#ctweddingvenue

A wedding in Bali is quite special. You see, Indonesia is a cluster of islands that each have their own unique culture. Their culture is infused with the west, Asia, India, and the pacific islands. Bali is one of the most famous islands in Indonesia, and Balians have a very unique way of celebrating their Indonesian wedding celebrations.

Traditionally there are three types of marriage styles involved with a wedding in Bali, the “Ngerorod” (elopement), the “Memadik” and the “Nyentana”

Traditional Wedding in Bali

The “Ngerorod” (elopement) Style Wedding in Bali

The elopement Indonesian wedding is a more popular choice nowadays. This includes the bride and the groom meeting outside of their family estates and proceeding to spend the night together which is usually accommodated by one of the couple’s close friends. Please note that this is well orchestrated by both sides of the family and is more of an exhibition especially for the bride’s parents who pretend to be really outraged at the audacity of the groom and his family to scheme their daughter into marrying which will ultimately lead to her downfall.

The “Memadik” Style Wedding in Bali

In this type of Indonesian wedding, the groom and his family visits the bride’s parents and her family to ask for their daughter’s hand in marriage. This is quite a costly endeavor which includes several large ceremonies where the groom’s family is laden with expensive gifts during this style of wedding in Bali.

The “Nyentana” Style Wedding in Bali

The third type of wedding in Bali is where the groom goes to stay with the bride’s family. In this Bali wedding tradition, the bride’s family are ones who ask for permission from the groom’s family. This sort of Indonesian wedding ceremony occurs when there are no sons from the bride’s parents as a result, the groom would become responsible for carrying on the family linage and taking care of his bride’s family estate.

Traditional Wedding in Bali-The Ceremony

On the morning following the Indonesian wedding proposal or elopement, a priest will perform a confirmation or if you will, the legal ceremony. This is called “mekala – kalaan” which is very close to a traditional civil ceremony which includes an offering of fresh flowers, a coconut leaf, fruits, and a Balinese cracker. This type of ceremony during a wedding in Bali is very intimate and the clothing is usually kept very simple.

A more elaborate Indonesian wedding ceremony is very common place for a wedding in Bali. During this ceremony, guests wear traditional clothing. The groom can also host an Indonesian wedding reception for any other friends who were not included in the traditional ceremony.

  Then there’s the food at the reception, which is not traditional, but western influence has added to the fun. The families prepare the feast, which usually includes island favorites such as a roasted pig, calamari, Samosas, and Martabak (Indonesian pancakes) made with a meat.

Three days following the Indonesian wedding, the groom’s family goes to the bride’s house, at this point the “Ketipat Bantal” ceremony is performed during a wedding in Bali. This ceremony act as a symbol of unity for both families.

A wedding in Bali is certainly unique and filled with many rituals, why not have a fabulous Indonesian wedding.

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        Cocktails & Wine Tasting can be a Fun Wedding Party Event

Cocktails & Wine Tasting can be a Fun Wedding Party Event, which no grown-ups can resist.

One great option is a bachelorette party wine tasting weekend. In many areas of the country, there are wineries that offer a wide variety of activities. There are many wonderful wineries her in Connecticut that are a great spot to have a bachelorette party, wedding rehearsal dinner and even your wedding reception.

  Wineries often provide many benefits. They are usually away from the city, in areas with lots of land and beautiful scenery. This is a great place for you and your guests or for a more casual setting to unwind, spend time bonding for your bachelorette party. For a casual setting winery offers fun activities for mature crowds. You can take a winery tour, do a wine tasting, and buy bottles of the ones that you like. You can give wines as party favors and at most wineries you even have options to personalize the labels to say something special about your special event party event. Other favors available include wine stoppers and other wine paraphernalia.

  For the most part, cocktails & wine tasting at Wineries are great event locations as these places  are often connected to quaint, local restaurants. This gives you an option for dinner during or after a wine tasting, and then you can purchase those bottles you like. Warmer regions in the US many wineries offer daytime event for a bachelorette party, where they offer picnic areas and gourmet foods to the guest. Live entertainment are also becoming a treat.

  Now that we have come to the end of our cocktails & wines series , here is our recap of the wine glasses that can be used to enjoy the wonderful red and white wines.

  You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to invest and enjoy wines but there are some key things to consider if this is the step you want to make this investment. The term” vintage” represents the year that the wine was manufactured. In the US 95% of the grapes used to make the wine must have been harvested in that particular calendar year to be recognized as a vintage for that year. When buying wines it is most important that you love the flavor and taste so make sure you know how the wine taste before committing to this investment.

    A good way to get the most of your purchase is to buy wines in case – some vineyard provide special offers to customers who buy in bulk. It is not a good idea to purchase your wines based solely on the look or the packaging but you must inspect the band and make sure you are familiar and comfortable with that brand product as well as the vintage date. Take special note to understand the vintage label on the bottle because it is a good indication on of the age of the wine as you will be able to tell whether the wine will have an old, intricate or mellow taste verse a young wine which would be citrusy,  perfumery and green. Finally, many red wines and most whites have to be within 3 years of its vintage date for them to be quite flavorful and well sort after.

    With the end of our our wine series what a great way to show how cocktails & wines tasting can be a fun wedding party Event, which no grown-ups can resist, and as always drink responsibly and be safe.

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Norwegian Iceberg

Ingredients:

3 oz Vodka

4 oz Sprite or lime soda

1 oz Maui Blue Hawaiian Schnapps

Directions:

Pour Vodka and Sprite or lime soda over ice. Add schnapps for the iceberg color

  Norwegian Iceberg Cocktail Recipe

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A wedding in Norway is filled with lots of deep rooted Viking history. Norway is at the heart of Scandinavia. It is primarily know for the historic Vikings that used to raid the coast of Britain and were some of the first to discover America. It is an icy wonderland, where you can potentially see the Northern lights.

Traditional Wedding in Norway

When a man proposes to a woman, he uses a simple wedding ring. It is not traditional for Norwegian wedding rings to have diamonds. When the couple is engaged they wear the ring on their left hand, but once they are married it moves to the right. After marriage the rings are engraved with the wedding date.

After the Norwegian wedding date is sent, a bedamann (bidding man) invites the guests in person.

The groom wears a bundas, which is a handmade woolen suit. He wears it with a white silk shirt, short pants, and stalking to his calves. It’s colorful an intricate. It also represents where the groom was born. The bride looks stunning in her traditional white or silver gown. She also will wear a silver or silver and gold crown adorned with small bangles that tinkle to ward off evil spirits this is a very important symbol during a traditional wedding in Norway.

Wedding in Norway The Ceremony

The most important part of the Norwegian wedding tradition is the Music. A fiddler follows the couple throughout the celebration, and eventually he will play a traditional tune called “Come to the Wedding.” In a traditional Christian ceremony during a traditional wedding in Norway, the couple exchange rings and the kiss. Then there is the Norwegian wedding reception. There is a lot of delicious food, but several speeches. The couple dances after dinner while the other guests join in. It is also common for the ceremony to take place on a boat during a wedding in Norway.

The food is always a fun part of the wedding. They have a traditional Norwegian wedding cake they call a kransekake (ring cake).  It is made with almonds, sugar, and egg whites. It consist of several graduated rings stacked on top of each other like a cone (think of those little circles babies play with, but much, much more elegant). They will frequently place a bottle of wine in the center of the cake. They will feast on reindeer meat, as well as other Scandinavian delicacies, but the most unique part of the Norwegian wedding feast is the tiered cake.

Closely following The wedding in Norway, two fir trees are planted on each side of the door of the house where the couple will live. This symbolizes their future children and standard symbol of Norwegian wedding tradition.

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 Tips for planning your wedding reception menu shows you how to pair white wines with your guests meals. 

                                        Tips for planning your wedding reception menu  is Part 3 of our wine series.

While the red wines seem to add dominance in white wines are just as exquisite in taste and quality. Again, rules are meant to be broken and individual taste and liking speak volume in choosing the overall brand and specific pairing with foods. Here are the detail descriptions of pairing white wines with foods.

White Wines

Chardonnay- is the King of White wines because of its grapes versatility. It can grow well in any variety of location throughout the world. Chardonnay offers ripe, rich and bold fruit flavors of fig, apple, melon peach, pear, pineapple, lemon, grapefruit, spices, butter, honey, butterscotch and hazelnut flavors.

Pairs well with Chicken with cream sauce/ Pork with cream sauce / Shrimp with cream sauce / Caribbean cuisines

Muscato (Muscat Blanc or Muscat Canelli) – contain strong spices and floral notes and used to blend with other grapes

Pairs well with Salmon / Baked Ham / Spicy & Glazed Ham / Crab cakes

Pinot Blanc – often referred to as the poor man’s Chardonnay – it is often used in Champagne and blended with spices, pear, fruits, and honey.

Pairs well with chicken with Lemon cream sauce / pasta and seafood sauce / Seafood Salad / Spider roll & Crab sushi

Pinot Grigio – found in the northeast of Italy and Burgundy and Loire it is best known for making dry white wines and tends to be soft , perfumed flavored and has more color than the other white wines.

Pairs well with seafoods / Light pasta / Shrimp in Garlic Lemon sauce / Grilled seafood Kebobs

Riesling – has a unique floral taste but vary in other aspects by regions or country .In one area the wines are understated with very little alcohol while in other areas they are spicy and full bodied and others the taste can be bone dry.

Pairs well with all sort of  Middle Eastern to Mexican cuisine, salads, standard poultry or pork dishes

Sauvignon Blanc -  dubbed as a very recognizable aroma as it is often describe as grassy. This wine includes young apple and citrus fruits with a sweet rich flavor.

Pairs well with white meat – Fish / Shellfish / Chicken / pork

Viognier – a rare white grape of France Rhone Valley it is one of the most difficult grape to grow. With its floral spicy taste it is on the top list of exclusive sort after wine

Pairs well with seafood – fish Halibut / Pasta primavera / Chicken Tetrazinni / Curry Lamb

Semilion – great wine and one of the few white wine  that ages well. It consist of pear, fig, tobacco and honey taste.

Pairs well with scallops/ Seafood Kebobs/ lobster / Cod fish / Fried Chicken

      These are the list of other white wines that you can use when planning your wedding reception menu that are either rare or distinct to certain regions and in most cases quite expensive and hard to come by.

 Chenin Blanc

French Colombard

Fume Blanc

Gewurztraminer

Marsanne

Trebbiano or Ugni Blanc

Next series we will discuss how to purchase and serve your reds and whites.

Hope you enjoy these  tips for Planning your Wedding Reception menu since you will now know how to  pair white wines with your guests meals.

 - Part 3

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