The Main Event by Memory Makers Event Planning, LLC

Planning a wedding in the mountains of Idaho is currently a "hot" media topic. Treasure Magazine , a publication of the Idaho Statesman, published a lengthy article on mountain weddings in their Spring/Summer issue. Two couples were profiled, both of whom were married in the Stanley area. I helped plan and coordinated one of the weddings and consulted with the bride on the other one. Several of photographer Chris Butler's photos illustrated the article. Another magazine, Idaho Resort Weddings , will be published in the fall and handed out at area wedding shows. The magazine will feature articles on planning weddings at several of Idaho's resorts. I wrote an article on planning a wilderness wedding. If you are thinking about planning a wedding in the mountains, you may want to look for both publications. Planning a mountain wedding takes a huge amount of pre-planning and coordination to make it happen successfully, but the results can be awesome.

This is the height of event season. Nearly every week-end is busy except for a couple this month. Since it was supposed to be 104 degrees on Saturday (it was actually 107), I will be more than happy to spend the day with company and not out in the heat. Calls are coming in for next year and it is looking like another great year. If you are planning a family reunion, wedding, or company event, don't wait to book a location or start your planning.

Are you getting cabin fever, wondering when winter will end? If so, you can add some fun to your calendar by planning a progressive dinner for a group of family or friends. Perhaps you belong to a club or a church group that would enjoy this special social gathering. A progressive dinner is one in which the various courses of the meal are served at different homes or locations, such as a church or club. You will need at least three homes in which to briefly meet. You can use additional homes if you would like. Assuming that you use three locations, the first stop will be for appetizers/soup/salad. The entree will be served at the second home, followed by dessert and perhaps a short program or social activity at the last home or location. Divide the attendees into groups and ask each to bring an item to contribute to one portion of the meal. You may need to assign more people to the entree portion than to other courses. Guests will arrive at the first home where they will...

This whopping 5-pounds of fudge molded in a bundt cake pan was first served at a fund-raising event in Baton Rouge, LA in 1990. It is guaranteed to be the talk of the party. Here's the recipe: 4 1/2 cups sugar 12-ounce can evaporated milk 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted (do not use margarine) pinch of salt 3 six-ounce packages of semi-sweet chocolate chips (18 ounces total) 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme 1 tablespoon vanilla 4 cups pecans, chopped Mix sugar, milk, butter and salt in a large heavy pan. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 8 minutes on low, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, and vanilla. Stir until everything is melted and is well blended. Stir in the pecans. Quickly pour mixture into a bundt pan that has been well sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. (This works best when a thin, flexible pan is used.) To serve, place the pan in a few inches of hot water in th...

The Wedding Party Show, Boise's oldest and largest wedding show has come and gone and what a show it was. Nearly 900 brides streamed through in two days and they were in a buying mood. Usually, calls trickle in over a period of weeks and months. Not this time. I booked 4 weddings the day after the show ended and have booked two more since. And the show ended only three days ago! If the response is any indication, this will be a great year for events.