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Days of Plenty
All Natural, Bountiful Parties
Words by Maria Francezca Kwe
Taken from Wedding Essentials Magazine, July-December 2009 Issue
Wine and Dine at the Vineyard
The traditional bechelorette, or ‘despedida de soltera’ as we know it, indulges in both the glory of youth and the splendor of life’s sophistications. Inspired by Napa Valley, Teena’s set-up combines the heady, redolent atmosphere of a vineyard and the high style of fine dining and wining.
The predominant color is rich red, like the hues of a well-aged Chardonnay. The brocade-covered tables are skirted with scarlet silk, capturing wine’s swill and spill; a river of fabric flows onto a center space where strategically placed red candles heighten drama.
The careful choice of accent and color give this set-up an air of studies grace, with just the right degree of formality. The formal quality of the high-backed chairs is broken by an excess of space. The high ceilings, enhanced by wide-open glass doors along an entire side, invites one to let go of all inhibitions and worries as surely as free flowing wine does. As the evening wears on and more corks are popped, guests can stand up and mill freely around the room, or venture out into the terrace for a gust of fresh air to cool a flushed face.
Teena opted for unobtrusive floral arrangements that nevertheless enhance a conference set-up. Flowers line the table edges, but give ample room for elbows, wine glasses, and cheese platters. Bursts of yellow-green provide a tender contrast to intense reds. The dark green leaves of ornamental plants, on the other hand, enliven the deep polish of wood. Warm undertones-brown, coral and touch of pink-balance the palette.
But the triumph of the set-up is ultimately the lighting, warming even the austere wood-paneled walls and flagstone floors. The party is illuminated by amber light from all sides: a full-it chandelier, corner lamps, wall scones and most arresting of all, flickering candles that appear to be floating in mid-air. In the last months of the year, when Tagaytay weather is at it’s chilliest, the fire might be lighted, elevating the ambiance from elegant to sublime. Imagine a room aglow with light on an intoxicating night. Any attendee would come away with a fond, lasting memory of bachelorette party to remember.
Decadent and Comfort
The actual wedding feast might be the culinary climax, but the despedida dinner, though less expansive, is no less sumptuous. The refined palate will enjoy the distinctive taste of lobster in cognac, chased down by a glass of fine red. Particularly interesting is the opening dish; a cool, fresh citrusy salad with a kick of red onion and the aroma fennel.
The main entrée consists of seafood and good old tomato spaghetti, and element that figures in a “sophisticated flavor dance with delicate, ultra luxurious saffronVeloute sauce,” as the eloquent Chef David describes the dish. “It has a series of ingredients that will taste delicious in their own of in combination, while triggering a food memory that diners will likely try to identify,” Chef David says. “After much guessing, it may hit them: Paella! Seafood, saffron, and tomato, combined in a deliciously new yet familiar way.” Chef David recommends enjoying the dish with “a wide range of young, fruity white, or blush wines.”
The party may be a farewell to singlehood but not to comfort food, he says. Food, if nothing else, can start conversations and strengthen friendships. “The inclusion of comfort food allows diners to relax, lightens the overall mood and hopefully fosters interaction among the many people who are becoming a new, extended family,” the Colombian—born chef explains. The enthralling night closes with an equally decadent chocolate-cream concoction: the regally named “Chocolate Marquise” which we suspect is really the stuff happiness is made of.
The Bachelorette
If the bridal shower is fun, then the bachelorette or ‘despedida de soltera’ can be wilder. The idea is for the bride to revel in the last truly independent and carefree jaunts she can partake of, albeit in clued-up company. Depending on the kind of activities planned, the guests may be purely single females. If appropriate, older woman or younger children may be invited.
Organization: Like the shower, the ‘despedida de soltera’ is organized by the bride’s close female family members and friends. Ranking is not important here, with the objective being merely to have an extraordinary time with the girls. There is no pressure on someone in particular to foot the bill, although now the bride can chip in or treat her companions to a round of drinks or even dinner. Since Filipino’s are close-knit families, one of the bride’s sisters or cousins can approach an elder female relative or friend (such as the bride’s ninang or close aunt) for the sponsorship of the party.
Duties: All the girls can be involved in preparing for this party, even the bride herself. It’s akin to planning the usual gig, except in this case, everyone should be prepared for a phenomenal time.
Date: The bachelorette may involve a fewer number of guests than the shower (since this should be company you have no qualms letting loose with) hence the drop in difficulty level and the increase in fun. The bachelorette may be scheduled after a particularly grueling part of the wedding preparations has been settles-for instance, after the rehearsals of the final dress fitting-because who doesn’t like the reward for a job well done?
Locations and themes: The possibilities are endless, beyond the “traditional” male stripper act. The only rule is that the experience should be a new and unparalleled one for the bride. Why not take party out of town, to a beach or resort-the road trip being a great precursor to any party? Going to a rock concert or a gig can be as fun as clubbing or bar-hopping. There are even more options for the bachelorette than the bridal shower, since a sit-down meal is not as important. At the very least, enjoy a few drinks.
Tuscan Country Breakfast
Series of Spices
The first, most casual meal of the day is not necessarily the dullest one. Breakfast is actually when the tongue is sharpest and most ready for gustatory stimulation. The fare-ranging from potato salad, an old-time favorite, to a more complex toss of ham, spicy arugula and mild melon dressed in paprika, and then to the shock of fresh steamed mussels, rich chicken liver, and succulent lamb-seems a big but delicious load to carry before lunch.
Chef David was guided by the strong, happy family atmosphere that is the spirit of Italian cuisine. “Given the theme, homemade pasta was of almost compulsory use, presented in a traditional Tuscan preparation,” he says. But the folksy heartiness of a Tuscan spread is still given a twist. The familiar Cesar dressing is drizzled on the simple potato salad and the delicate panna cotta is transformed by a surprising blend of savory and sweet: black pepper and raspberry, saffron and caramel oranges. “The juxtaposition of the humble and rich, the low and the highbrow, can make a menu both familiar and special, all at the same time,” Chef David says, and he might as well be describing the wedding itself.
The morning of the much-awaited day dawns bright and clear, seemingly determined to outdo all your fantasies of wonderful weather on your wedding day. Now is the time to savor the last breakfast with the family, the way you have always done while growing up-only today’s breakfast is probably the most superb and momentous of your life.
There could be no better way of rejoicing in the perfect beginning of a perfect day than breakfasting al fresco, in the garden or beneath the shade of tall, cool trees. The sight of a thriving garden soothes the flutters in the stomach as well as new and old breakfast fare does. Nature, in all its magnificence, induces a Tuscan languor. The appeal of the Tuscan countryside is the casual and unhurried manner in which life id lived on its rolling hills. The unforgettable colors of Tuscany are captured in a simple combination of cypress green and burnt ocher. After all, under the Tuscan sun, the total experience overwhelms detail.
An uncluttered breakfast set-up infuses the serenity of a quiet morning with the palpable promise of the day ahead. The breakfast is the calm before the storm, and the completely natural set-up does not distract from the simple beauty of the outdoors. Spacious, cushioned chairs complement a low kitchen table, long enough to accommodate both the bride and the groom’s immediate family. Cheerful, carefree clusters of bright flowers freshly picked-a natural addition to the table.
Despite unavoidable perusals of checklists and schedules, the immediate family can bask in the last few minutes of their old, accustomed ways. The ease and comfort of being with loved ones make the breakfast hour the best time for fervent communal prayer, or genuine merriment. A threshold is about to be crossed, but for now it’s time to relax under the earth’s green shelter.
Family brunch or breakfast
This is one of the most intimate or sentimental pre-wedding gatherings the couple can have, since it involves mostly immediate family. If the wedding is in the afternoon, an early breakfast can be integral to keeping jitters down. The superstitious belief that the groom cannot glimpse the bride before the wedding is only concerned with seeing her in her wedding dress and not in pajamas of breakfast robe.
Organization: The last meaningful gathering before the wedding can be sponsored by the couple’s parents. The morning of the wedding is one busy time, yes, but it doesn’t mean the family can’t sit down for a good, filling breakfast before all hell breaks loose and a crowd of attendants, make-up people and entourage members descends on the couple.
Duties: There is little to be done but to relax, take a deep breath and bask in the company of your family, new and old. Everyone present can do well to ensure that the morning passes with as less stress as possible for the bride and groom.
Locations and themes: Pass up on the speeches or surprise numbers, and concentrate on natural, cheerful conversation. If the party is ensconced in a hotel, breakfast or brunch may be arranged in the hotel restaurant or better yet, in the gardens or by the pool. There is no elaborate décor necessary but some beautiful elements for this sort of get-together are relaxing music, fresh fruits and flowers, aromatic teas and the bride or groom’s favorite coffee blends.
Gourmet Kitchen Shower
The love of cooking is an earthly, liberating love; inspirational grows as naturally as the small fire on the stove, or rises as effortlessly as steam. The kitchen is home to the most familiar of presences-family, longtime friends-and because of this, it is perhaps one of the most moving settings for a soon-to-be bride’s shower.
The bridal shower is one of the many pre-parties that most strokes anticipation for the wedding itself. Finally, the bride’s closest friends and family, including her bridesmaids, come together in a pure celebration of the moment: the way she is now, before she embarks on a life-changing journey. No room for anxieties and nerves in this gathering; even wedding planning is momentarily put aside in the name of good times. And good fortune, as evinced by the warm flood of sunlight into the picture windows, and the bountiful spread on the table.
The customary gift-giving becomes even more meaningful in a set-up planner and stylist Teena Barretto of Hitched Weddings. She chose an uplifting color palette that marries the vibrant color of a country feast with the calmness of blue-fun encapsulated in the most relaxed of atmospheres.
A combination of colorful fruits and vegetables-ripe red tomatoes, vivid green peppers-paint a picture of abundance, but these are only details in a multi-layered centerpiece combining many elements. Fresh oranges echo the lively yellows of sunflowers. A rolling pin, stately peppermill, and glass condiment jars stimulate the appetite as well as the senses. Bread is laid out to be shared by all.
The generous afternoon light passes through the marbled yellow goblets, giving them a jewel sheen, and skips on the embossed edges of the cornflower blues soup bowls. Heart-shaped, beribboned wreaths, miniatures of the bright bouquets on the sill, hang on each chair, proclaiming each occupant as special.
The bonding experience is intensified by a collective of the joys of the fine food and cooking between the bride and her girlfriends, after which guests drift to the table for a meal with a view, and a glass or two of quality white wine. It’s a chef’s feast that feeds the soul, within the embrace of one’s best friends.
The delightful mouthful
The best compliment to a cozy kitchen shower, says Chef David Pardo de Ayala, Corporate chef of Discovery Country Suites, is a menu of finger food or ‘pica-pica’. “The most suitable selection should be easily enjoyed with drinks and not terribly demanding in terms of service and set-up,” he says. “After all, the bride and her friends will be focused on having a good time while exchanging fun stories, opening gifts, passing them around for everyone to view, etc. “The casual atmosphere calls for a setup “free of cumbersome silverware arrangements or formal glassware sequences.”
Bite-sized pieces notwithstanding, the food is complete fare, with an assortment of light meats-tuna, shrimp, and salami. “Each one had to deliver a powerful flavor punch: the spices and coconut cream in the shrimp mini-vol-au-vent give aroma and rich feel in the mouth, while the intense flavors such as white truffle, parmesan, black olives, and curry keep the palate awake and ready to enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine as the party moves along and the enjoyment continues,” explains Chef David. Indeed, the interplay of flavors, textures and temperatures-the bite of spices soothed by the coolness of the tuna tartare-will satisfy any gourmand and delight any bride-to-be.” A regular baked potato dons a tuxedo suite when we incorporate the unexpected ingredient of white truffle oil,” as Chef David so metaphorically puts it.
The Bridal Shower
Thankfully, holding the bridal shower is customarily out of the bride’s (or groom’s) hands, and hosted by the female members of the entourage, headed by the maid of honor. This all-girl party is attended by all the women that matter to the bride, from mothers, aunts, sisters, friends and relatives.
Showers are usually gift-giving affairs and can be quite a nice time for pursuing female “bonding” activities. The bride can be in the know or if possible, pleasantly surprised with a “sudden” bash.
Organization: Since the shower is c collaborative effort, the maid-of-honor and bridesmaids set the activities of the party, as well as decide how the expenses will be distributed among themselves. The bride and groom’s mothers can also pitch in, though they are not necessarily obliged to. Rarely is the shower sponsored by the couple, since the whole objective of the event is to bombard them with useful gifts for married life, hence the name ‘shower’. You can also take the name to mean a bride’s closest girlfriends gifting the hardworking bride with a good time before her wedding.
Duties: The main proponents or sponsors of the party can relegate the tasks-making invitations, arranging for food and entertainment, putting up décor-among themselves, as well as asking for volunteers among the bride’s close female friends and relatives. Remember, the party being a “showering” of goodwill and love for the bride, any small effort will surely be appreciated.
Date: The shower can be scheduled at any date before the wedding that all the attendees are comfortable with. The tip is to schedule it after the invitations have been sent, to avoid embarrassing mistakes such as inviting guests who are not part of the wedding itself. But the shower date should have an easy distance from the wedding itself, since it involves key members of the big event who won’t appreciate the extra stress.
Location and themes: The classic shower is the dinner and drinks type, though day parties featuring pampering rituals such as spa or salon sessions are getting popular. Quite a few spas offer spa parties for big groups, so that is worth looking into if the bride does like her creature comforts. But don’t be afraid to unleash your activity-other terms like yoga/dance parties, girls’ night-outs, tea parties, or hotel pajama parties can also be hits. However unusual the location or theme, make sure that the party involves food and beverages. Great music and games like the popular tissue dress-making contest, or bride trivia games will enliven your shower even more.
Make Restaurant Verbena in Discovery Country Suites your Breakfast culinary destination in Tagaytay. For inquiries and table reservations, call Tagaytay at (046) 413-4567 or Manila Reservations at (02) 683-8383.
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