Tuesday

Rustic Veggie Crudites Display

A rustic veggie crudites display......it was a last minute decision, sort of.

I mean, I thought of it months before hand, but with so many wedding prep thoughts clogging the working part of my brain I had to let it go.

Until 5 days before #2 Daughters wedding when I said, nope, gotta have something.

The 'something' was just a little something-something to nibble on while having beverages. 

A bit more than pub mix but nothing with peanuts because the groom is allergic. I didn't think sending him to the emergency room would make a very good impression on the new in-laws.

Wood Spool, tree slice and log crudite display, Bliss-Ranch.com

Last year this time we were busy with final preparations for the rustic Fall wedding my daughter had planned here at our house. 

outdoor log wedding benches, Bliss-Ranch.com

While thinking out loud with my BFF (if you can call typing out loud since it was via text) I decided on some simple veggies that no plates were needed for, no toothpicks, nothing difficult, and it couldn't be time consuming, expensive or foofy.

And I wouldn't do the prep till BFF got here to help me - everyone was busy with all the other stuff that had to be put together, like tables and log benches.

outdoor log wedding benches, Bliss-Ranch.com

I found some cute little metal looking cups for a decent price.  But remember this was last minute and those cute cups were not going to arrive in 5 days, so I went to plan B.

Plan B was whatever kind of sauce cup could arrive in a couple days, so I ended up with basic black plastic condiment containers, which did arrive in two days, the same day as my BFF and her veggie cutting talents.

Wood Spool, tree slice and log crudite display, Bliss-Ranch.com

The two of us played with our vegetables and did a mock up determining how much dip to go in the bottom of the cups and how to cut the veggies so they stood up in the dip.  Not designer like, just edible like.

There were pea pods, baby carrots, cucumbers, celery, red pepper and a large thick pita chip.

Wood Spool, tree slice and log crudite display, Bliss-Ranch.com

The bottom of each cup had one of three dipping sauces; hummus, ranch dressing, and spinach artichoke dip, the three flavors pretty much evenly split between the sauce cups.

I wasn't going to have time to set that up and didn't want it sitting for a long time before guests arrived.  So  I delegated.

For optimal crispness on the pita chip and to have the veggies still chilled, my sister in law, her husband and their two kids came to my house, picked up the veggies we had pre-sliced, along with my instructions and took it all home to their fridge. 

Then they took it from there. 

About 30 minutes before the reception the four of them arrived and arranged all the crudites.  This included my 10 year old nephew who totally got into the arranging thing and was quality control.  The following Thanksgiving he arranged a beautiful meat and cheese display all on his own.  I'm going to hire him from now on for parties!

Simple babys breath and white flower wedding bouquet, Bliss-Ranch.com

Now you might wonder why I am calling those veggies crudites when I'm not even sure how to say that word!

Because Miss Manners told me raw veggies served this way are not an hor-de-orve nor are they an appetizer, but a crudites.

Fine, whatever you say Miss Manners, but I'm just gonna call them veggie cups.  If I wanted to be trendy or in style I would probably call them veggie shots, but I wasn't about to source out 250 shot glasses to do so at the last minute.  I wanted this to be no fuss and mostly no clean up..... guests know to toss disposables but glass would have been sitting everywhere, and the clean up crew wasn't showing up in their jammies till the next morning.

Wood Spool, tree slice and log crudite display, Bliss-Ranch.com

Anyway, the veggie cups surely needed a rustic display, so in-between putting log benches together, the man with the power tools tackled that last minute addition.   

Wood Spool, tree slice and log crudite display, Bliss-Ranch.com

We were already using bar height wood spool topped tables for lounging with beverages, so he turned one of them into a veggie cup table, with pressure washed log bases and tree slab tops, screwed on from underneath.

The wood slices were sanded and sealed for other projects the week before, so he borrowed from that pile for the tops.

Wood Spool, tree slice and log crudite display, Bliss-Ranch.com

The chalked mini menu boards were also screwed in place on the spool top from underneath.

I was pleased with how this came together at the last minute, but I couldn't have done it without my sister in law and her family or my best friend.

Wood Spool, tree slice and log crudite display, Bliss-Ranch.com

The condiment cup size was perfect - a small metal cookie scoop was used to plop a dip dollop of each flavor inside.

Wood Spool, tree slice and log crudite display, Bliss-Ranch.com

I notice in the photo above that there is a pile of small black napkins with shot glasses on top, presumably to keep the napkins in place.

It's a mystery who did that, it wasn't windy inside or outside of the tent, but at least someone was thinking just in case. 

Wood Spool, tree slice and log crudite display, Bliss-Ranch.com

The little chalkboard stands were simply hand marked with chalk, there was no time for anything fancy, just the basics.

I ordered those little wood signs on line and they came the next day.  Thank you Amazon Prime for making it possible at the last minute to pull together a little something something to wash down with a beverage or two.






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7 comments :

  1. Oh my goodness this is amazing! What a great idea Bliss and Congratulations on daughter #2!!!!

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  2. Love it!! We have slices of a branch that I’m turning into ornaments...maybe I need to blog again??

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  3. Pinterest Perfect! And so odd because just yesterday I did a Google search of "rustic crudite display." Seriously. I kid you not! Was thinking of a fun way to bring homemade hummus and veggies to Thanksgiving dinner!!! :)

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  4. This is such a great idea and presentation! It would be wonderful for any gathering! Every photo on this post shows how special and creative the wedding was! I love the flower bouquet combination, too!

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  5. I do not know anyone else who can come up with a fantastic idea and have it come out so amazingly from the food part to the display part in such record time. Your 'crew•di•tays' were perfect! Love hubby's contribution as always. xo

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  6. Are you kidding me? Can I get remarried and have you decorate my wedding :P No, seriously your log designs could work for so many types of parties. Rustic perfection. Love it!!

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