It’s not often that you get to design a wedding from top to bottom, but with Matt and Sandie’s wedding this past week, we were able to do just that! I met with the bride and groom to walk through the Southborough Community Center, a lovely old house set on a beautiful property, to get an idea of what Pepper’s could do to bring their wedding vision to life. As we walked thorough each room, Sandie told me her vision, of rustic romance with lots of personal touches. She had bought plenty of pieces already that she wanted me to incorporate, so I went back to the design studio and started sketching, I sent over my sketches and a proposal and we were on our way, with a plan of building special pieces, staging pretty areas, and creating lots of floral arrangements!

We started by building an interactive photo display, which was placed on the deck by the front door. I used vintage doors to create a photo backdrop, created signage for the door and more directional signage (and you can’t forget # info for photos!) We then added hooks and family photos so that all the guests could pose with the couple even when they were occupied elsewhere! With a couple more props and hay bales to sit on, it was the perfect place for the couple and guests to pose for photos! We love photo stations because they can create some of the most fun photos a couple has of their guests!

Next was the welcome table in the entryway. We wanted to create a first impression upon entering the house, something that really gave the guests a clear idea of what the whole look and feel was. We built this with an old door as the top and wooden wine boxes as the legs. I then drew up a custom welcome sign and set up a little rustic-vintage vignette with old trunks, letters, and little drawers full of flowers. The bride and her kids had created these fun windows with photos and writing and wanted us to include them in the décor, so I thought the perfect place for this one was on the gift table, we paired it with their gift box, another sign made here at Peppers, and more flower arrangements, it was the perfect place for guests to drop off their gifts and cards for the couple.

After signing the guest book, guests headed into the great room for the ceremony, which was full of design details! First, we made this custom wood marquee sign especially for the couple, with hand painted details and vintage bulb lights, it was the perfect focal point for the fireplace where the couple would say their vows. Next we created this lovely floral garland for the fireplace and filled bud vases with flowers to give it some extra impact. Then we stacked wooden apple crates and filled them with flowers to more clearly define the ceremony area. It was a truly magical place for Sandie and Matt to say “I do!”

Last but not least, and of course for Pepper’s, one of our favorite parts: the food & drinks! For the bar, we built another backdrop of vintage doors, and created a marquee sign to designate the bar area. This was a cocktail style party, with lots of delicious little bites and appetizers for the guests to nosh on all evening long. So along with delicious passed hors d’oeuvres, we created this rustic stationary display for the tasty morsels that would be out all night long. With apple crates, a giant vintage spool top, a hand written menu sign and plenty of floral arrangements, this food display fit perfectly with the rest of the décor!

We wish Matt and Sandie all of our best wishes and thank them for letting us bring their wedding vision to life!

Pepper’s had the great pleasure to cater and design a Gala for the Trustees of the Reservation at the Old Manse property in Concord Massachusetts this summer, and since we’re not quite ready to accept that summer is over, we thought we’d share it now! We love events like this, that have not only a delicious menu but also lots of style and design elements for Pepper’s to design, create, and set up for clients!

The Trustees of the Reservation decided on a Revolutionary war theme, and even had a Revolutionary reenactment, muskets blazing and all!

On top of the passed hors d’oeuvres, we wanted to have an impressive cheese station for this event as there would be plenty of time while watching the revolutionary reenactment for guests to snack. With stacked wine crates for height and tea dyed reproductions of historical documents to add a historical feel to it all.

We carried this look through to our a delicious rum bar with copper cups, and our own wine barrel display.

When guests moved into the tent for dinner, they were lead to their tables with centerpieces of antique books and vessels filled with flowers. We actually scoured antique shops for all the unique vessels and books found at each table. Complimenting the antique books with newer hardbacks that were all spray painted and then hand painted with gold accents on the spine to make them blend in with the older books. We then built some lovely floral arrangements in everything from antique teapots to vintage metal beer steins.

Last but not least was our opulent dessert display, with all our tasty treats displayed on gilded mirrors, surrounded by candlelight, with a backdrop of colonial flag bunting. We loved creating all the design elements to complement this event and the property.

by Jody Boyajian

Senior Event Designer

Mango. Tangerine. Or just orange. Whatever hue you call it, this sunny color is sure to make a summer wedding original and memorable.

A recent bridal couple spiced up all aspects of their Larz Anderson Auto Museum wedding with a winning combination of navy and white chevron striped linens with orange charger plates, napkins and floral centerpieces.

Other details included an orange slice in each water goblet, orange paper lanterns throughout the tent, orange display linens and orange imprinted sunglasses for guests to wear during the outdoor ceremony. Even the bride and bridesmaids wore bright orange shoes!

This wedding had a cohesive and fun design plan that reflected the personalities and spirt of the couple.

Here’s to coloring your wedding with creativity!  

Many of our friends in the restaurant industry who are so used to having every resource at their fingertips will often ask us if we are playing with a full deck when we speak about the challenges with catering, such as:

1. Setting up temporary kitchens in garages, under event tents, the unfinished basement or in the field with no power or running water

2. Relying on a tent to cater a gala event for 300 guests, in 30 degree weather and rain in the forecast

3. Packing up two truckloads of equipment for an outdoor wedding, setting up and then repacking at midnight under moonlight

Perhaps we are a little insane, but there are a number of things that motivate us and keep our catering team happy, receiving thoughtful accolades every week from our joyful clients is a key motivator. We always look forward to Mondays, as it is when we receive numerous Thank You notes of praise for “exceptional cuisine and attentive service to our guests”.

Recently a film crew from Nightline Prime on ABC arrived to film a real estate broker open house that we were catering and the on-air interviewer went ga-ga over our Lobster BLT Salad on editable spoons as you can see in the previous link. Her expression and joyful sounds were priceless, once she gave it a try. That’s what we’re talking about.

It’s those reactions that we receive and knowing that we serve memorable cuisine and award-winning catering services to each and every event drive us to do it again and again. We never get tired of reading Thank You notes from our clients never and as challenging as catering can be, it is also one very rewarding service to provide.

Catering isn’t just about the food. While we admittedly are a food driven company, we are equally driven to service, as well as style and design. Yes we do have a style and design director who is charged with 

enhancing all of our work with panache & to best complete the vision of our client. Great food presented with style completes the efforts of all of our group.

Lastly, the third leg of the Pepper’s Fine Catering trilogy that forms the basis of our everyday is the fabulous and attentive service staff. They are the directors of first impressions and we always get a mention in every thank you note on how pleasant and attentive these key members are to a catering event experience, led by our proactive event managers who execute their well thought out plans for service.

We are so fortunate to have such a terrific “service oriented” team in our midst and offer you this question, wouldn’t you prefer to relax and enjoy your party and guests like never before by engaging the team from Pepper’s at your special event?

Thank you to all of our loyal foodies, who have engaged & challenged us to do it once again, as good or better than the last time.

by Jody Boyajian

Senior Event Designer

It’s so exciting to see weddings take on personalities of their own with creative design elements. 

Here’s a fun idea from a recent Elm Bank wedding for those who want to think outside of the box for their wedding entertainment: outdoor games.

The father of the bride and the groom built a giant Jenga game and also created a customized dart board with a heart-shaped target. The wedding guests enjoyed being out in the gardens and getting their competitive juices flowing. This relaxed vibe added to the casual feel the couple wanted for their special day. 

Gone are the cookie-cutter weddings of days past. Long live creativity!

What fun games have you played at a wedding? Let us know in the comments below. For more creative wedding inspiration, check out our Pinterest boards or visit our Wedding Cake site.  

by Jody Boyajian

Senior Event Designer

Looking for some inspiration and ideas for your wedding? Personal touches are one of the ways to make a wedding extra memorable.

A recent couple did just that – hand lettering, painting and framing oh-so-beautiful signs for the various elements of their Elm Bank wedding: welcome and direction signage to the ceremony site, gift table board, bar, dinner and dessert menus.

This takes DIY wedding projects to a whole new level!

But the pièce de résistance was the life-size love letter to each other in the bar/lounge area. What a great way to celebrate their union and individuality.

“I Love You More Than…”

So sweet and heartfelt. Definitely a wedding design element their guests will remember.

Just fabulous!

By Heidi Bouchard ~ Head of Style and Design

Our menus at Pepper’s Fine Catering are always evolving. We recently debuted a new station, Deviled Eggs. This was the brainchild of Senior Event Planner Jody Boyajian. During frequent trips to D.C., her family often patronizes a local hotspot called The Founding Farmers where the first thing they order is a platter of deviled eggs.

She brought the Deviled Egg Station idea to the attention of the culinary team who added their twist with flavors like Buffalo and Sour Cream & Chives. She then sold the concept to two customers with corporate themed parties.

One of the more recent events was for an Audi Vehicle Debut Party, located at a Boston area car dealership. The client’s ideal design was for an upscale, sleek, modern and night-club aesthetic. Their chosen colors were shiny red, silver and gold.

To achieve the look we started with spraying eggs metallic red. The light bulb went on for added glitz.

Rolls of chicken wire behind one of our storage buildings would frame our vessels.

Old tarnished wire was sprayed with adhesive and coated in silver glitter.

10 dozen plastic eggs were sprayed gold.

Raffia/Hay was sprayed gold and added to the bottom of the vessel.

One vessel was layered with Hay and Eggs.

A glittered chicken wire column was filled with eggs and the slipped into a glass vessel and then addedto the Deviled Egg Stations for that finishing touch. 

By Heidi Bouchard ~ Head of Style and Design

Finding myself on a bit of a roll in the “rustic department” I’m going to go with it and develop our next collection. At Pepper’s Fine Catering we are lucky to have wetlands and woods all around us not to mention extensive gardens to draw inspiration from.  I also just moved to a farm house that sits on over 600 protected acres and I have been taking long walks in the woods every weekend for inspiration.   

The name of our second collection is Winter Woodland, not to be confused with Winter Wonderland.  And although I am not exactly sure how the elements will be used or come together, the collecting will be most of the work and fun.  I’m not envisioning using these natural elements in a contrived or overly embellished way, but more in groupings that you would experience in their natural setting.

The first step started in my front yard.  I collected and dried black walnuts from a tree that must be at least 100 years old. To get the casings off I gathered them on big trays to be dried in the sunlight.  About a week later they were laid out onto our cobble stone driveway where I ran over them with a golf cart, the popping sound was fun.  I put on gloves and peeled away the casings.  They were still covered with a pulpy flesh.  I soaked them in hot water, rinsed several times but they were far from clean.  I remembered how my Mom once said that my Dad used to wash dirty golf balls in her washing machine….it was worth a shot……they came out perfectly.  

Wish I could say the same thing for my washing machine, 1 wash and 2 rinse cycles later - its fine.

Next I collected literally, thousands of pine cones, in all shapes and sizes. But this project is not over yet,   still tons more to forage for, stay tuned…

Sparkling Venues, Private Holiday Parties

The air is crisp, leaves are blowing in the wind and time to think about holiday party plans. We are fortunate to have so many unique venues throughout the state, available for memorable & private holiday party planning.

Consider the built in décor & ambiance of venues as an added plus, making for a minimal investment to create that warm holiday feel. The Elm Bank in Wellesley as well as Tower Hill Holiday Party in Boylston both host horticultural festivals that include quite an array of decorated trees and wreaths, offering terrific eye-candy for your guests.

Speaking of eye candy. The Connors Center & Estate in Dover located in Dover pulls out all the stops when it comes to decorating for the holidays. This charming property offers warm ambience for chilly days and guest rooms to boot.   A Connors Center Holiday is a terrific holiday choice for a private & personal event.

The Russian Icon Museum in Clinton offers a world-class collection of priceless icons, displayed in a unique space that includes former jail cells. Perhaps a wreath set upon the doors of the two cells for a whimsical touch?

Tuckerman Hall in Worcester has been fully restored to its original 100 year old charm with copious gold accents and a full well positioned poinsettia would clearly set a tasteful holiday tone.

Décor ideas, you say ?

Peppers event designer, Heidi Bouchard recommends natural colors, classic décor, candles and birch wood accents. Let a monochromatic use of red or green simply pop among the natural background. She also loves to add hearty herbs such as rosemary & thyme and the juxtaposition of artichoke, petite decorative squash and fruit in her floral displays.

Cuisine plays such an important role in the memory of the great holiday gatherings. Go for abundant tastes & textures  and focus on small plates and hors d’oeuvres. Your guests have a blast with the choices and full control over how little or full they desire to be, but leave room for those petite squash tart Brule’s or classic chocolate or pumpkin buche noel’s prepared by our pastry Chef, linda Labarge. Recently we catered a wonderful wedding at the Worcester Airport and in lieu of a wedding cake, the bride chose simply, warm cider donuts.

Should you offer a theme cocktail ?  This goes without question. Have some fun. Eggnog & Rum, nah you can do better. Try this Pear and sweet spice cocktail offered from the NY Times: NY Times holiday cocktail recipe

Most of all, plan to have a relaxing time with your guests and put a little extra time into the pre-plan. You’ll be pleased with the outcome. Make Peppers part of your celebration planning, should you choose to relax and enjoy your guests.

~Happy & joyful holiday season to all of you from all of us~