Anna & David’s Off The Beaten Path Wedding

This past weekend we celebrated the union of Off The Beaten Path couple, Anna & David. This chill couple kicked off the OTBPW 2013 season last Saturday at a private estate in Napa Valley. This was the first wedding of the season, so we thought it would be chill to have LIVE updates for our readers on Facebook and Instagram, as well as Twitter. We suggest you follow along with us as this is the first of MANY Bridechilla’s you will be able to gain live inspiration from as it is happening.

An Off The Beaten Path Wedding is known to be a celebration in nature full of creative touches and gracious hospitality. Anna & David’s wedding exemplified a true celebration in nature; full of organic infused design that only meant seasonal flowers, colors, olive branches folded in to the napkins, and much more. As much as this day was beautifully designed, it was just as much fun for the guests; as Mary Ellen Murphy would call it, “a party with a wedding thrown in”.

A wedding without walls is all about using natural surroundings for decor and making the most of the setting you’re in. The OTBPW team used the shade outside the Napa Valley private venue to serve spiked and unspiked lemonade to arriving guests, which were embellished with vibrant florals. Every table was adorned with pink hydrangeas and yellow blooms, creating a irresistible color palette and a pop of summer hues. The escort cards all hung on 3 plum trees, where they could be easily found during cocktail hour.

One of the most memorable aspects of the wedding was this chill dessert idea. Anna & David were so chill and so Off The Beaten Path by choosing to go above and beyond when it came to the standard wedding cake. Instead of just a cake, Anna & David let the Off The Beaten Path Wedding team run with a NEW idea – a dessert bar. This was hands-down one of the most favorite details to the wedding, which included everything from root beer floats and cheesecake to cookies and milkshake donuts. (Oh yes we did) Tons of guests captured images of this new Off The Beaten Path signature detail, but we made sure to gather some images of our own to show our Bridechilla™ readers.

Anna & David’s chill dessert bar, featuring OTBPW invention, “Milkshake Donuts”

Guests were greeted with the choice of spiked or unspiked lemonade, a trademark by Off The Beaten Path Weddings (and a must-have drink for
a summer wedding in our opinion…)

hmm… SPIKED OR UNSPIKED?

a big chill thank you to the Off The Beaten Path Weddings Team for all your
hard work last Saturday!

We look forward to sharing more inspiring details from this Summer’s weddings, but nothing compares to getting the inspiration as it is happening. To follow us and catch more of the OTBPW Team in action find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

8 Reasons To Love Macaroons

This little french confection seems to be the new cupcake, making it’s mark on the dessert world in many ways that we cannot help but take some notice. Spelled in French as “macaron” and English as “macaroon”, these almond-air cookies have taken the wedding world by storm. The English word “macaroon” and French macaron come from the Italian maccarone or maccherone. This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning “crush” or “beat”, which is an important part of making macaroons. We’re not sure about you, but we’ve been finding these chill desserts everywhere! They’re used in decor, in place of cakes, as favors… they are so universal that we cannot help but love them. It leads us to ask, where did they come from? It seems as though these sweet treats will be around for awhile, so we might as well learn a little bit about them. Let’s throw us back to the 9th century, shall we?

THE MACAROON
Culinary historians claim that macaroons can be traced to an Italian monastery of the 9th century. The monks came to France in 1533, joined by the pastry chefs of Catherine de Medici, wife of King Henri II. Later, two Benedictine nuns, Sister Marguerite and Sister Marie-Elisabeth, came to Nancy seeking asylum during the French Revolution. The two women paid for their housing by baking and selling macaroon cookies, and thus became known as the “Macaroon Sisters”.

Well that is one reason to love macaroons! These chill ladies paid their rent by making them! Although we can’t pay rent with them now, we sure can count some other reasons why we love these chill sweets.

1. They’re chewy, sweet, & delicious.
   
2. They come in TONS of different flavors.
   
3. If you’re looking for a wedding favor idea, you can even wrap some in cellophane bags (or boxes) & give them to your guests!
4. Instead of a wedding cake, you can have a macaroon tower like these:
   
5. Using macaroons in your decor as a design element is a great way to tie together your wedding theme.
   
6. Macaroons are GLUTEN FREE. They are generally made from egg whites, almond flour and sugar, none of which contain gluten.
   
7. Looking for a clever way to display your escort cards? We love this idea!
   
8. One of our favorite reasons to love these tiny french confections – the colors! There are SO many color possibilities! You can’t go wrong here.
   

Crazy about them yet? This chill dessert idea has endless possibilities, making it one of our favorite chill treats right now. How would you use macaroons for your wedding? We’d love to hear some ideas on this topic, seeing as macaroons aren’t going anywhere any time soon.

We’ve listed some great macaroon recipes below in case any of you are thinking of making some of these at home:

• French Almond Macarons
• Heart Shaped Macarons
• Ferrero Rocher Macarons
• Confetti Macarons (how fun is this?)
• Snickers Macarons
• Orange & Vanilla Macarons
• Raspberry Macarons
• Strawberry & Cream Macarons

Happy baking!