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Martha Stewart Weddings

Personalize Your Bar

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  • Framed to Please
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    Framed to Please

    Raise the bar with a drink-recipe display that does double duty as a decoration. Start with an inexpensive cardboard shadow box from a crafts store, and line it with pretty fabric or paper. Have your calligrapher create a card (or make your own) detailing the ingredients of your signature drink, and pin it inside the box. Stand the box on end at the bar, using a few rocks inside to weight it, and you've got a very good sign.
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    Conversation Starters

    At Darcy Miller's wedding, fortune tellers added a special touch. On the bars, large glass containers held paper cootie catchers; inside were "dares" -- such as "kiss the bride" and "introduce yourself to someone new" -- to prompt guests to mingle.

    Photos of Darcy's Wedding

  • Photo: ANNA WILLIAMS
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    Paper Lanterns

    For an indoor or outdoor wedding, hang these lanterns over your bar to impart a romantic glow.

    Get the How-To

  • Photo: Charles Schiller
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    Roasted Mixed Nuts

    Keep salty snacks on hand for guests at the bar.

    Get the Recipe

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    Pretty Toothpicks

    Nothing cheapens fancy passed hors d'oeuvres more than a pile of discarded toothpicks sitting dangerously close to the artful niblets. Instead of a toothpick graveyard, why not create a blooming bouquet? Glue paper flowers to the top of each toothpick; add a mini bucket or a small cup for used skewers.
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    Frozen Vodka

    A bottle of icy vodka makes a dramatic bar decoration when it's encased in a frozen layer of colorful flowers and fruit.

    Get the How-To

  • Photo: Kate Sears
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    Flavored Cubes

    Give bubbly a boost with jewel-like cranberry-, pomegranate-, and apricot-infused sugar cubes. Working in batches, soak cubes in a bowl of fruit concentrate or puree until completely saturated. Remove with a fork, and place on a wire rack (don't let them touch); let dry overnight. Present cubes at a champagne bar, or serve them in passed drinks. The sweet, tangy taste will keep guests sipping long after the toasts.
  • Photo: Kate Sears
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    Message on a Bottle

    Have wine bottles do double duty as table numbers. Cover-weight paper printed with large, graphic numerals can be adhered over existing labels with double-sided tape for a clean, contemporary look. It's a clever touch that will have guests drinking to your good fortune -- and your good taste.
  • Photo: Johnny Miller
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    Stir Things Up

    Give signature drinks proper fanfare by flagging them with colorful swizzle sticks.

    Get the How-To

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    Flowery Swizzle Sticks

    Swizzle sticks topped with crepe paper flowers -- a spider chrysanthemum and a sleek calla lily -- add zest to lime spritzers.

    Get the How-To

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    Iced Frappe with Cotton Candy

    Iced coffee will give guests a lift after a long reception.

    Get the Recipe

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    Coffee with Chocolate Spoons

    When it's time for after-dinner coffee, stir things up -- deliciously. Replace silver spoons with the chocolate variety. The utensils are made entirely of semisweet chocolate dusted with cocoa powder, and they melt in hot coffee, giving the beverage a rich mocha flavor. Garnish each with a dollop of whipped cream and an extra sprinkling of cocoa powder.
  • Photo: Kate Sears
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    Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows

    Big blocks of homemade marshmallows add a tasty topper to hot chocolate.

    Get the Recipe

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    A Rose with Your Coffee

    A dainty rose petal makes the perfect dish for a sugar cube awaiting a cup of coffee, tea, or espresso. These pale-pink rose petals are subtle and feminine, but any favorite blossom can be used, provided it's organic and nontoxic. Pluck petals from the flower, and set one sugar cube onto each.

  • Photo: Formula Z/S
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    Mulled Cranberry Cider

    Greet guests arriving for a chilly-weather wedding with a warm cocktail such as this spiced cranberry drink fortified with port. A cinnamon stick is a flavorful stirrer.

    Get the Recipe

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  • tpiccuillo
    5 Jan, 2012

    Thanks for that tip Miajam: i just checked out these personalized wine bottle hurricane lanterns from Word Couture at www.wordcouture.com and they are gorgeous! Perfect for personalizing a bar or any other table at a wedding! I just talked to the owner and she was really nice and extremely helpful-she's sending me a planning package for my big day.

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  • miajam
    5 Jan, 2012

    I love the idea of personalization at a wedding! It makes it so much more intimate and shows off all of your advance planning skills. I searched forever to find unique items for my wedding. I used these personalized wine bottle lanterns at my wedding last year- www.wordcouture.com

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