f iring up your wedding celebration with an unconventional cocktail hour is a great way to establish theme and mood for the remainder of your reception. It’s also a great opportunity to showcase your personality, chat with guests and, of course, sip, slurp and swing back yummy drinks. But whether you serve flirty cocktails or fine wines, inviting friends and family to an open bar invites the potential for disaster. The easiest way to deter intoxication is by serving up an array of delicious foods, and whether you choose to hire waiters to weave about with trays of finger food or to go the way of the buffet, it’s up to

o n October 24th, The Clever Bride kicked off its debut bridal show, “La Vie En Pink,” at Montreal’s exquisite Plaza Volare. Thanks to the fantabulous efforts of featured trend-setting vendors and Clever Bride team, the event was a huge success - sights are already set on making “La Vie En Pink 2011,” bigger, better, and oh-so more pink! Now break out the bubbly and sample some of the positively tantalizing eye-candy, courtesy of Studio 55 Photography.

t o get all of those loaves broke on time and that wine a-free-flowin’, the bride’s going to need some special assistance - think Mother’s little helper – the all-capable, feat-perfecting, professional catering team. The key to selecting the most appropriate cuisinée outfit is to pare down the options by comparing references. If you’re an urbanite bride-to-be, reputation’s going to count for a lot. So make your quest for a caterer similar to that of a suit’n’tie entrevue – give that resume the good once over, and don’t be afraid to ask the most red-headedly brazen questions of the bunch.

y ou can shoot for decadence and scale a spiffy patisserie down to size, stick it in the corner and rock the richest petit fours you can get those eager little paws on – everything from individual pumpkin crème-brulees to bite-size, flourless chocolate cakes. Or, you can go easy on your queasy belly. Indulgence dipped in a cream cheese ganache is a beautiful thing, but if an infinite-course meal has got you re-thinking the infinite-layered cake, if the affair’s more summer breeze than winter hibernation, or if health food’s your whole deal, that heavy-laden candy-course is probably looking less than

a helping of pancakes is indeed the best kind of pat on the back for pulling off a grand wedding to-do. To help ease yourself down from Cloud Nine, consider hosting a ‘morning after brunch.’ Surrounded by family and friends, feast on gooey layers of three-cheese frittata as you hark back on the decadence of the past day. The brunch doesn’t have to be a mountainously lavish affair, but rather an intimate nosh fest where everyone can choose to either wind down or wake up. Despite its Easy-Bake simplicity and quilt-cosy feel, there are a few things to consider when it comes to prep time.