Highgrove and Cousin Couture Present: Spring into Fashion

We are so excited to announce that we will be partnering with Cousin Couture, a local boutique to present: Spring into Fashion, All in One Place, All in One Night on Thursday March 19 from 6:00pm-8:00pm.

We will be featuring the latest spring fashion trends along with the latest trends for bridal showers, engagements and graduation events.  Cousin Couture will have a "pop-up" shop where you can purchase the clothes right off the runway, along with a special give-away to a lucky guest.  Miss North Carolina Beth Stovall will be our honored guest as she shares her thoughts on the latest fashion trends and will treat us to a special performance.  

Join us for an exciting evening of fashion along with fun cocktails, mocktails, signature hors d' ouerves and desserts.  Partnering vendors include music by Stylus S.E.,  photography by Renee Sprink, and flowers by Flowers on Broad Street.

To register please send your name, contact information and how many guests are attending to Abby Coleman. Deadline for registration is March 16. 

We hope to see you at our 1st annual Fashion Show!

Highgrove: Bridesmaids Dresses

When it comes to your wedding, having your closest girlfriends by your side to help plan, celebrate and enjoy your special day with is so important and deciding on what dress your girls will wear is a close second!  There are so many options for bridesmaids dresses, from long to short, to casual to modern that as a bride, narrowing down your options can be difficult. 

 A suggestion would be to start with your color palette and to see how you want those colors displayed throughout your day whether that be in the decor, dresses or flowers.  Another option would be to talk to your girls and see what they would like to wear.  And finally, a fun option would be to have your bridesmaids in different style dresses but all one color.  Most importantly, as a bride you want to pick out a dress that all of your girls will be confident and happy to wear on your day.  

For our Girls Night Out event in January we had the opportunity to partner with Bella Bridesmaid in Cary and they have some wonderful and trendy options for bridesmaids dresses.  

We are thrilled to be hosting a Spring into Fashion Show in March with Cousin Couture and they have some great options for bridal showers and engagement parties.  We will be sharing more information about the the Fashion Show soon, so stay tuned!

Highgrove Tasting Event

We always have an amazing time hosting our Food Tasting events for our booked couples and their guests. We are able to feature some of our favorite Highgrove menu items along with new and exciting items that we are hoping make the cut to the final menus. The tastings allow our chefs to treat each guest to the best of what we have to offer... and the amount of food is just amazing! 

Here are just a few of the menu items we featured this past weekend.

Our Trout Tacos

Signature Cocktail: Bourbon Lemonade

Our Roasted Vegetable Display

A gorgeous cappuccino from our Counter Culture Espresso Bar

Specialty desserts: Cheesecake with Champagne Ganache, Eclairs, and French Macaroons

An Hors d'Ouerves display with our Smoked Salmon and Vegetable Spring Rolls

A close up shot of our handmade French Macaroons

Highgrove's Chef Corner: Peanut Butter Marshmallows

Marshmallows

S’mores are great …well, pretty much anytime of the year. And with homemade peanut butter marshmallows, it just gets even better. Simple to make and impressive to pull out when it’s time to have that bonfire and do some marshmallow roasting with friends. Our S'Mores station continues to be one of the most popular dessert tables at weddings here at Highgrove as well. Guests jut love to gather around the fire pit, tell old stories while creating new ones.

All that's needed are a few ingredients... and my latest kitchen toy – a laser thermometer found at amazon.

 Recipe – adapted from Alton Brown

3 packages of unflavored gelatin

1 cup cold water, divided

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup PB2 (peanut butter powder) plus extra for dusting  - available at Whole foods or Amazon

¼ cup confectioners sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

Nonstick spray

 

1.     Spray an 8” square pan with non stick spray. Combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch and move around in the pan until it completely coats the bottom and sides of the pan. Dump out excess powder into a small bowl and reserve.

2.     Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with ½ cup of the water.

3.     In a small saucepan combine the remaining ½ cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Over medium high heat simmer for about 10 minutes until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F. Once it reaches 240 remove from heat.

4.     Using the whisk attachment on the mixer turn the mixer on low and slowly pour in the hot syrup mixture down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added it all, increase the speed and whip until mixture becomes very thick – about 12 minutes.

5.     Add in the ½ cup PB2 and the vanilla and continue to blend for one minute.

6.     When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula sprayed with nonstick spray for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top of the mixture with PB2. Cover and let rest for at least four hours.

7.     Turn the marshmallows onto a cutting board into 2” squares. Use the remaining cornstarch and powdered sugar mixture to dust the sides if they stick. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Highgrove: Invitations

We love seeing the unique and creative ways that couples invite their guests to their wedding day.  Invitations can range from modern to rustic.  Below are some great ideas for your invitations. And don't forget to check out our Pinterest mood board, along with these great resources, Etsy, The Knot and Southern Bride and Groom for all your invitation needs.

Modern

Classic

Rustic

Highgrove: Wedding Color Inspiration

As a bride, there are many details that go into planning your beautiful day.  One of the main components of your wedding is the color theme that will be portrayed throughout, from the bridesmaids dresses, decor down to the flowers.  At Highgrove we love seeing all of these details come to life on your day.  One of my favorites is a rose blush gold theme which has hints of sparkle and elegance that would compliment our twinkle light draped ballroom.

If you looking for more color theme inspiration, hop on over to our Pinterest mood boards and you will find a variety of colors and themes that will hopefully help you plan your day!

Also check out Fab Mood, they have some great color inspirations, theme ideas and bridal gowns.

Highgrove's Favorites

We love working with the best vendors in the area and from time to time we want to highlight some of our favorites. Perhaps you are still looking for that perfect person to capture all the most important moments of your day... and we want to help with a few thoughts on one of the photographers we love working with the most.

Tara Parker is one of the sweetest and happiest people you will ever meet. She always has a smile on her face and a laugh ready to share. Her bubbly personality is amazing to be around and certainly something you want on your wedding day, when the nerves and emotions may be running high. She typically works alongside of her husband Dave, and together they make an excellent team, telling the story of your wedding day through beautiful shots and sweet moments. Below are just a few of Tara's pictures from Highgrove weddings. Check out her website and blog for more captivating images!

Photographer:

Tara Parker Photography

Website:

http://www.taraparkerphotography.com/#

Highgrove Spring Escort Card/Favor Ideas

It is a brutally cold week here in NC, but we are excited about Spring... soon to make its appearance! With the warmer temperatures (hopefully) right around the corner, our thoughts are on all things floral, bright, fresh, and wedding. 

One of the most important details of your wedding day is your escort cards, which can also do double duty as a favor. Having assigned seating for all of your guests is something that we highly recommend here at Highgrove. Not only does it create an organized atmosphere for guests looking for where to sit, but it really tells your guests that you have thought about them and have seated them at a table where they will be most comfortable and have the best time. One of the most important details to remember when displaying your seating assignments is to do it by alphabetical order by last name. This helps your guests find their name the quickest without having to search through every name... they just have to find the first letter of their last name.

This first idea uses pots of herbs to display guest names and tables. The herbs look great when they are all set up on the table and then guests can take them home to plant and continue to use when cooking.

This second idea uses the popular succulent plants in mini clay pots to display guest names/table numbers. Succulents are easy to take care of, are very current in look and feel and also make excellent favors for guests to take home.

Spread the Love

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, we wanted to share some fun and creative ways to spread the love to your guests at your wedding.  Favors are a great way to say a simple thank you to your guests for sharing in your special day.  We have seen a variety of favors at Highgrove and the ones that seem to be a huge hit with guests are ones the reflect the personalities of the couple and something that the guests would really enjoy.  For example, coffee from the couple's favorite cafe, homemade jam made by the bride and fun koozies.

For other personalized and creative favors, check out our Pinterest page.

Highgrove Cruisin' for Clues

We are excited to host our 3rd annual Murder Mystery Dinner Theater this Saturday February 14.  Throughout the evening, guests will be cruising for clues with the talented cast from It's a Mystery, while enjoying a delicious meal prepared by our chef. Check out more details about the event here.

Also it's not to late to join in on what will be an exciting, fun and unique way to spend Valentine's Day with the people you love! Click here to make your reservations.

Highgrove Open House Date Change

Due to the response for our Evening Open House (originally scheduled for Thursday, February 26) we have decided to move the event to March. 

We are so excited to be able to make this event even bigger and better than originally planned, with a Trunk Show and additional vendors onsite... not to mention hors d' ouerves and cocktails! You can check out the website for more details... coming soon!

Highgrove Chef's Corner with Chef Vicky

Today we had some friends over or dinner so I created a savvy, fun cocktail hour pairing.

The cookies are lemon thyme and I paired them with a strawberry balsamic shrub – the base for making signature cocktails. 

For the Lemon Thyme Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup almonds

4 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 ½ tablespoons grated lemon peel

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Yield sixty - 2” cookies that can be made ahead and frozen before baking

Preheat oven to 350. The cookies begin with grinding the flour, lemon zest, salt, thyme, and almonds in the food processor for 1 minute.

Beat the butter and both sugars in a stand mixer for 3 minutes. Add in the flour mixture and mix on low just to blend. Add in the flavorings just to blend. Divide the dough mixture into two large flat discs and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll the cookie dough onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on the dough and roll out to ¼ “ thick.

Use any shape cookie cutter – I like to do flower petals, circles, or for Valentines Day hearts. Line the sheet pan with parchment paper.

Bake for 8 minutes until golden brown.

The shrub recipe was from Michael Dietsch’s book called SHRUBS. I tested about 6 of his recipes and all were well worth the effort. Last week for a tasting we made lemon ginger, blackberry mint and apple cinnamon shrubs and added club soda and ginger ale for a sophisticated non-alcoholic cocktail.

Tonight we added Pinot Noir to our strawberry balsamic shrub to create rich fruity Sangria.

Served over ice with a sprig of rosemary and lime slice – let’s get the party started!

Wedding Planning Tips

One of the many benefits of choosing Highgrove is the stress-free process you will experience while planning your wedding.  From working with Susan, our Director of Catering in selecting your handcrafted, customized menu to one of our Bridal Coordinators in executing your day, the staff at Highgrove is here to make your wedding dreams come true!

As a newly engaged bride, starting the wedding planning process can be overwhelming.  Here is a great timeline that you can use as a checklist that will help guide you throughout your planning process.

Finally both The Knot and Wedding Wire have free, great and easy to use planning tools to help make the process smooth and stress-free.

As always, we at Highgrove want the wedding planning process and your wedding day to be exactly what you want it to be and we are so thrilled that we have the honor and privilege to share this experience with you and your finance!

Glam Squad interview with My Carolina Today

Highgrove is excited to host the Survivor Glam Squad Cancer Makeover event this Saturday February 7 from 5pm-8:30pm.  My Carolina Today interviewed Kimberly Atwood, one of the make-up artist and Tara Dunsmoor, a breast cancer survivor and they shared their experience with the Glam Squad and what you have to look forward to this Saturday at the event.

Check out their interview.

Also it's not too late to attend this event.  Reserve your spot TODAY!

Glam Squad at Highgrove This Saturday

Don't forget to reserve your spot for this Saturday, February 7 Survivor Glam Squad Cancer Makeover Event at Highgrove. Let's join together in celebrating life and those who have made it through so much! There will be food, drink, special guest speakers, and our makeover models in a runway show.

Reserve your spot right now!