Weddings, weddings everywhere! And edible tuxedos!

Edible tuxedos got your attention for all the wrong reasons, didn't it...

Does wedding bonanza seem to be upon anyone else these days? I have quite a few close friends getting ready to tie the knot and know several more people who either just took a trip down the aisle or are in the process of planning their big day.

With weddings come bridal showers and with bridal showers come opportunities to cutes-ify every detail of the décor and food (bridal showers and baby showers are very similar in this way). There also seems to be no shortage of shower-related inspiration on the internet (seriously, just google wedding shower food/décor/games. It’s nutty, I tell you). And I find myself a little too excited whenever I have the opportunity to dream up theme food for a group.

This past weekend I was delighted to have the chance to make these tuxedo cheese and cracker platters, but I was more excited to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of my friends Lisa and Avery. This was before the tiny little cold I'd been fighting for a couple weeks mutated while I was sleeping on Friday night and turned into a double ear infection. Super fun. Thankfully, I'd prepped these ahead so the time I had to be within arms reach of the platter was minimal. 

These little guys were surprisingly simple to put together and decorate. The base is simply a large round cracker with a slice of wedge cheese on top (I used sesame crackers and Laughing Cow cheese wedges). The cheese wedges sliced beautifully, but did take a bit of coaxing to get off the knife unscathed. For the decoration I used raisins, either cut into small triangles or stamped out with a cake decorating tip. To cut the raisins, I sliced one in half hamburger-style (come on, you all know it's clearer than me saying widthwise), then cut the raisin again 45 degrees from the first cut. Same with the other side, put them together and boom! Instant edible bow tie. For the buttons, I just pressed a writing tip into the raisin until it went through, then poked it out with a toothpick over the spot I wanted it on the cracker.

Initially I thought to use olives (and still think it would be easier to do it with them instead of raisins) but avoided that option to better suit the bride’s taste preferences. If you want to give these a try, raisins are absolutely doable, but olives would remove the stickiness that occasionally made the former grapes a little tricky to work with.

Have you seen any particularly clever foodstuffs at recent showers? Stuff that was so over-the-top cutesy that you kinda threw up a little bit in your mouth? I mean it, cute has its limit... 

Share away in the comments! There are lots more bridal/baby showers in this little blogger's future, so stay tuned for more cute (but not too cute) wedding- and baby-themed goodies!