Red Letter Event Planning

Add some new, creative cocktails to your bar this summer!

May 26, 2010 by Robyn@Redletter Leave a Comment

Summer party season starts this weekend and I was feeling a little bored with the idea of making the same old lemon drop martini. Thanks to one of my Twitter pals @Flutterflyevents in the U.K. I was recently introduced to extratasty.com . This is a fun, interactive website where you can browse cocktail creations created by others and by using a list of mixers, liquors and garnishes come up with your very own creative cocktail. Once registered your cocktail will post and then other visitors to the site can rate your drink. There is also a fantastic search where you can put in colors, mixers or just names of drinks, what a great resource for the wedding couple looking to stock their reception bar with a tasty signature drink.

I could not WAIT to try this out. As the days have gotten hotter around Chicagoland I have been in the mood for a delicious sangria. Search for Sangria and Extratasty has over 22 different recipes. The top rated one being this Berry Sangria. You can also search by type of liquor a search for Vanilla Vodka brought up 148 recipes, and I know I will be making this A+ rated Cake Batter Martini at a party very soon.

The one criticism I have of the site is that there aren’t ANY pictures. I do love pretty pictures of cocktails so I will end this post with some photos from one of my favorite spots in the blogsphere Hostess with the Mostess . Have a safe and fun Memorial Weekend, relax and when you get a moment share with us your creative cocktail recipe.

Picture from Hostess with the Mostess

Till Next Time I Hope Your Next Special Event Is a Red Letter Day!

Filed Under: Event Planning, Wedding Planning Tagged With: cocktails, Party, signature drink

Having a finale party, are you LOST for ideas?

May 19, 2010 by Robyn@Redletter Leave a Comment

On Sunday, May 23, Lost will come to an end. I have been a fan since the first episode where we met the survivors of Oceanic 815. I am one of those people that needs to watch the show in silence, taking in every bit of mythology, intrigue and romance. However there are those that will be celebrating with their friends and family with a finale party. These tips from Celebrations.com are a must for any Lost finale party. My favorite are the Dharma Food Stations

Dharma Food Stations ( By Jessica Jinn Staff Writer-Celebrations.com

“The Staff” – (station number unknown) Medical Research Facility

Place test tubes shooters filled with shots of alcohol or orange juice.
Feature bottles of wine: Merlot and Cabernet, both of which the survivors found on the island and have been seen drinking on various episodes.

“The Swan” - Electromagnetic Research and Containment.

Try to draw out the outline of a swan.
Get your HUGE tub of ranch dressing with a side of veggies.
Most of your DHARMA themed junk foods should be found here: peanut butter, chips, chocolate bars, and wheat thins.

“The Flame” - Communication Technology Facility.

Feature some grilled shrimp skewers!
Have a bowl of fish biscuits, which the crash survivors enjoy eating. They know that fish biscuits were used feed the polar bears in the DHARMA initiative, but now they’re just a tasty snack that “curiously” look like Goldfish crackers.

“The Hydra” - Zoological Research Facility.

Glasses of water along with animal print napkins

“The Looking Glass” – Underwater Submarine Guidance Facility, Radio Jammer.

Feature Sashimi because the LOST crew had to eat a lot of raw fish. For those not really into the raw fish scene can definitely get california rolls.

“The Tempest” – Toxic gas Development.

Feature some dried tropical fruits, or even fresh cutly fruits too: plantain chips, banana crisps, mangos, guava, and papayas
Coconut milk
Make a fruit salad!

Till next time I hope your next special event is a Red Letter Day

Filed Under: Event Planning

The stepchild of wedding planning-The Rehearsal Dinner

May 13, 2010 by Robyn@Redletter Leave a Comment

Is the Rehearsal Dinner the stepchild of wedding planning because your Mother in Law to be usually plans it? Or is it because planning another event to precede the BIG event the following evening can be a rushed afterthought? We thought we would provide some tips for this pre-wedding celebration.

Location: You can be as creative as you want to be about where to hold the RD check out the Rehearsal Dinner Guide for some great locations in Chicago. Rehearsal dinners can be held anywhere, a favorite pizza hangout, a family style restaurant or even in someone’s backyard.

Invitations: It is perfectly acceptable to issue an e-invitation for your rehearsal dinner, it saves money and the planet.

I love this design from evite.com

What to do at your rehearsal dinner: Are you worried your college friend the groomsmen will try to embarrass you with a speech at the wedding regarding that first kegger you attended? Ask your groomsmen/bridesmaids/ushers/family members to say their piece at the rehearsal dinner instead. The story about how you got locked out of your dorm room with only a -tshirt on will seem funny to a group of closest family and friends but could be awkward to a room full of wedding guests. Your RD is also a great time to run the slideshow your future Father in Law put together of the couples growing up years, that picture of you and your fiancee in the cute matching costumes at Halloween will be more appreciated by those at the dinner. The Rehearsal Dinner is also the best time to present wedding party members with thank you gifts. A handwritten note with a gift is customary for all wedding party members. The best groomsmen gift I have seen this season is this personalized beverage cooler at TheManregistry.com

Most importantly, your RD is an opportunity for the wedding party participants, the soon to be hitched couple and their families to celebrate. We would love to hear what our readers will do or have done for their rehearsal dinner please share in the comments section below or on Facebook .

Till next time I hope your next special event is a Red Letter Day!

Filed Under: Wedding Planning Tagged With: Wedding rehearsal

Pheba and Jojy’s wedding kicks off wedding season

May 4, 2010 by Robyn@Redletter Leave a Comment

Our first wedding of the season was March 20th. The day dawned gray and snowy but the wedding color combinations of fuchsia, coral and peach brightened up the day!

We are excited to share the pictures from the big day courtesy of Dave Price Photography and Video. The 500+ guests attended the ceremony at Christian Life Church in Mt. Prospect followed by a delicious meal at Bristol Courts Banquets.

Instead of using hundreds of escort cards the lovely ceremony program did double duty as it included all the information about the ceremony and the seating chart. It was a sweet keepsake for the guests, some of which traveled all the way from India.

The beautiful bride, Pheba wore a delicate ivory and silver sari for the ceremony and then changed into a stunning fuschia reception sari. The brides and bridesmaids saris all were handmade in India.

The coral and fuschia blended’ beautifully with the bouquets made by Pam at North Suburban Florist.

Pheba had this to say of Red Letter Event Planning“Thank you so much for all your dedication and hardwork. You kept me calm and helped my family and I immensly. Thank you so much for making our day so special!”

This wedding was a wonderful celebration of faith and love.