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Northern Colorado’s weather is cooling off, and that has us in the mood for fall-inspired cocktails ideal for a wintry wedding or a fun Friendsgiving. We wrote a blog for our friends at On the Rocks and wanted to share it here as well! Try the recipes below from two of our favorite regional partners – master alcohol deliverers Wilbur’s Total Beverage and vodka connoisseurs Spring44 Distilling.  Mulled Wine from Wilbur’s Total Beverage Fun fact: This cold-weather classic drink dates back to the Roman Empire.
1. Combine ingredients. Add wine, orange slices, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, honey, and any add-ins to a large saucepan or slow cooker. Stir to combine. 2. Stovetop: Cook the mulled wine on medium-high heat until it just barely reaches a simmer (do not boil – you do not want to cook off the alcohol). Reduce heat to low, cover, and let the wine simmer for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 hours. Slow cooker: Heat on low for about an hour until hot, and then reduce heat to warm until ready to serve. 3. Using a fine mesh strainer, remove and discard the used orange slices and spices. Give the mulled wine a taste, and stir in extra sweetener if needed. 4. Serve warm in heatproof mugs, garnish with orange rounds, cinnamon sticks, and star anise.  Spring 44’s Spiced Pear Martini A rich cocktail for a formal fall get-together, with pear, almond, and cardamom. To make, combine:
 Grand Old Fashioned by Wilbur’s Total Beverage This version of the traditional, elegant drink incorporates subtle flavors like orange oil to balance bitter and sweet flavors.
Combine aromatic bitters, Grand Marnier, and whiskey in an old fashioned glass. Add large ice cube and stir until cold and well incorporated. Garnish with orange twist, expressing oils over glass rim.  Boozy Chai from Spring44 Distilling The warm spices of chai evoke the coziness of fall: cardamom, clove, ginger, and black pepper. Booze it up with some Spring44 Vodka, add a splash of cream and you've created a sipping dessert. To make, combine:
 Apple Bees Knees Cocktail A seasonal twist on a classic gin cocktail. For the honey syrup:
For the cocktail:
1. To make syrup, place water, honey, and rosemary in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature before using. Remaining syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. 2. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add in, lemon juice, apple juice, and honey syrup. Shake to combine and strain into a glass. Garnish with rosemary and apple slices. Shop local and celebrate the season at your next event or date night in with these warm, nostalgic signature cocktails. For more cocktail recipes, check out our list of eight local-inspired signature cocktails for all seasons. Let us help you brainstorm signature cocktails for your next event when you partner with MY BIG DAY or book with On the Rocks.  Christmas in July? It may seem early, but now is the time to book your 2021 corporate or private holiday party with MBD Marketing & Events. As the world has opened up, demand for venues, hotel rooms, plane tickets, and event rentals have skyrocketed. We’re seeing venues booking events for 2022’s holiday season, so the time to reserve your ideal venue is NOW. 
Booking a venue is one of the first steps to planning any event, including holiday parties. Here is an example of a corporate holiday party planning timeline: 12 Weeks Out
8 Weeks Out
6 Weeks Out
4 Weeks Out
3 Weeks
1 Week
3 Days
1-2 Days
 When you book with MBD Marketing & Events, we do all the heavy lifting. Our holidays are already filling up with contracts, so book ASAP with our team of creative, experienced event planners for an unforgettable company holiday party.  Contact MBD Marketing & Events Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken Christmas isn’t just for gathering with friends and family to celebrate the season - it’s also a beautiful time to plan a winter wedding! A December/Christmas inspired wedding is the perfect opportunity to not only celebrate your love, but to also throw the best holiday party ever! We’ve curated a list of some holiday inspired wedding tips and ideas that will surely get you and your guests into the seasonal spirit, and elevate your event beyond the typical holiday celebration!
When you create your invitation suite, make sure you include the following: Invitation for event, directions, response cards & envelopes, inner envelope, mailing envelope, and plenty of postage. You might also consider adding a special reception card, local highlights information, and suggestions for accommodations for out of town guests.  Ceremony & Reception Decor Greenery and red poinsettias are natural choices for Christmas wedding decor (hello, every Hallmark Christmas movie!). You can certainly get creative with how you use these elements. Use greenery garlands to outline reception areas, set up vignettes around white-lighted Christmas trees, include layers of red and white poinsettias as a backdrop for your ceremony. The possibilities are endless. You don’t have to settle for a red and green color palette, either. How about deep navy and silver? White twinkle lights and gold? All of these options are holiday inspired! Bouquets & Boutonnieres There are so many extra touches that you can add to a holiday bridal bouquet and boutonniere! Pinecones are a fun and wintry addition to any Christmas-inspired bouquet. Berries and pine sprigs are also easy festive elements to incorporate. Did you know, according to ancient folklore, the Druids regarded holly as a sacred plant and believed it had magical powers of protection? Definitely consider adding some holly to your floral arrangements for good luck!  Jingle Bells! With a holiday wedding you can capitalize on both Jingle Bells and Wedding Bells! Hand out small bells for guests to ring after the ceremony instead of birdseed or bubbles. Guests can also ring their bells when they want a kiss from the bride and groom during the reception, instead of using their silverware on china to call for this tradition. Serve festive cocktails. You can expand the typical bar with holiday flavors including eggnog, peppermint, and cranberry. Holiday drinks often look fancy with extra flourishes and flair - perfect for a fancy wedding reception! Incorporate holiday inspired guest favors. Guests will be excited to receive a memento that they will actually want to keep! Engraved holiday ornaments with your wedding date, or their names carved or written on a themed ornament will remind your guests of your special day for years to come! You can also send your guests home with tasty treats too! Holiday cookies, gold wrapped chocolates, or even packaged homemade eggnog will surely be hits!  Hot Cocoa and Cookies - Santa’s favorite! Why not consider offering a hot cocoa bar in addition to the spirits you serve? Perhaps include a wide offering of Christmas and Holiday cookies for dessert instead of the traditional wedding cake or cupcakes? You’re guests will enjoy making their own hot cocoa concoctions and dunking their favorite holiday cookies in them for fun! Think Texture. There are so many different textures that you can incorporate into your clothing, decor, and venue to inspire holiday magic. Velvet dresses and accessories for brides and bridesmaids, plaids and cording for grooms and groomsmen, gold and silver accents, wood and greenery, snow and ice…...all special holiday touches. Create a cozy atmosphere. Cozy fires, twinkle lights, candles, and scents of the season, will be an inviting touch for your guests. Create intimacy by utilizing non traditional seating arrangements for dinner - family style serving, seating in groups, long tables, couches and overstuffed chairs by fireplaces.  Contact MBD Marketing & Events Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken We have been rocking around the Christmas tree all month to these tunes! If you want to update your playlist with some of our favorites - be our guest! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1A5F8vdeA2BbM4lYKnEFcQ
And of course, everyone’s Christmas Favorite --- “All I Want for Christmas Is You” - Mariah Carey  Contact MBD Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken We are all about shopping local - every holiday season, but especially this year. We love highlighting our favorite local gems in our social media posts and on our website - small business love is a real thing! We are excited to promote some of our favorite local establishments that have gone above and beyond when it comes to festive decor and holiday spirit!
 Contact MBD Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken Christmas is too sparkly…….said no one ever! Our team has scoured the corners of Northern Colorado to find all the best and brightest holiday light displays! Grab a thermos of hot cocoa (or something stronger), some blankets, your favorite Christmas playlist (come back tomorrow for our favorite holiday songs!), and your sweetie, and go out for a festive drive! Here are our favorite spots: 1. Winter Wonderlights - Loveland Winter Wonderlights™ is part of the Loveland Light Trail. Be sure to visit the Loveland Light Trail page for your self-guided tour, including info for the popular Gnome Scavenger Hunt taking place through Dec. 31!  2. Greeley Grizwolds - Greeley 354 50th Avenue, Greeley - This awesome home light display even syncs to music! 3. NoCo Winter Wonderland Drive-Thru - Colorado Youth Outdoors- This family friendly display is sponsored and hosted by Colorado Youth Outdoors. This one mile drive-thru of holiday lights includes twinkling lights, jingle bells, Christmas music, animated outdoor themed features and a fly fishing Santa. 4. Old Town Fort Collins - Always a favorite, you can make an entire evening out of these holiday lights! Plan to pick up some dinner from one of the Old Town restaurants, or finish up some of your holiday shopping under all of the twinkling lights!  5. Eagle Ranch Estates - Loveland This subdivision will surely get you in the holiday spirit with all of their festive displays! 6. The Garden of Lights at The Gardens at Spring Creek - Fort Collins A favorite Fort Collins tradition, you can stroll through vignettes and displays - all twinkling with color and magic! Make sure you plan ahead, however - you will need tickets to attend. $10 per person over 12 years old. Money well spent if you ask us!  7. Realities For Children Big Blue NightLights Tree - Fort Collins This iconic symbol in downtown Fort Collins is a holiday favorite! Representing a beacon of light within the darkness of abuse, this 50 foot tree is a reminder to at-risk children everywhere that they are not alone. This year, the tree has a wonderful show designed by Blazen Illuminations, and set to music that you can listen to from your car - 97.1FM, all provided by local musicians. This show runs every half an hour, 5-10PM through the end of December. www.giveanightlight.com for more information.  Contact MBD Marketing & Events Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken  We know there are many families who will not be gathering together over the holidays this year. Even though families won't physically be together, there are still ways to honor special traditions and celebrate with one another, virtually! Here are some ideas to spruce up your family’s online celebrations this year:
If crazy dress up is not your style, use this gathering as an excuse to ditch the covid sweatpants and fix yourself up a bit! 
Create a Christmas BINGO game, Christmas Pictionary, or a Christmas Scavenger Hunt. The possibilities are endless!
  Wow! 2020 - what a year?! There aren’t quite enough words to describe all of the feelings, emotions, and happenings of this past year. We have a few new words and meanings to add to our vocabularies and vernacular - pandemic (not really new, but used more this past year than probably ever before), virtual, socially distanced, hybrid, and Zoom. As event planners, New Year’s Eve is typically the perfect excuse to throw an awesome party! This year we won’t be throwing any huge gatherings or celebrations. 2020 was quite a ride of ups and downs. But - we’ve survived and made it, and that is something worth celebrating! We’ve come up with an extensive list of ways to say good-bye to this dumpster-fire of a year, and welcome in 2021 - what we hope will be a year full of healing, health, and goodness!
However you choose to say goodbye to 2020 and welcome 2021, we at My Big Day Marketing & Events wish you all the best - health, happiness, and fortune in the New Year! Contact MBD Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken  Non-Party Holiday Celebration Ideas Not ready for a virtual party but still want to show your employees you appreciate them this season? Check out these ideas for celebrating with them this year – no party needed. 1. High-end holiday gifts. Many employers are finding that the budget for hosting an in-person holiday party can easily cover very nice gifts for each of their employees. Trend forecasters have seen a surge in employer purchases of items like Apple AirPods and bluetooth speakers. Check out Swag in a Box to send custom employee gift boxes with your company’s branding.  2. Virtual group classes. Another trend in COVID-safe holiday experiences for employees is virtual group classes in subjects like cooking and crafting. Classes give employees a chance to bond outside the office, and a cooking class usually costs less per head than catering for your typical holiday office party. 3. Gift exchange. Organize an employee gift exchange via snail mail. Choose a White Elephant theme, or have employees choose gifts they think others would really like. Make sure to set a budget, and use a gift exchange tracking form to stay organized.  4. Virtual beer or wine tasting. Sites like Wine.com send tasting flights to your doorstep. Employees can do the tasting on their own time and view complimentary tasting walk-throughs on the website, or you can set up a virtual meeting for your employees to taste together. Colorado’s own Denver Microbrew Tour offers a structured 90-minute team building beer tasting activity starting at $200. 5. Virtual escape room experience. Colorado’s Conundrum Escape Rooms offers virtual events starting at $75 with a focus on teambuilding. Employees will solve a series of mysteries to “escape” and beat the challenge. Schedule easily online https://www.conundrumescaperooms.com. 
Contact MBD Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken  Looking for some ideas on how to host Thanksgiving, but need assistance getting creative during a global pandemic? My Big Day has a helpful list for you! Keep it small - The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is with just your immediate family. Traveling is still considered risky - hotels, airports, planes, and gas stations are more crowded during the holidays. Hold your immediate loved ones close and sit down for an intimate dinner featuring everyone’s favorites. Swap recipes - Try something new and feel closer to your family at the same time by swapping recipes with grandma via email or text. The 2020 holiday season may leave your relatives – particularly the older and more vulnerable – feeling lonely. Involve them by reaching out for recipes or decorating tips and spending time on a phone or video call while you’re cooking. Go virtual - In addition to individual video and phone calls, many creative planners are already gearing up to host Thanksgiving dinner virtually on a simultaneous video call. Invite friends and family (you can even send a paper invitation, if you want to be fancy) to gather around the (virtual) table and eat together. After all, what would Thanksgiving be without Aunt Judy’s unsolicited advice and Grandma’s etiquette corrections?  Enjoy already-COVID-friendly traditions - There are plenty of Thanksgiving activities that are already COVID-friendly: watching parades and sports on TV, playing family board games, and going for a walk or run post-turkey. Others can be modified, i.e. moving your Black Friday shopping online this year. Give thanks - There are countless activities to be found online (check out My Big Day’s “Saying Thank You” Pinterest board [https://www.pinterest.com/MyBigDayEvents/saying-thank-you/] for some of our favorite ways to say thanks) to encourage kids and adults alike to express what they are grateful for. It is especially important this year to remember what we do have, when so much seems missing or different. You may surprise yourself and find that you appreciate Thanksgiving this year all the more for its simplicity and quality time at home.  Finally, if you must invite someone from outside your household: Host outdoors - Try moving your festivities outdoors (weather permitting). Not only is it a fun change of pace to spend the day outdoors in the fresh air, it reduces the risk of COVID spreading among your party. If you’re feeling adventurous, try a barbecue-style Thanksgiving dinner.  Clean before and after - This is another one that’s important if you’re hosting a guest from outside your home. You’ll want to be extra-diligent this year about cleaning your home and, especially, dinner table before and after your guest arrives. Make sure you take the same approach to bathrooms and doorknobs, known as high-touch areas. Ask guests to wash their hands before they come to your house, and use hand sanitizer when they arrive and periodically throughout the day. Consider a buffet - By far the safest way to host a meal this season is to have each guest serve themselves. Have clean utensils and a plate already set out for each guest, so they can bring them to the buffet rather than reaching into a shared utensil cup or stack of dishes. Consider using disposable utensils, plates, and napkins, or for an eco-friendly approach, ask guests to bring their own place setting from home that they’ll take with them when they leave. Also encourage guests to clean up after themselves by having a foot-touch or already open trash can ready for any unfinished tidbits of food. Mask up - It may feel extreme, but you can reduce the risk of COVID spreading to your family and friends by having everyone wear a mask except when eating or drinking. Remember, the more alcohol people consume, the less likely they are to wear a mask or to wear one properly. If you don’t want to spend the day dishing out reminders, it may be best to limit the alcohol this year.  Get tested and stay home if you have symptoms - Guests who are traveling should get tested before hopping on an airplane and travel only if they have a negative test and no symptoms, to minimize risk to others. The same goes for hosts: Even if dinner is an hour away and the turkey is in the oven, the safest option for everyone is to cancel. Here is a list of symptoms to watch out for:
Stay safe, be creative, and enjoy this (unusual) Thanksgiving!  Contact My Big Day Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken |
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My Big Day Company LLC 2021 www.MyBigDayCompany.com
970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 EMAIL US
We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken
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