Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend! I have one last batch of photos from my brother-in-law’s December wedding to share. The wedding was on the East Coast, where the bride is from, so many people from our side of the family were unable to come.My in-laws have a large extended family, so they decided to throw a second wedding reception, which also worked out to be a New Year’s party, for the couple a few weeks after the actual wedding. The venue was a small banquet hall located in their small town and only cost about $100 to rent for the evening. It was a lot of work because we DIY-ed most everything, but it was a blast.
My in-laws have seven kids, so before their first child got married four years ago, they purchased napkins, tablecloths, and chair covers to use for all the weddings. For this party, we used disposable plates, silverware, and cups purchased from Smarty Had a Party.
After setting up, we waited around a couple hours before the guests began to arrive. We all got quite hungry. (That’s Mr. Handsome’s hand reaching for some pretzels.)
I caught him mid-chew…
For drinks, we had coffee and homemade crock pot hot chocolate–click here for the recipe.
Dinner was a simple pasta/chicken buffet made by a friend who has a catering company.
There’s Mr. Handsome again.
Mr. Handsome’s talented cousin made these homemade cupcakes. The flavors are coffee, chai (my favorite), raspberry, and peanut butter. I asked for her recipes, but she wants to keep them secret, as she has a cake decorating business.
We also had other random assortments of goodies, made by other family members. We ended up overdoing it and having lots left over.
Are those 'drip' pans on the floor? If so, it seems you could have elevated the urns and had them further back on the tables, so you weren't running the risk of having drips on people's pants or shoes. Also, Reddi Wip needs to be refrigerated or kept cold, not left sitting out. You should have had an ice bucket for it, or not put it out til the last minute. "We waited around a couple hours for the guest to arrive." So did those cans of whipped cream, at room temperature… This is why I'm leery of DIY receptions and buffets.
Why must people pick over every little thing? They are lovely photos and we should be appreciative of the share.
Will the next set of photos be people dealing with food poisoning?
I'm pretty sure those cans say to keep refrigerated. They're sold refrigerated. Didn't anybody notice that?
The perishables were brought out when the guests arrived. They are not that stupid or irresponsible! Good grief!
How do you know stuff wasn't put out til guests got there? It's pictures of the set-up and Ellie & Handsome standing around waiting and waiting and eating pretzels while there are empty chairs and empty buffet dishes, so of course it looks like all that stuff just sat out, too. Even if the cold stuff wasn't put out til guests got there, how did it stay cold during the event?
Nobody's perfect and we learn something new almost every day. Everybody has a opinion, and sometimes an opinion can be helpful. I think Ellie has a good sense of humor.
At my store my Reddi Whip Cans are not in the refrigerator case they are out on the shelf. They say right on the can refrigerate after opening.
You people are so mean and nasty.
From Reddi Wip's own can:
For Best Results: 1. Shake can well 3-4 times before use, then remove cap. 2. Turn can completely upside down and press nozzle sideways with finger. 3. Rinse nozzle thoroughly with warm water. Shake off excess water and replace in refrigerator. Must be kept refrigerated to maintain safety. Will stay freshest when stored at normal refrigerator temperatures of 35 degrees to 40 degrees F.
Notice the "Must be kept refrigerated to maintain safety" part.
Saving someone from getting sick if follow something they saw online is not mean and nasty.
Sounds like you guys had lots of fun! Tell your cousin that her cupcakes look delicious 😋!
I passed on your comment, and she was thrilled. 🙂
Ellie
Looks wonderful! You must have really enjoyed that reception!
Thank you. We did! About 150 people showed up, and many were family and college friends I hadn't seen in a while, so it was great to catch up.
Ellie
Coffee cupcakes? Yes, please! Question: Did the bride wear her wedding dress for the reception? That's what I would want to see if I'd missed the ceremony. Thanks for sharing the pictures! — Meg
Hi Meg,
She did! And they played a short video from the ceremony for those who didn't attend the actual wedding.
The coffee cupcakes were great. Very strong, so a great desert for coffee lovers. 🙂
Ellie
Mr. Handsome, a dentist who should have knowledge of proper health & sanitation practices, has his bare hand in that bowl of pretzels?! Where's the scoop? Where are the individual plates or napkins for what you scoop out of the bowl? You don't put a bare hand into a serving bowl of food that others will be eating, too! Ewww! Please remind him about germy hands.
I agree that he shouldn't have touched the pretzels with his bare hands. Caterers usually provide scoops. In a pinch, he could have used one of those cups right beside the bowl. That would have been cleaner than hands (I hope). Tell him we said he needs a slap on the hand for that!
You don't need a scoop for Pretzel their finger foods you can pick them up with your bare hands. He had his hands washed. What is wrong with your nasty comments.
I would never eat from a bowl in public if I saw someone's hands in it first! Just as I don't like it when parents let kids go to a buffet line unattended. Little fingers are bound to stick themselves in the food! Or the kids pick up some food, put it on their plates, change their minds, and put it back. No thanks!
I organized a reunion recently, and the venue (who also did the food) provided long tongs for every bowl or platter of "finger" food. There was no touching the food with bare hands. I'll bet it's a health code item.
You sound like a Germaphobe.
Practice makes perfect. I find these scrutinizing critics really interesting. Overall it looks like a perfectly perfect event and then someone e plays what is wrong with these pictures and they come up with comments that I would not have noticed or thought of. Next time you can bet these DIY caterers will implement all of your ideas and more!
"Germophobe" accuser, would you want to eat food that someone else's hands or spit were on? Hand goes to mouth, hand goes back in the bowl…
The hand doesn't go into the mouth, and no its not that gross. I know a lot about germs and bacteria and you're just over reacting.
Mr. H knows a lot about germs too, yet there he was spreading them. 🙁
This conversation is honestly so stupid that I'm laughing! 😀
Thanks so much for sharing these photos! It looks so beautiful and is an inspiration to those who would like to do some DIY decorating too!
For only $100 for that clean, nice, bright room is a good deal! A blank canvas!
Thank you. My pleasure! Glad you were inspired. 🙂 Yes, it was a great price for a nice venue. We set up carnival games for the little kids in a smaller room off to the side, which worked out well. My in-laws have a lot of cousins with little ones, so it was helpful for the parents to have a place for the kids to go.
Ellie
Great job at DIYing the whole thing, it looked nice!
Well thank you! 🙂
Ellie
There's a bakery here that makes chai cupcakes, they also make coconut lime cupcakes, among many others, and even make gluten free versions of them (which means I can eat them without needing an asthma inhaler afterwards). They are 2 of the most delicious things I've ever eaten.
The main spices in chai are cinnamon, clove, cardamom, black pepper, and ginger. You could probably just add a bit of each to a basic yellow or white cake batter, and also to the ingredients for your frosting (I love frosting)
Thank you! I might just have to try making some. They were SO good. I had only had them one other time (when the same cousin made them for my sister-in-law's wedding 4 years ago) so it was a treat.
Ellie
Love hearing about all of your DIY stuff! Keep it coming! 🙂
I'm glad to hear that. Will do. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Ellie
After the lively discussion about napkin placement in a previous post, this Christmas I placed mine in the middle as you have done here…made me chuckle when I spotted that! Lol
Bee 🙂
Lol! I'm not sure whose idea that was, but it sure looked fancy. How many guests did you have for Christmas, Bee?
Ellie
With adult children coming and going, we had six of us on Christmas Eve and just five on Christmas Day. But we had my husband's best friend from uni and his wife to stay the other weekend and I did the same: napkin in a ring but laid on the plate. I really like the look and it saves space if you have a full table!
Bee 🙂
That sounds fun! I love hearing how other folks do holidays. 🙂
Have a blessed day.
Ellie
Love that those who were not able to travel to the wedding were able to celebrate and honor the Bride and Groom at this reception. All the family pitching in to make it a nice event is also wonderful.
I agree, Shela. I'm glad my in-laws chose to do that. It was a lot of work but well worth it.
Ellie
Chai cupcakes?! That just sounds heavenly. Looks like it was a lovely event!
The cupcakes were definitely the highlight. (Just kidding…lol.) I might have to try making my own version of the chai ones. If they turn out well I'll post a tutorial.
Ellie
It must be nice to be all dressed up with some place you helped to create to go! ("Like" your Mr Handsome there!)
Haha! Yep, it was wonderful. 🙂
Ellie
I gained ten pounds looking at those delicious cupcakes! Thanks for sharing.
Oh I know! I could have easily snarfed down 3 or 4, but I restrained myself. Mr. Handsome and I split a few because we wanted to try all the flavors. Lol
Ellie
That looks so good I would like to step into the picture and go there and eat that food too! Is that coveting your neighbour's goods?! Have you ever had party crashers at these events, or very strange ones that just seem to step in from out of no where?