Falmouth Wedding

The Belle Fete team was part of a very special wedding in Falmouth last weekend. It was a tented wedding sited at the groom's family residence which was surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens.


The couple was looking for an "all appetizer" reception to go with the fun and playful vibe of the day. In a unique and fun twist, guests had their photos taken upon arrival and were immediately printed to act as party favors and place cards. Children were also provided with a table for coloring books and special meals of their own.



The colors were ocean blue and magenta with a beachy theme. Belle Fete created displays with seashells and anchors to create a rustic elegant feel with summer beach undertones.

MENU

The menu passed in a series of two waves with stationary display appetizers.

Stationary Appetizers:
Shrimp Cocktail with a trio of dipping sauces: classic cocktail, Maine Blueberry, and mustard cream sauce

Bruschetta bar: Homemade corstini and pita chips served with an assortment of dips an spreads from around the world.

Garden Display: Colorful vegetable crudités served with homemade lemon pesto goat cheese dip accompanied by assorted cheeses and crackers

Penne Primavera: Whole wheat penne tossed with roasted seasonal vegetables in a light pesto cream sauce

Passed Appetizers: Wave #1
Maine Lobster Cakes with Citrus Aioli
Beef Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Grilled Balsamic Peaches on Blue Cheese Shortbread

Passed Appetizers: Wave #2
Handmade Exotic Mushroom and Boursin Ravioli with Balsamic Browned Butter
Homemade Barbeque Pulled Pork on Cornbread Squares
Pesto Chicken Salad Stuffed Pate Choux

CAKE

The cake was lemon pound cake with raspberry crème filling frosted with vanilla butter cream, decorated with fresh berries and purple orchids. The bride and groom chose a lovely Willow Tree topper.

About Belle Fete Events & Catering

For more information about Belle Fete Events & Catering please visit our website at http://www.bellefetegroup.com/

Coveside B&B Wedding

The bride and groom chose to get married at the Coveside B&B in Georgetown in a wedding that was "a bit maverick, a bit Maine and a bit traditional".

The bride grew up in northern Aroostook County and the groom grew up in Lisbon Falls. Having their wedding on the Maine coast was the "only choice" for this couple. The bride loves trees and has favorite ones in all the cities she has lived in including Paris, NYC, and New Haven. The groom proposed while under her favorite weeping birch tree in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

On a scouting mission looking for the perfect place to get married, they saw a huge magestic linden tree and knew they had found the perfect spot!

The couple met on the set of the Portland Stage Company. They wanted their mutual love of the theater to be reflected in the ceremony. One of their NYC playwright friends composed a limerick and another friend who is a proffessional Broadway singer sang a classic Sinatra song.

So many things about their wedding literally "fell" into their laps. They met Belle Fete while we were setting up for an event on Bailey Island. We immediately hit it off, they loved that we were using old china and wildflowers. We also found out that Lori previously had lived in their neighborhood in Brooklyn and Audrey had gone to college with the groom!

The bride found her dress in much the same way. She had been planning on wearing an antique dark blue velvet gown. While walking around "the village" she happened upon a beautiful green silk dress that fit like a charm.

The bride, who worked for Martha Stewart Weddings as an editor, knew they were looking for a delicious meal, surrounded by close family and friends. She also wanted their love of "all things Maine" to shine through, allowing the beautiful coastal venue to set the tone.

For decor, Belle Fete provided native wild flowers from a roadside stand, centerpieces arranged in traditional canning jars, and simple linens on the tables.

Another special touch to the reception was an antique punch bowl that was set out prior to the ceremony with homemade stawberry lemonade. The punch bowl had belonged to the groom's grandmother. She had specifically asked if she couldn't be there, that they use the punch bowl in memory of her. It was set out with leaf sugar cookies and strawberry garnishes on the glassware.

MENU

The menu was chosen based on their mutual love of good food and cooking. They were self proclaimed "foodies" and all aspects of the menu were carefully tasted and chosen.

Brushetta Bar - carmelized onion and fennel topping with a splash of Grand Marnier, classic tomato brushetta, artichoke and spinach creme and portobella balsamic served with homemade crostini and fresh fruit.

Seared tenderloin on crostini with fried leeks and horseradish creme

Grilled peach salad on bluecheese shortbread

Dinner Buffet-

Honey butter haddock

Baby spinach salad with toasted pecans, sliced strawberries and kiwi, tossed in a Maine blueberry vineagrette.

Beef tenderloin carving station with rosemary port reduction

Lemon herb carrots

CAKE

This was a very special dark chocolate raspberry cake that is a favorite of the bride and grooms called the Simca cake.

Mixed berries served with homemade whipped cream.

BELLE FETE EVENTS & CATERING

For more information about Belle Fete Events & Catering, please visit our website at: http://www.bellefetegroup.com/

800-791-4530

sales@bellefetegroup.com

Other Vendors

A special thanks to Kathie Duncan who provided the personal flowers and urn arrangements.

We also worked with an amazing photographer by the name of Tobin Russel who flew in from Minneapolis to shoot the wedding. An old NYC friend of the Bride's he has worked as a photojournalist around the world.

Bailey Island Coastal Wedding

This June coastal wedding took place at the Sea Escape Cottages on Bailey Island, Maine. A beautiful spot on the ocean's edge with room for much of the wedding party to stay. The bride and groom continued to stay for the rest of the week on their honeymoon.

The bride & groom were a wonderfully laid-back couple looking for a relaxing event with exceptional food. They and most of their guests are currently working or have worked in the restaurant industry, so the quality and presentation of the food was a major concern.

We put together a custom seasonal menu that highlighted some of Maine's finest ingredients.

Passed Appetizers
Wild Maine Blueberry Cream Cheese En Croute

Lobster Cakes w/ Citrus Aioli

Seared Tenderloin on Garlic Crostini with Fried Leeks and Horseradish Crème

Bruschetta Bar - Homemade crostini with pita chips and an assortment of dips and toppings: Tomato bruschetta, roasted garlic boursin, roasted red pepper hummus, and artichoke spinach crème.


Dinner


Mixed Green Salad - Mesculin greens tossed with dried cranberries, crumbled goat cheese, and candied pecans in a homemade balsamic vinaigrette

Summer Coq Au Vin - Chicken braised in a white wine and Gran Marnier sauce served over steamed carrots and mushrooms

Maine Seafood Newberg - Maine lobster, diver scallops, and shrimp slowly simmered in a creamy sherry sauce and served in a homemade puff pastry.

Beef Tenderloin Au Poivre - Grilled and roasted beef tenderloin carved to order. Served with a creamy peppercorn reduction.

Chive Mashed Potatoes
Balsamic Asparagus





Special Thanks

Rockbridge Photography http://www.rockridgeworld.com/


Sea Escape Cottages http://www.seaescapecottages.com/

Rock Gardens Inn Wedding

Last weekend, the Belle Fete team was part of a very special wedding reception at the Rock Gardens Inn on Casco Bay. It is a breathtaking site, located on its own peninsula, there were water views just about everywhere we looked! The grounds were also well manicured and filled with cultivated and wild flowers.







This was an event that reminds us how much we love our jobs! Great clients, a beautiful venue to work in, and the opportunity to design a unique experience for guests. In this assignment, in addition to providing delicious food, our role was to coordinate all aspects of the event experience including design, decor, lighting and rentals.


The bride and groom met as undergraduates at Princeton as dancers on the set of Pas d'Acier. It was the actual color wheels originally designed by Georgi Yakoluv that inspired our custom themed wedding cake.


The bride & groom wanted their mutual appreciation for Japanese aesthetics and culture to be represented in their wedding reception. The bride chose stargazer lillies to be her main flower which were featured in her bouquet as well as on the passing trays and stationary appetizer displays.

Green and blue were the main theme colors. They were chosen to reflect the receptions location which was directly on the scenic shores of Casco Bay. Blue and green lanterns, linens, napkins as well as bridesmaids dresses repeated the theme.

They chose an all appetizer reception so their guests could relax and mingle without the more traditional formalities of a seated meal. We worked very closely with the couple to create a menu that would please every palate.

First Wave:

Sushi Display: Veggie, blackened tuna with cream cheese and pineapple and chicken with sauteed mushrooms

Seared swordfish served with a roasted date glaze

Roasted Date and Goat cheese tart

Black Bean Quesidilla Black beans, red onions, pineapple, cilantro with cheddar cheese

Second Wave:

Garden Display: Fresh Fruit and vegetable crudite served with a lemon pesto goat cheese dipping sauce

Wild mushroom ravioli served with balsamic brown butter

Lemongrass soup shooters served with sweet chili shrimp

Stationary dinner display- Cashew chicken Spinach salad assorted bread and rolls

Third Wave:

Blueberries and cream cheese en croute

Ahi Tuna served in a crispy wonton with an apricot glaze

Chicken satay served with spicy thai peanut sauce

Bar Selections

The bride's parents were true wine connoisseurs and chose some excellent selections to pair with the menu: Adelsheim Auxxerois 2007 Willamete Valley, Brook Willamete Valley Pinot Noir, and Santome Prosecco.

The groom, a homebrewer, chose the following Maine microbrew beers: Sebago Lake Trout Stout, Gritty McDuff's Original Pub Style "Maine's Classic Pale Ale", Allagash Dubbel Reserve Belgian Style Ale.

Click here for more pictures from Andree Kehn, Maine Wedding Photographer

Andree's blog:

http://mainephotographers.blogspot.com/2009/06/gorgeous-outdoor-sebasco-estates.html

For more information about Belle Fete Events & Catering visit our website at:

http://www.bellefetegroup.com/

Corporate Testimonial

"Lori and the entire Belle Fete team did a fantastic job managing our event. From the very beginning stages of planning to the last minute details, Lori was able to craft the perfect experience while keeping our budget in mind. The staff, food and atmosphere were beyond our expectations, allowing us to enjoy the event while the Belle Fete staff took control of the logistics. We couldn't have asked for a better team to work with!"

- NEIWPCC

Wolf Cove Inn Wedding

This past weekend we found ourselves at the Wolf Cove Inn. This is a lovely site that features an expansive lawn and many gardens for guests to wander and admire.

It was a picture perfect day! The bride looked absolutely gorgeous and had some stunning photos taken at the Inn's scenic lakeside dock.

The bridesmaids wore navy blue dresses with cream accents. This theme was repeated in the tent with navy linens. The flowers were arranged in handmade pottery.

The menu featured light spring fare!

APPETIZERS

Maine Blueberries and Cream Cheese En Croute
Fresh Fruit Display with Honey Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Mini Grilled Cheese - pesto with ages cheddar and smoked gouda

MAIN COURSE

Mixed Green Salad

Assorted Flatbreads including: Grilled chicken, caramelized onions, feta, and mozzarella; Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella; and Ginger pulled pork, pineapple, ham and fontina

Penne Primavera

WEDDING CAKE

A three tier yellow cake with white buttercream frosting.

For more information on Belle Fete Events & Catering visit our website:

http://www.bellefetegroup.com

Wolf Cove Inn Testimonial

Lori,

With all of the stress that comes along with planning a wedding, I can happily say that anything to do with the catering was not one of them. Considering that I found your company randomly online (since we live 2 hours away), I could not have chosen a better match for us.

From our first meeting to the day of the wedding, you made me feel comfortable and secure with our decision - that you were more than our caterer, you were our friend.

I mentioned to my husband that we should renew our vows often so that we could work with you again...I think he likes the idea.

Thank you again for making our wedding day perfect. I will tell anyone who will listen that we absolutely love you, and that anyone planning an event in Maine would be foolish to not have you cater it.

With love and happiness,

Brian and Adina B.

PS I heard that we are getting the pictures within a week or two...I'll send some along :)

Animal Rescue League Event

Belle Fete was honored to be the Gold sponsor and caterer of the Animal Refuge League fundraising event in Portland on June 3rd.

This was a great event for a cause that we are passionate about!

It also gave us a chance to do what we love to do - showcase our event design and creative capabilities.

Design elements included a variety of animal inspired items including live fish in tall display vases, handgrown catgrass, a large hand painted paper mache dog statue, and a custom engraved steel "Pawprint" sign. This all came together to create an edgy, yet elegant mood for the event. See pictures below.

Many thanks to the ARL, all of the sponsors and countless volunteers that helped make this such a special event!

ARL Event Coverage In Mainetoday.com Switch

The Refuge Auction & Cocktail Party

Jun 4, 2009 10:32 AM
The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland introduced their newest fundraising event, The Refuge, on Wednesday, June 3 at The Portland Company. The silent auction and cocktail party gained proceeds that will aid the shelter's many annual medical expenses. Radio's Lori Voornas hosted the event, music was supplied by local dj Jason Hjort, and caterer Belle Fête and Whole Foods provided the impressive spread.

http://www.mainetoday.com/photoalbum.html?id=7464