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If you are looking to have a wedding that is fun and relaxing for everyone involved, a destination wedding may be just the ticket. Getaways to beautiful locations have a special flavor that simply cannot be matched by a traditional wedding in your hometown. To make the most of your destination wedding, read on.

The key to having a truly great destination wedding is to get into the spirit of it. You know how when you vacation at a top notch resort on a scenic island, the staff conveys that “don’t worry, be happy” vibe? Well that is exactly the mood to aim for. In other words, even if you are normally a very detail oriented type A person, you will only be able to really enjoy your destination wedding by letting go a little (or a lot, depending on how tightly you are used to controlling things!). Don’t sweat the small stuff, and trust in the resort’s wedding coordinator to put together a beautiful event for you.

Since the location itself is part of the magic of a destination wedding, try to stay as long as possible. You will definitely want to arrive a few days in advance of your wedding so that you will have some time to unwind before the big day. Undoubtedly, you will also be glad to have a little time to go over the last minute details with the hotel staff (although remember, you are not going to sweat the small stuff!). A longer lead time will also allow you to spend some quality time with your closest family members before the rest of the guests arrive. And obviously, the longer the honeymoon, the better!

Something that will truly make your destination wedding a success is embracing the local culture. Carry a bouquet of big tropical flowers in bright colors, include seashells and faux coral in your centerpiece design, and serve fresh local fish for dinner, if it is available. Fresh tropical fruit and flowers make beautiful decorations for the wedding cake, and seem much more appropriate for a beach wedding than fussy (and costly) sugar flowers. Why not take advantage of all of the best aspects of your wedding location?

Don’t forget to embrace the relaxed island spirit for your wedding attire as well. A tea length organza wedding dress with large fabric flowers for decoration would be marvelous for a ceremony on the sand. Accent it with beach theme wedding jewelry, such as a crystal starfish pendant. Aim for a similar effect for your bridesmaids. Stick with shorter bridesmaid dresses in breezy fabrics and cheerful colors (no black!) and for their bridesmaid gifts, think about beach wedding jewelry similar to yours. Silver starfish pendants or bracelets would be fabulous souvenirs of your wedding for your friends to enjoy.

Last but not least, learn about your destination before you go. Naturally you will choose a fabulous resort, but what else is there to see and do in the area? If you are being married in Cancun, schedule a trip to see the Mayan ruins, or take a sightseeing helicopter trip over Hawaii, or visit the jungle in Puerto Rico. Every place will have special and unique features worth seeing. Taking the time to really enjoy the entire location that you have chosen for your destination wedding will make the whole experience that much more memorable.

I had to write this article because I could not believe the Wedding I attended last night. It was totally unbelievable!

Unbelievable because of these two facts. First, they were Greek Orthodox which in itself means that the Wedding and Reception is going to be totally decorated to the Max and the Wedding and Reception will be nothing but fun! Second, all of these people are Gypsy’s! No, I am not calling them Gypsy’s… they told me that what they preferred I called them. With those two facts, Greek Orthodox and Gypsy’s, I knew I was really in for a treat, and really almost a culture shock.

And I was exactly right. It was quite a wild night and celebration! Let me tell you a little about how Gypsy Greek Orthodox families party.

Well first, the Reception takes place before the Wedding. Now I understand that this is not true for normal Greek Orthodox people, however, this is true for Gypsy Greek Orthodox families.

During the Reception there is tons of dancing. And when I says tons of dancing, I mean, they don’t stop dancing for literally 4 hours straight. I saw this lady dancing the same way, with a type of Maypole in one hand and a huge diamond crown with a veil in the other hand and about 3 hours into her dancing I asked her “Why have you been dancing so long without a break and what are these things your holding?” She told me that she was holding the crowned veil and dancing with it because it is tradition for her, one of the Aunts to dance around with the crowned veil in her hand because it is to bring them good luck and that at the end of the dancing she will crown the Bride and will pray over the crown and will put a blessing on her and her new husband. As for the maypole, she told me that it was because May 1st was the Greek Orthodox Easter and this was them celebrating this Easter season of their traditional heritage. I really enjoyed learning all of this culture information. How fun to have something a little different at a Reception.

So the Reception continues and everyone is dancing. All of the sudden, after 2 hours of dancing, the music stops suddenly. It was quite jolting to my system because I had been hear and the same song played over and over again for literally 4 hours. It was fun. But when the music stopped I was thinking to myself, “What’s going on?” Everyone rushed over to the tables and started munching away on what I really thought was a feast. Gourmet steaks, potatoes, salad, cheesecake, casseroles, etc. The menu went on and on. I couldn’t believe it. Dinner seemed to be over quickly.

Once it was done a few men including the Grooms Father, Grandfather and a few of his Uncles went around to each table carrying a single bread basket asking for a donation for the Bride and Groom. Each person gave a t least $300! I couldn’t believe the generosity. Quickly the bread basket because a mobile savings account, and when it was all said and done, the Patriarchs had collected close to $10,000 total from the guests. It was quite amazing.

So, I thought that was the end of the evening. The Reception was to go from six to eleven at night and it was fifteen minutes until eleven o’clock. So I start to wind down when all of the sudden the traditional Wedding March song started playing on the overhead and all the sudden down the stairs come the bride in a beautiful white dress, which was a surprise to me because the Bride was dressed in a pink gown all night which I though was just another tradition. With no advanced notice the Bride and her Father start walking between all the guests and walk to the dance floor. Once they arrived at the dance floor the song changed from the Wedding March to Butterfly Kisses, which is a very popular Father-Daughter dance song right now. They dance for about one minutes, and during the rest of the song the Bride gets passed to over 25 guys from her Groom, to Uncles, Cousins, Friends, you name it! She dances with so many people, it was like a whirlwind. Once that was done, everyone at the Reception gets in a circle and dances one last time to the tradition Greek song and goes in circle singing “Op” and “Opa” every now and then. Once the songs ends all the Aunts and girl Cousins run over to the Bride and bobby pin the huge crown to the Brides head, once that’s done the run over to the cake, cut it, feed each other a slice, take a sip of wine, and all the sudden a Greek Priest appears, pushes his head to the Bride and Grooms, whispers something in their ear for about 30 seconds and then pronounced them married. Everyone screams, the Priest ties a red ribbons around the Bride and Grooms arms to show them joining together. All the family pushes the newlyweds over to a leafy arch and tons of people take pictures with them within 3 minutes. After, the Bride and Groom suddenly run off and jump in a limo and the party totally dies.

Literally from the end of the bread basket to the limo taking off, they did all of that in fifteen minutes. I could not believe it!

I learned something really valuable last night. I remember thinking, “Geez, this is not romantic! They just rushed though all the important romantic stuff.” However, I remember looking at all the guests and seeing how happy they all were and I thought, “Humm… you know what? This is their life, it is their culture and who they are.” After that I was so happy for them and learned to enjoy the whole night and just soak up all the different culture things I was being exposed to, and for me, that was really, one of the best Weddings I have ever attended.

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A fashionable party is not complete without its chocolate fountain. Gone are the days of the ice sculpture, now, it’s all about the chocolate fountain. Imagine what looks to be a three or four tiered chocolate wedding cake but is in actual fact warm smooth chocolate. Used at weddings, parties and even corporate events, a chocolate fountain is guaranteed to make a lasting impression on even the most diet conscious.

The fountain comprises two units, the heater base and the holding basin and the auger (which is a large corkscrew). The heater must be turned on 15-20 minutes before the use and the solid chocolate put into the basin. The unit melts the solid chocolate which takes around 30-45 minutes to begin to flow. If you are new to chocolate fountain use it is recommended that you melt the chocolate prior to putting it in the basin. Chocolate fountains do not pump the chocolate to the top; instead they use a corkscrew motion which brings the chocolate to the top. This means that the life expectancy of the unit is increased and cuts down on unnecessary repair costs.

Any type of chocolate can be used in a chocolate fountain however chocolate with around 30% or more cocoa is preferred. This creates a silkier look and smoother taste; any other type of chocolate used will need a small amount of vegetable oil added.

If the unit is to be used on and off on a regular basis melted chocolate can be stored in the heated part at the bottom of the unit and the corkscrew/auger turned off when not in use. It is a good idea for hygiene reasons to cover any melted chocolate with a mesh of some sort which allows heat to escape but prevents anything contaminating the chocolate.

Italian cuisine is as varied as the regions of Italy. Although Italy was officially unified in 1861, the food reflects the cultural variety of the country’s regions with culinary influences from Greece, Roman, Gallic, Germany, Turkish, Hebrew, Slavic, Arab, Chinese and other civilizations. In this sense, there really is no one Italian cuisine because each area boasts of its own specialties. Not only is the food of Italy highly regionalized, but a high priority is also placed on the use of fresh available produce.

Although traditional Italian dishes vary by region, they also do not follow strictly to a North/South pattern either. The north tends to use more butter, creams, polenta, mascarpone, grana padano and Parmigiano cheeses, risotto, lasagna and fresh egg pasta, while the south is more tomato and olive oil based cooking, along with mozzarella, caciocavallo and peconrino cheeses, and dried pasta. Coastal and central regions often use tortellini, ravioli and prosciutto in their cooking. Even pizza varies across the country. In Rome the crusts are thin and cracker-like, while Neapolitan and Sicilian pizzas have a thicker crust.

For most Italians, pasta is the first course in a meal with the exception of the far north where risotto or polenta is the norm. Vegetables, grains and legumes play a regular part of many Italian diets with meat often not being a regular part of everyday meals, Olive oil is usually seen in its dark green state (from its first pressing) in the south, where in the north a more refined, golden oil is seen.

Basically, Italian cuisine consists of a combination of vegetables, grains, fruits, fish, cheeses and a some meats, with fowl and game usually seasoned or cooked with olive oil (with the exception of the far north). La cucina povera, the food of the poorer Italian people of the southern coastal area, has shaped a diet popular for centuries but now there is a resurgence of this “poor people’s food”, the Mediterranean diet, which is now being touted as the model around which we should restructure our eating habits.

Breakfast is considered a minor meal in Italy, often consisting of nothing more than a bread roll and milky coffee (café latte). Traditional lunches tend to be larger, have several courses and are eaten slowly. Italian children don’t go to school in the afternoon, and because of the heat, many small businesses close from midday until about 4pm which makes lunch the social meal of the day.

The traditional menu structure in Italy consists of basically eight courses, but the long traditional Italian menu is typically kept for special occasions such as weddings, with everyday fare including only the first and second courses, with the side dish being served with the second course. As an exception to this order, a unique course, Piatto unico, can replace the first or second course with, for example, pizza.

The traditional menu consists of:

1. ANTIPASTO – which are hot or cold appetizers, literally it means “before the pasta”; consists of a varied combination of colorful foods. The most popular ingredients are melon or tomatoes served with prosciutto cut into very thin slices. Lettuce, such as the slightly bitter endives or rocket, or other green leaves, such as the aniseed-tasting fennel, are typically used as a garnish, placed around the edges of the serving dish. Salami, mortadella, coppa and zampone, manufactured meat products, are common in antipasti. The artistry of the food is as important to Italians as the taste. For example the reddish colour of salami provides a good contrast to the green lettuce. Fish and other seafood may also be used in the antipasti course and, of course, olives and artichokes are also common servings, as are mushrooms (fungi) seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

2. PRIMO (first course) – which usually consists of a hot dish such as pasta, risotto, gnocchi, polenta or soup, with many vegetarian options. There are many types of pasta, each type usually named after its shape with common types including spirali (spirals), farfalle (butterflies; sometimes described as ‘bow-tie-shaped’). Penne (hollow tubes) and conchiglie (shells). Different shapes are supposed to be better with the different types of sauces. Spirals are two strips of pasta twirled around each other and are used with the heavier sauces, such as those containing minced meat and vegetables. Rigatoni is cylinders or tubes, with a wide diameter and grooves (or lines) on the outside. The grooves are supposed to hold the sauce onto the pasta, meaning that this pasta is good with runnier sauces. Then there is the group of pasta made up of long thin strands, which includes the most common type of pasta, spaghetti. Typically you eat this type of pasta by coiling its long thin strands around a fork. Other long thin pastas are tagliatelle, fettuccine and linguini, which are all varieties of flattened spaghetti. Extremely thin strands of pasta are called vermicelli (meaning ‘little worms’). Yet another group of pasta is made of flat sheets (lasagna) or tubes (cannelloni), which are either layered or stuffed with meat and cheese fillings. Some pastas have ‘pockets’ to hold the sauce inside them instead of outside like ravioli or tortellini, which are soft sheets of pasta rolled around meat or cheese. Italians cook pasta of all kinds, whether fresh or dried, in boiling water until al dente (‘to the teeth’, meaning still a tiny bit hard in the centre. It is then served immediately in a bowl with sauce or cheese.

3. SECONDO (second course) – this is usually the main dish of fish or meat. Veal, pork and chicken are traditionally the most common and are often pan-fried or casseroled. Beef is used as steaks (bistecca), while lamb (agnello) is roasted on special occasions, such as Easter and Christmas. Fish and other seafood are often used as main courses.

4. CONTORNO (side dish) – this may be a salad or cooked vegetable. Salad is traditionally served with the main course. Common vegetables are beans (greens and pulses), potatoes (often sautéed), and carrots as well as salads.

5. FORMAGIIO AND FRUTTA (cheese and fruit) – this is the first dessert course and the fruit and cheese are usually served together. Grapes, peaches, apricots and citrus fruits are a major product of Italy’s agricultural industry and are common.

6. DOLCE (dessert) – the cakes and cookies course Italians produce many sweet desserts and ‘sweet treats’, including Amaretti, almond-flavoured meringues, which Australians call macaroons, Panforte, a sweet semi-hard ‘strong bread’ based on nuts and containing dried fruit (a classic Christmas treat from Siena), and. Pannettone, a very rich bread-cake (another Christmas treat).

7. CAFFÉ (coffee) – which is usually espresso coffee

8. DIGESTIVE (liqueurs) – which may be grappa, amaro, or Limon cello. The wine industry has been important to Italy for centuries and the most common drink associated with Italy is wine. Until recently, and even now in the countryside, most Italians would make their own red or white house wine after the grape harvest. This would be drunk at every lunch and dinner. Even children are given wine to drink, but it is usually watered down with mineral water. Before dinner many Italians drink an amaro (bitter) to stimulate the digestive system, while after dinner they may drink sweet wines, such as marsala (from Sicily). Children are also sometimes given Marsala, beaten with a raw egg and sugar into zabaglione, to strengthen them.

PIZZA

Modern pizza has evolved from pizzas made by peasants in Naples, Italy, but more than a few Mediterranean peoples can claim to have ‘invented’ the pizza. In ancient times many civilizations created dishes of flat bread with various herbs and toppings. As a staple for the poor, it was a matter of necessity that food could be eaten without utensils, and that the ‘plate’ it was served on could be eaten as well. They made a bread crust from flour, water and yeast, topped it with olive oil, herbs, cheeses, sometimes even leftovers, and baked the whole thing in a stone oven.

Given that most pizza connoisseurs today consider the tomato sauce to be the key ingredient, it may be surprising that pizza pre-dates the introduction of tomatoes to Europe. Tomatoes reached Italy by way of Spain in the early 1500s but were thought to be poisonous. It was several decades later that tomatoes topped a flatbread in the form of a pizza.

Italian cuisine is very popular in all its forms and is imitated all over the world. Look for a few Italian recipes on June’s Recipes page, and visit our Marketplace to find Italian cookbooks and herbs and spices to make your families Italian dishes more authentic.