Crabby

Hotel gifts are a wonderful "We're so glad you are here." first impression for the guests travelling to Baltimore for your wedding. In addition to the traditional Berger Cookies, Goetz Caramels and Jeppi Maryland Mix, here are two more fun items to add to the gift bag:

This personalized bag of seafood seasoning costs as little as $ 1.50 each. Available from J.O.Spice in Baltimore. In addition, throw in a pair of these cute personalized mallets for fun (1.85-2.95 each).

Pop-ular

Popcorn is having a moment. We hope it goes on forever. Popsations, a popcorn company in Baltimore, makes seven different flavors of popcorn that you can order in small bags, or in tins of one, two, three or six and a half gallons of popcorn. It is perfect for a popcorn bar at a wedding or to include in hotel gift bags.

There’s also a popcorn company in New Orleans called Popcorn Bistro which  has over 100 different types of popcorn, including Classic Kettlecorn, Mesquite Barbecue, Nerds (the Wonka candy), Steak, and Peanut Butter Chocolate. Yum! If popcorn is one of your favorite things (and why wouldn’t it be) you can share the love with individual popcorn gift bags and presents, for people who like it just as much as you do.

 

Nice Wedding Favor

To begin this month of December, we want to share this cute tree favor idea from the folks at Martha Stewart. It is great for so many reasons: the favor is "green", not expensive, and really something that guests will keep. The fabric covering can be color coordinated to the wedding and the favor table will look wonderful. The template for the tree tags can be found on Martha Stewart Weddings.

The Making of A Candy Bar

Over the years we have created quite a few Candy Bars for our clients and we are especially proud of the one we created at a recent summer wedding. The client and the guests loved it and all the candy was gone by the end of the evening.
To create an amazing Candy Bar for your event, first decide the color palette. Obviously, the one here is Hot Pink, White, and Black. For the wrapped chocolate bars pictured here, we used Hershey Bars and wrapped them in pretty wrapping paper from Target and added a custom label from My Wedding Labels. The pink basket is from Michaels.

We purchased these white trays years ago at Target for a Baseball theme late night snack tray and have used them so many times since. All of our clients are invited to use any item in our stock room for their wedding at no charge. The trays are lined with colorful scrapbook paper from Michaels.
We love the trays so much that we purchased them in aqua this year.

Also in our stock room are lots of pretty glass jars in various shapes and sizes. We assign each candy variety a jar ahead of time so we know how much candy to purchase.

The white shelves, purchased at Ikea and now also part of our inventory, allow for some height to be added to The Candy Bar. Underneath the shelves are cute, hot pink paper lanterns.

Two of our favorite candies to use: Jordan Almonds (available in so many colors) and nonpareils because everyone loves those. We mix dark and light chocolate for the nonpareils.

Here we used small cello bags with a header of scrapbook paper and a custom name tag. They are filled with salt water taffy.

In order to make the Candy Bar especially amazing, Perkins Productions installed a drape behind the table and Perfect Settings provided a cute black and white polka dot linen.

These small boxes are available at any craft store and we added a label and ribbon. Perfect size for a take home favor.
Another photo of the small cello bags, this one filled with jelly beans.

Alternating the color of the jelly beans in the tall jars add some interest.

Thank you to Juan Carlos at Fotobriceno for the photos and

thanks to Amy Atlas for her inspirational website.

We do offer Candy Bar service for non-clients too. Estimates available via email.

Mmmmm

It may be because I love doughnuts.  It may be because my Mother thinks they're evil.  But, either way, I love this idea.

Martha likes it too - that has to count for something.

The good news is that we have a local vendor who can make these fresh, hot, rings of yummy goodness at the wedding while your guests wait.  Mmmmm.  What a reason to have a cold weather wedding.

image from marthastewart.com

Go Eco

Looking for an eco-friendly favor that fits your garden wedding?

Here are some good ideas:

Sets of 12, $20 per set from Beau-coup.com

Sets of 6, $90 per set from Beau-coup.com

Sets of 6, $36 per set from Beau-coup.com

Is Paris your Passion?

Looking for something French to add to your Hotel Hospitality Gifts for your guests or perhaps as a favor for the wedding or a shower.  Whether you're planning to travel to France on your honeymoon, were engaged in France, or just has a passion for all things French.  Here's some ideas:

Lavender Scented Sachet from L'Occitane $8

Vanilla Bath soap from L'Occitane $4

Chocolate Eiffel Towers from Chocolate Fantasies $4.50

Candy Bar: Treat you guests to your favorite candies and add a colorful display to your reception!

Candy Bars have become very popular at weddings, birthdays, and celebrations of every kind. They make a huge impact and provide a shot of great color. The display becomes an activity at the reception - a place for guests to mingle and chat.

Theme your Candy
By color - all red, all white, all pink
By decade - favorites from your childhood
Family Favorites - each persons favorite candy. Label them Sally's Favorite, Jim's Favorite.

Wrapped or loose candy?
Either works well. The wrapped candy will stay fresh longer. Loose candy will require more to fill the jars and requires scoops.

Where do I get the candy?
There are a variety of online candy stores that sell in bulk or you can stop by your favorite warehouse store, grocery, or candy store.

What about candy bags and ribbon?
We can help you there too. We can custom imprint bags in low quantities and help you select a complimentary ribbon.

Is this just for kids?
Certainly not! Adults love candy and definitely enjoy the candy bar experience. Though occasionally they tell us they are "taking candy home for the kids" we know most of that candy will not make it inside the house.

ESB Weddings Tip: Pre-cut your ribbon into 1/2 yard lengths and decide how the bags and ribbon will be displayed. Order or pick-up your candy and pack it up along with your other reception items. If the candy needs special unpacking be sure to do that before wedding day. We like to add a sign to the display with a note or simply to wish Sweet Dreams to your guests.

Assign someone to unpack the jars, set them up, and load them up with the candy. Your guests will love filling up their bags with their favorite goodies!