disjointed recap

Last week was a good week. Maybe it's because I got to spend all day Sunday with husband, walking everywhere in in our little town (church, crepes, frozen yogurt, cheap rentals at going-out-of-business blockbuster). Maybe because we got our wedding photos (amazinggggg!!! too. many. to. choose.) Maybe because I found out difficult co-worker was quitting and Friday was his last day (goodbye negativity!). Maybe it's because we've been spending time with and celebrating 2 weeks with this little guy:

{Meet Raphael! our adopted little one}

Unfortunately that meant neglecting le blog. So...yes wedding photos are in. Also received a disc of the film shots that best man took. so overwhelming. and so happy! Our photographers did such a good job capturing the joy of the day and our loved ones. I actually had to dig through the fb posted shots from family and friends to find some of the detail shots of the decor (because priorities=people thankyouverymuch...also food, but photographer got some awesome food shots because duh, we're on the same wavelength)

So here's some more fb photos until I have time to sort through the 300+ edited shots: 

{see awesome vintage fox fur stole bridesmaid Shawntel let me borrow, it belonged to her great-grandma! Also, behind me, a non-alcoholic beverage: lavender lemonade}

{plates full of our delish hors d'oeuvres/fruit/cheese, wine from the bar}

I will admit, I only tried 3 of the hors d'ouevres, a slice of cake, a couple pastries, one glass of chardonnay and one glass of champagne. I didn't do so awesome in the "eat tons of food at my wedding" department. I really love to eat but I didn't realize how much I would spend making the rounds and chatting with everyone. I did eat In-N-Out burger before the ceremony though (it was next door to our hotel!):

So that kind of balances it all out right? Husband and I might have also splurged on room service later that night. mostly because I've never had room service at a hotel before!

Anyway, back to the decorations:

{gift table at the entry, with some branches (mixed with artificial branches that had twinkly lights) in the background including the antique birdcage}

{this was a big hit. It was a display that we rented from a beverly's fabric store for $30, we filled all the buckets with bunches of flowers and had squares of brown paper off the to side so guests could take home bouquets. just about everyone took some home, and had so much fun putting together bouquets! There were hardly any flowers left by the end of the day}

{cake table! The awesomely yummy cake that grandma made. Everyone was so impressed that my grandma made it}

A little "before/during" cake action:

The state of my parent's kitchen Thursday before the wedding, grandma took over. p.s. that Kitchenaid mixer? yeah it's 40-45 years old. Can you believe it?! The cord was one piece of electrical tape away from electrocuting us. But it worked awesomely.

Pretty cakes! The bottom was vanilla with lemon curd filling, the middle was carrot cake with cream cheese frosting filling, and the top was chocolate with chocolate fudge filling (which we left at Husband's mom's house on accident).

{all photos by family/friends/myself}

ice cream and cake

So I told you guys my grandma's making the cake. She's quite the baker. She made my parent's wedding cake among many others. Well, when we started planning it out, she brought over these bad boys:

Yes my friends, cake decorating books from the 60s. I'm so in love.

As my mom said, her cakes are so tasty, but she is just as stubborn as every other member of my family. You can give her some suggestions, but she's gonna do whatever the heck she wants. I'm cool with that. {Flavor > looks} in my book when it comes to food.

My cake will probably end up looking something like this, but with real flowers instead of the sugar tulips. pillars and all. Retro yum.

{fun fact: my grandma used to go to tapings of "let's make a deal" with her best friend and dressed up as a baker, complete with a mini cake, every. single. time}

wish list

I read a lot of foodie/cooking blogs. I love food if you haven't already noticed. One of the ladies posted a genius guide to registering for those who love to cook. It is very helpful, and I have definitely added a few items that she recommended! For the love of all that is sweet and/or bacon flavored, go check out her stuff. You'll be hungry.

honey do list

I'm back from our whirlwind trip home for Christmas, it was a nice mental break. and now back to the 12 hour days at work! But to backtrack, the same night I wrote that last post, Fiance came home from work close to 10 pm and surprised me along with his friends all dressed up in santa hats and antler headbands with presents. Totally put me in the christmas spirit, it was adorable. Reason #20934897 why I'm marrying that man.

We got a few things accomplished while home. Bought Fiance's suit for the wedding. And since Men's Warehouse was having their Buy One Get One Free Sale (anything in the store, seriously ANYTHING), he got 2 of everything. We also set up suit rentals for the groomsman. I agree rented suits usually fit horribly and they're pretty cookie cutter (which is why we decided to buy one for Fiance, plus every man needs a nice suit or 2). However, the majority of our boys don't own a suit and aren't really in a position to spend the money on one. Each of them is so completely different from the next, they'll stand out on their own accord.

We worked out some details for Bridal Shower #2 which my mom will be hosting in Northern California.

My mom showed me her stash of wedding decor that is slowly taking over my old bedroom. milk glass vases, candles galore (really amazing flameless pillar candles actually, gorgeous!) silver platters, beverage dispensers, a couple really awesome twinkly light branches, and cheese board slates. Soon to be added to the pile: table cloths and napkins.

We taste tested some amazing pastries we found online, if you scroll down almost to the bottom you'll find the miniature desserts and pastries. They're totally pre-made and are shipped to you frozen in a well-insulated package. They're pretty and DELICIOUS. We're going to order a few different kinds to add to the dessert buffet. YUM.

My mom worked out a contract with the florist. My new choice of bouquet (anemones) is about 10% of what it originally was for the lily-of-the-valley. score.

I wasn't really sure what I would be doing the night before the wedding. I had sort of planned on staying at my parents and getting ready there, but there's not enough room for the rest of the girls to stay overnight and it's totally the opposite direction from the ceremony/reception sites. Plus it's going to be super hectic because my grandparents will be staying there and my grandma will be working on the cake. So my dear mother came up with an excellent plan. There's an adorable tiny little bed & breakfast across the street from the church. My parents offered to pay for my girls and I to stay there the night before the wedding. So Friday we'll have the rehearsal at the church, walk around the corner to this awesome Chicago style pizza place for the rehearsal dinner and then just walk back to the B&B, spend the night and get ready all together Saturday. I love this plan. One last night with all my girls, and it's super convenient.

We're less than 2 months away! So excited!

la di dah

So in our whirlwind weekend home we made all kinds of decisions. It was nice.

We met with the pastor and he is AWESOME. all caps necessary. Super nice, totally laid back. Emphasized it was all about us, whatever we want to do. Move around the pews/furniture at the altar? Go for it. Use the sunday school rooms for the boys to change in? yep. have the flower girl dump flowers down the aisle? totally (as long as we designate a clean up person). photographers? the more the merrier! they can do whatever they want! Oh hey and there's also this awesome balcony to take photos from. He told us he understands the value of a good photo. There's nothing like catching a tear rolling down someone's cheek. He's going to email us some scripts of wedding ceremonies and we'll tailor it from there. Though we'll be sticking with pretty traditional simple stuff. Also? Turns out he has known Fiance's grandma for years. He used to help lead a ladies retreat she went on every year. sweet.

Discussed budget. family is pleased. Learned that the caterers are awesome & delicious. And they're all about using what's local and in season. And we'll be getting a bartender. a) to remove liability from us b) cuz they'll cut off the drunkies c)we don't have to worry about it.

Figured out a rough layout plan for the reception. Until you see his parent's garage, you might not understand the appeal of a party in a garage. But really it's a fully finished room with a concrete floor. There's drywall and paint, 3 huge windows, it holds about 4 cars. When you add the big white tent, it turns into roughly 1000 square feet. that's pretty darn spacious. If we get lucky and get the one day of winter sun, we'll nix the tent and open the garage doors so people can mingle outside too. The house is on a hill and the views are gorgeous.

Sat down with my mom's friend suzy and talked decor. She knows what's up. she's all over this "french market" aesthetic. she's got it all planned out and ready to go. She and my mom have been collecting vintage galvanized tin buckets and milk glass vases. There's a huge rubbermaid tub of just the milk glass plus about 10 buckets in my old bedroom. I think they've spent about $50 total? They're pro at finding bargains. I have full faith that they will pull it all together nicely.

Tried on my dress again! Fits perfectly. I mean PERFECTLY. except for the length. which will be an easy alteration. Tried it on with the shoes and jewelry. love love love. so excited.

chatted with grandma about the cake. she's making a 3 tiered cake. I think we'll just go super simple with the flavors. i.e. vanilla w/lemon filling, chocolate, carrot cake. Partially cuz grandma's old-fashioned. She brought over her cake decorating books and no joke they were all from the 60s and early 70s. All the pillars and gaudy swirls and patterns and designs. so funny. she can do whatever she wants with that. Like my mom said, she makes beautiful cakes that taste fantastic, but it'll be nothing like what you asked for. (stubbornness runs in the family, on both sides. can ya tell?) I have no qualms about the cake. Also, cheesecake will happen. yummmm.

also lots and lots of family bonding time. hanging with my little (well he's 16 but about a foot taller than me!) brother's lady friend (because i'm not allowed to call her his girlfriend. hehe.) and poor fiance getting the flu the night before we left. he was a little nervous about getting on the plane feeling that naseous but he made it home and slept it off. must have been a 24 hour bug.

now I'm busy busy busy at work! we've got a super duper big deadline tomorrow for our client and then I'll be in meetings most of next week while they nitpick and audit our work. I can't believe it's been 2.5 months already! I've learned so so much. and I still have an "i love my job!" moment at least once a day. so that's a good sign.

yes please

so in addition to the wedding cake (it's looking like it'll be red velvet, fiance's vote...and I'm not complaining) and cheesecake; both made by my grandmother, and chocolate dipped strawberries made by a friend's sister...we felt we needed more. Well look what my internet scouring mama found: Old Style Desserts
Fabulous little pastries and baked goods. They ship fully prepared and frozen and all you do is defrost and go! Easy peasy. The prices are less than $2 a piece. Here's a few of my favorites:

Art deco minis (vanilla cake filled with hazelnut, chocolate, or caramel)

Mini Canolis (Crispy Cannoli shells filled with vanilla pastry cream and cannoli cream. garnished with chocolate chips)

 Lemon Meringue Minis

yummmmm...

sweet things

Have you met Paulette?

Only the most glorious french macarons outside of France. To. die. for. In the most exotic flavors. Like passionfruit, sweet wedding almond, earl grey tea, and violet cassis. One of my ladies and I hit up their Beverly Hills store a while back and consumed half a dozen each. Quickly, yet still attempting to savor the light, yet chewy consistency unique to a macaron (not to be confused with the coconut macaroon, they are completely different!)

You should know I have been desperately seeking room in the budget to include these in our dessert table. A box of 24 puts you back $36. And that pretty little tiered display is $106 for 60. They do have a San Francisco shop and ship overnight for freshness... Maybe we'll save them for getting ready with the girls, or a bridal shower or something...

Do you have time for a story? I tried to make macarons last summer. Using a recipe by Martha, who else? I'm pretty handy in the kitchen and pretty good at following recipes. But these pretty little things are very complicated to make. I also wasn't quite prepared and had to make some substitutions (don't EVER try to make your own almond flour using only a rolling pin...dumb dumb dumb) which probably didn't help the situation. There's a part about having to leave the oven door ajar while these bake. um my oven door only stayed in the all-the-way-closed position or all-the-way-open. So I stood there and held the darn thing, and it was summer and hot outside. Long story, they were ugly, I neglected to flavor or color the cookie portion and they collapsed and cracked instead of staying round and fluffy. BUT they tasted exactly how they were supposed to, perfect texture. Which is really all that matters in my book. And I made peppermint, lemon and vanilla cinnamon fillings. YUM. Maybe I'll use this recipe next time (aka when I live in a place that has an oven. studio apartment fail.)

dessertssss

i love the soft sophistication of this snippet and ink board (plus it also features my ring!):

It's called "Champagne and Dessert", two key items I would like to have at our reception. Since we're not necessarily "cake people" but definitely food/dessert people, I want to have an array of options that I definitely plan to enjoy. Once again Martha comes to the rescue with some great cake alternatives.

Other wishful options include mini creme brulee and piles of french macarons in lovely colors.

(corbin gurkin photography via duet weddings)

yum yum

While modern cake creations are off the charts these days, I prefer something a bit simpler and a little more tasty than fondant. I present to you Martha Stewart:

She may be a little crazy but she knows her stuff. Those ribbons in white would be just the right amount of decoration for me. simple, easy and delish!

Other simple cakes I love:
basic white cake with olive branches. So pretty!

(jose villa photography)

This cake with wheat stalks has popped up a few places but I love Sweet Emilia Jane's idea of replicating it with lavender!

herbal elegance

My all time FAVORITE editorial, and basis for most of my inspiration comes from elegant bride and represents a Provencal theme.






Simple yet incredibly timeless. Reminds me of the farmer's markets in Europe.

I'd love to use lots of herbs, olive branches, basic bunches of flowers (in shades of white) in buckets and vases. And have platters of artisan snacks spread out, with wines and lemonades and teas.

and that macaron tower is amazing. I definitely want a large selection of desert. We're not much of cake people to begin with.