A Bastille Day Party

A Bastille Day Party

Jetting to Paris for the honeymoon?
Get in the mood early, enjoy French bliss at the wedding shower.
Pop real champagne, forget calories and think melt in the mouth pastries and the creamiest brie.



Get the Look
Going French at a bridal shower is the next best thing to getting on the Air France jet.
Luckily talented French style pastry chefs have opened pâtiss'eries far and wide so it’s one stop shopping for the most delightful nibbles.



Made in France
Search for inexpensive gifts that were Made in France, they are easy to find in cookware specialists, cosmetics stores and wine shops.



Faire un tabac
(be successful, go over well, be a hit)
Although those girls in Ab Fab knew a thing or two about delicious Bollinger, you don’t have to turn into Patsy to get into the mood; just a flute of pricey real French bubbles is worth every penny.
For the Parisian mood, invest in French music, the superstars like Edith Piaf, Charles Aznevour and Vanessa Paradis will set the scene. Run a Jacques Tati classic film on your plasma with the sound turned down as wallpaper.



Enjoy the Day - Eat Lean Tomorrow
Fromage is French for cheese and the French have cheese all sorted. A collection of delightful creaminess will be a treat to turn into a memory.



We have reduced the price of our archived 2007 magazines. You can download 2007 Issue 1 to Issue 4 (instant access) for $1.95 each or purchase the printed magazines Issue 1 and 4 only (2 and 3 are sold out) for $4.95 each plus postage (Australia Only). Click here for more information.


HOW TO BUILD A FRENCH CHEESEBOARD

•Go to a specialised cheese shop or deli, always buy from a round, not pre cut.

•Allow about 60g of cheese per guest.

•Offer contrasting tastes and textures, soft cheese, hard cheese and blue vein.

•Take the cheese out of the fridge a couple of hours before serving so that it’s at room temperature.

•Put a knife out for each cheese so the flavours don’t mix.

•Add nuts or fruit (fresh or dried) to complement the cheeses.

•Serve with a variety of breads and crackers.

A Tea Party To Remember

A Tea Party To Remember

Buckingham Palace doesn’t hold the rights to garden receptions. Pretty backyards or leafy parklands are terrific open air venues for a wedding, engagement party or even a bridal shower.

Nature gives a wonderfully fresh background, to make the most of the greenery, we chose a crisp look with stacks of pure white, then added colour accents with the most adorable fabrics, ribbons and flowers.

The trick to success is layering the detail.

Guests are offered delicious breads and pastries, served with champagne and help themselves to bottomless cups of tea from a selection of brews available at a tea buffet.



The dainty, traditional English tea party setting is given a modern look with upbeat patterns in the decoration. Even the customised tea bag tags are beautifully colour co-ordinated.

We have reduced the price of our archived 2007 magazines. You can download 2007 Issue 1 to Issue 4 (instant access) for $1.95 each or purchase the printed magazines Issue 1 and 4 only (2 and 3 are sold out) for $4.95 each plus postage (Australia Only). Click here for more information.

PRETTY PINK MACAROOROONS
Makes approximately 20

Ingredients

140gM finely ground almonds
240gM icing sugar, sifted
4 drops of red food colouring
2 large egg whites
1 tbsp powdered pavlova mix

Filling

200gM unsalted butter
70gM icing sugar sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp red red food colouring

Preheat oven to 100˚C. Line two large baking sheets with non stick baking paper and mark circles using a 4cm cutter.

Mix the ground almonds, icing sugar and red food colouring together in a bowl.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites with the powdered pavlova mix until firm peaks form, then fold in the almond mixture using a large metal spoon.

Firmly tap bottom of bowl on counter to eliminate air pockets.

Transfer the mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle and pipe neat little mounds into the marked circles on the prepared baking sheets. Press the tops down lightly with a wet spoon if they peak too much.

To stop macaroons from cracking, leave to stand for a good 30 minutes then bake them on the middle shelf for about 35 minutes, until they feel slightly firm.

Leave them on the baking sheets for five minutes, then slide them off onto a wire tray to cool completely.

They should be crisp on the outside and a bit chewy on the inside. For the filling, beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy.

Stir in red food colouring. Sandwich the macaroons together in pairs with small dabs of this filling just before serving.

Unfilled macaroons can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days and the filling can be made the day before.

Courtney & Justin - Engagement Party

Last Saturday the Style Guide team headed to the gorgeous Rymil Park Island in Adelaide for Courtney & Justin's engagement party. Court, a very good friend of Style Guide, put on a fabulous show and we all had such a wonderful afternoon - amazing food, delicious drinks, a truly beautiful venue and lovely weather. Court's got a keen eye for styling and she did a wonderful job with the dessert and lolly buffet. I look back now and wish I'd paid more attention to those gorgeous cakes! Thank you to Court & Justin for a wonderful afternoon and of course, Happy Engagement!


The gorgeous couple Justin & Courtney


A truly scrumptious dessert & lolly buffet






Our Editor Annabelle with her husband Naish


Myself and my sister Edwina




Courtney's brother Angus enjoying the blue fairy floss


Emma enjoying her San Pellegrino

Thank you to our talented Creative Director, Jane, for taking such lovely photographs!

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Hen Pen

If you're looking for a great way to spend a hen's day, babay shower, engagement, birthday party or any other celebration and you live in Brisbane, on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast or in Toowoomba and surrounding areas then Enchanted Empire's High Tea could be just what you're looking for. Designed for the lady who wishes to celebrate surrounded by female family and friends, in a relaxed & fun environment, high tea's are perfect option for those hens who wish to include their older relatives in their celebrations. A team of professional Enchanted Empire consultants will design a perfect high tea, in a theme that suits, ensuring that you and your guests sit back and enjoy the decadence and age old tradition that is high tea.
Packages include
• 25 personalised themed invites
• Themed decorations
• Novelty handmade veil for the bride
• Lolly & cake buffet for 25 guests
• A selection of teas & juice
• Set up & take down at location

Prices range from $360 for 10 - 15 guests and $400 for 16 - 25 guests. If you'd like more info on these fabulous high tea's visit www.enchantedempire.com.au.







Posted by Emilie Harrison

Celebrate - Australia Day

With the Australia Day public holiday just around the corner (26th January if you don't know) it's never been a better time to get into a celebratory mood. In our summer issue, on sale now, we have done all the hard work for you, creating the best Australia Day celebration you could hope for. We've even created some FREE downloads, available on our website, such as a Welcome sign and Let's Celebrate labels. Make sure you get your hands on a copy of our summer issue, at all good newsagents and Borders stores nationally, for all our great party ideas. Happy Australia Day!















Posted by Emilie Harrison

Tea Party

Every now and then I am lucky enough to receive a lovely little something that brightens my day. I've been so busy overseeing the printing of our Spring Issue and working on photo shoots for our Summer Issue, it was lovely to come back to my desk and find a pretty pink package waiting for me. Inside was a beautiful teacup and saucer, a selection of boutique teas and a lovely note from Jessica at Cristina Re introducing the High Tea Collection.



Of course I already know all about this great new range as we are featuring Cristina in our upcoming gift registry story. Keep your eyes peeled, our Spring Issue hits the shelves very soon so you too can read all about Cristina and her positively-pretty products. I'll post a preview of the cover next week – I guarantee it will get you in a sunshine state of mind!

Posted by Jane Cameron

Lavish Lollybars

What is it about lollybars that turn all polished, well mannered adults into big kids? Maybe it's the vast selection on lollies on offer, or the fact you just don't know what to choose that have made lollybars one of the hottest additions to a wedding celebration. Long after the wedding guests will always remember a lollybar and the the little bag of sweets they got to take home. A Lavish Affair have become renowned for their lollybars. Specialising in bespoke weddings A Lavish Affair are the go-to lollybar gurus. Having styled the below lollybars you can see why! Visit www.alavishaffair.com.au to find out more about this simply delicious idea.

Posted by Emilie Harrison

It's That Time!

Well it's that time again. The annual extravaganza of beautiful people and gorgeous gowns that is the Metropolotain Museum's Costume Institute Benefit has wowed the fashion crowds. Celebrating the opening of American Woman: Fashioning a National Idenitity, the uber glamorous guests enjoyed a performance by arguably the world's most fashion forward performer, Lady GaGa. Wicker chairs greeted guests at their tables whilst a hot air balloon decorated the the ceiling, paying homage to the one from the 1983 Chicago World Fair. Who can forget the fashions? The gowns were simply too pretty for words. Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Lopez opted for tulle creations. SO gorgeous! There was pleantly of colour to drool over too. Mustard's, pink's and navy's were popular choices. Sarah Jessica Parker did Carrie Bradshaw proud choosing a pleated number from the label she's now heavily involved with, Halston. Emma Watson looked divine and chose to stick to her roots, opting for a custom-made Burberry delight. Maggie Grace and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard opted for striking silver/grey gowns. Figure hugging, sexy yet oozing class and glamour they did Christian Dior and Vera Wang proud. Click here to view the celebrities and gorgeous gowns.


Anne Hathaway in Valentino & Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad Haute Couture


Emma Watson in custom-made Burberry & Taylor Swift in Ralph Lauren


Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior Couture & Maggie Grace in Vera Wang


Jessica Alba in Sophie Theallet for Gap & Sarah Jessica Parker in Halston


Melissa George in J. Mendel & Rachel Zoe in Marc Jacobs


Rachel Weisk in Oscar de la Renta & Thandie Newton in Vivienne Westwood


Abbie Cornish in Louis Vuitton & Mariska Hargitay in Vera Wang


Renee Zellweger in Carolina Herrera & Zoe Saladana in Calvin Klein


Maggie Gyllenhaal in Louis Vuitton & Eva Mendes in Dolce & Gabbana
Photos courtesy of omg.yahoo.com

Posted by Emilie Harrison