Destination Dream Wedding July 2011

If you are planning on a intimate outdoor wedding, please consider having your wedding at the Bigfork Mountain Lake Lodge with our fantastic views of Flathead Lake and several event spaces to choose from your wedding will be a dream come true.

.

Thoughts of Summer - Wedding Favors -Truffles Tuffles Truffles

My all time favorite wedding favor for each of the wedding guests is Truffles! 
Who doesn't LOVE chocolate?

Buy cellophane bags or Chinese food-style take out containers in bulk, and them fill with truffles and tie up with ribbons that match your decor.   Or use a small votive candleholder with a ribbon tied around it to put your truffles in.  Place the truffle gifts at each place setting for your guest to enjoy.

Making your own truffles is an easy and delicious solution to providing your guests with a tasty wedding favor that they are sure to love, especially when you can vary the truffle flavors and toppings.

You'll have lots of fun creating the perfect truffle combinations to share with your guests.
An added bonus your friends and family they can help you judge their favorite truffles!

If you like you can also turn your truffle making into a pre-wedding bridal party....fun!

This easy truffle recipe is oh so rich and delicious!

The recipe makes a large amount but you can vary the flavors and coatings to make several different kinds of truffles.

TRUFFLE RECIPE
ingredients needed:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
Gradually add confectioners' sugar until well blended.
Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until no streaks remain.
Shape into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper
Refrigerate for about 1 hour


Coatings Roll Truffles in:

Chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, or peanuts)
Cocoa powder
Chocolate sprinkles
Icing sugar
Toasted coconut or Coconut

Dipping Truffles:
Dip in white chocolate, dark chocolate, or milk chocolate
Drop truffles, one at a time, into melted chocolate mixture.
Using 2 forks, lift truffles out of the chocolate,
Allowing any excess chocolate to drip back into the pan before transferring back onto baking sheet.
Chill until set.

Adding Flavors to the Truffles
Raspberry (instead of vanilla):
Add ½ cup seedless raspberry jam and 2 tablespoons raspberry liqueur

Lemon
Substitute the semisweet chocolate chips with white chocolate chips and the vanilla with 6 tablespoons of lemon curd

Cherry (instead of vanilla):
Add ½ cups cherry jam

Orange (instead of vanilla):
Add 2 tablespoons orange liqueur and 1 teaspoon orange zest

Add your favorite Spices to the Truffles such as:
Anise
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Pomegranate
Cloves
Cayenne

Add Fruit to your Truffles:
Blueberry’s
Dried Cherries
Pineapple
Cranberries and Apricots

Choosing your Wedding Cake

Since you were little you have always dreamed of having a beautiful romantic wedding….
Let us help make your dreams come true!
Like icing on the cake, Bigfork Mountain Lake Lodge is the final touch for a perfect wedding.





Choosing the Wedding Cake

Wedding cakes take center stage in the traditional cake cutting ceremony, symbolically this is the first task that bride and groom perform together as husband and wife. This tradition of cutting the cake is done by the bride with the "help" of the groom.  

Two local cake designers:

http://www.cakesbydebi.com/weddingcakes.htm
http://mikiesweddingcake.com/

Your cake should be worthy of all photographs that will be taken of it on your wedding day. The tradition of cutting the wedding cake is the highlight of any wedding party.

Your wedding cake is a delicious treat for guests and a wonderful remembrance of your special day.

The wedding cake should follow the theme of your wedding and complement your wedding colors.

Choosing the flavor and design for your wedding cake is as personal as all other aspects of your wedding day.

Your cake is work of art and a statement of who you are as a couple. Are you opposites like stripes and polka dots?

It's important to have a set budget or amount of money you are willing to spend on your wedding cake. It's vital to choose a budget first in order to set realistic goals and expectations of what to expect from your wedding cake.


Decide if you want your cake to be traditional white, decadent chocolate, or elegant, contemporary porcelain-like fondant.

Flowers and fruits add a modern touch to your wedding cake that is naturally beautiful to the eye.

Pay attention to the scenery that will surround the cake table.

Since your wedding cake can be a focal point for the photographer, friends and family you will want the whole area beautifully decorated.

Use photos and decorate the table with votive candles, precious photographs of you as a couple or as children, or classic old photographs of parents or grandparents on their wedding day.

Add flower petals and fun confetti to the tabletop.

Set up a variety of wedding cake tastings with various cake designers.

This will allow you to choose a designer that is best suited to your wedding cake needs.

Take into account how many guests you expect at the wedding reception.

Generally you will need one piece of cake or one cupcake per wedding guest, the number of guests you have will dictate how large your wedding cake will be.

Today’s wedding cake trends include oval, square, heart-shaped and circular shaped cakes. Remember to choose a shape that you enjoy and feel will incorporate well into your wedding reception.

If your wedding has a theme continue this theme throughout the wedding reception and incorporate this theme into your wedding cake.

If your wedding doesn't have a theme and you want to distance yourself from the traditional white wedding cake, then can be fun to create a dynamically themed wedding cake.

Do some research about wedding cakes before you shop.

Spend some time online looking at cake designs or visit local bakeries to get ideas of how you want your cake to look.


If you find a style of wedding cake that you like take pictures of the cake or printout a picture of it for reference.

Select the ingredients of your wedding cake. There are numerous combinations of icing and cake, including vegan and carrot cake. Go with what you like, it's your day.


Make the rounds of local bakeries and show them your wedding cake design.

Ask them if they can duplicate the design and approximate costs. Have these bakeries show you cakes that are similar to your designs and decide if they can create your masterpiece.


Pin down the delivery time. Find out from the bakeries how much lead time they need to guarantee your wedding cake will be ready for your wedding. Some bakeries may not deliver, if so, arrange for a someone to pick-up the cake or contact a delivery service.

Once you've determined how you'd like your cake to be decorated and how it will taste, there's just one last thing to pick: your cake topper.

There are many designs available even custom-made topper just for you and your spouse.

Decide what kind of topper you are looking for……Are you looking for something more humorous, light-hearted and satirical or something more serious, beautiful and artistic?

Talk it over with your fiancé. Decide together what kind of style you would like for your wedding cake topper.

Keeping in mind what you would like your wedding cake topper to represent and the theme of your wedding. Your topper should reflect it. You can even have a favorite object or hobby made into a topper.

Thoughts of Summer - Setting the date for your wedding

Congratulations!

You've just gotten engaged, now everyone wants to know when the wedding is.

How do you pick the perfect wedding date?

The date is the most important step in planning the wedding. There are lots of different considerations and 365 days to choose from.

Your wedding date will forever symbolize a special moment in time for you, your fiancé and your families
The date you choose can also honor another special memory, such as your grandparents’ wedding date or the first date you and your fiancé met.  The date also helps to set the theme of the wedding because of the season in which you are choosing a date.

When you set the date for your wedding, you must keep a few things in mind:

If your heart is set on a specific location such as a church or reception site, you'll need to check right away. Popular venues book up fast…some are booked two or more years in advance, so call your special location asap to get dates available. Please keep in mind if the ceremony is at one location and the reception at another, you'll need to check both locations for date availability.

Put both of your work schedules on a calendar so you can avoid work conflicts. Putting your work schedules on a calendar also lets you schedule time to enjoy all the wedding festivities and your honeymoon.

Keep in mind the special dates of your parents. Note: Lots of parents do not want their children getting married on the date of previous marriages that didn’t last .

Plan around vacation time available for you both because you want a nice long honeymoon and you don’t want to have to rush, you will need the rest and relaxation after ALL that wedding planning!

If someone in your family or your fiancé's family is having an important birthday, such as their 50th, you’ll want to select another date.  Check with both of your families to make sure family members are not celebrating other special events on the date you wish to select such as weddings, the birth of a child, Graduations, and Milestone Anniversary parties . You don't want to compete. You want everyone to feel invited to your wedding.

If you are having a destination wedding or an outside wedding, you'll need to keep seasons in mind. The last thing you want to do is to choose a date and get rained out, or worse, stranded due to a tornado or hurricane!  During the winter months, it may be difficult for guests who live far away to travel during adverse weather.

A great resource for checking long-range weather forecasts is in the Old Farmers Almanac's accessed online at: http://www.almanac.com/  The Farmers Almanac takes solar activity, among other things, into consideration to predict weather. It's not 100% perfect. It’s reliability is about 75%.  But it is way more reliable than using weather averages for your wedding location.

When will the sunset on your wedding date? A wedding at sunset can be quite beautiful. It's also important to know when the sun is setting for taking wedding photographs.

Another consideration, when will the Moon Set? Today, a wedding under the light of the Moon can make for a magical ceremony!

Dreaming of a romantic Flathead Lake wedding remember that as the light hits the water, it's important to consider the sunrise and sunset times.

Flowers - you want to make sure that your favorite flowers are available for your wedding date. So check with your local florist to see what kinds of flowers are in season for your date and if they are able to do all the floral arrangements for your date.   At Christmas, many venues put up additional decorations and floral arrangements, so you can take advantage of this and save money in your budget.

Also, check to see if the Minister, Caterer, DJ or favorite Band, Cake Designer, or Photographer are available by checking to see if the date you have in mind is good for them. This way, you can save yourself heartbreak later on when you find out that you cannot use a service that you really wanted.

Wedding Dates when your guests might rather be somewhere else.
New Year's and Christmas ( between the 23th of December and the 5th of January)
Thanksgiving USA, the fourth Thursday of November & Canada, the second Monday of October.
Super Bowl weekend
The World Series
USA, the weekend before April 15 - tax day!
Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend - we find that wedding guests often have other plans for these weekends. It's also harder and more expensive to travel on those weekends.
Weekends that include a Friday the 13th
September 11th
Daylight savings days (since your guests may either arrive an hour early, or show up horribly late.)
Religious Holidays

We would love to hear the story of how you

set the perfect wedding date! 

Please use the comment link below and share your story.

Best wishes

and Congratulations on getting engaged!



Winter Getaway Specials - Mountain Lake Lodge

February 16th, 2011

Thanks for running these specials. 

After twenty years of marriage my wife and I have had two rocky years but recently  have reconciled and united once again. 

Your special prices have allowed us to get away twice since our reconciliation and it has been awesome to focus on each other. 

Thank you!!!

romantic jacuzzi suite

Mountain Lake Lodge
Winter Gift Certificate Specials
-Valid October 1st, 2010 through May 31st, 2011

Suite and Pizza $125 - In any Suite (except the Cedar) and a $20 food & Beverage voucher to Riley’s Pub and Sports Bar. Gratuity not included. Good any day of the week Riley’s is open.

Saturday Escape $135 – Saturday Night Stay in any Suite (except the Cedar)  and a voucher for Prime Rib Sunday Brunch for 2 people (served 9 am-1 pm)  Gratuity not included

Dining Getaway $145 – Friday or Saturday Night Stay in any Suite (except the Cedar) and a Voucher for Dinner in Terra Steakhouse for 2 People.  Gratuity not included

Weekender $275 – TWO-NIGHT STAY Friday and Saturday in any Suite (except the Cedar) & a voucher for Dinner Saturday for 2 people (served 6 pm -9 pm)  and a voucher for Prime Rib Sunday Brunch for 2 People (served 9 am-1 pm Sunday’s). Gratuity not included

Rehearsal Dinners - Mountain Lake Lodge - Thoughts of Summer

The Rehearsal Dinner often marks the first time family and friends from both sides come together. So why not make it a memorable event and fun for all!

Instead of making it an extension of the wedding, consider the rehearsal dinner a chance to host an event that’s fresh and unexpected

Think about it - rehearsal dinners include a high concentration of people that love the Bride and Groom who have gathered in thier honor, and there’s no posing for photographers every minute; and the bride’s hair won’t be piled in some extremely shellacked-but-breathtaking up-do she’s never worn before and probably will never wear again.

So why not relax and, let your hair down? With very little effort, you can assemble a pre-wedding event that provides some much-needed calm before the busy storm of the wedding weekend.

Weddings have a way of ballooning into family reunions, so put the focus back on the Bride and Groom, by making it personal by adding a few creative, and very personal touches.

The Bride and Groom can start by sharing their love story with the group.  Use favorite colors, favorite meal, favorite desserts, or "their" song, as the theme of the rehearsal dinner.

Choose a location  that was meaningful to thier courtship—like that romantic bistro they went to on their first date—then share the memory with all the guests as they dine.

Present a slideshow of the Bride and Groom’s favorite photos or music.

Another option is to ask all your guests in advance (by invitation or email) to be the evening’s entertainment. Choose a friend or family member to be the emcee for the event and have those who are comfortable performing “sign up” with the emcee prior to the dinner. You may be amazed at the talent in the room as friends and family play music, sing, read touching or outrageous poems that they’ve written about the bride and groom.

Fireplace Room - Jest Gallery

How about kicking off the wedding weekend at the reehearsal dinner with a more sophisticated version of “game night.” Karaoke or murder mysteries give guests a chance to interact with each other.

Or a scavenger hunt where the last stop is the rehearsal dinner site.

Make Room for the Groom - The Bride is the star of the wedding weekend, you can re-direct the spotlight for one evening by dedicating the rehearsal dinner to the groom.

Choose a more casual venue like Riley’s Pub and Sports Bar and organize a beer tasting of the Groom's favorite local microbrews with munchies.

Or honor the groom’s love of outdoors by having a BBQ on the Patio of Riley’s Pub and Sports Bar,

 

or catered picnic at Wayfarers State Park, a dinner cruise on Flathead Lake, a fishing expedition and Fish fry on Flathead Lake Lodge, or Horsebackriding complete with chuckwagon dinner by Swan Mountain Outfitters or if the groom loves steak a Steak Dinner at Terra Steakhouse ir Bigfork Inn.

Ribeye Steak topped with Fried Onions - Terra Steakhouse

Another way to make the groom the center of attention is by serving a groom’s cake that reflects his personality by creating incredibly realistic-but-edible cakes that look like tackle boxes, a recliner complete with video game system or his favorite sport or sports team or the grooms favorite hobby.

The traditional rehearsal dinner etiquette dictates that the groom’s parents pay for the rehearsal dinner because it’s the way for the groom’s mother to show that she knows how to entertain, too.

But as more and more couples choose to pay for their own wedding or share the expenses between both families, the bottom line is you get to decide who shoulders the awesome pre-wedding party responsibility.

Remember, that whoever pays gets the last word on the rehearsal dinner details!

But don't worry about all those extra guests blowing your budget -- rehearsal dinners can be as formal or as low-key as you want (pizza party, anyone?).

Riley's Pub and Sports Bar

The traditional group to be invited to the rehearsal dinner includes the Bride and Groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen, ushers, flower girls and ring bearers with their parents, the officiant and other close family members and friends.

In Jewish tradition, it is customary for anyone invited to the wedding to be invited to the rehearsal dinner. They’ve flown out, they’ve given a gift, and they need to eat. End of story.

That said, you do have the right to invite who you want—or even hold two kinds of events. While some etiquette purists say two events makes some guests feel excluded and awkward, more and more couples are now opting to have their dinner at a swanky restaurant with the usual close-knit crew, then meet up with more friends and out-of-towners later at the restaurant’s bar for the pre-wedding toasts.

It’s all in how you word the invitations. One couple wanted to include every single wedding guest in the pre-wedding festivities, but their budget precluded it. The guests who weren’t included in the posh pre-wedding meal got invitations with a later time to join up for the rehearsal “party,” and these people never guessed that the actual dinner had already happened. They were too busy noshing on the delicious tray-passed appetizers, cocktails and desserts!

Start planning the rehearsal dinner as soon as you can make the event location reservation, at least 3-6 months in advance of the date. At three months out, couples have a good idea how many guests will be attending and they can plan a menu that doesn’t conflict with their wedding day. Consider scheduling your rehearsal dinner on a Thursday night if you’re having a Saturday wedding. Not only can this make your rehearsal dinner bill cheaper, but “everyone can party as much as they want, sleep it off on Friday, and wake up for the wonderful wedding on Saturday.

There are so many rehearsal dinner locations it’s hard to choose! Coordinators can help steer you in the right direction, but a favorite restaurant is always a good choice. Choose a place that’s close to your rehearsal site to make it convenient for your guests, and make sure you’ve reserved a private room if you’re going to break out the naked baby picture slides or karaoke machine.

Rehearsal dinner invitations should go out four weeks before the event and, of course, after the wedding invitation. And never put the rehearsal dinner invite in with the wedding invite! Remember, even though rehearsal dinners are a part of the wedding festivities, they really are two separate events. Formal invitations are perfectly elegant for weddings, but feel free to express your creative side with color and thematic elements for the rehearsal dinner invites.


Jest Gallery - Mountain Lake Lodge

I’m having cake at my reception. Should I really have cake at the rehearsal dinner, too?  The rehearsal dinner gives you a chance to sample other delightful alternatives. Love chocolate? Have a fabulous “All Things Chocolate” Dessert Station which includes every imaginable form of chocolate—ice cream, truffles, mousse parfait, hot chocolate shots and macaroons paired with dark chocolate martinis—even the tabletop surface can be made of chocolate!

You can even arrange to have a snow cone and cotton candy machine.

Terra Steakhouse

Just remember all of your desserts should complement the meal. After a steak dinner lemon is great, but chocolate is best after chicken or light fish. If the meal is very complicated, try a simple dessert of champagne sabayon, fresh berries and pound cake.