New Year's Eve Ideas....

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Please note that www.asavvyevent.com and any
asavvyevent email will be down for the next few days as we are getting ready to launch our new website and are changing servers.
Sorry for the inconvenience but you can contact us at
707-364-7403
or
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until the launch of our new site!

Happy Holidays and Happy Almost 2009~
A Savvy Event

Friday Happy Hour

What is a Happy Hour without a cocktail? We thought to keep with the theme of the holidays we would highlight a holiday drink! This is a great drink to have at your holiday party or your winter wedding! It also keeps with the color scheme of red, white and black that Annette (Swanky Tables) showed us yesterday on her Swank Holiday Table

~Peppermint Martini~

Here are a few essential items you will need to make your festive drink!

A Martini Shaker

A festive Martini Glass:

5 ounces of Chopin Vodka:
2 ounces of White Creme De Menthe
1/2 ounce of Peppermint Schnapps
and last but not least a mini candy cane to put in the drink! You can also crunch up your candy canes and rim the martini glass like the photo above with candy canes!

Pour ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into chilled martini glass. Add a candy cane in each glass for garnish.

and voila....here is the finished product....
The Peppermint Martini......a savvy way to toast to your special event!~


And if you really want to do it up you can purchase this Peppermint Chocolate Martini Kit HERE.

Happy Hour Friday to You...now go make your drink!

DIY Thursday- Guest Blogger Annette from Swany Tables

Greetings today we are so excited to have Annette from Swanky Tables here and she has some fabulous ideas and tips for your Holiday Wedding or Event....We hope you enjoy the post! She has so many great ideas and you can do them your self another great DIY!!!


I'm thrilled to share this DIY festive holiday table with you today.
With a color palette of red, white, and black, this modern design is
perfect for a winter wedding or event. Grab some red food coloring
and some fun vases and let's get started:


The Centerpiece:
I filled these longneck vases from CB2 , {on sale for $3.95}, with a couple inches of water, then add some red food coloring.
Fill the vases with the remaining water until you are about 3 inches
from the top. Add your flower of choice. I used white peonies
because they are my favorite flower, but I also think a tall spray of
flowers would look amazing. I added red square acrylic votives
for candlelight.

Escort Cards or Place card Holders:

I love these Snow Flurry card holders
to place your escort cards in. They give you a holiday feel without
screaming "Christmas". Instead of creating rows of cards on a table
you could also hang them with ribbon on a small tree or branch with
each guest's name.

Place Setting + Favor:

The place setting begins with a white square plate, white napkin, and
a black toile with red accent "menu card" . Even though this is
actually a Save the Date card, the toile pattern really softens the modern decor. The favor is a
candy filled red amac box with white pom-pom wired ribbon. I also added a small card, that you could customize with a date, name or special saying.

Additional decor details:

Branches are very popular and make an amazing centerpiece or table
display for a winter wedding. I love adding hanging votives and
crystals to Manzanita or Mitsumata branches. A good site to check out
is Nettleton Hollow(www.nettletonhollow.com) for supplies and
inspiration.

Thank you Savvy Event for letting me share my holiday table. Hope
everyone have a wonderful holiday season!

Thank you Annette....we look forward to more great ideas from you!!! Also make sure you check out her blog!!!

Real Weddings, Real Ideas...Planning a Holiday Wedding?

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Inspiration board by: Snippet & Ink Blog

~It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year~

Why not make it a romantic Winter Wonderland Wedding? Here are a few ideas to think about when planning your holiday wedding. They are things to take into consideration and to help you out!

The holidays are a very hectic time of year between holiday parties, traveling and shopping for gifts throwing another big event into the picture is adding another layer for not only you and the planning process but for your guest that you would be pulling away from their own families during the holiday season. Another thing you may want to consider is that you may have your anniversary overshadowed by the festivities of the holiday season year after year. However, the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year and that might just be enough to convince you to throw your wedding during this time.

You will also want to make sure that you plan at least a year in advance. While churches and chapels are much less booked in the winter time, you’ll want to book your venue at least a year in advance due to the many holiday parties. The same goes for caterers, bands and florists, since so many people will be having office or house parties at that time. If you are going to a destination where weddings aren't as popular at the holidays you might be able to save some money too with your vendors! It never hurts to ask!


When selecting a venue try to select a venue that has holiday decor and let the venue deck the halls for you. If you’re going for holiday décor theme, you will save a lot on florals and other decorations. Maybe the only thing you will need is an upgraded linen and centerpieces. You may even want to try to find a venue that has a fireplace in the room or on property as that adds a sense of coziness and a fire cracking in the fireplace is always romantic.

Like any wedding you will want to send out your save the date well in advanced. The great thing about a holiday wedding is that you could even incorporate your save the date into your holiday card for that year! Everyone should have there calendars for that year so when they receive your holiday card in the mail they will learn about your wedding at the same time and will start to plan for the event and start looking into travel arrangements if they are from out of town. Especially with our economy ( I know the E word) the way it is it is nice to give your guest plenty of notice to plan and try to find the best travel deals they can. If you are choosing a destination that snows you may want to alert your guest that there could be travel delays due to weather so make sure they have a two day cushion when traveling just in case. Even if your destinations is in the Bay Area or Wine Country ( Our Location) and snow is not a factor we all know that travel can delay your visitors coming from the East Coast, MidWest, etc...Airports such as O'hare, JFK, Denver etc....

The last thing you will want to think about is the time of year you are having your wedding....as we mentioned above it is the most wonderful time of the year so why don't you bring in all the things that go along with this most wonderful time of the year. The holiday menus (sometimes less expensive than the regular menus) Ham, Turkey, The Christmas Goose, Crab (depending where you are in the country) Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, sweet potatoes, all the comfort foods that make us feel so good and warm during this time of year. Have some festive cocktails (stay tuned to Friday's post for some great ideas) Peppermint Schnapps Hot Chocolate, Peppermint Martini, Chocolate Martini's, Egg Nog Martini & Hot Toddies!!

You could also along with your wedding cake do a holiday dessert buffet! Everyone loves all the sweet treats of the holidays so why don't incorporate all your favorite holiday sweets and do a fun dessert buffet with all of those!

The sky (north pole) is the limit when planning your holiday wedding! So if you are going to do it do it big and have fun with it....It is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Happy Holidays~

Tuesday Tips

Escort Cards vs. Place Cards

So today's tip is discussing escort cards and place cards.

So many couples are confused by the two and it is actually quite simple.

An escort card, escorts you to your table and a place cards is tell you where you place at the table is. Most of our couples choose to go with just an escort card which would then tell your guest what table they are seated at and they choose their seat at that table.

It is that simple. Now things can get a little complicated especially if you are having guest select an entree prior to the time of the event.

If you are not choosing to do a place card than I highly recommend you find a clear way to indicate on your escort card what that guest is having.

A lot of times couples will choose the "DOT" method.

Example:

Red Dot = Filet

Blue Dot = Fish

Green Dot= Vegetarian

From prior experience the "DOT" method is hard for your server to see in dim lighting. Colors like those don't tend to show up quite as easily as you may think.

One of our favorite ways is to use stamps from Paper Source.

These stamps are great and they are self explanatory and there is no question for your server!

You can buy ink in your wedding colors and either put a stamp on the front or the back of your escort card. It is clear and easy and you can re-use these stamps for any dinner party or event you have! They are $14.95 at Paper Source.

Escort Cards and Place Cards are a fun way to add detail and your personality to your event. There are so many creative ways to escort your guest to their table or place them at their seat.

We are always looking for new fun creative ways for our clients and if you have some fun ideas or pictures of ways you have used them we would love to hear from you!

Happy Planning

A Savvy Event

Stay Tuned Later today as we will be posting a SNEAK PEAK of Rachel + Mike

***Photos by***

Michelle Walker Photography

Jen Good Photography

Mulberry Photography

Fabulous Find.....

The White House Inn  & Spa located in downtown Napa, California is our Fabulous Find today

The White House Inn & Spa is a newly revitalized and renovated mansion that
offers guests a visually striking yet relaxing setting, perfect for a Napa
Valley getaway, vacation, wedding or event. From a Napa wedding moon,
elopement or romantic getaway, the inn has the amenities discerning guests
desire... clean, modern design, luxurious linens, fireplaces, jetted spa
tubs, pool, lush gardens, on site spa treatments and culinary delights both
at breakfast and evening wine and hors d'oeuvres. Enjoy walking to Napa's
downtown shopping, art galleries, wine tasting and some of the valley's
finest cuisine.

If you are looking for that perfect intimate location for your wedding or special event The White House Inn & Spa offers several wedding packages to suit your individual needs!

1.) Customized wedding package - design your own wedding!
2.) Complete wedding package - all-inclusive package - you choose your
Catering menu
3.) Intimate Ceremonies - Ceremony only package up to 50 guests, includes
cake, champagne, photography, Officiant
4.) Elopements - elopement packages up to 20 guests

The White House Inn is truly a unique setting in wine country. If you are interested in this fabulous spot please email us at ido@asavvyevent.com or contact the Events Manager Linda Griffiths at 707.254.9301 let her know you saw our post!

They still have many dates available in 2009!