Add Local Touches to the Party

By SENTINEL STAFF

A book published last year, “The New Hampshire Wedding & Event Resource Guide” written by Joanne Palmisanothe, includes many ways to make a wedding party special by including local products and services. The book showcases different locations for the wedding and the reception, along with services, such as photographers and musicians.

The book includes a list of special touches and we added a few of our own ideas.

Food favors

Homemade maple syrup, chocolates, beers, wine and baked goods make lovely favors for guests. They can be part of wedding baskets for visiting guests (leave them at the hotel or inn) or given out at the wedding as gifts.

Try to include locally made products in the reception meal, such as a maple-mustard vinaigrette for the salad made with locally produced maple syrup or mustard — or both.

Local farms can provide vegetables, cheeses, herbs and eggs for do-it-yourself wedding dinners, but plan ahead.

Ask your caterer to use locally-grown corn for a corn chowder first course. For a fall wedding, suggest a risotto dish made with locally harvested pumpkin, sage from a farm stand and smoked bacon.

Local candy stores have many options after dinner sweets to go with the cake, such as chocolate truffles or mints.

Bakeries can provide alternatives to the wedding cake for dessert like brownies or cookies, which kids may favor.

Favorite favors

Soaps, lotions and candles are produced in abundance locally and make great gifts — for wedding party members, favors, gifts or as thank yous.

Candy, boxed or wrapped in tulle, is always a favorite; several local shops sell them.

Get friends together for a cookie-making party, perhaps using family favorite recipes. Wrap the cookies in decorative bags with a ribbon or raffia.

Gather at a paint-your-own pottery shop with friends and make favor for guests: choices include refrigerator magnets and small bowls. Some places may give discounts on large quantities.

For the happy couple

There are any number of gifts that say New Hampshire — the list is endless. Be creative and start planning as soon as the invitation arrives. Some out of the ordinary ideas:

• Buy a selection of locally-made holiday ornaments. Even if the couple has a home of their own already, they might not have many ornaments.

• Gift certificates for local restaurants, theaters or massage clinics, while not the most intimate gifts, are often greatly appreciated.

• For a couple marrying for the second time, gifts can be tough. Making a donation to the local animal shelter, soup kitchen or other social service agency in their name may be a better gift than another set of wine glasses that they might not need or want. Ask family members or friends for advice.

(The Monadnock Humane Society will send a card announcing the donation; the Keene Community Kitchen has gift cards available in $5 denominations that show how many meals your gift provided to the needy.)

Entertaining guests

Whatever the season, entertain guests with a New Hampshire outing such as apple picking, pumpkin carving, a trip to a sugar house, ski lessons or hayrides.

If guests are staying for a period of time before or after the wedding, local maps that point out tourist highlights make a nice touch; include phone numbers and directions to places they may want to go.

If a small group arrives and someone has the time, take them on a sight-seeing trip around the region. Be sure to stop for a local goodie — cider or hot chocolate perhaps.

“The New Hampshire Wedding & Event Resource Guide” is available at local bookstores or online at www.theweddingbook.net