WEDDING FOOD, TURBO-CHARGED: Choosing a menu for your magical day can be a rather complex affair. We won't go into the desire to please the palates of everyone in attendance, which anyone choosing appetizers or a cake always considers, at least for a moment. And we won't address the trends of the time, which do have an impact upon what a couple goes for, in the cuisine department. (Did your parents choose fondue over a wedding cake, because that was all the rage at the time? Yeah, trends are powerful.) What we will say, though, is any duo longing to make their union fully official should go with exactly the sorts of edibles that they love the most. If their mutual taste is tony, and veers towards the posher, pricier plates, so be it. If the twosome wants to do an all-dessert reception, well, why not? It's their day. And if they're goo goo for garlic, as in over the moon, as in they go to the Gilroy Garlic Festival each and every July, well, by clove, that's the flavor that should dominate the party. But what if the party could be taken to the summertime, happy-hot-heat party? What if a pair of bulb-loving lovers could actually get married on the Garlic Cook-Off stage, right then and there? It will happen for whatever couple wins...
THE GARLIC DREAM WEDDING CONTEST: Oh, this is a thing, and it. Is. On. How to enter? Well, there are a few to-knows, but you start with sharing "how garlic brought you together." It's serious, all right. If you win, will you get to enjoy boutonnieres and bouquets flush with the star bulbs rather than traditional flower buds? You bet. Will there be cake and bubbly? Of course, the better to balance the sweet with all that heat. Will there be other goodies, like professional photography, a Monterey Bay Aquarium tour for two, a Gilroy Premium Outlets gift basket, and more congratulations-you're-married niceties? Yes, we're nodding, uh-huh, you betcha. Will you and your honey have quite the story to tell those friends and family members who don't make the festival for the Sunday, July 26 wedding date? You so will (and, just so you know, the winning couple gets to invite twenty people, for free, inside the fest). And isn't July 26 a nice day for a wedding, should you win? By the by, don't be glum if you garlicky lovers are already married: The festival says the contest is open to those wishing to renew their vows. Now, who has a garlic-shaped bowtie or veil they can lend out?
DID WE EVEN MENTION... who will preside at this delicious ceremony? Mr. Garlic himself! If ever something deserved an exclamation point, it is that tasty tidbit.
