Entertaining Trends: Bowtinis

My younger sister, Bailey, constantly mocks me for having wedding blogs in my feed reader. She laughs at my mantra that weddings can be a great source of party inspiration. I defend my position and don’t see why I should miss out on great entertaining ideas just because I’m not married or engaged! I mean, a wedding is just a big party, right?!

My friend Alexis, who you might remember from the Blushing Bride Bridal Shower, helped me strengthen my case when she emailed me photos from a recent party she hosted where her menu was inspired by a wedding she recently attended.

Alexis is always on trend, be it in fashion or entertaining, so I was not surprised when I learned that she took one of the biggest wedding trends right now – “mac-tinis” or “bow-tinis” as she calls them, and used it at her at-home get together.

“I first saw the idea at a wedding where the bride and groom opted for a laid-back heavy hour d’oeuvres buffet in place of a more traditional sit-down meal,” Alexis writes. “At the buffet, there were martini glasses with bow tie pasta and a dozen or so toppings that guests could choose from. ‘Bartenders’ served guests and mixed the toppings into the bow-tinis. It was cute and delicious!”

In Alexis’s at-home adaptation, she opted for a self-serve buffet. She set out toppings in colorful bowls filled with chicken, sausage, shrimp, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, sun dried tomatoes, pesto, and pine nuts and allowed guests to mix and match.

“They turned out really cute and everyone loved them! It’s a great way to serve guests dinner when you don’t have the room to seat them all – a common dilemma for apartment dwellers like us!”

Alexis also noted that you don’t have to use bow tie pasta. Any small pasta will do! Mac and cheese is also a great choice for those without time or space for a topping buffet. Alexis’s last tip for recreating this pasta-licious idea — add olive oil to the pasta to prevent stickiness.

An great idea, seen at a wedding, used at a real-life party. Take that Bailey!

{Photo Credits: Top left: Alexis Orf, Bottom right: Matt DeTurck}