Wedding Memories: The Look

I was fortunate to have family in England and they were so wonderful to let me have my wedding there. The ceremony was held in a little church in the next town over and then we wnet back to the house where cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were served on the patio near the fountain and then there was dinner and dancing in a large marquee.

Wedding Memories: Food

The first thing I learned from planning my wedding is that I am far more type A than I ever knew. I don't have the dominating personality that often comes with it, but I completely exemplify the attitude of: If you want something done right you've got to do it yourself. Of course I did have help, but my Aunt is incredibly talented and has impeccable taste, and my mother and sister were willing to help and are good at taking direction.

The food at my wedding was spectacular. We ordered the beef for Argentina since we were in England and didn't want any one complaining about the whole English beef issue. We chopped apple wood and piled it into an open fire chimney on the grounds where the meat was cooked-which infused it with the smokey apple wood. We also chose to serve local asparagus because it was in season and my mother, sister and I went down to a farm in the area and pick each and every stalk ourselves. Some of you are probably thinking that this sounds awful- and the last thing you would want to do the week of your wedding, but i loved every minute of it. I felt SO MARTHA.

Before dinner, we had a fresh chilled avocado soup served in a white mug and garnished with a chive blossom. We also had this adorable bread baked in flowerpots that was meant to be passed and shared around the table; everyone tearing off a piece.

The beef was served with a smoked sun dried tomato and tarragon chutney and accompanied by horseradish crusted garlic potatoes and asparagus. The vegetarians were served a Salmon en Croute that my cousin Daniel made.

At first I wasn't excited about my cake- I had wanted several small tiered cakes in shades of palest blues and green, but when I tasted the cakes that I helped to bake and frost- I was convinced. They had a lovely almond flavor and the lightest hint of lemon in the butter cream frosting.

After the cake, we did a cheese board loaded with fresh strawberries. The table was decorated with tulle from France and real ivy and grape leaves. It was a huge hit and people still talk about the apple wood smoked cheddar that we served.

One of my favorite touches was the wine- we had labels made so that every bottle was a custom tribute to the wedding-- and looked fantastic in the great silver tubs. I loved the way the bar looked.

The food was fantastic and since I love food as much as I do, it meant so much to me to be involved in everything and to see it come out the way it did. People still talk about the quail egg and caviar that we had during the cocktail hour and I smile as I remember how hard it was to peel those tiny little eggs, and they get excited when they tell me that they had never had endive before and now they can't get enough of it- and I am glad we decided to do that when we planned the menu. It was the most perfect wedding that I could imagine- it was such fun to prepare for. To see my husband's face and know that he was so proud of what I put together was a real treat.

It is such a fun memory and I love sharing it with the 100 people that made the effort to show up in England to celebrate with us. The gratitude that I feel toward my aunt and uncle for hosting the wedding is beyond words. That was the best wedding gift I could have asked for.

Wedding Shower Memories

It is 10 days until my one year Wedding Anniversary. Big Guy and I were talking last night about how it has been a pretty good year--apart from the fact that we still haven't found a house.

I wanted to share some of my wedding memories during the next week because I think it was such a fun time, it totally reflected my style, and it was really a dream wedding come true for me.

This is a picture of the shower that one of my Maids of Honor who is also one of my best friends threw for me and my family since my family has moved away from our hometown.

It was so cute! Everything was pink and green, we drank Cosmos and champagne with berry juice in it (kind of like a modified Kir). She did a baked Brie decorated with hearts and our initials. The theme of the shower was food, so you can see pictures of me at various ages eating. My favorite picture is the one in the front. You can't see it very well, but I was about three years old and I am crawling across a table to steal the cherries off a cake. I remember that night. My mom was having a party and that cake looked amazing. I can actually remember trying to steal the cherries! All the gifts were cooking and food themed. My friend's mom found out my favorite place for cocktails and ordered a gift certificate from there. It was such a great time. Everyone contributed their favorite recipes and my friend made a cook book with the guest's pictures and marriage advice. It was such a great idea.

I really enjoyed the thought that everyone put into the day, and as you will see over the next week, I really do have some great friends and family.

Blog list

I need to update the list of Blogs I like- and I read more than the ones listed here-but I always seem to forget where I found certain blogs, so if you read my blog and you don't see yours listed on the below on the right- leave a comment with your blog name and address so I can add you :)