It was a beautiful September 1st and a perfect day for a Calgary outdoor wedding at The Southern Alberta Pioneers Association. We had met the lovely and beautiful bride several months earlier and enjoyed planning the menu and the special details of the day along with her mom.
Pops of bright yellow contrasted nicely with rustic burlap table runners and glass milk bottle vases on the dining tables. The wedding favours were a cute satchel of hand-mixed berry green tea. Some fun custom touches were the flower arrangements that flanked the couple during the ceremony. We set up large vases of flowers in buckets by the guest book and invited guests to pick some of these flowers and take them up to the vases at the front of the ceremony area to create the arrangements.
The bride and groom are big film connoisseurs, with the bride recently receiving her Masters degree in film studies. They had fun with naming the tables after their favourite films (tongue in cheek smile to the guests sitting at the ‘Shaun of the Dead’ or ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ tables).
We always try and make sure that the menu reflects the personalities of the couple as much as possible and that the ‘feel’ of the decor and custom touches are meaningful. You want your guests to feel welcome and you also want them to feel like they are at ‘your’ wedding and not just ‘a’ wedding.
Many thanks and heaps of congratulations to this wonderful couple and their families – it was a great celebration and we loved being part of it. And many thanks to Daniel Robbins for the fantastic photos!
Its easy to incorporate details into the decor, menu, and program that will help guests learn more about both of you while they help you celebrate.
Their outdoor wedding ceremony was followed by a cocktail reception on the ridge that included passed hors d’oeuvres and two classic specialty cocktails; a gin and tonic or an old fashioned. Once the couple returned from having their photos taken, an oyster bar opened and guests continued to enjoy the afternoon sun while the bride and groom were congratulated by all their guests.
As the last oyster was shucked, guests were invited to find their seats inside in the lower dining room where they feasted on a family-style dinner. After dessert, we transformed the dining room into the dance floor and the DJ took over while everyone danced, danced, danced. The late-night snack was a delectable doughnut tasting bar including doughnuts from Jelly Modern. The platters were devoured by hungry dancing guests!
The Menu
Prosciutto and fontina flatbreads with arugula
Marbella chicken drumettes (gf)
Manchego cannoli with herbed Boursin mousse (gf, v)
Banderillas
Gambas al ajillio (prawns cooked with garlic) (gf)
Raw and Hot Bar
Served with mignonettes, hot sauces, citrus and fresh horseradish
Fried Oysters with Tartar Sauce
Oysters Wrapped in Bacon
Oysters Rockefeller
Family Style Dinner
House made assorted chips and breads with guacamole, peach salsa and tomato bruschetta (v)
Salads
Mixed green salad with fresh berries, feta cheese and a honey herb vinaigrette
Grilled vegetable, fresh herb and red quinoa salad with a lemon honey vinaigrette (gf, v)
Mains
Roasted pepper crusted Alberta beef tenderloin with fresh chimichurri sauce (gf)
Cedar wrapped salmon with a blueberry zinfandel sauce (4 oz portion.) (gf)
Sides
Grilled broccolini with preserved lemon (gf, v)
Roasted mixed baby beets with apples and thyme (gf, v)
Sea salt roasted fingerling potatoes (gf, v)
Martini glass panacottas with fresh berries (gf)
Jelly Modern doughnut tasting bar
Fresh fruit platter
Vases of black pepper and truffle oil popcorn (gf, vegan)
Looking To Tie The Knot?
If you are recently engaged and just starting to plan your wedding, be sure to check out this post ‘5 secrets to wedding success’. There are so many Calgary caterers to choose from, it can be tough to know where to start. Here are 8 things you should know before you hire a Calgary caterer. And if you are planning a summer wedding be sure to check out these summer wedding trends in Calgary.