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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The Best-Kept Secrets All Event Planners Should Know About Wedding Venues

The first question a bride should answer, after saying “yes” to her new lifelong partner of course, should be where she wants her wedding to be held.

And let’s just say—that’s not an easy question to answer.

There are  several factors to consider: do they want it outside or inside, want it in their hometown or in the middle of both families, or are they wanting a destination wedding?

And guess what, event planners? Your clients are going to be looking to you to help them make that decision.

So, we’re here to let you in on the best-kept wedding venue secrets we think all event planners should know.

Secret #1: The style of the wedding dictates the venue

Believe it or not, what your clients choose for their wedding style will really narrow down the venues you look for.

Now sure, we’re not saying you can’t throw a 1920s styled wedding in a rustic barn setting, because you certainly can. However, do your clients want an informal or formal event? Will it be at night or during the day?

When you help your clients start thinking about the type of wedding they want, you’ll really help them narrow down the venue selection.

Secret #2: The number of guests

You guessed it, knowing how many guests your clients want to invite is a sure way to help decide on the venue.

Let’s say your clients want a wedding with 350 guests. Well not much to your surprise, when you have a large guest count there’s a small selection of venues you’ll be able to choose from.

So getting an estimated guest count is a good first step in selecting the venue. And when your clients start thinking about who they want to invite, it will also help them decide on the geographical positioning of the venue—like if they want it in in an area near where the majority of their guests live.

Secret #3: The dreaded, unpredictable weather

When you’re helping your client pick the venue, the one thing you should warn them about is the weather.

And you won’t be the only one warning them. The weather plays a huge part in deciding where your clients’ event is going to be held. If they want a July wedding, is outside really the best option? And if they want it in April, are they ready to deal with the chance of rain?

You can never plan for the weather, so it’s always good to plan around it. Always have a backup indoor location on hand if you need to.

Secret #4: Traffic and driving considerations

We mentioned earlier that sometimes when picking a venue it could be important to your clients to find a centralized location.

Maybe one person’s family lives in New York and the other’s in Tennessee—maybe finding something in the middle could work well for their guests who may be traveling.

Now let’s think on a smaller scale, what if your clients want a venue that’s in downtown Charlotte, on a Saturday, during the middle of a city-wide event, what are you going to do?

You don’t want the guests sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, or to have to delay the event. Make sure you think about things like this whenever you’re helping choose the venue.

You’ll also want to think about a venue that is too far removed from main roads. Sure, the view might be gorgeous, but is it difficult for the guests to arrive at?

So event planners, there you have it, some of the best-kept secrets when it comes to helping your clients select a venue.

Good luck! We know you’ll be able to help your clients find the location of their dreams in no time.

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Event Guide: Handling Difficult Bridesmaids (and Groomsmen)

You love, love, love, being an event planner. From the flowers, to the taste of the cake, to the exchanging of the vows—there’s nothing better. Well, except for Cranky Candy, Diva Daniella, Whiner Wendy, and Too-Perfect Patty. You know, the bridal party?

As an event planner, you not only deal with the bride’s and groom’s emotions, you also have the bridesmaids’ and groomsmen’s emotions to constantly consider. Ugh! Can you handle anymore?

Although we can’t be there in person to help you handle this “difficult-to-manage” bridal party, we do have some tips that might help.

Bridesmaid (and groomsman) #1- The Drama Queen/King

Forget about it being the bride’s and groom’s special day, it’s all about the Drama Queen/King. This person is out to steal the show, the thunder, the spirit stick, whatever you want to call the special moment. And there are a couple of reasons why they choose to act like this:

• If they are unmarried, they’re most likely jealous
• They envy the attention others are getting
• They’re feeling sad about “losing” a friend, sister, brother, etc.

You can handle the Drama Queen/King bridesmaid and groomsman by pulling them aside and having a heart-to-heart with her/him. You can ask what’s going on or how they’re feeling. By calling into question their feelings, there’s more of a chance they’ll recognize and correct their actions.

Bridesmaid (and groomsman) #2- The Everyone’s a Critic

Not to sound too judgmental, but this bridesmaid/groomsman might just be the toughest to deal with. They’re full of opinions, “advice” and plenty of critique. It can be disheartening for your clients to constantly have their ideas and dreams bashed by somebody else. And this type of bridesmaid/groomsman isn’t just trying to be critical, they might be doing it for these reasons:

• They regret the details they’ve decided for their own wedding
• They can’t accept that their moment is over

During moments like this, your clients will be glad you’re there. As the event planner, if the critic offers advice you and your clients don’t agree with, politely thank them for the help, but don’t waver from your final decision. Or, you can always have your clients give the critic complements of their wedding, but have them insist this is what they would like for their big day. If worst comes to worst, you can always choose to ignore the critic. People tend to give up complaining or criticizing if it’s not being listened to.

Bridesmaid (and groomsman) #3- The Complainer

Let’s just say, having a bridesmaid/groomsman that agrees with every decision but then complains the entire time is tiresome. Every step you make, or any task you ask them to do is a chore. And even more so, it’s hard on your bride and groom to constantly have someone dragging their feet along in the party. This person is probably doing it for one reason:

• Sad they’re “losing” you as a friend, sister, brother, etc.

It’s hard for them to agree and to go along with activities when they’re feeling sad. Unfortunately, there’s no magical line that will make the person feel better about the situation. But your clients could have a one-on-one meeting with the upset bridesmaid/groomsman to ask them how they can help them make feel better. It’s all about being open to communicate, willing to hear how the other person feels, and being there to offer comfort and encouragement.

Bridesmaid (and groomsman) #4- The Have-to-be-Here

They might be their third cousins, twice removed, or best friend of your Uncle Tom, but your clients felt like they had to invite them to be a part of the wedding party. Be it pressure from extended family or friends, your clients should never feel like they have to include someone. Because in the end, a person knows when they’re asked out of obligation, and it will make for a very disinterested bridesmaid/groomsman.

When it comes to situations like this, your clients have to be the ones to decide whether not inviting a person to be in the bridal party will cause too much of a rift or divide in the family. 

For more event tips, keep up with Inspherio. We’ll be here to always offer you advice on everything from flower arrangements to handling the bridal party. And if you haven’t already done so, sign up for a free 30-day trial of Inspherio. It’s the business management solution tailored just for event professionals, like you.  

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