An elegant Finley Creek wedding

Lauren Chesterfield’s wedding and reception this month proved you can have a truly elegant wedding at Finley Creek Vineyard.

After a glorious outdoor evening ceremony – with the summer breezes cooperating and summer flowers abounding – Lauren and her husband shared their vows with over 130 guests.

After a short walk to the wedding barn, the festivities began with a cocktails in the beautifully decorated “shabby chic” barn. Soft twinkling string lights greeted guests, with candelabras and gorgeous floral centerpieces completing the mood.

Guests grouped together around fun whiskey barrel tables with drinks in hand as butlered hors d’oeuvres were served:

Filet Mignon with Horseradish Cream on Toasted Baguette with Carmelized Onions and Fresh Rosemary
Caprese Salad Lollipops Chicken Pot Stickers with Ginger Soy Sauce

A sit-down dinner was served beginning at 7 pm which included a marvelous champagne toast, after which guests were served:

Wedge Salad with Bacon, Blue Cheese & Tomatoes with additional fixings in ramikens on each table
Chicken Breast Stuffed with Brie and Wrapped with Proscuitto
Chef Carved Prime Rib with Horseradish Cream Sauce
Scalloped Potatoes
Mixed Roasted Vegetables with Fresh Marjoram and Olive Oil

A highlight of the evening, judging from guests’ reactions, was as the reception began with music and a spotlight, the bride’s brother surprised guests and sang the “first dance” song to the bride and new brother-in-law. Lovely!

Finley Creek Vineyards springs a lovely wedding reception

Mary Ann Harrison and Jared Owen tapped early Spring on the shoulder ...and asked it to reserve a sunny Saturday in mid-March for her wedding reception at Finley Creek Vineyards.

The pre-Spring weather cooperated, and the event space was perfect for the kind of relaxed late afternoon reception the couple had in mind.

The Harrison-Owen reception began at 4:00 PM by welcoming family and friends to Finley Creek's rustic splendor. With an open bar and generous appetizers inside the beautifully decorated Finley Creek barn, guests dipped into sumptuous appetizers:

Three Layer Pesto Torte with crackers, butler-served Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Parmesan Cheese, and an assortment of Mini Quiches.

After everyone had a chance to mingle, a spring buffet dinner was served:

House Salad with Mixed Greens, Cucumbers, Shredded Carrots, Tomatoes and Bacon Bits, topped with Jacquie’s own Champagne vinaigrette
Chef Carved Roast Beef with Horseradish Cream
Chef Carved Pork Loin with Apricot Glaze Garlic Scalloped Potatoes
Assorted Roasted Indiana-grown Vegetables with Olive Oil, Lemon and Fresh Marjoram

There were a few children in attendance, and they were not forgotten. Easy to eat Chicken Fingers, Carrot Sticks, and Fruit Cups were quickly gobbled down.

After a lovely dinner, the bar was re-opened and the celebrating went on into the night as any fun reception should (hello dancing and music in the wide open rustic-chic barn!) The group paused to cut the cake (by Classic Cakes of Carmel) and toast to the new couple. Then back to dancing and a fantastic selection of desserts!

Congratulations to Mary Anne and Jared, and the Harrison-Owen families!

Spring & summer wedding reception ideas

At Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering, we love to plan spring and summer wedding receptions. The world is in bloom, warm and in love… such a lavish and bountiful time to get married!

There are also so many, many different ideas and themes to choose from when you are planning a wedding reception in the warm months. We enjoy working with the bride and groom to create the right feel, theme and the vibe for the event – and the ideal food and drink, too.

Here are Jacquie’s spring and summer wedding reception tips on how to bring the lovely color and warmth of the season into your big day:

Have your wedding outside under our gazebo at Finley Creek Vineyards. There will be plenty of flowers all around in our lovely spring and summer gardens. Bonus: You won’t need as many bouquets and flower arrangements. Nature will provide quite a few on its own.
Take your color cues from nature with bright reds, brilliant pinks, and vivid lavender, purples, greens and yellows. Don’t limit your color choices to the wedding tuxes and gowns. Extend the colors to invitations, lighting, bridal bouquets, table centerpieces, and especially, food and drinks!
Foods can be bold or subtle, outrageously spicy or refined. Maybe a little of both. If you want formal, we can go with the classics like standing rib roast, brisket or lamb chops. Or make things bright and off-beat with easy to eat sliders or Szechuan pork barbeque. We can do whatever you want.
The biggest dinner trendwe're seeing right now? Interactive stations. Couples are moving away from a sit-down multiple- course dinner where the food is served by wait staff. Instead, we’re seeing couples add longer cocktail hours and include multiple self-serve food stations. Not only can this be less expensive, but it encourages interaction among your guests. Some station and small plate foods we like? Sliders, chili bars, beef brisket sandwiches, pork tenderloins, mini grilled cheese sandwiches, and steak/chicken/veggie fajitas bars.
Get creative and fun with what you wear. Have the bridal group slip into sequined tennis shoes under their gowns -- and high tops under their tuxes.
Evenings get still be cool in early spring. Add heaters along the path to the reception facility. You could also drape comfy blankets over the back of chairs or have a fire pit for later in the evening.
Dessert bars? Everyone’s favorite. Merengues are colorful and yummy. Individual sized cheesecakes, tiramisu, even ice cream cones… be as fun as you want.
Bring the outdoors, in with brilliant spring flowers in centerpieces. Lots of greenery keeps things grounded and fresh. Consider plants in flower pots as giveaways.
How about a specialty coffee bar to go with your wedding cake? Have serve-yourself specialty liquor toppings, fresh whipped cream, and lovely fresh peppermint sprigs as garnishes.
Wedding signature cocktails are fun. Name “his” and “hers” drinks… after your best man, or your college mascot, or your dog’s nickname. Have fun with it. Your guests will love it.

No matter what you choose for your spring/summer wedding reception, let’s meet to get things booked and begin getting a feel for your ideas early. Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering can bring your wedding ideas to life in all kinds of ways, keeping foods fresh and organic, sustainably and locally raised, and always… delicious.

Specialty holiday cocktail? Great idea!

At Finely Creek Vineyards, we love creating themed signature holiday cocktails – and boy, do we ever have some great ideas for your next holiday event!

Specialty or signature cocktails are a great way to kick off a corporate holiday party or fun wedding reception. And Jacquie's Gourmet Catering can make an original drink that expresses something about your event, the culture of the organization or the nature of the couple in the wedding.

Sometimes we theme the drinks these around a color (such as your logo colors) and sometimes around the personalities of the couple being honored. (And yes, we are always happy to make alcohol-free versions for your guests who don’t drink.)

For the holidays, we have no shortage of ideas! Give us your theme, and we’ll come up with all kinds of ideas. You choose the ones you prefer. Or let us know your favorite liquor, and we can build it around that.

Jacquie's Gourmet Catering team is amazingly creative when it comes to preparing drinks in with artful added edible garnishes – from flowers to herbs, stacks of fruits or veggies, cinnamon stirrers to edible swizzler sticks.

For wedding receptions, we can name a drink for the family of the bride, the groom’s nickname, a nod to how they met, the name of their dog, an inside joke – even their honeymoon destination. It’s just as fun to name the drink as it is to create it!

Here’s the bonus: You won’t need to pay for an open bar if you offer a signature cocktail or two, plus wine and beer. You have the feel of an open bar without the cost. Great (and painless) cost-cutter!

Let Jacquie’s team help make your next event one to remember with fantastic fresh organic edibles – and a fabulous signature cocktail or two. Cheers!!