By: Colby V. Creasman

Over the past few years many American companies have outsourced their businesses and manufacturing to other foreign nations. The companies participating did this to cut costs, but mainly to cut their wages expense. Wages in other nations are a lot cheaper than those here in our homeland. Many US jobs were lost to the increase of outsourcing the US Companies without taking their employees with the move. The employees here were left without a job and income which help lead to the economic downturn. Since the end of The Great Recession the US economy just recently experienced, there has been a weak comeback of lowering the US unemployment rate.

Have you heard of “Made in America”? It is a movement brought to you by Diane Sawyer of ABC News to encourage purchases made by all consumers to be “Made in America” to put American companies on top and hire our unemployed (http://abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica/ ).  You can choose any type of purchases to start buying only products that are made in the US such as clothing, furniture, construction products, gifts, etc. I Do Events is challenging YOU to make your wedding a product of the USA.

You can start with the purchase of your dress. This website has a listing of over 20 designers, including the extraordinary Vera Wang, who design and make their wedding gowns all here in the United States, the direct link is: http://wedding.theknot.com/special-wedding-features/fourth-of-july-wedding-ideas/articles/wedding-dresses-made-in-usa.aspx. It isn’t a complete outfit without the shoes to match the dress; http://dikuza.com/ specializes in making all types of custom wedding shoes from heels to flip-flops that are made in the USA. You can order them online customizing the type of heel and color to match the length and color of the dress just for you.  And before the wedding is the proposal and to go along with the proposal the perfect ring is needed. The Wedding Rings by Oromi Company makes all their rings and bands in the US. You can view their selection of rings at: http://www.oromi.com/cart/. For listings of invitations, favors, and flowers take a look at: http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/wedding.htm. 

We wish you happy shopping in all the 50 states of The United States of America!

By: Colby V. Creasman

What do you intend to do with your flower arrangements after the big day is over and your guests have returned home? Waste not! When the clean-up process begins think before automatically throwing everything out. Start with the flowers and donate them for others to enjoy. Oakleaf Flower & Garden Florists (www.oakleafhighlands.com ) have started a new way to extend the life of arrangements. Owner of Oakleaf, Kirk Moore, goes back after the wedding and picks up the flowers that are left over. He then repurposes them into vases and delivers them to local nursing homes, shut-ins, and hospitals. You can do this after any event by eliminating waste and making someone else’s day brighter. The shelf life of fresh flowers is limited but can be extended with two easy steps. First, change the water at least every two days and secondly, trim the stems before putting the flowers back into the fresh water.

Flowers are mostly picked by their color and appearance. But, you can also pick a flower by its meaning and scent. Oakleaf Flower & Garden also suggest the bride and bridesmaids to carry a bouquet of herbs. The herb lavender represents love, rosemary means love, and sage resembles wisdom. A nice arrangement of those herbs can be a unique, meaningful, fresh choice to carry in a wedding. Then after the wedding you can dry these herbs and use them for spices when cooking, as potpourri, or décor in the home. This alternative to eliminate waste requires less manual labor. For three different ways to dry the herbs at home look at: http://www.herbcompanion.com.

You can purchase herb bouquets and get other arrangement ideas direct from: http://www.creeksidefarms.com.

There are other ways to make your wedding “green”. Check out www.greenbrideguide.com for more ideas including not purchasing guest favors but instead donating a set amount to a charity you are passionate about or allow your guest to choose. Also, when printing save-the-dates, invitations, and place cards use recycled paper to save trees.

The wedding is rapidly approaching and you need a gift to show your appreciation to your guest who have traveled to help celebrate your upcoming union.  Gift bags are a nice way to spread the happiness and cheer that surrounds the wedding.

Wedding favors have transformed over the years into wedding guest gift bags for many types of weddings, especially for destination weddings where guests will enjoy activities before the wedding. Whether you’re giving gift bags to your destination wedding guests or simply thanking guests for sharing your one special day, uncover a few ideas to help you put together wedding gift bags your guests will never forget.

First think of a theme for the bags.  If it is a beach wedding consider using a beach bag with your initials and fill the contents with sunscreen lotion, aloe lotion, lip sunscreen and bottled water.  Or if the event is in the mountains, hiking or waterfall maps, bug repellant or granola bars for a hiking trip.  Many brides try to personalize the contents of the bag to represent their likes or hometown.  Recently a bride from Maryland had crab seasoned potato chips and Goo Goo Bars from her fiancé’s hometown of Nashville.  Regional products that represent the area are also a nice touch.  If your wedding is in Ohio, or you or your fiancé are from Ohio, consider using a Longaberger basket (www.longaberger.com).  Coca Cola is a popular item for Atlanta, peaches for South Carolina or maple syrup for Vermont.  Now is your time to get creative and create a welcome bag that  will show your guest how much you appreciate them taking the time and money to come to the wedding.

It’s nice to always include an itinerary for the weekend for easy reference as well as maps of the area and local attractions for their perusal.  Include items that will come in handy during the current season. Include a pair of cheap flip flops or sunglasses if you are getting married during the summer on the beach. Include lip balm or a pair of gloves for a winter wedding. Include a small umbrella for a spring wedding. Include a rain poncho for a fall wedding.

Hugh is a five-time James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southeast and was named Best Chef by Food & Wine.  His restaurant Five and Ten was named by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as the best Atlanta restaurant.  Hugh has also been featured in Bon Appétit, Garden & Gun, the New York Times, and Gourmet and competed in Bravo’s Top Chef Masters: Season 3.

As seen in The Laurel Magazine, November 2011 Edition.

It’s remarkable how a few humble ingredients can be transformed into such an extraordinary dish but not if you are Hugh Acheson.  Hugh is a five-time James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southeast and was named Best Chef by Food & Wine.  His restaurant Five and Ten was named by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as the best Atlanta restaurant.  Hugh has also been featured in Bon Appétit, Garden & Gun, the New York Times, and Gourmet and competed in Bravo’s Top Chef Masters: Season 3. 

Recently I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon in the kitchen with the team at Five and Ten.  They were in the middle of preparing items for their new bar menu, which pairs sandwich items or small plates with beers.  Dean Neff, Executive Sous Chef was busy putting the final touches to Cauliflower Soup and I decided to try my hand making chicken liver pate with Sous Chef Ryan Sims.  It was like a dance routine and no one missed a step, except for me.  Periodically Hugh does teach a cooking class or two and I plan on registering pronto.  In the meantime Hugh has just launched a cookbook, A New Turn In The South.  An exciting new collection of recipes and illustrations designed for home cooks, featuring a modern take on classic Southern fare, emphasizing local flavors and French inspiration.  Filled with plenty of kitchen tips, shortcuts, and plain old-fashioned know-how, I was assured that my dishes would taste just as good as Hugh’s. 

There is another option for those who are not able to travel to Athens or Atlanta, Old Edwards Inn is hosting a book signing and dinner prepared by Hugh Acheson and the culinary team at The Farm at Old Edwards Inn on December 16, 2011. This will be a dinner not to miss.  Not only will you partake in a wonderful culinary experience but you will also receive an autographed copy of Hugh’s new cookbook.  For more information call (828) 787-2625 or visit www.oldedwardsinn.com/HughAcheson.  The dinner is $160 per person exclusive of taxes and gratuities.  Dinner price includes wine and signed cookbook. 

For those who are not lucky enough to obtain a ticket, you can join Hugh for a cup of coffee and still get his autographed cookbook on Saturday, December 17th, 2011 at Mountain Fresh Grocery. 

Get a sneak peak of one of Hugh’s “A New Turn In The South” recipes by downloading Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Brown Butter Breadcrumbs, Capers, and Dilled Whipped Cream recipe at www.thelaurelmagazine.com/extra.php.