Engagement parties offer a chance for everyone to share in the couple's excitement and happiness.  Parties can be formal or informal.  Winn-Dixie's bakery and deli can help - whether you're planning a party featuring appetizers and cocktails, a buffet, or a small, cozy dinner.  Be sure to have lots of champagne on hand for the inevitable toasts.

Bridal showers aren't just for brides anymore.  Men are often included, especially when gift-giving centers around garden, barbecue and stock-the-bar themes.  You might follow a specific theme, such as pantry, kitchen, bath or household goods.  Or use our suggested bridal shower theme.

Surprise showers are always fun, and everyone enjoys bringing a covered dish.  No matter what type of shower you have, beautiful fresh flowers and colorful balloons will lend a festive air to the occasion.  Winn-Dixie also has a lot of practical gift ideas, as well as great selections of greeting cards and gift wrap.

If you're hosting a wedding reception at your home, let the Winn-Dixie bakery create a spectacular wedding cake.  To create your own cake, see our delicious wedding cake recipe and check out our handy cake baking tips.  For a homemade groom's cake, bake a chocolate cake and add frosted grapes on the top.  If you plan to make most of the food yourself, try one of our delicious recipes.

Our great tips take the guesswork out of who stands next to whom in a wedding receiving line. We also have a few great ideas for an extra special reception.  

Don't forget to take plenty of memorable photos, too!

Champagne

Be sure the bottle has rested a couple of hours before opening. It should be chilled in the refrigerator or in a bucket of ice for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove outer foil wrappings from the top of the bottle. Loosen the wires around the neck. Leave the wire loose, but still over the cap. Grip the cork, using a folded kitchen towel to help you, and, holding the bottle at a 45-degree angle, slowly twist the bottle - not the cork. Continue to hold the cork with the towel to restrain it as you twist. You'll feel the cork partially ease up out of the bottle before it pops. Fill glasses slowly and part way until the foam subsides, then fill some more.

Toasts

When making a toast, it is customary to raise one's glass in tribute to the honored guest or guests.  A toast needn't be lengthy or complicated.  The following are a few suggestions for toasts:

• Health and happiness
• Marriage and family
• Beauty and love
• A happy heart
• Contentment
• Wisdom
• Courage
• Success

Bridal Shower Themes

Round-The-Clock Bridal Shower
The bride-to-be receives gifts that correspond with the hour of the day.  It's fun, and the lucky recipient ends up with a lovely variety of items.

Send out Round-The-Clock-Shower invitations.  These could be handmade with a clock face if you want.  Be sure to include all the pertinent information such as time, date, place, who the party is for, who is giving the party and RSVP.  Along with a brief explanation of the Round-The-Clock Bridal Shower, be sure to indicate what time of day each person's gift will reflect.  The hands of the clock could indicate this.  For example, an invitation that specifies a gift for 8:00 in the morning indicates a gift that would typically be used at that time of day - a coffee maker, waffle iron, lingerie, linens, etc.  Make sure the actual party time doesn't get confused with the gift time.

Round-The-House Bridal Shower
This is similar to the Round-The-Clock Bridal Shower with this exception: you assign each guest a room.  Guests bring gifts for the rooms they were assigned.  For example, if the invitation specifies kitchen, a small kitchen appliance, tea kettle, dish linens or any kitchen utensil would be appropriate.

Receiving Line at Wedding Receptions

This is the order of the receiving line:

1. Mother and father of bride
2. Mother and father of groom
3. Bride and groom
4. Maid of honor
5. Bridesmaids

Great Wedding Reception Ideas

• Instead of rice, provide small plastic bottles of bubbles.  Have guests blow bubbles when the bride and groom enter the reception to have photographs made.  This provides a beautiful, bubbly background in some of the reception photographs.
• Instead of rice, provide small silk flowers or flowers out of netting filled with birdseed.
• Have guests throw dried flower petals.
• If you're having a small sit-down dinner affair, place a small bell beside each guest's napkin.  Whenever the guest rings the bell, the wedding couple must kiss.