Happy Valentine’s Day!

We want to wish ALL of our chill readers a very Happy Valentine’s Day. And what better way to celebrate than with a fresh, earth-to-table Valentine’s Day cocktail with your sweetheart? Thanks to our friends at Brit + Co, we’re sharing this perfect drink with you today… See instructions below!

Brit + Co: For our next Cupid-friendly trick, we’re serving up a fizzy, buzzy, fruity cocktail! This delicately flavored Valentine’s Day cocktail uses concentrated Pomegranate White Tea, adding extra dimension and flavor to your favorite sparkling wine. White tea has a fuller, sweeter, milder flavor than other teas because of it’s short fermentation time. You could also use pomegranate juice if you can only find regular white tea.

For the sparkling wine, we used Mumm Napa Rose, which compliments the tea beautifully with notes of crisp apple, vanilla, and cherry. Top with fresh pomegranate seeds for texture and flavor.

This cocktail is unsweetened so it is boyfriend and husband friendly!

Ingredients (makes 2 cocktails):
– 3 sachets white tea (preferably Pomegranate White Tea from Trader Joe’s)
– 1/2 cup hot water
– 1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
– 2 teaspoons pomegranate juice (optional)
– sparkling wine

Instructions:

1. Immerse all 3 tea sachets in hot water. Let steep for 5 minutes then remove and discard tea sachets.

2. Chill tea until very cold.

3. Add two tablespoons tea to the bottom of two champagne flutes.

4. If using, add 1 teaspoon pomegranate juice to each flute.

5. Top with sparkling wine and pomegranate seeds.

6. Enjoy immediately with your sweetheart.

Immerse all 3 tea sachets in hot water. Let steep for 5 minutes then remove and discard tea sachets. Chill tea until very cold. Add two tablespoons tea to the bottom of two champagne flutes. If using, add 1 teaspoon pomegranate juice to each flute. Top with sparkling wine and pomegranate seeds.Enjoy immediately with your sweetheart… CHEERS!

Bridechilla™ Throwback Thursday

Photo by Michelle Kim Photography

Happy “Throwback Thursday” chill readers! Our BRIDECHILLA™ Mckenzie and her [now] husband Tim were one of our 2013 Off The Beaten Path couples.. today we are reminiscing with this beautiful video of their wedding day by Hit Maker Films. Their chill day was a prime example of the Off The Beaten Path Weddings team in action, as well as our signature look of elegance inspired by nature. With mercury glass and white hydrangea hanging from the trees and earth-to-table dishes, this day was an Off The Beaten Path Weddings beauty from start to end.

Cheers to McKenzie & Tim!

Bridechilla™ by OFF THE BEATEN PATH WEDDINGS Tip #49

Tip #49 – How to be a BRIDECHILLA™ by OFF THE BEATEN PATH WEDDINGS – Check out these Valentine’s Day gifts for that chill guy in your life!

We’re just full of the romance lately aren’t we! First we gave you date ideas for every month of the year, and now we’ve got some special ideas for Valentine’s Day to share. We love these stylish, useful, sweet gift ideas for your special guy. Let him know he’s appreciated this Valentine’s Day like a true Bridechilla™ would… with these gifts!

If the way to your man’s heart is through his stomach, try out this sinfully sweet recipe – vanilla cookie sandwiches with nutella cream cheese frosting… YUM!

A playful hanger for him to hang his favorite shirt on… cute idea from HandmadeAffair on Etsy!

Help him out with date ideas.. if you’ve already done all the ones on our list,try these new ones, or create your very own to add in to the envelopes. It’s the gift that gives to the both of you 🙂

We’ll bet he’s gotten mad about his earphones being tangled up in his pockets. Get personal by giving him this monogrammed Saddle Leather Earphone case! It will save him tons of frustration.

Does he like to cook? This magnetic meat seasoning set is a great gift for a guy who likes to cook, grill, and help out in the kitchen.

Or cover his manly needs with a manly-spa set. This gift includes everything from a grooming products to a gourmet treat chocolate bar. Definitely can’t go wrong with this one!

Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your chill guy!

Bridechilla™ Tip #47

Tip #47 – How to be a BRIDECHILLA™ – Keep us in your social media radar!

With a new year comes new changes. Whether you’re taking us up on date ideas with your beau or vowing to put down your iPhone more, sometimes change is all anyone needs. So, what’s new with us? Bridechilla™ has decided to begin updating our Facebook followers via Off The Beaten Path Weddings. All that means is we are taking our chill to a new Facebook platform, so that we can be more efficient and bring more chill inspiration to all of our Bridechillas. Bridechilla™ actually started with the makers behind Off The Beaten Path Weddings out of Napa Valley – so now we are simply going back to our “home” to stay. All we ask of our readers in this week’s chill tip is that you make sure you have “liked” Off The Beaten Path Weddings on Facebook. If you haven’t, you can do so here. This will help us keep in touch with you as our fans and following, and help you be in touch with us and all the inspiration we plan to bring you in 2014!

Bridechilla™ Tip #46

Tip #46 – How to be a BRIDECHILLA™ – New year’s resolution: Go on more dates!

Remember those? Dates. Those wonderful outings where you go on a nice bike ride together, dinner, or maybe it’s one of those nights you want to spend on the couch watching the latest episode of Breaking Bad.. or Modern Family, if you’re like some of the us at Bridechilla™ and Off The Beaten Path Weddings. Being a chill bride and wife means keeping the chill alive, or romance alive, by making sure you take the time to go out on dates or at least create some free time to spend with each other, without the distractions. So let us help you out with some pre-planned date ideas, and please feel free to share your own!

January
Go ice skating, enjoy the winter wonders while they are still here.

February
Surprise each other. It wouldn’t hurt to make the date Feb. 14th either… 🙂

March
Each pick a movie on Netflix or at your local Blockbuster… get a carton of your favorite ice cream and make a night of it!

April
Use a Friday night to get some friends together and have a game night, OR go on a double date with another couple.

May
Spring is here so use the season to your advantage. Got a backyard? Plant a garden together… if you don’t have that much space, go on a wildflower trip.

June
Be active together! Going on a bike tour in the beautiful Napa Valley is always a great idea.

July
Go on a camping trip together.  Spending some time outdoors and out of cell range would be a great way to bring you and your beau closer.

August
Cook a meal together. Choose a theme like “breakfast for dinner”
or “Mediterranean Twist” to make it fun.

September
Plan a vacation or getaway for you both to look forward to the following year

November
Keep it simple! Go out to a local sports bar and watch a game together.

December
Go Christmas Tree shopping together, decorate the house together, and make it something you do together every year.

AND REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN!

Bridechilla™ Tip #45

Tip #45 – How to be a BRIDECHILLA™ – Add some chill, delicious, goodness to your holiday dinner with seasonal desserts.

Just in case you haven’t seen our last Bridechilla™ Tip or our other blog posts, you must know that we are all about the seasonal touches that can be added to any event. Whether it be your wedding or a dinner party, we are here so that you can let us help you gather ideas for any function lacking that pumpkin centerpiece, apple garland, or fruit thank you favor. Because we are always watching out for ideas for our hostess bridechillas. As much as we love embellishing holiday decor with nature, we are going to talk about the FOOD today. The best part, in that case… the DESSERT.

recipes via clarY pfeiffer and ruche

As promised, each and every one of these has a small seasonal touch that we cannot help but find irresistible. If you find yourself drooling over any of them, here is where you can find the recipes so that your holiday grocery shopping lists can be ready for the holidays.

Recipe links: Blackberry + Blueberry Tart / Apple Crisp / Bourbon Pumpkin Cake / Persimmon Walnut Cake / Vegan and Gluten Free Espresso Banana Donuts

Winter Wedding Color Ideas

A lot of brides opt for traditional spring and summer weddings. However, couples who are brave enough to step out of the box and plan winter weddings are often rewarded with higher attendance rates (no one’s off on summer holidays!) and brisk but beautifully picturesque weather.

While ivory and soft pink are perfect colors for a delicate spring wedding, choosing a winter wedding opens you up to a whole new and exciting palette full of sultry, seasonal colors.  If you’re planning a wedding this season, take a look at our wedding color ideas for winter 2013 for some divine inspiration for your special day.

guest article by tiffany faming

Image credit: sterlingandnicole.blogspot.ca

1) Arctic White & Ice Blue
For a refreshing twist on a summer theme, combine arctic white and ice blue. The two colors are bang on trend for winter 2013 and come together perfectly to form a sophisticated combination that isn’t common or overdone. This beautiful color combo is particularly gorgeous for areas that experience heavy winter snowfall, as arctic white and icy blue are often the first colors that spring to mind when we picture a winter wonderland.

For a breath-taking bouquet, combine white roses with blue delphiniums and hyacinths.

Image credit: lovemydress.net

2) Winter Berry
Winter berry is a magnificent color choice for winter weddings, particularly for brides who adore pink but don’t want to go the pastel route outside of spring and summer. This sensual hue marries together beautifully with a crisp white for a semi-conventional bridal color scheme. However, if you want to step out of the box, winter berry looks equally amazing when accompanied by just a hint of mandarin. Sheer warm orange shawls draped over the shoulders of pink clad bridesmaids will add a touch of interest and flair.

Bouquet choices for this color scheme are endless. Try fuchsia peonies with black calla lilies and orange tulips.

Image credit: http://www.bridalguide.com

3) Navy blue
Like ice blue, the whole frosty spectrum of blue represents winter spectacularly. For a truly regal and effortlessly elegant wedding, navy blue is a lovely, contemporary choice for winter 2013. Dress it up by pairing it with classic white or opt for a bolder design by breaking out yellows and golds for a stark contrast. The seamless combination of navy blue and yellow will evoke poetic notions and remind guests thateven the harshest winter eventually blooms into spring.

For your bouquet, it’s hard to go past the amazing combination of hydrangeas and yellow roses.

Image credit: weddingideasmag.com

4) Burgundy
If your relationship is intense and passionate, why not reflect that in your wedding color scheme? Burgundy is a gutsy but popular winter hue that truly shines against a snowy, white backdrop, making it ideal for outdoor weddings. If you love the color but don’t want it to eclipse a white bridal gown, try using it as an accent color with white, plum or even olive green.

Burgundy is another color that leaves your choice of bouquet wide open. For a bouquet that is one part dramatic and two parts gorgeous, we recommend black calla lilies, red ranunculus and geraniums.

Whichever color scheme you choose, we’ll be here to help you out and make sure your special day goes off without a hitch!

Author bio: Tiffany Faming is passionate writer. She loves to write on fashion, travel, family, home decor and gardening. Now she is writing for PromoCode4Share.com, a great site that updates many interesting deals of wedding venue.

Tis the season to be a Bridechilla™

Farm-to-table or farm-to-tree, we decided to stay true to the chill and create our very own clementine garland for the holiday season. With burlap bows and the vibrant splashes of orange, this Holiday tree has BRIDECHILLA™ written all over it! And let’s not forget the Naughty and Nice – the Off the Beaten Path Weddings December signature cocktail…

And a big chill THANK YOU to Helen Buehler for taking these photos and to the always creative Rebecca Caldera!

Off The Beaten Path Weddings loves their Hospitality Ambassadors!

We take *so* much pride and joy in every Off The Beaten Path Wedding, and sharing photos with all of our readers is always such a pleasure. When the photographer sends those files after an event, it’s always fun to oooh and aaah over each image, and choose the best to share with everyone. BUT today, we are taking a minute to share some “behind the scenes” shots of our staff doing their thing. We’ve definitely learned that it takes a village to produce an Off The Beaten Path Wedding, but lucky for us – we have a wonderful group of hospitality ambassadors (also known as service staff) to make every event possible. Now that our season is over at Off The Beaten Path Weddings, it’s nice to look back on the fun moments with staff and appreciate the fact that they are both hard-working and chill… after all, it is the season to share what you are thankful for!

All of these photos are from Holly & Jim’s chill day, see a snapshot of the Bridechilla™ below!

Thanks again to our wonderful OTBPW staff for being such a chill group of people. And also, thank you to Melissa Phillips for providing these photos!

Bridechilla™ Tip #44

Tip #44 – How to be a BRIDECHILLA™ – Use one of our favorite Fall wedding design details: apples. And guess what? We’re going to help you out.

Photo via ruffled and nessa k photography

In October, we were chasing the best pumpkin design details, over Summer, we were all about the perfect ways to use produce in your wedding, and now… apples! It may not come by any surprise that we are at it again, falling in love with more farm-to-table touches. That is one of the KEY chill details from our team at Off The Beaten Path Weddings out of Napa, California.. so don’t be surprised when we discover another way nature can embellish your wedding. Now, enjoy our top 5 favorite ways to use apples in your wedding decor – some of these are REALLY chill!

via MEG SMITH AND Snippet & ink

●   APPLE GARLAND  ●  We had to start off with one of our favorites. This apple garland is just too too perfect for an orchard inspired wedding.

via ruffled and nessa k photography

●  BOBBING STATION  ●  How fun is this? Imagine how funny it would be to be watching your guests go after these… definitely a lot of laughs to be had!

via ruffled and nessa k photography

●  ESCORT CARDS  ●  Or, just use that bobbing station for good looks and let your guests find their seats with apple embellished escort cards.

via southern weddings + JEN HUANG PHOTOGRAPHY

●  ON THE TABLE  ●  Bring some color to your table by placing apples on the plates as wedding table decor, or even use them in the centerpieces!

via BEST PHOTOGRAPHY green wedding shoes

●  APPLE CIDER  ● And finally, how could we leave this stunner out? Hallow out the apples and serve hot apple cider (spiked and not spiked options, of course!) to your guests in a fun, unique way.

P.S. Need some ideas on how to keep the dudes entertained at your wedding? Check out Bridechilla™ Tip #43 for ways to get your groom and the rest of the guys having more fun on your chill day.