Let's face it, we could all use a mood make-over nowadays. Before that big moment, say "I Do" while feeling like you've just stepped out of a spa treatment with these aromatic beverages and appetizers. They promise to relax, rejuvenate and prepare you to revel in your special day.

Spa Mood Make-Over Party Suggestions

• Light aromatherapy candles in ylang ylang, lavender or rose.
• Hire your local manicurist for a few hours of in-house treatments.
• Set pitchers of iced-water each filled with a choice of sliced cucumber, grapefruit, green apple, orange and lemon.
• Create ambient with spa music like The Sands of Time.

At-Home Spa Treatments

Face: Chilled Yogurt on face with cucumber slices or chamomile tea bags atop each eye.
Hair: Use olive oil as conditioner for the hair.
Skin: Exfoliate with paste made of coarse sea salt and olive oil.
Feet: Revive tired feet with a soak in water filled with fresh mint leaves, lemon slices and rose petals.

Menu

Cucumber Mint Gimlet
Mini Pumpkin Muffins
Salmon and Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
Bowls of an assortment of Jelly Bellies

CUCUMBER MINT GIMLET

4½ cups Cucumber Gin*
2¼ cups lime juice
1 cup plus 3 tbs Mint Simple Syrup*
Cucumbers, peeled and seeded for garnish
Fresh mint sprigs, rinsed and patted dry for garnish

*Cucumber Gin: Steep 2 ½ cups peeled and diced cucumber in 4½ cups gin, covered and chilled overnight. Strain and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

*Homemade Mint Simple Syrup: In a saucepan over medium high heat, dissolve 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water stirring frequently. Remove saucepan from heat and add 1 cup of fresh mint leaves,. Cover and steep for 30 minutes. Strain and discard mint. Refrigerate for up to 6 weeks.

In a 2-quart pitcher, stir gin, lime juice, and syrup. Refrigerate. To serve, pour into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake vigorously, and divide among ice-filled 10-ounce glasses. (For a single drink, mix in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, and shake.) Garnish each with cucumber peel and mint.

MINI PUMPKIN MUFFINS
Prepared in 10 minutes or less plus 35 minutes to bake.

¾ cup vegetable oil
1½ cups whole-wheat flour, spooned and leveled
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbs pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp baking soda
2 cups pumpkin purée
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1½ cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Brush 24 mini-muffin tins with vegetable oil or spray with Pam; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk oil, pumpkin purée, yogurt, eggs, and 1 cup sugar to combine; add 1 cup walnuts and reserved dry ingredients. Mix just until moistened (do not overmix).

Divide evenly and spoon batter into mini-muffin tins; sprinkle tops with remaining walnuts and sugar.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes.

SALMON AND CUCUMBER TEA SANDWICHES
Prepared in 15 minutes or less.

3 one-pound loaves white sandwich bread, preferably unsliced
1 bar whipped cream cheese, scallion cream cheese
1 large seedless cucumber (14 ounces), very thinly sliced
½ lbs pound sliced smoked salmon
2½ oz fresh salmon roe *If caviar roe is unavailable, gourmet the easy way substitution can be olive tapenade.
1 oz black or red caviar, optional
3 to 4 oz baby leaf lettuce and sprouts
1 bunch fresh dill
1 bunch fresh chives

Trim crusts off all three loaves. Slice bread into ½ -inch-thick pieces; each loaf should yield ten to twelve slices. Spread each slice alternating the cream-cheese spreads.

Arrange ingredients on bread in decorative patterns.

Sandwiches look best with cucumbers and salmon arranged along edges of bread, overlapping slightly.

Trim edges in straight lines, cutting through both bread and ingredients to leave clean edges on all sides.

Make salmon sandwiches first, reserving trimmings for salmon cream cheese to use on other sandwiches.

Tuck small green leaves in between layers.

Keep sandwiches covered with damp cloth until serving. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Garnish with salmon roe, dill and chives.