A la Carte | Fresh Dish Spring 2008

It is a season of cold weather and warm hearts
For those of you ready to celebrate a wedding, this issue is just for you. At À la Carte we know weddings require careful planning. Well, we are here to help with that special day.

Simply getting a to-do list together can be a daunting task. For this heartfelt occasion, we've outlined the top 27.

Attendants
Budgets
Catering and the Cake
Date
Dresses: yours, the attendants and the Moms
Engagement Party
Flowers: bouquet, ceremony, reception, groomsmen
Gifts for the wedding party
Guest list
Hair and make-up
Honeymoon
Invitations: Save the date, Programs, Thank you notes
Jewelry
Kids: flower girl & ring bearer
Limo and transportation
Music: Live, DJs, MCs
Old, New, Borrowed, Blue
Out of town guests
Photography, Videography
Registering
Rehearsal Dinner
Showers
Table settings
Tuxedos
Venue
Vows
Wedding rings

Planet-friendly menus are available at À la Carte.

Sustainable foods make us all feel better from the farmers to your guests. Ask for local wines, locally harvested produce and organic free-range meats. Wild Salmon, named for the waters in which they live is another healthy choice. Even your cake can go "green" with organic ingredients. Just ask and we'll guide you through your choices.

Try our Wild Salmon Salad - Many Berry Pie - Wild Artic Char or Strawberry Shortcakes recipes.

Savor the moments - remembering why you are planning a wedding in the first place. After all with À la Carte at your side, you can take time to stop and smell the roses you are ordering.

The ultimate in romance. Tell each other and the kids that you'd do it all over again.Vow renewals can be wow renewals or an intimate affair. Just like planning any ritual, once you settle on the reason, anniversary, made it through a rough patch, want to do the wedding with fewer or more people this time and so on, you are on your way.

Raindrops on roses, whiskers on boyfriends, carmel lattes and much higher dividends. Favorites things are completely personal and change over time. Life goes better with stuff you like and like to do! Make sure you incorporate your own unique touches for stand-out memories. Here's a sampling of unique ways some brides have personalized their special day.

Marcia (Desperate Housewives) Cross and Tom Mahone: Married couples vied for the bouquet. The longest wed took home a bouquet of peonies and lilacs.

Lisa Ling & Paul Song: Their invites cajoled guests into dressing Asian chic. The bride wore red.

Roma Downey and "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett: Under California skies, they looked up to watch a plane fly by with a banner that read "And they lived happily ever after."

Even if you just want the family dog to feel pampered too, we can make that happen.