I am SO excited to share this whimsically wonderful event with you that was held at Culinary Crafts’s very own Tasting Room!  We were so thrilled to be a part of this wedding, which was held on New Year’s Eve, and loved, loved, loved the design that the couple chose to make the space their own.  I also loved the use of The Tasting Room for their ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception (complete with a New Year’s countdown, of course!).  It really showed off just how versatile our venue can be!  Check it out!

Love these glitzy shoes!  Perfect for a New Year’s party/wedding!

Downtown Salt Lake City is chock FULL of cool and urban locales for you and your honey to get some couple shots.  All within a short jaunt of The Tasting Room, I might add!

We were just smitten with the handmade garlands that created a “curtain” for the windows.  So fun and colorful, they really set the stage for this one-of-a-kind wedding.

Not only did this couple have GORGEOUS floral bouquets and boutonnieres, but I loved their non-traditional centerpieces with paper airplanes, succulents, and cosmos – all with a touch of sparkle!

This backdrop really put the focus on the ceremony and made for a fun background during the wedding.  Plus the handmade aisle “runner” was super cute too!

This wedding party was stylin’!  Loved the yellow/grey palette for the guys and the gorgeous greys for the gals, who were able to choose a style that suited them best.  Plus, the bride’s lace headband and bow detail on her dress was such a great way to make the look her own.

Yum!  No guest was left hungry with all of the butler-passed hors d’oeuvres about!  My favorite?  The Utah Apples with Utah’s Own Beehive Cheese‘s Barely Buzzed Cheddar.

Loved this chic (and DELICIOUS!) buffet with crab cakes, house made artisan breads, vegetable crudite, caprese salad, and Teriyaki chicken skewers, to name a few of the offerings.  Mmmm….

How cute is this cake?  Love the topper and the golden teacups they used as the cake plate base.  Seriously, these two are SO creative and I love their handmade touches!

After the guests got their fill of dinner, the dessert buffet came out – complete with wedding cake, fresh fruit, vanilla custard with fresh berries and a popcorn bar!  LOVE the popcorn bar!

This wedding was a blast and we are so happy to have been able not only to cater it, but to host it at The Tasting Room!  Congrats to Michelle & Charlie!  Also, if you are thinking The Tasting Room would be perfect for you, check out our website for more details!  Happy planning everyone!

Check out more on Salt Lake City, Utah County, and Park City catering at www.culinarycrafts.com!

Photos by Logan Walker, A Pepper Nix Photographer

On the heels of yesterday’s super exciting announcement, we have ANOTHER awesome bit of news to share with you!  Culinary Crafts is opening a venue, unlike any other, in downtown Salt Lake City!  It will also be the Salt Lake offices for Culinary Crafts, Event by LMG, and Pepper Nix!  (Wow!  That’s a lot of great talent under one roof!)  While we can’t release a ton of details about the space (just yet!), I do have a teaser of the space undergoing some changes!  Enjoy!

Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks, my friends!

Check out our website at www.culinarycrafts.com!

Photo credit Logan Walker of Pepper Nix Photography

We are so thrilled to attend The Art of Catering Food conference this July!  And we a equally honored to have been asked to speak and share ideas and advice with so many of our fellow caterers!  Mary Crafts, Kaleb Crafts, Ryan Crafts, and Jocelyn Ball will all be speaking and we can’t wait to hear it!  If this is something you just can’t miss, here is the info to get registered:

We can’t wait – it looks like its going to be AMAZING!!!  Happy Tuesday everyone!

Check out our website at www.culinarycrafts.com!

Hello all and Happy Monday!  Today, I’d like to spotlight another one of Mary and Rick’s FANTASTIC vendors: Carrie’s Cakes!  Carrie’s Cakes made their GORGEOUS wedding cake which was one of the beautiful visual pieces that every guest certainly enjoyed!  It was a 5 tier, ivory masterpiece that mimic-ed the style and fabric of Mary’s Augusta Jones gown.  Each tier was slightly different but all culminated to create this wonderful wedding cake!  Take a look!

Carrie and her crew are definitely the masters of beautifully constructed cakes.  They build the wild, the great, the intricate, the elegant, and the whimsical.  Anything you could dream, Carrie’s Cakes can make!  Thank you Carrie’s Cakes for creating a stunning cake that Mary and Rick (as well as their guests) will never forget!  And, also, a thank you to Scenemakers for putting the “icing” on the cake with dozens of ivory roses at the cake’s base and an aubergine L’amour linen set atop hundreds of beautiful rose petals making for a breathtaking presentation!  Stay tuned for a spotlight on Scenemakers soon!

Check out our website at www.culinarycrafts.com!

Photo credits: Pepper Nix Photography and Logan Walker of  ZumaPhoto

Today on Trendy Tuesday, its all about custom signage!  I know I’ve expressed my love of it before, but we are DEFINITELY seeing this trend take hold and sweep across many events – from birthdays to corporate events and most of all – weddings!  Here are some of our favorite examples from Culinary Crafts events that we had a hand in coordinating, planning, and executing!!!

Images from Pepper Nix Photography

This wedding was chock full of fun details, but one of the best was their use of coordinating signage!  From the menu, to their photo booth logo, to the mix CDs they gave their guests, and the concert style posters boasting their event, they incorporated a strong style and carried it through the entire event!  I love it!  The menu is my favorite!  I always think its a nice touch to give your guests menus or post custom signage at the food stations so they know the delicious offerings there are!

Images provided by Logan Walker of ZumaPhoto

This event was full of style and 1920 speakeasy flair!  So we DEFINITELY had to make sure the signage kept that theme so the guests were totally immersed in the theme!  I think these signs did the trick, for sure!  From the font to the design, everything calls back to the prohibition era – from the DELICIOUS food to the gorgeous McCune Mansion!

Images provided by Logan Walker of ZumaPhoto

This lucky 8 year old celebrated her birthday with Ladybug style!  From the invitations to the candy table signage, there were polka dots galore!  I think the signs for the food definitely amplified the whimsy and fun of the event.  And the definitely made you remember you were partying among the Ladybugs!

Images provided by Pepper Nix Photography and  ZumaPhoto,

Ah, Mary and Rick’s wedding day.  A day of true romance and elegance!  Adding to the beauty of the day were the elements of signage all throughout the event.  From the custom seating chart tags, the custom napkin name tags, and the custom menu – which all harked back to Mary and Ricks GORGEOUS invitations – the guests were impressed and well informed of all aspects of the event!  One of the best ways to tie your invitation back into your event is to make sure that the fonts, style, colors, and detailing are carried from that initial invite all the way through the custom signage of your event.  Your guests will love all the custom details and the tone you set with that invitation is sure to be felt throughout the main event!

Images provided by Logan Walker of ZumaPhoto

Lastly, this event had custom signage in spades!  The place cards, the napkin bands, the table numbers, and those high style signs on the bride and groom’s chairs marking their newlywed status!  Such a gorgeous way of presenting guests with the information they need to find their seat and also make them feel special!  Not to mention, they definitely kept it consistent which made it tie in beautifully and only elevated the carefully crafted event.  BEAUTIFUL!

Custom signage is an excellent way to share information with your guests, keep your style present, and elevate your wedding beyond the norm.  One of the easiest ways to get custom signage is to work with your invitation designer to see if they would be willing to let you know the fonts they are using and the colors so that the signs match perfectly.  Some full service design studios may even be able to design the signage for you!  We here at Culinary Crafts love custom signage and love having our clients provide (or have us provide) signs for the stations, mocktail/cocktail bars, etc.  The food is such an important part that we love to showcase it with beautiful signs!  Culinary Crafts would LOVE to help you create custom signage as well and we also have a staff of AMAZING people who can plan and execute your event!  This way, the design and any custom signage you’d like will be expertly coordinated and laid out with the wonderful creators at Culinary Crafts!  I hope you are inspired to add signage throughout your event too!

For more ideas, check out our website at www.culinarycrafts.com!

We have some exciting news!  Culinary Crafts has had the distinct honor of being asked to be a contribute at Trend Summit for 2012 on September 25th!  Actually, we were overjoyed – three times over – because Kaleb Crafts, Ryan Crafts and Jacque Riehl are all presenting!  How awesome is that?!

The Utah Wedding Trend Summit will be held on September 25, 2011 and will be the wedding event of the year! Local speakers will introduce and present the hottest and most current trends in the wedding industry. The latest color palettes issued by the Pantone Institute for 2012 will be displayed and discussed within the framework of all things wedding—from bridal gowns to floral centerpieces, from dinnerware to the newest and coolest beverage concoctions and more. This will be the place for the who’s who of Utah wedding professionals!

The Utah Wedding Trend Summit will be held at Pierpont Place, 163 Pierpont Avenue, Salt Lake City, 84101. Pre-register by September 23^rd and the fee to attend is $50, if you register at the door, the fee is $75. Register at: www.myupfa.com

This event is sponsored by Utah Bride and Groom Magazine, The Utah Professional Florist Association, Pierpont Place and The Wedding Professionals of Utah.  Do not miss this one of a kind event, where you will be sure to learn the latest and best trends in the wedding world, which will set you and your business apart as the place to go for the best a wedding professional can offer!

Ryan and Kaleb Crafts will be presenting on catering trends and Jacque Riehl will be presenting on design and planning!  Not to mention all the other fantastic scheduled speakers!  Another enticing tidbit is that we at Culinary Crafts will be providing lunch (which is included in the cost of registration)!We are so thrilled to be a part of this event and hope to see many of our fellow vendors there!

Check out our website at www.culinarycrafts.com!

Graphic and italicized text re-posted from Utah Bride Blog

Hi all!  I hope you had a fantastic weekend full of relaxation and fun!  Be sure to read to the end of this post because we give you our Top 5 Questions to Ask Your Caterer, but first some exciting news!  Recently, we’ve been working on making our blog even more helpful to you, our readers, and adding more tips, tricks, advice, and how-to posts – and with that, we’ve also decided to come up with a sort of weekly breakdown to make it easier for you to tune in to your favorite topics and find the information you are looking for!  So, without further adieu, from today on, we’ll be posting topics based on these ‘theme’ days:

Monday Musings – Advice from experts, tips, tricks, and helpful how-tos!

Trendy Tuesdays – Well be letting you in on the industry’s up and coming trends and ideas to keep you in style!

Wednesday Wisdom – DIY projects, more tips, ideas, and experts weighing in on how to make your day perfect!

Food Theory Thursday – All things food and drink!  Here we’ll be sharing recipes, techniques, and pairings for you to use in your own kitchen and event menus!

Favorite Find Friday – Here we’ll be showcasing our favorite find of the week – so it’ll be a grab bag of fantastic finds!

And, in honor of today’s first ever Monday Musing, we asked the ever wonderful Mary Crafts-Homer to share with us her Top 5 Questions to Ask Your Caterer to make sure you get the best fit for your event!

1.  Let your caterer know your budget up front and ask what would be the best fit for your event based on that budget.  You may want a 7 course plated dinner for all your guests but that definitely adds major cost to your bottom line – so unless your budget allows for it, let the caterer suggest other options – such as a gorgeous dinner buffet with similar food options to cut your cost.  If the caterer won’t work with your budget or tries to upsell you an event you aren’t sure you can afford – be wary.  Also make sure that you trust your caterer enough to give you ideas you wouldn’t have thought of yourself, but also make sure that they keep your vision at the forefront.  It’s your day, after all!

2.  Ask if there are any additional costs for labor, alcohol service, gratuity, etc. that will be added into your final total.  This is especially important if you have a tight budget and do not want to be surprised with the final bill the week before your wedding.  Most caterers will outline any additional labor costs, extra staff costs, alcohol provider’s costs, and also suggest a gratuity based on your cost.  Make sure you are aware of the costs involved and plan for your budget and there will be no surprises at the end.  Also, remember the gratuity is based on the service provided.  So your gratuity should reflect your overall happiness with the event and service.

3.  Ask if the food is prepared on-site or in a kitchen off-site.  Culinary Crafts prides itself on preparing their food at the event site (which is one of the reasons it is SO delicious and fresh).  This allows you to plan for how much space the caterer will need to prepare the food and plan a layout where they will have their “back of house” or prep area.  You don’t want to be figuring this out on the day of – you’ll have more important things to focus on!

4.  Ask if they are a full service caterer or not.  Meaning, are they just going to show up and make sure the food is taken care of?  Or are they going to make sure that the layout is the way that you (the client) have envisioned?  And that the cake shows up?  Or that the rental company has delivered the chairs and linens you ordered?  Culinary Crafts will make sure all facets of the event are taken care of from layout to set up to execution.  Of course, a wedding planner would do this as well – so if you have hired one, Culinary Crafts will work closely with the planner to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.  One less thing to worry about on your wedding day!

5.  Ask other wedding vendors and past client about their experience with the caterer you are considering hiring.  No matter what the reputation is of the caterer, you should ask vendors and clients you know and trust about their experience with the caterer to find out if they would recommend them or had any problems with them.  It’s always important to know who you are doing business with.  It’ll make sure you are happy in the long run!

Happy planning everyone!

For more ideas, advice, and tips, check out our website at www.culinarycrafts.com!

Hello dear readers and I hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day weekend!  Today, we’d like to share the last post from the FANTASTIC University of Utah Pharmacy Cup Polo Match – and this time, its all about the hats, polo match, and the legendary “Stomping of the Divots”!  Let’s check it out!

A quick overview of the auction, the FOOD (I can’t get enough of it!), and even Mary and Rick making sure everything is going off without a hitch!  The Pharmacy Cup was truly THE place to be!

Did I mention the hats!?  There were so many to see – all from chic and stylish to completely fun and whimsical!

One of the most recognized parts of any polo match is the “Stomping of the Divots” and the Pharmacy Cup did not dissappoint!  All the guests were out on the green taking part in this long standing tradition – and having a blast!

Talk about full service catering!  Culinary Crafts made sure all the guests were refreshed during the match and the stomping of the divots!

Lastly, they awarded the best hat a fantastic prize – and may I say it was definitely MY favorite hat as well!  This gent made his hat – complete with a dog biscuit ribbon accent!  A very well deserved win!

The Pharmacy Cup Polo Match was, by far, one of the most outstanding events that Culinary Crafts has had the honor of participating in all year.  Thank you so much for letting us add to the beauty and elegance of it all!  I hope you, our readers, enjoyed it as much as we did!

For more exemplary events, check out our website at www.culinarycrafts.com!

Photo credit: Mitch Burt of ZumaPhoto and Keith Westerberg

Today, I’d like to showcase this pretty, backyard wedding that is a simply gorgeous summer-y event.  The couple elected to serve a light dinner buffet, which is perfect for the season.  Couple that with a custom ice sculpture (courtesy of Swanovation Custom Ice Sculptures, natch) and Culinary Crafts’s house made gelato, this wedding is sure to please any guest on a balmy summer night!  Check it out!

How stunning!  And the gelato!  It is simply delectable and a perfect dessert in these warm summer months.  Plus, guests always love the custom gelato case station!  So fun!

Check out our website at www.culinarycrafts.com!

Photo credit: Keith Westerberg

It’s been a little over a month since Mary and Rick celebrated their wedding and we have another spotlight on their event to share with you!  They were gracious enough to share some of the photos from their wonderful honeymoon!  They went to a cozy resort in the Appalachian mountains for some rest, relaxation, and just taking some time away together.  Sound awesome!  Not to mention, they got to try a bunch of the best BBQ places the Appalachians had to offer!  Check it out!

I love that Mary And Rick started out their honeymoon at the IHOP in Springville!  Sadly, they didn’t have any of the DELICIOUS food from their reception (seriously, how sad!) and were super hungry after their firework-filled farewell!  So, what did they do?  Stopped at the local IHOP!  Such a fun memory and I love these pictures!

Here are a couple of pictures from some of the BBQ restaurants that Mary and Rick visited.  Love the twinkle light flying pig!  Also, Mary just had to take a picture with one of their servers who has been serving for over 60 years! AMAZING!

Thank you so much to Mary and Rick for letting us in and sharing these pictures with us!  It looks like so much fun!  Remember, dear readers, thinking outside of the “honeymoon box” can sometimes lead to more fun and a lot more fantastic memories!  Either way, though, its important just to spend some quality time with your new spouse and have fun together!  Happy planning!

Check out our website at www.culinarycrafts.com!