, it’s also a little stale. Keep your party lively and fresh by getting people out of their seats!

People won’t mind getting up to serve themselves when you have exciting craft your own food stations. Taco and fajita stations are on fire right now. Guests can go up and request personalized entrees or serve themselves with their custom ingredients.

Baked potato bars, burger bars, and oyster bars are also tons of fun.

However, one of the most shocking food bars are the ones with breakfast for dinner! How exciting, people can have made to order pancakes, omelets, and waffles with personalized ingredients and toppings.

Miniaturize it

Guests don’t wanna be weighed down by huge meals anymore. How can they dance if they’re super full or bloated? Plus, big meals take a long time to eat, so consider making your food mini so people can quickly pick up a few items and eat them in no time.

Trending miniature foods include miniature tacos, mini burgers, mini mac and cheese bites, mini roasts on a bun, and even miniature bowls of ramen. Each of these items are fun to eat and can have personalized toppings.

Food Truck it

If you missed the food truck craze where have you been?! Food trucks have become increasingly popular and are popping up all over the city! You can have a few drive up to your venue and serve their local, creative dishes to your guests.

Each guest can pick which food truck they want to visit for delicious food creations from Korean BBQ to southern delicacies on a stick. They will really give your guests a fun memory from your event.

Stay Salty

You know what really kills a cake or nice cocktail? Too much sugar! Pair your drinks with something salty and delicious.

French fries are always a popular menu item. You can serve them cut straight, in curls, or even in a waffle shape. They can be placed in easy to grab containers like mason jars and enjoyed. You can even include healthier sweet potato fries! Regular ‘ole potato chips also pair really well with sweet beverages.

Pretzels and popcorn are salty treats with endless possibilities because they pair with excellent toppings like cheese, jalapenos, chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry sauce, powdered sugar, and more!

Update Your Dessert

Big, fondant cakes live in the past. Don’t stay stuck there with them! New desserts are taking the world by storm, like miniature pies ranging from apple to pumpkin. There’s a pie for every season.

Also, who doesn’t go nuts for donuts?! You can set a variety of donuts up for a beautiful, yet mouthwatering dessert display.

Throw your guests a curve ball with desserts that bring back childhood memories, like cookies and milk, s'mores, or ice cream sandwiches.

Don’t forget about custom sweets to pick up on-the-go like cake pops or hand-frosted sugar cookies.

Are you Hungry now?

We are too! We didn’t mean to get your mouth watering, but we wanted to make sure we could help you jazz up your event with delicious, hot and trendy food. Learn more event tips at Inspherio.com.

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Winter Wedding Trends

Now that the fall wedding season is winding down and we are saying goodbye to the fall trends with pumpkin centerpieces and warm shades of red and orange, it’s time to make way for the up and coming winter 2016 trends.

Winter Wonderland Style

First let’s check out the new dress trends that involve hints of vintage, rustic, victorian style. Many brides are choosing dresses with long sleeves for a graceful royal look, like Kate Middleton’s dress, and for warmth.

Shoulder straps are coming back, along with open back dresses and deep Vs in the front for a modern twist on classic dresses. Also, were starting to see more and more sheer dresses with sheer lace and crocheted cloth to give brides an elegant textured look, while showing off modest amounts of their legs.

Bridesmaids can be found in cream and pale colored dresses. Pale teal, greens, and purples are popular, as well as creamy shades of pastel pinks and oranges. Vibrant shades of jewel and velvet accessories that add pops of color to winter wonderlands are also trending.

Plus, to stay warm brides and bridesmaids are wearing faux fur coats. Usually the bride wears a white coat and their bridesmaids wear brown, but shades of grey and black are popular too.

We can’t forget to mention something blue! Shimmering shades of blue can be found everywhere. For example, winter brides are wearing blue eye shadow, and bridesmaids have blue ribbons around their waists and bouquets. Even grooms are wearing blue jackets and ties. Blue is simply the color you can’t go wrong with this season.

Flowers for bouquets are going back to the basics, with simple white flowers with vibrant green stems. It’s also popular to have a few winter berries in the bouquets, along with a vertical, trailing shape.

Winter Wanderlust Decor

Sometimes less is more, which is why more and more weddings have uncovered wooden tables and chairs, for a natural woodsy look. They’re also sticking to natural color schemes for seating, with furniture that’s gray or black.

As far as cloth goes textured, crochet linens are in, but they don’t have to cover the entire table because a simple table runner will give the space the pop of color that it needs. To do something different check out metallic and shimmering table cloths in shades of gold and silver that will add to the winter magic of your wedding.

Big, blooming, centerpieces may be an accessory of the past because more and more wedding planners are arranging simple displays with succulents and sprigs of lavender or wild flowers.

Also, natural items from the winter landscape like pinecones and evergreen needles are being used as decorations. Pinecones can accent centerpieces and be used as card holders for seating arrangements. Evergreen leaves and branches can be crafted into wreaths, added to centerpieces, or used to garnish drinks. The creative possibilities are endless.

To create a romantic, elegant feel your lighting need to be simple, twinkling and warm. Single bulbs on a string or rows of white lights can create a snowy effect. You can also use chandeliers with small light bulbs and crystals hanging down for a dazzling winter affect.

Winter Wedding Refreshments

Weddings are meant to celebrate the love of two individuals who have found one another, but let’s face it, the food is exciting too, especially because wedding food is becoming more and more creative and hands on.

Not only are self-serving food stands popular, but now rolling food trays are in. Members of the waiting staff can push carts of food to different tables and guests can customize their own order. For example, at your wedding, you could serve customizable tacos or salads.

Plus, cake and dessert options are seemingly endless. Simple buttercream frosting is coming back and fondant is on its way out. Instead of lots of frosting roses, cakes are being topped evergreen branches and pinecones. Some people aren’t even serving cake, they provide macaroons, iced cookies, chocolate covered cranberries and fruit, and more instead.

Magical winter cocktails aren’t complete without sugar rimmed glasses and vibrant colors. Consider serving tequila cocktails with simple syrup, peach cocktails with a blush pink glow, or vibrant punch. You could also have a hands on, serve yourself bar where people can make there own mimosas or punch, garnished with a variety of different fruit to choose from.

One of the fastest growing trends is to have a hot cocoa and coffee bar set up, so your guests can cozy up with a warm beverage. Make sure that your cocoa bar has bursts of holiday flair with candy canes and marshmallows that can be added to drinks.

Need a Little Help Planning Your Event?

Now that you’re up to date with the hottest winter wedding trends use Inspherio to help you plan and manage your events. Inspherio is the management solution designed for event industry professionals with innovative features to keep track of vendors, online payments, day of event tasks, and more. Use your complimentary 30-day free trial to see how Inspherio can help you save time while managing and growing your business.

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Catering Trends: Using Microgreens

Looking to give your catering options a new edge. Incorporating microgreens into your catering menu is a great way to support local farmers and provide super healthy - yet delicious - options.

What are microgreens?
A micro-green is a tiny vegetable green that is used both as a visual and flavor component. Smaller than “baby greens,” and harvested later than “sprouts,” microgreens can provide a variety of leaf flavors, such as sweet and spicy. They are known for their various colors and textures; the use of microgreens is endless.

How can I use microgreens?
Due to their size, microgreens are perfect to incorporate in appetizers and small dishes. Their color is great for spring and summer, they give any dish a special pop. Check out how some caterers have used microgreens:

Compressed watermelon with ahi tuna, citrus microgreens and wasabi caviar. Photo courtesy of tremecula-catering.com

Tender crab cakes served with cucumber tartar sauce and microgreen salad. Photo courtesy of diningchicago.com

Goat cheese mousse, microgreens, aged balsamic, and basil oil. Photo courtesy of vibranttable.com

Sandwich roll with black forest ham, calvados brie and microgreens. Photo courtesy of amazingsandwiches.com








Microgreens are so versatile. They provide great flavor or a beautiful garnish. They are perfect to add in any dish served in a shot glass by the way. Call up your local farmer and see if they grow microgreens or find out where they are available in your area. Have fun mixing these great greens in with your spring and summer menus. 

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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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Top 5 Food Presentation Trends

Top 5 Food Presentation Trends

Simply setting out a large trays of finger food lacks that “Wow” factor, take a look at these food presentation trends that not only look great but can become an entertaining feature at any event.

Presentations with alternative containers - serving soup in a plain bowl doesn’t look exciting, amp up any soup recipe by simply serving it in a test tube or tall shot glass.

Free Form Plating - This type of presentation pays homage to modern painting styles. Placing a dish in an abstract way on a plate may seem careless at first glance but much thought has gone into it. Using different sauces to add color is not only pleasing to the eye but gives multiple options for entertaining the taste palate.

Presentations using organic materials - Using materials such as wood, stone, or slate lend a natural element to any dish. An added bonus of stone or slate is that they can trap heat to keep food warm, or be refrigerated and stay cold for hours to keep certain dishes nice and chilly through an entire event.

Landscape plating - This particular presentation style takes cues from the natural world around us. Particular landscapes or gardens that are related to an event can become inspiration to entertain guests of all ages.

Everything is better in a shot glass - Appetizers are great, especially with different sauces to pair them with, but it can be a bit messy. By utilizing a shot glass and placing the dip in the bottom and securing the appetizer on top is not easy to dip but also a very unique presentation of a simple dish.

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All About Inspherio

It’s time to get your Event Business organized with Inspherio - the most advanced business management program for Event Industry Professionals.  Inspherio provides solutions for businesses of any size, no matter if you are a one person operation or a full crew with many employees.  No other tool allows you to manage your entire business from one place - even employees and payroll!  

The exclusive Enterprise Version of Inspherio is leaps and bounds beyond any other program on the market today!

No other program offers a Truly All-In-One Solution, allowing you to:

• Schedule Your Employees & Assign Them to Events
• No more wasting time on an antiquated scheduling process
• Give Your Employees Account Access with Individual Login Information
• All your company information in one central place
• Automate Your Payroll Process & Track Expenses Intuitively 
• Eliminate that shoe box full of receipts & tax info
• Gather All Event Info From your Clients Automatically Add it to Contracts in Real Time
• Inspherio eliminates redundancies wherever possible
• Create Contracts in the Cloud & E-Sign Them From Anywhere
• Always Be Closing, no matter where in the world you are
• Generate Comprehensive Reports at Tax Time & Throughout the Year
• “Planning Your Success” is our motto, but can also Measure Your Success

With Inspherio, you are not alone.  Our customer support team is always available to offer heroic help whenever you need it through phone, email, & chat support.  Just give us a call at 704.234.6000 or email us at support@Inspherio.com with any questions you may have.

These are just a few examples of what Inspherio can do for your business. Join Inspherio Now to checkout the above features and more!!! Get started for Free!  NO Credit Card required to check it out!

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Olympic Trends in Fashion and Decor

We are all excited about our athletes in the London Olympics this year.  All day long, you get the latest updates of different competitions, new records, and of course, the inevitable controversies.

In the meantime let’s take a quick look at some trends that have begun this Olympic Season.

Some fashion designers decided to contribute to the Olympic Spirit through their art. Many statues throughout London appeared to wear designer hats yesterday.

Here is a couple:

Source: UK.Lifestyle

Source: Exploring London

Wedding Cake Decorators also want to be on top of the trend. After seeing all the Olympic medal ceremonies, it is easy to think about Silver and Gold.  Here are a few beautiful Gold and Silver inspired creations:

Source: WeddingWire Olympic Week

 

We wish the best of luck to our US athletes in London!

Check out what Inspherio has to offer in order for YOU to stay ahead of the game and beat your competition!

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Green Trends in the Event Industry | Catering

Today we will continue our conversation about Green Trends in the Event Industry.

This time let’s talk about Catering.

First of all, Catering is about serving food and/or beverages, so it’s important that serving surfaces are made of environmentally friendly materials. Buy or build your tables, bar stations, chairs, etc. from Earth friendly material, such as reclaimed wood, bamboo, and recycled plastic. Also, tables that can be used without linen are great to reduce costs.

Use vegetable based ink to print menus, seat placements, signs and invitations.

Low wattage light fixtures will not only save you money by using less electricity, but also by emitting less heat, this will lower air conditioning costs.

For your menu, you could use natural, locally grown, preferably organic foods. Sometimes national producers of organic foods may raise prices, because the cost of organic food is much higher. So, instead of using well-known brands, visit your local farmers market, speak to vendors there, and check if they can cut you a deal with a long term contact. You may also check if a farmer would grow organic produce for you, in exchange for a promise/contact. Some catering businesses start to grow produce themselves, “in house” as we call it. This may be a great selling point for your business; if you would know exactly where the food comes from and how it was grown.

While serving, opt for glass bottles instead of plastic, they can be easily recycled. The same goes for dishes, stemware and silverware, use the ones that can be washed and used for the next function. Using, paper and plastic serving tools add to waste and increase cleanup effort.

Use pitchers instead of single serve bottles, rarely a customer would finish the entire bottle of water or soda during a meal. By offering a pitcher, you will reduce waste and save the cost of bottles that were thrown out half full. Also, ask guests whether they want water, instead of automatically bringing the water to them, by doing so, you will save gallons of water, plus you will have fewer glasses to wash at the end.

Try to use Energy Star Certified appliances in your business; they reduce energy cost and usually are more efficient.

If your catering business has a delivery car, opt for a vehicle that is fuel efficient and is the right size for the job.

We would like to mention that being Green is extremely popular today, if you adhere to environmentally friendly standards, you can use them to promote your business. Rest assured some clients will choose you over another caterer just because you use Earth friendly techniques.
Inspherio can also help your Catering business to be more environmentally friendly. Inspherio can optimize your schedule; send contracts to your clients, so you will have fewer trips to take every day. Our unique KYE form with customizable questions for your clients can build exclusive menu for your client, you would know exactly how many people to prepare for, what foods to stay away from and what foods/ beverages guests liked the most at the previous event. You can easily prepare for your event and wow your client, all without leaving your office. So, what are you waiting for? Check out what Inspherio can do for YOU now by clicking here!

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Green Trends in the Event Industry | Part 1

Everyone talks about being “Green” and "environmentally friendly" nowadays.  You may be wondering how your business could also be more sustainable by adopting some Green Business Strategies like these:

First, reduce your carbon footprint.

How? Try to use less paper in your office, add a note to your e-mail signature that invites the reader to consider twice before printing your e-mail.  Be sure to follow what you preach, do not print web documents unless absolutely needed. Even most legal matters, like contracts, for instance, no longer require faxing or mailing the paper version; with Inspherio you can send an electronic version of your contract and your client can e-sign it online from anywhere. The best part is that Inspherio keeps all the records for you. So you don’t have to keep bulky shelves made out of wood or other labor-consuming material.

Use modern means of communication to reduce commute. Skype is a great option if you need to speak to your client and, maybe even show samples of your work. A quick meeting that lasts 20-30 minutes is usually not worth sitting in traffic for 30-40 minutes. Think of the gas and parking expenses you would save if you could eliminate most of your in-person meetings. If you are a Wedding Planner, you can make a video of the room setup to keep your bride’s mind at ease, and e-mail it to her to confirm the details. See? She did not have to drive across town! What a great service you have provided!

Stay tuned for more Trends every Wednesday.

For more ways to be "green" in your business visit our website and blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook!

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Wedding Decor Trends

The official start of summer is just a few days away.  While our fellow wedding planners are busy working on their next magnificent event, let’s take a moment and see what trends are out there.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a wedding? 

Of course, it’s a bride dressed to the latest season’s fashion. We will talk about dresses some other time.

What is the second thing?

What about wedding decorations?

There are few parallel trends this season when it comes to wedding décor. Some go with glamour, decorative lights, but the trend that stands out the most; is natural, organic weddings.

All decorations should look natural as if they were put together in a bliss by loving family members, featuring fresh flowers from the garden nearby, organic textures, such as burlap, tree bark, rocks, fruits, vegetables and, of course, candles.

Flowers have been a wedding staple since the beginning of times. So what is new this season? The trends this season is unexpected flower arrangements, whether that flowers hanging from the ceiling in place of a chandelier or centerpiece flowers submerged in water, which gives them that magnifying fresh look that any wedding decorator is striving to achieve.

Of course any wedding look takes lots or preparations and coordination. To help yourself put your next event together, stay organized with Inspherio, one of a kind, cloud based software that does most of the work for you, so you can dream and stay inspired!

Check it out at www.inspherio.com.

 

Pictures source: Pinterest.com

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