Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Save the Dates!


One of the first steps in your wedding planning process:
To pick a date

That is the hard part right? Planning the official day you want to be wed in hopes that there will be no rain, snow, wind, or anything that could ruin travel plans!? 

So the hard part is done? 

Now you have to let everyone know. You have to announce to your loved ones the most important day of your life and make sure they mark it?! 

Don't stress!!! We have some great ideas (thank you Pintrest) that can help you decide the perfect and most memorable way to tell your guests to mark their calendars for your special day~

A lot of save the dates get lost in the clutter of the mail, or fall out of that tiny magnet holding it up in the fridge, or get thrown away when seasonal cleaning begins....


Here is a cute way you can make sure your date sticks with your guests through thick and thin!


~Magnetic Invites~





Many people are using magnets as platforms for their save the date. Not only can you be sure it will stay on the fridge, but it's even a cute way to hold up the kids' artwork!


Now maybe you really like to go picture crazy, but you don't know a cute way to display all of your lovey dovey photos... 


~Create a Cute Photo Keepsake~

These are cute and a great way to hold not only information (on the back of them) but your photos as well!
I don't know about you, but if I take a bunch of engagement photos.. I'm going to want my guests to see at least a few of them!

Here is a cute idea for those of you who are devoted to your state.. or even for those of you who would like to show your guests in a unique way where your wedding will be!

~The Crafty Cut-Outs~


Not only can you use this idea for your location, but you can ideally cut out design you like. For example: say you're theme was going to be at a winery.. you could have cut out an image of a wine bottle or wine glass! This is a cute way to keep the cards cheap and fun. 

Or you could cut your cards to create a picture cut out.

~The Pop-Ups~


Either way you prefer, a cut out adds another dimension to your card that will have your guests ooing and ahhing. 

Lastly, I'm going to tell you a few tricks to making the most efficient and cheapest save the dates. 

Tip 1: You can use a postcard as your save the date to save on envelopes!

Tip 2: Have you thought of putting the image in the envelope to save more room for information? 

Tip 3: If possible or in the budget.. it is a LOT easier if you save yourself the trouble and buy or create a stamping system that will allow you address your cards easily. This will not only help on save the dates, but invites and thankyou's as well!!

Well, those are my ideas and tips for the day. Once again Pintrest, I couldn't have done it without you. 
(Well, I could have, but it would have taken longer.)

Check out our Pintrest boards for more wedding ideas at The Garden Room




Sunday, January 20, 2013

Event Menu for the Garden Room


The Garden Room's Catering Company 
(GFG Catering, formally known as Skyfood Catering)

We, at the Garden Room, supply all the catering for our events. We take pride in our delicious choices and ability to bend to any guests needs! 

We also cater to organic, glutten-free, and vegetarian choices as well! 

Here is a list of some of the choices you are able to choose from at the Garden Room. Don't see what you are looking for? Feel free to let us know what you want and we'll make sure to meet all of your catering needs!


Garden Room Event Menu

Dinner Menu:

Side Salad: included in prices
Classic Caesar               Greek
Garden                           Pear Gorgonzola
Spinach Cranberry         Roasted Beet and Chevre

Pasta Entrees:
Lobster Ravioli with Tomato Cream Sauce  
Shrimp Pomodoro with Angel Hair Pasta 
Veal Ravioli with Truffle Cream
Filet of Beef with Trottole and Gorgonzola Cream  

Poultry:
Seared  Chicken Breast with Cranberry Chutney 
Chicken Saltimbocca 
Pan-Roasted Duck Breast with Tomato Ginger Jam 
Wild Rice Stuffed Turkey Breast with Sage Gravy 

Beef:
Braised Short Rib with Demi Glace and Black Figs 
Pan-Roasted Tri-Tip Sirloin with Port Wine Demi Glace and Wild Mushrooms 
Beef Tenderloin with Amablu Cheese Butter 
Classic Meatloaf with Wild Mushroom Gravy 

Pork:
Apricot-glazed Pork Loin 
Chili-rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Hoi Sin Sauce 
Fennel Crusted Pork Loin with Dijon Cream Sauce 
Smoked Pork Chop with Apple Chutney 


Fish and Seafood:
Pecan-crusted Walleye with Herbed Butter 
Sun-Dried Tomato, Olive and Artichoke Crusted Salmon 
Cilantro Lime Tilapia with a Tequila Beurre Blanc 
Pan-seared Mahi Mahi with Thai Red Curry 

Vegetarian:
Lentil Dal with Saffron Basmati Rice and Grilled Vegetables 
Roasted Vegetable and Mushroom Risotto 
Velveted Oyster Mushroom and Broccoli Stir Fry 
Spinach Walnut Florentine Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis  

Starches: included in prices
Duchess Potatoes
Twice-baked potato
Herb Roasted Potatoes
Saffron Basmati Rice
Herbed Rice Pilaf
Cranberry Wild Rice Pilaf
Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Vegetables: included in prices
Roasted Vegetable Medley
Ratatouille
Honey-glazed Green Top Baby Carrots
Sautéed Pattypan Squash (seasonal)
Green Bean Almandine
Broccolini


Kids Menu
Hamburger with Fries 
Cheeseburger with Fries 
Individual Pizza – cheese or pepperoni 
Roasted Chicken and Macaroni and Cheese 
Spaghetti and Meatballs 
Beef tacos with Spanish Rice 


Late Night Snack Menu
Pizzas (10ppl)
5ft Party Sub with Ham, Turkey and Roast Beef (25-30ppl) 
Beef Sliders by the dozen
Quesadillas – chicken and beef  for 12
Nachos  
Chicken Wings – teriyaki, bbq, buffalo   


Hot Appetizers by the dozen
Mini Beef Wellingtons  
Walleye Cakes (1 oz cakes)
Stuffed Mushrooms – sausage - tomato-spinach -crab
Spinach Artichoke Dip in Bread Bowl with Toast Points   8oz bowl
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops (20/30 scallops)
Chicken Wings– teriyaki, bbq, buffalo  
Beef Satays  
Chicken Satays 
Mini Meatballs – Swedish, BBQ, Marinara 
Beef Sliders  
Mini Vegetable or Pork Egg Rolls with Dipping Sauces  

Cold Appetizers
Imported Cheese Tray 
Domestic Cheese Tray 
Seasonal Fruit Tray
Vegetable Tray 
Anti Pasto Tray 
Smoked Salmon Crostini 
Horseradish Beef Crostini
Bruchetta Crostini  
Shrimp Cocktail 



Another Wedding Fair Success!

The Wedding Fair, Jan. 13th, 2013.

What better way to welcome in the new year than to go to the Wedding Fair?! We were very honored to once again attend the Minneapolis Wedding Fair on Jan. 13th! 

Here at the Garden Room, we really felt this wedding fair would be a hit. With the holidays, new year, and romantic snowy weather, we really felt there would be a lot more future brides and recently engaged couples roaming the floor.

Not only did we see so many new faces, but we were also blessed with the opportunity to be recognized by SO many more brides than our last visit to the Wedding Fair! 

We also saw a few of our old friends who took advantage of the opportunity to "ahh" the 
recently engaged brides. 

From the future brides to the mothers-in-charge, we were able to stay busy marketing to the public the whole 11-4 shift! 

Although we were keeping busy, we still wanted to make sure we had the opportunity to see some of the fashion show this year so we could show some styles to our readers. 

Here are a few images from the  David's Bridal Line.





 Love the colors!





Here are a few images from the Posh Bridal Line. 







 What pretty dresses!









Love those suits!