Create Your Own "Marry Me" Viewing Party

By Dawn Sandomeno and Elizabeth Mascali
Party Bluprints
Lifetime Moms Affiliates


What better way to ring in the holidays than with a wedding! Host a “Marry Me” Ladies’ Night Viewing Party and enjoy this Lifetime Original Movie miniseries!


Lucy Liu stars as Rae Ann Carter, a single aspiring-artist-turned-social-worker who always wanted a fairy-tale romance — to fall madly in love and live happily ever after. But when her two-year relationship falls apart, Rae unexpectedly falls for a new man, Luke (Steven Pasquale), who asks her to marry him after a few short dates. Just as everything seems to fall into place for Rae, her ex-boyfriend Adam (Bobby Cannavale) suddenly re-emerges in her life with a proposal of his own. Things get even further complicated when a third man (Enrique Murciano), smitten by Rae, enters the picture and asks for her hand in marriage, as well. With three men after her heart, who will be Rae’s Prince Charming?

Below is everything you need to know for how to host your own Ladies’ Night Viewing Party!

The color theme for this “Marry Me” Viewing Party is white-on-white, with a pop of red here and there for love. White linens and candles set the scene, while red berries and bows give the table a festive feel. It’s a simple and special look that’s easy to put together. Create a centerpiece that pulls double duty as favors with this clever “break-away” floral arrangement. Gather two roses and a small bunch of red berries, and tie them together with a pretty red bow. Create one bouquet for each of your guests. Then simply assemble them in a vase to create your centerpiece. Your table will look magnificent. When your guests are ready to leave, present them with their own bouquet, just like a bride — and a perfect favor for a “Marry Me” movie night!

As a personal touch, when you invite the ladies, ask them to bring one of their favorite wedding pictures in a small frame (it can be one of their own or one of a family member) to help decorate the table. Don’t forget to create a cozy viewing area for after dinner. Make sure to have plenty of seating — add a few throw blankets for the girls to get cozy.

A miniseries movie event deserves dinner, so invite the girls for a pre-movie meal. Have everyone watch the first two hours, and then, enjoy a dinner party before part two of the movie starts. Enjoy some girl time and make predictions about who Rae Ann Carter will marry. When your guests arrive, serve a signature cocktail to kick off your movie night. We created the “MarryMeTini” especially for this party. Its “healthy” juice will turn your cocktail the color of a blushing bride, and for fun we garnished it with three blueberries (our nod to “something blue” and one for each of Rae Ann’s fabulous fiancés). After drinks, invite the ladies to sit down for a delicious dinner featuring roast pork, rosemary potatoes, and a peppery arugula salad with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and shaved Parmesan cheese. Then finish off your meal with cake, of course — a wedding always has a cake! We suggest red velvet cake, frosted with vanilla icing and decorated entirely with fluffy white coconut. After the meal, get ready for the movie and make sure to have some popcorn on hand, as no movie viewing is complete without it! Then sit back and enjoy, as things get even more complicated in Night 2.

Note: At each place setting, continue the “Marry Me” theme with these pretty napkin rings.

Partybluprints Tulle Wedding Bell Napkin Rings

Directions:
For each place setting you’ll need the following materials:
• 1 white cloth napkin folded in a square
• 20-inch x 6-inch length of white tulle fabric
• Three 12 mm silver bells
• 7 inches silver elastic cord


String the bells on elastic cord, arrange side by side in middle of cord and tie with a double knot to secure placement; set aside. Take napkin, fold loosely in half, and tie with tulle fabric. After making one knot with tulle, insert bells by tying to center of tulle knot. Once secured in place, make final tie with tulle fabric. Display lengthwise across plate. You may need to adjust ends of tulle fabric for just the right “flare.”

MarryMeTini Cocktail
• 3 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. Pom pomegranate/blueberry juice
• 3 blueberries


Preparation:
1. Pour the vodka and juice into a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake vigorously; cold is key here.
3. Strain liquid into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Skewer 3 blueberries on a cocktail pick and lie over glass or insert in cocktail.

Pork Roast
Ingredients:
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 2 pounds boneless pork loin roast (you can use two 1lb. roasts)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Coarse salt and cracked pepper to taste


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Create a paste with the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.
3. Rub the meat with 1/2 of the paste and olive oil.
4. Brown just the outside of the pork loin on a grill pan on high heat.
5. Then rub the remaining mixture on pork loin and place in oven.
6. Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
7. Remove from oven and cover with foil, let it set for 10 minutes and then slice and plate, topping with some of the pan juices.

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
Ingredients:
• 2 lb. new potatoes, scrubbed & quartered
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• Coarse salt and cracked pepper to taste

Directions:
In a bowl, coat potatoes with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Then transfer the potatoes to a shallow baking pan and roast at 350 degrees until potatoes are browned and tender. You can test this by using the tip of a sharp knife or a fork.

Salad
Ingredients:
• 1 bag of roquette or baby arugula
• 1 package of pomegranate seeds
• 1 container of pine nuts
• Parmesan cheese


Directions:
1. Wash and thoroughly dry the arugula.
2. Toss with your favorite vinaigrette dressing.
3. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and pine nuts.
4. Shave large slices of Parmesan on top.

Red Velvet Coconut Cake
Ingredients:
• 1 red velvet box cake mix + ingredients listed on box for preparation (prepare according to box directions and bake in two 8-inch pans)
• 2 cans prepared white frosting
• 1 bag white coconut

Directions:
1. When cake is thoroughly cooled, assemble and frost cake.
2. Before frosting “sets,” sprinkle coconut all over cake, coating completely. If the frosting “sets/hardens,” the coconut will not stick — so work quickly.
3. Optional: Use a few red berries and a green leaf or two as a festive topper.

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