Fandango Catering Offers 5 Tips to Make Your Large Wedding or Event More Sustainable

Whew! After our recent events we are just finally catching up.  Today we want to share with you some tips for making large events (over 200 guests)--whether a wedding, corporate event, or other large event--more sustainable.

Large events in particular need to be made more sustainable because their use of the Earth's resources is much greater than that of small events. 

For Randy and Lucy, whose wedding had 350 guests and who are both nature lovers and active in causes, increasing their large wedding's sustainability was important to them.

Here are some of the ways we made this wedding more sustainable, and which you can also use to make your large event more sustainable.

• The menu emphasized more sustainable choices--The couple changed their menu from beef to chicken; beef uses many more of the Earth's resources than chicken or fish.  The produce was local, as was the chicken.  We choose all the produce by hand from the Restaurant Row farmer's market, and it was so large and lush!
• Only compostable disposable plates and cutlery were used--we used bagasse (sugarcane) plates and cutlery and 100% recycled paper napkins.  Because the wedding was more fun and casual than formal, this worked very well, and bagasse would also work well at large corporate events such as a large cocktail party.  Bagasse plates now come in round, square, and even triangle shapes.  And if you're in a hurry you can even buy them by the case at Whole Foods--done!
• The food tables were decorated with "natural" flowers from our organic community garden source--these included passionflowers, trumpet lilies, calendulas, baby's breath (and even some wonderful wild mushrooms), which we coupled with our mod metal dessert towers for a "romantic and mod" design as the couple wanted.  Since these flowers are grown anyway by our master gardener instead of being grown for sale and shipped from far away, their decoration of the food tables was a more sustainable choice
• The cascading fruit display decorating the dessert buffet was taken down in the last hour and put on decorative trays and the guests, especially the children, enthusiastically ate all the fresh fruit.  Often fruit from fruit displays is just thrown away after an event.
• The groom provided boxes for our bartenders to recycle wine and beer bottles and designated some friends to take charge of taking the recycling boxes to a recycling facility after the wedding. 
• Leftover food was donated to a shelter the next day--The couple's family took home some of the leftover food and the rest was donated so no food was wasted

We hope these tips will help you with ideas for making your large event more sustainable :)

Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
www.fandango-catering.com

Fandango Catering Offers Tips for Choosing Serving Pieces & Table Decor for Your Event

In 2012 the "interesting" serving pieces and table decor trend continues and today we offer 4 ideas for choosing such pieces to lift your event, whether a small party or a large wedding, out of the humdrum.

Look for interesting shapes--leaf shaped, fan shaped, square with round edges--these types of trays will definitely add a wow factor to your event and can be used in combination with plainer pieces.  If used with plainer pieces make the interesting piece the focal point of your serving area.
Sources: Crate & Barrel, West Elm, Pier 1, www.alibaba.com ; or ask your caterer what serving pieces they offer.

Use an etched tray--These are hot now in gold plate, silver plate, and bronze and look stunning.  Most are round but you can also find oval and elongated shapes.  Great ones are available on www.ebay.com and at Pottery Barn.

Clear lucite trays offer a stunning modern look--We like Shriftman & Harrison's (http://hs-pr.com ) idea of using lucite trays with one large stunning bloom on each for either buffet or passed service.  Opulent!

Choose one or more standout table decor pieces--If your event is small, one piece will look dazzling and will be a complimentary focal point to your interesting tray(s).  If your event is large, standout decorative pieces on the guest tables will be what people will remember, the first thing they see when they walk in.  You can rent such pieces in any large city, or borrow one for a smaller event.  At a recent outdoor event we did at an historic home the hosts chose a beautiful, unusual large candelabra for the outdoor head table and it was lovely.

Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

Fandango Catering Offers 2012 Hors d'Oeuvres Trends for Parties & Weddings

If you're looking for hors d'oeuvres or small bites ideas for a party or wedding, you've come to the right place!   

In 2012 these hors d'oeuvres/small bites concepts will make your party or wedding shine:

Themed--Themed parties and weddings are hot for 2012, and carrying the idea through to the small bites--whether it's a cocktail or tapas party or a pre-dinner cocktail period--makes your event of-the-moment.  Themes such as France or another country, disco, comfort food, Indian or Moroccan ethnic, speakeasy, botanical, all white, etc., etc., add to the fun.  What theme do you like?

Regional--Something like themed, but focusing on one country or region, such as the Mediterranean (e.g., Italy, Spain, Greece), Napa, Texas, or LA.  The small bites would come from the area chosen.

Wontons--These are popular now in both savory and dessert versions.  An international array of wontons, dumplings, purses, etc. adds exotic flair and if carefully chosen can please even the picky.  We like to decorate them with a great idea from Fine Cooking: a skewer in each dumpling and a crouton or little flag on each skewer.  With international spreads like this it's nice to have a menu, whether printed, chalkboard, or ceramic write on slate (at art supply stores).

Little glasses--The little glasses trend continues to be popular and can be a boon to a busy host/ess as if you use them for a cold soup or sip you can prepare the soup or sip ahead and then just pour and garnish.  Mini martini glasses continue to be popular but also look for mini tulip glasses, mini square tumblers, and mini hurricane glasses or sake cups.  Besides cold soups and sips, use to serve cold or room temperature small bites like crab or shrimp salads or cocktails, caprese or other salad "bites," parfaits, panna cottas, and mousses, and so forth.  One don't--don't use them to serve hot food as it will get cold and lose flavor.

Skewers--Continue in popularity, and one fun idea is to have an all-skewers event of both savory and sweet treats, from satays and brochettes to cherry tomato and chickenette or meat lollipops to cake pops.

Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

Fandango Catering and Events Offers 3 Tips for Choosing Wedding Decorating Ideas

Lately our event design team has been discussing how color and other things act in mysterious ways at weddings and events and how little design details can make the difference for a wedding or event.  Our tips today can be applied to any large, important event, not just weddings.

Tip #1--Avoid washout
By this I mean that colors that look gorgeous in person, such as shades or green or blue or cream, can look washed out in photos of an event.

We came to the following conclusion: if photos are not vitally important, then choose colors that look beautiful together and make you happy.  But if photos of the event are important (such as at a wedding or important gala), then go for a bit more color. Here are two examples.

Example 1: At a recent Paris gala to raise funds for the Louvre, Becca Cason Thrash chose an event design of raspberry-colored Louis chairs and concentric-black circle raspberry colored mod tablecloths with pink and pink and white flower table arrangments in a salon filled with white marble statues and with white marble floors--looked great because the raspberry theme combined well with the whiteness of the salon AND the colors photographed very well (sorry, the photo has been pulled from the Houston Chronicle online archives).

Example 2: Recently one of our brides insisted on pale yellow rather than medium yellow roses for the centerpieces, cake table, guest book table, and sweetheart table.  Her colors were sage green and pale yellow; but since she also chose ivory satin linens, the pale yellow roses did not stand out against the ivory as medium yellow roses would have done.

If in doubt test some swatches and maybe some test flowers with a camera and if your combination looks too washed out rethink it.

Tip #2-Sweetheart tables, when less is more
Also rethink sweetheart tables.  Another of our brides this year chose to use a family heirloom writing desk, 25" x 45", as the sweetheart table, covered with padding and a satin linen at the head of an open U table configuration.  It was the best sweetheart table we've seen this year because it was a nice intimate size for the bride and groom, with masses of flowers on the floor in front of the table to set it off, and avoided the usual "head" or "family" table filled with families of the newlyweds, often jumping up to do something during the reception.

Tip #3--Not Too Bare
Wedding tables photos look best when the tables don't look either too bare or too crowded.  They look too bare without dessert spoons or forks laid above the main place settings and when the centerpieces are (too) small.  They look overcrowded when you can't see the tablecloths.  But in our view err on the side of overcrowded as the photos will come out better than if the tables are too bare.

Enjoy!

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

Fandango Catering and Events Offers 4 Tips for Wedding and Event Contracts

Event contracts--for catering, event planning or design, or event services--are CONTRACTS.  That means they are legal documents that the client is entering into with a vendor.  Today we offer 4 tips to help you avoid problems with your wedding or event contract.

Not every event has or needs a detailed contract.  For smaller or recurring events, generally event professionals do not prepare a detailed contract.  But weddings and larger, typically more expensive events do use contracts to protect both the client(s) and the vendor(s).  At Fandango we prepare event contracts for events over $3,000.

We're astonished when a client doesn't, or doesn't make sure their event planner does, read their event contracts carefully.  People are insanely busy nowadays, but not reading your contract can cost you money unexpectedly.  Event professionals are nothing like credit card companies, in our view, but the same holds true as when you sign up for a credit card: read the fine print (read everything).  Fortunately, event contracts are usually short and straightforward, not overly complicated.

Here are the typical areas in an event contract that can cost you money if you don't read them:

Guarantees
Most event professionals including caterers, hotels, restaurants, and country clubs, require a guaranteed number of guests for a large and/or expensive event as these events require a lot of work, time, and resources, and we event professionals don't want to be told, after a deposit is made and a lot of time and work has gone into the event, that a dramatically lower number of guests will be attending as we've already spent money on the event and often our suppliers won't let us change an order. 

Savvy people understand this and guarantee for a few more than they believe will come, then arrange for any food leftovers to be given to them or their guests or donated.

Cancellation Fees
Check out that cancellation fee clause; or if not a separate clause, find in the contract where it deals with cancellations.  Cancelling your event can go as high as 50%, so you want to know what the vendor's policy is on that.

Change Fees
Check out the change fees too--they run from 10%--30% or more per change.  After any deposit or payment is made the only change we allow without charging the change fee is the final head count. 

The time to decide any changes is BEFORE you make your deposit or pre-payment.  The best way to avoid change fees is to sit down and visualize every aspect of your event--will the way you want to do things be practical or do you need to rethink? Get a second opinion if necessary.  Recently a bride wanted to change the whole timeline of the wedding reception to cut the cake late in the evening and when we pointed out the change fee and the resulting costs involved (increased overtime fee for cake cutting by our pastry chefs, need for more plates and cutlery as the original plan was to have the cake as part of a dessert trio in the sit-down dinner), she decided to go with the original timeline.

Down here in Houston our contracts also include severe weather clauses because of hurricanes and tropical storms.

Line-by-Line
We suggest that you don't leave any reading of contracts for expensive services to an event planner unless in a former incarnation your event planner was an attorney.  We've seen too many event planners that are ditsy and trying to juggle kids too, and for the same reason, we've seen clients have to pay out or unable to make a change important to them because their event planners claimed to have reviewed all contracts for an event and in reality had only skimmed them.  My father was an attorney so I'm a stickler for creating solid contracts and for reading line-by-line any contracts we sign with other vendors.  We advise you to be as vigilant.

If anything, ask your event planner about these 3 points in each contract: guranteed number of guests, cancellation fees, and change fees.  And while you're at it, ask about terms: "What are the terms the vendor is proposing?"

Terms
This means things like the client will provide tables and not the caterer, for instance, and can also include payment methods or payment timelines or deliverables timelines, though these are sometimes specified in their own clauses. 

We have fairly detailed terms, but they're to protect us as well as the client.  For instance, twice we had to pay expensive paid parking at a client's (generally we do not have to pay for parking as our clients arrange it at their business or home) and the third time they hired us we put in the terms that they had to pay or validate the parking for our van and one other vehicle, and they did.

If no terms or policies are presented, we caution you, as often these are companies who book in volume, with few repeat clients, and thus don't care much about the kind of job they do.  If you have any questions or concerns, write them down and make sure they're answered, either to your planner or you. 

Remember, you're paying, so you want to make sure the final contract is acceptable both to you and your vendor(s).

Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
http://www.fandango-catering.com/

Fandango Catering and Events Offers 12 Eco-Friendly Wedding Tips

Many wedding couples hire us to help them create an eco-friendly wedding, and today we offer our top 12 tips for making your wedding more eco-friendly.

Eco-friendly weddings come in many styles and don't necessarily have to mean tons of raffia, terra cotta pots, or repurposed things, if that's not your style.

In fact, nearly any beautiful wedding design can be made more eco-friendly with just a few simple tweaks!

Here are 12. If you do even a few you will have already made your wedding more eco-friendly!

1) Have your caterer use local and, optimally, seasonal food. Organic food is often shipped from far away. Local and organic is even better if your budget allows it. For meat entrees, request no antibiotics and/or grass fed.

2) If you use disposable napkins (such as for hors d'oeuvres), use recycled paper napkins (Seventh Generation makes white ones appropriate for nice occasions like a wedding).

3) Use cloth napkins for the dinner.

4) If you use votives or candles, buy soy candles.

5) If you use flower centerpieces, donate them to a hospital or nursing home rather than throwing them away. Or use small vases, goblets, or silver cups to hold only a few amazing flowers each, or consider non-floral centerpieces, such as interesting table statues and flower petals on each table, which will cut down on the number of flowers needed and still look beautiful.

6) Have leftover food donated to a shelter.

7) Donate leftover table menus, invitations, and non-food favors to a low-income school for the kids to make crafts.

8) Have the bartenders pour soda from bottles rather than cans.

9) Recycle any recyclables, including wine and spirits bottles, large soda bottles, and unused paper napkins.

10) Consider electricity use: some of the most beautiful weddings use a dimmer turned about halfway down and votives, candles, or lanterns to lend a magical glow and ambience while cutting down on electricity use.

11) If you're having a destination wedding, you can ask guests to donate to offset carbon emissions sites, which use the money for good works, to compensate for the air travel of getting to the wedding destination.

12) Ask people attending the wedding or your event manager to take care of any donations and recycling so you know it will get done while you're busy with the wedding and/or honeymoon. We regularly prepare food for donation and often arrange for its pickup or deliver it to shelters ourselves, as well as taking care of the recycling from weddings.

Upcoming: How to make your wedding menu more sustainable.

Warmly,

Kristina

Kristina Ríos de Lumbreras, Ph.D.

Director of Sales and Operations/Event Manager

Fandango Catering and Events

(713) 522--0077

info@fandango-catering.com

www.fandango-catering.com