Earth Mother
With most weddings sticking to a budget can be difficult but with Bridal Fantasy’s Bride Coupon you’ll have a handy resource right at your fingertips.
From Photographers to DJ’s we have you covered! Some of last year’s popular choices were 15% off Bridesmaids Package of four or more dresses courtesy of Tifany’s Bridal for those picky bridesmaids or $300 of any wedding package courtesy of Images of Distinction. Grande Rockies Resorts offered 15% off the ballroom or outdoor ceremony space rental fee for brides who were looking for a unique venue. For brides who were looking for that must have staggette Bust Loose offered $50 off any staggette transportation so they could travel in style.
*Please note these offers are expired*
This money-saving Bride Coupon is exclusive to Bridal Fantasy and you will receive one coupon per ticket purchase, not just per bride!
Now you’ll be able to use some of the city’s top professionals and be able to stick to your budget!
Hazel Goblindancer
This Holiday Season … you’re the newlyweds and newly elected by your new family to do the next holiday dinner. You can still sail into preparing a family feast with ease if you organize your menu and ingredients beforehand.
With both members of your family working, you need to keep this meal as effortless as possible but still come up with a traditional family fare in a polished and simple manner. Not as hard as it looks! With a little effort and organization, you’ll pull this off and impress both your new and your existing family.
Let’s Talk Turkey Tips
• Make sure your turkey is fresh, or if it is frozen, completely defrosted
• Remove neck and organs from inside the turkey
• Wash the turkey in cold water
• Put olive oil in bottom of turkey pan
• Put turkey in pan (check before to make sure your turkey fits in your pan)
• Stuff the turkey
• Baste the turkey with melted butter. (Baste hourly)
• Put salt, pepper, and a small amount of granulated garlic on the turkey
• Cook your turkey 15 minutes per pound at 350 F
• A roaster with a lid is your best bet to cook turkey in
Dressing
Fast fixing tip: For convenience, cook the bacon, onion and celery mixture for the stuffing, perogies and brussel sprouts in one frying pan to save on time and clean-up.
• 4 slices diced bacon
• 2 cups diced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 10-12 slices bread (cubed)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. poultry seasoning
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. Pepper
- Fry bacon, onions, and celery until golden in olive oil-Add bread, eggs,
butter, and poultry seasoning
- Mix well
- Add salt and pepper to taste
Brussels Sprouts
• For convenience, use frozen brussel sprouts as they are cut
• Boil the brussel sprouts
• Add 1 cup (bacon, celery, and onion mixture)
Perogies in Golden Cheddar Mushroom Sauce
• 2 cans cheddar cheese soup
• 2 cans golden mushroom soup
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup (bacon, celery, onion mixture)
• 2 pkg. Perogies
• salt, pepper to taste
- Put into a Dutch Oven or large covered casserole dish, add all
ingredients but perogies and mix well
- Make sure perogies are covered by liquid-Bake at 325 F for 3 hours
Gravy Mushroom Gravy
• Use the drippings left in the roasting pan after removing the turkey
• Add 2 cups sliced button mushrooms (fresh or frozen)
• Cook until mushrooms are cooked
• In a bowl, mix 1 cup cold water and 2 tbsp flour. Make sure there are no
lumps
• Add to mixture, cook 5 minutes on medium heat
• Add salt and pepper to taste
TIMETABLE
2 weeks before:
• Order a fresh turkey
• Make a shopping list
• Order flowers
1 week before:
• Make and freeze your dessert (or ask one of your relatives to bring
dessert)
1 day before:
• Shop for your groceries
• Set the table and decide what serving platters you will use
• Dice the onions and celery and put into Ziplock bags
5 hours before:
• Fry onions, celery and bacon
• Preheat the oven
• Make the dressing for turkey
• Stuff the turkey
4 hours before:
• Put the turkey in the oven
• Put together appetizers
3 hours before:
• Peel the potatoes, put into a pot with cold water and some salt
• Baste the turkey
• Put the perogies on to cook
2 hours before:
• Make the salad and dressing
• Turn on the potatoes
• Baste the turkey
1 hour before:
• Put out the appetizer tray
• Baste the turkey – if it is not brown enough, take the lid off and if it too
brown, cover it with foil
45 minutes before:
• Cook the brussel sprouts
• Cook the corn
30 minutes before:
• Take the turkey out and put it on a platter
• Make the gravy
Fairy Godmother
Let them eat cake…
So, you’ve gone through the ceremony - everyone has ooh’d and awe’d at your gorgeous dress and perfectly-fitting flower arrangements. What’s the next thing they look to be wowed by? Your cake!
You have so many amazing options for cakes today. You can go classic with a tiered tower cake, go vogue with some cupcakes, or even go off-the-tracks with alternative ideas.
If you want to go with the traditional tiered beauties, you have a few options. You have the option of white - or vanilla - cake. This is a pretty classic and safe choice; most people enjoy white cake, even if it’s not their favourite. If you want to be a little more daring, chocolate cake is another option you have. It makes a bit of a bolder statement. Red velvet is a very romantic choice. Red, being the colour of love, can be a symbol of your new marriage, as well as accentuate your elegant, yet exciting new chapter of your life together. Marble cakes, as well as carrot cakes are also very common today.
However, it is always classy to have white icing - no matter what kind of cake you have. This way, if you get any on you when you’re smearing it all over your new spouses face, your dress won’t get stained as easily! Plus, colour accents look great on white icing - whether it be flowers or just a neat design, the colour will pop on a white background. Stick with either a buttercream or a sugar-base icing, or cream cheese for carrot cake or even for red velvet.
Cupcakes are very in recently - it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing a cupcake shop somewhere! Cupcakes are a fun option because you can get many different kinds of cakes - white, chocolate, red velvet, marble - and everyone can choose what they like. You can also have different colours of icing on each cupcake, adding a bit of pop to your dessert table.
It’s pretty hard to argue that cake isn’t an integral part of a wedding…but who says you have to have cake? I recently went to a wedding where there was no cake, but Croquembouche. Croquembouche is a French dessert of cream-filled pastries in the form of a cone, drizzled in some kind of topping - usually chocolate or caramel, sometimes even just sugar. It was delicious!
Photo Courtesy of Paul Swanson
Another alternative could be a candy bar. This is growing in popularity, especially for young couples. Having a table set up with your favourite candies can be a lot of fun for your guests. Even adding a cotton candy machine into the mix could give your wedding an edge. Some couples still tend to get a small cake when they have something like this - just for them and the wedding party - just to have those traditional cake photos and moments. But it’s not necessary; it’s up to you!
If you live in the Edmonton area, here are some great places to check out for your wedding cake needs!
Whimsical Cupcakes - Best buttercream icing I’ve ever tasted!
Fuss Cupcakes - They only do cupcakes here, but they’re delicious.
Bee-Bell Bakery - This is a great place to get flourless cakes as well!
Hazel Goblindancer
It’s hard to realize that chair covers have become a staple for most weddings and the options are endless. The Bridal Fantasy Group has found some of the latest styles inspire to you.
If your venue already has great looking chairs, but you want to glam them up, these two options are for you.
If you love flowers, try something like this. The asymmetrical adds whimsical flare!
A bit of extra shine is great for winter weddings. This cover goes well with a metallic colour scheme.
A bridal gown inspired look. This gorgeous chair cover is perfect for a Cinderella wedding.
This chair cover is classy and elegant. It its especially helpful if the chairs given to you at your venue are unattractive or beaten up. The touch of sparkle at the back makes this simple design more glamorous.
All chair covers and images courtesy of Dress My Day
Hazel Goblindancer
The evening of Wednesday, November 16, 2011, was a fun time for all who attended the book launch for Annie Dam, owner of Cake Couture; a cake boutique in West Edmonton. On display were a number of dazzling, chic, and edible pieces of cake art from her new book Cake Couture.
The cakes were honorable. From sculpted roses that looked real to an “I Love NY” cake that showed style and creativity at its best. There was even a blank cake made for guests to sign, with tiny, edible copies of the book cover running up the side! Attendees wrote notes of encouragement, congratulations and appreciation.
The launch was held at The Century Room, a laid back lounge in South Edmonton. Dim lights, champagne, and cupcakes were a perfect recipe for amazing Atmosphere. The author of the book, Annie Dam, was there to sign copies and half of the sale proceeds went to the Nina Haggerty Centre of Arts.
To purchase the book, you can go to http://www.fireflybooks.com/bookdetail&ean=9781554079490#.
To view the author’s website and to see how you can order your very own cake, go to www.cakecouture-edibleart.ca/
Photo credit: Adelbert Ho Photography
