Travelin Joe Espresso Catering

At another wedding the big hit of the evening was an espresso catering cart that made the best mocha cappuccinos I had ever tasted. Guests thought the carmel lattes were amazing as well. I remember everyone dancing so much more than the usual wedding and then I realized that the quantity of caffeine that was being consumed was quite different than most weddings. I loved that they made yummy hot chocolates for the kiddos. We added a silver tray filled with Nona’s Biscotti and chocolate dipped strawberries to complete this special after dinner treat.

I have been a fan of slush machines for a long, long time. Renting a professional slush machine can allow you to make daiquiris, margaritas, bellinis, and so much more with or without alcohol. Slush machine rental companies have all the ingredients you’ll need to make a hit with your guests.

My all time favorite alcohol-free wedding was a 50’s themed wedding that had a full Soda Bar staffed with a costumed “Soda Jerk” that made amazing phosphate drinks as well as the most delicious chocolate malts and strawberry shakes.

For a fall wedding what could be better than serving hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks? For a Winter Wonderland wedding serve hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows (so much better than the store-bought!) And for a spring or summer wedding, large glass containers of lemonade, sun tea and citrus infused water is simply perfect.

For some yummy recipes check out:

Zero-proof Cocktails by Liz Scott

The Ultimate Liquor-Free Drink Guide by Sharon Tyler Herbst

The Mocktail Bar Guide by Frank Thomas and Karen Lancaster Brown

8 Great Non-alcoholic Cocktails by Sandy Kendall

What non-alcoholic drinks have added a special touch to your celebrations? Please share your recipes and pictures!

Some of my favorite venues for Fall weddings are wineries, apple orchards, farms and rustic looking clubhouses with big old fireplaces.

Natural decorations that show off the beauty of the season can be inexpensive and stunning. Outlining a processional aisle with autumn leaves easily sets the tone for a fall wedding and can cost you nothing if you have your cadre of friends collect them the month before your wedding. Remember Runaway Bride when Julia Roberts finally married Richard Gere? The only decoration at that ceremony was a hill full of beautiful fall leaves.

I love to decorate with barrels of apples and apples as place-card or candle holders. And I am nuts about nuts in table-scapes. Decorative bowls of nuts (with nutcrackers handy) on each guest table, tall vases filled with nuts and topped with fall flowers, or nuts just strewn around a centerpiece provide some great accents. My girlfriend had a chocolate iced wedding cake decorated with maple candy leaves and marzipan fruit. The cake was surrounded by a variety of nuts and candles on a gold tablecloth; it was…fabulous.

I went to a wedding last year that served hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks and also had hot buttered rum drinks. At the end of the evening they handed out waxed bags filled with warm mini apple cinnamon doughnuts for the trip home. I am certain no doughnuts actually made it all the way home! At another wedding they had caramel apples as their wedding favors – what could remind you of a fall day more than a caramel apple?

Tell us about your Autumn themed wedding. We’d loved to hear your creative ideas!