Receptions

~ Friday Rehearsal Dinner Venue ~
Westin Colonnade Merrick Ballroom

On Friday night after our Church rehearsal, we'll be having a rehearsal dinner in the Merrick Ballroom, catered by an Indian restaurant.  Decor will have a lot of warm, rich tones incorporating lanterns and petals over crisp white linens.  The dinner will be pretty casual, atmosphere-wise.  And we're serving the groom's cake, Snickers Cheesecake (Dhru's favorite) There will be a south Indian tradition of feeding the bride and groom sweets.  It's a fun, silly tradition that involves the whole crowd.

Food ~ Friday Night Rehearsal Dinner

Because our wedding will consist of primarily Indian guests, we wanted to offer them Indian food at least once during the weekend.  Our Indian caterer suggested menus for our Rehearsal Dinner and Saturday and Sunday Brunches that would incorporate both the Western State of Gujurat where Dhru's family is from, and the Southern State of Kerala where my family is from. 
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~Post-Wedding Update~
The space looked great!  Crisp white linens, amber lantern centerpieces surrounded by rose petals, amber uplighting provided by Jennifer(planner).  Due to unforeseen circumstances, our rehearsal was delayed, and we got there well after other guests started dining.  We heard over and over again though how much everyone loved the food, and though we didn't get to eat much, it looked and smelled amazing.  More on this in review for Udipi Cafe.

Food ~Saturday Brunch

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Following the early morning Hindu ceremony, our guests will be treated to a brunch on the Westin Colonnade Pool Terrace.  We will have traditional brunch food offered by the Westin, as well as traditional Indian food from the region Dhru's family is from.


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~Post-Wedding Update~
The weather was lovely and everyone enjoyed the pool terrace.  I didn't get to hang out there, because we were getting ready for the Catholic Ceremony.  We were sent food, but was too nervous to eat too much.  I heard that the Indian food ran out very quickly, with no replenishing.  So that was really unfortunate, as a lot of the vegetarians wanted to eat that.  Based on what we received, the fruit didn't have much variety.  I didn't see any muffins or cheese danishes, but hopefully they were there!
  More on this in reviews for Udipi Cafe and Westin Colonnade.

~ Saturday Reception Venue ~
Westin Colonnade Rotunda

Photo Courtesy of Knottie YHFoxtrot

When I was much younger (maybe in middle school or high school), I created a folder filled with wedding ideas, magazine clippings, pictures, articles, and my own notes.  To say I loved all things weddings is an understatement.  Amidst all that stuff, I had my eye on only one venue, the Omni Colonnade.

Cut to several years later when I'm really far into planning my own wedding at the Westin Colonnade, that I stumble upon this dusty folder.  Imagine my surprise when I see that younger Tina's dream wedding venue is the older Tina's actual venue!  My mom almost cried when I told her the story and showed her the (really old) Omni Collonade picture I had torn out of a magazine when I was younger.

Post-Wedding Pics

The space was...breathtaking.  Loved the lighting, the staging, the space itself was magical.  Although the flowers didn't include everything they should have, I still loved them.  The linens sparkled, the cake looked (and tasted!) great.  All in all, it was an amazing reception.
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Photography by Alain Martinez

Food ~ Saturday Reception

The main event!  Our wedding reception food was very important to us.  We wanted to ensure that our many vegetarian guests would have a meal comparable to the non-vegetarian one.  Thanks to the wonderful Westin staff, our tasting was very thorough, and the Chef was so great about working with us on requests and adding Indian flavors to our vegetarian entree.  See below for some pics of our tasting.  We're going to have a full premium open bar in addition to all the food.  Our final menu is as follows:
Hors d'Ouevres
Malibu Shrimp
Mini Crab Cakes
Samosas
Vegetable Spring Rolls
Crisp Sesame Chicken with Thai Peanut Sauce
Chicken Quesadillas
Crisp Phyllo with goat cheese and red bell peppers
Baked Brie with french bread and strawberries display
Cheese Display
Passed signature drinks: Something Blue and Raspberry Mojito
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Dinner
Florida Hearts of Palm Salad with Raspberry/Citrus Vinaigrette

Intermezzo: A Trio Sorbet, Mango, Raspberry, and Passionfruit

Macadamia Nut Encrusted Chicken on a bed of jeweled rice with roasted curry vegetables and potato souffle wedge.
OR
Vegetable Curry Wellington on a bed of jeweled rice with roasted curry vegetables and potato souffle wedge.
Served with a variety of Rolls and Indian Breads
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~Post-Wedding Update~
With the food...the majority of people seemed to like it, but it's hard to please everyone's tastes.  A few of the older people had trouble eating the vegetarian wellington, and one complaint we received was that the chicken dish was a little dry...but then on the flip side some people loved it, with one of our friends charming the staff and getting to eat both entrees(Guess she was hungry!).  I barely ate a bite because we were going around and chatting with all the tables, etc., but I did try some of the vegetarian wellington later on and it was delicious!

Food ~ Sunday Brunch

We're holding a brunch on Sunday at our family home.  It's a good time to unwind after the crazy wedding weekend, and just hang out with close friends and family.  We're having the brunch catered by an Indian restaurant, and it will include popular South Indian dishes to reflect my family's origins.
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