A few months ago I mentioned I was starting my own wedding planning and coordination company. Take a peek at my first wedding with Rachel & Joe at Vineapple Cafe in Brooklyn Heights a few weeks ago! (Check out the rest of the website, too!).
Photo by Zack DeZon.
I know I'm a little late... our first anniversary was April 30th! We spent it at Jazz Fest in New Orleans and were lucky enough to have our wedding band -- the very local Stooges Brass Band -- performing several of the night we were there.
We've had an amazing year and look forward to many more.
Photo Credit: Eleise Theuer Photography.
Last night we cooked our second annual Mardi Gras meal with friends. I used my favorite New Orleans cookbook, the Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine, for a few ideas including: Mardi Gras Slaw, Voodoo Greens, Soul Pork Roast, and homemade Cajun Pralines. It's a wonderful book with over 700 pages of history, lore, and of course, amazing recipes from roux to King cake!
Our friends brought shrimp cocktail, pate with crusty bread and figgy jam, and a bottle of wine. All around a great meal.
Although this is the first time I've made these, the recipe was straightforward and they turned out deliciously well.
Cajun Pralines:
Prep time: 30 minutes
Yields: 40-50 Pralines
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 stick butter
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Combine all ingredients and stir constantly until mixture reaches soft-ball stage on a candy thermometer (234-240 F). Remove from heat and stir until thickened. Praline mixture should become creamy and cloudy, and pecans should remain in suspension. Drop spoonfuls onto buttered wax paper or parchment paper; be sure to buffer with newspaper underneath if using wax paper as hot wax will transfer to whatever is beneath.
From the Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine, page 605.
Right after our wedding we took a few days to get away. But we were admittedly a little sheepish when stating that the "where" was Wilmington, N.C. I'm not sure why, as it was a perfectly lovely getaway. A quaint but well-appointed room in a classic Southern bed-and-breakfast; blocks from the popular riverfront and a sweet little dive bar that served delicious 1/2 price bloody mary's and allowed dogs on the tables....
We felt that we had to include a disclaimer that it was just a few days of a getaway, but that we would take a "proper" honeymoon later in the year... whatever that meant.
Well, we finally took that trip but on our way there looked at each other and said you know what? We had a fantastic honeymoon already, and it was in North Carolina.
Our trip to Paris is really just one of many trips we will continue to enjoy together.
Perhaps it could be called a 2nd, belated honeymoon... but really, it was just an amazing visit. Even in 20-30 degree weather it was truly rejuvenating. How could it not be, it's Paris!
A few pics...
We stayed at the Villa Beaumarchais which is in a fantastic location with several metro stops within a block or two and squarely aligned with the Marais neighborhood.
Here are a few special areas, destinations, and restaurants we visited while we were there:
Le Chateaubriand (amazing menu; be prepared for a 3 hour meal that will surprise and delight)
Musee d'Orsay (if you only do one museum...)
La Vitrine (a gem, outstanding)
Tentazioni Italian restaurant in Montmartre
Printemps and Galerie Lafayette malls
In less than 4 days we covered a lot of ground -- not too shabby. Still, we had so many other wonderful recommendations from friends. There are plenty of places yet to spend time -- next time. And there will be a next time!
A big thank you to Sarah, Aaron, Amanda, Jon, and sweet Emily for standing by us through the big event. I thought these were a couple of great pictures of all of us together. The grounds of the Cavalier Hotel allowed for some striking background options.
Photo credit: Eleise Theuer Photography.
I know. Wedding cards are cheesy. At least I always thought so until, of course, we had our own wedding pictures to use in everything from thank you notes to wall art to...yes...holiday cards. Hope you all had a very merry season!
I printed these from Minted.com.
A few more pics from the big day as we near our seven month anniversary.
It was smooth as far as I could tell, except for hearing afterward that our flower girl went around twice (!) to make sure she tossed the petals after forgetting the first time around. I love that.
A family friend officated the ceremony and started by asking everyone to pause, close their eyes, and really take in the moment. We had everyone stand around us on the hall off to the side of the hotel. We tied in a tradition from my Mexican heritage by using the Mexican wedding lazo ("bow") where two of our aunts wrapped an elongated gold rosary around our shoulders in a figure eight, symbolizing the responsibility we share in love and marriage.
With weather at 70 degrees, it was a peaceful and memorable ceremony.
Photo credit: Eleise Theuer Photography.
Among the many decisions about the flow of the day's events was the one to do a "first look" portrait session -- a chance for us to see each other and shake some nerves prior to the ceremony. Not only did this session provide us an opportunity to spend some private time together (albeit captured on film...er...pixels), but it was actually a very practical move that enabled us to join our guests that much sooner after cocktail hour. I just love the variety of images we have from this special time just prior to the vows; celebrating our last moments together as an engaged couple. Highly recommended! Just be sure to have some tissues on hand (for both of you!).
Photos by Eleise Theuer.
I started this blog in fall of 2009. I can't believe that was two years ago. We are nearing the 6 month mark of our wedding day, and I've been looking at these wedding pictures for months. It's been SO HARD picking out my favorites, but I've narrowed them down to a few...hundred...or so.... :)
Way back when I was thinking about what it might all look like I created a mood board. Okay, many mood boards. I worked with the colors already present in the Cavalier Hotel. Teals, blues, golds. Pinks and whites. Amazing fabrics and wallpapers. Black and white tiled floors. It didn't take much to turn it into a fabulous party space. Especially when our focus was on keeping it classic and insuring our guests ate well and had fun!
Let's just say we were both absolutely amazed with how everything looked, felt, and how much fun it actually turned out to be. Here are a few detail shots from April 30, 2011, including glimpses of my dress and "something blue" shoes, the cake, the vintage owl bank that we used as a place for our guests to leave us a bit of advice for our married life ahead, the vintage chalkboard we used at the bar, and oh, the gorgeous flowers!
All photos by Eleise Theuer.
I was surprised and excited to hear that our wedding cake was featured in the summer issue of Vow Magazine, a bridal magazine for Hampton Roads, VA. My sister-in-law's hair comb and (on another page) her guys' ties and bouttonieres were also featured!
Our cake was so spectacular. A lot of our guests commented that it didn't even look real, it was so perfect. It consisted of four tall tiers wrapped in an ivory ribbon, with 4 large sugar magnolias. The taste proved that it was VERY real; it was really out of this world. We chose a "tuxedo" cake, black and white pudding cake with chocolate buttercream filling. Several folks claim they ate two or three pieces! We are saving the sugar flowers for an anniversary cake. So gorgeous. I'll post close-ups in a future post once I start sharing more of the wedding details.
See the full edition here, pages 83-85 show our details.
Cake by The Magic Cupboard in Newport News, VA. Photography by Eleise Theuer.
This past weekend a friend of mine found a great deal on the NYC Circle Line Cruise to Bear Mountain. The 2.5 hours up the Hudson River and back with a 3 hour stay to eat, hike, paddleboat, (shop in the gift store!), etc. was so relaxing. I couldn't help but think it would make a great little getaway for a bride- and groom-to-be for a little pre-wedding stress relief.
Here are a few of my favorite moments from the day...
You could say that coming down from the high of our wedding has taken awhile -- and we aren't complaining. I've had a hard time (as predicted) letting go of thinking about fun details and planning opportunities related to weddings and parties of all kinds, really. And then I started thinking... why let go?
Cut to several months later and I'm nearly complete with the paperwork to finalize my new company: Cakestand Events. Legal paperwork is working its way through the system and I've got marketing materials ready to go -- a logo, a website, letterhead and business cards. I've even had a little practice recently designing and coordinating my sister's wedding shower with my mom!
It's taken a bit of time to think everything through, I've had emotional highs and lows thinking about if this area is something I want to pursue... after all, it will be different because it's not OUR wedding and I'm really acting as a support service for other couples and families. But at the end of the day, I think that's what I love about it. I'm already working with a couple of brides on their big days and really have enjoyed how different they are, what they want, and helping them realize the ideas floating around in their heads. I was there once, too, and couldn't have done it without my own wedding coordinator -- and I learned so much from her in the process.
While I have no plans to quit my day job anytime soon, I will be committing a number of hours each week (after-hours, on weekends) to running this effort. If I get to work with even another bride or two for next year that's great; if it takes a little time that's okay, too. I like the idea of having a side project that challenges me in a way totally unlike my day to day job, yet at the same time borrows some of the same skills. It can grow into what it will be without any pressure either way.
Let's see where it goes!
You can follow Cakestand Events happenings on facebook, twitter and pinterest.
Logo design is by ColorQuarry.
Last weekend we celebrated my sister and her fiance's couples shower in our hometown of Erie, PA. Because we all live in different parts of the country, we have to make the most of long holiday weekends for events like these!
Lots of DIY fun in this one. Handmade pom-pom napkin rings, hand-drawn wine labels, handmade flower pot nametag/picture holders, homemade cookies and cupcakes, the list goes on! For a door prize we had everyone submit their birth month and day (not year) when they first arrived and later in the event we gave a gift to the person with the birthday closest to their wedding day. And what a wonderful, colorful locale. The service was amazing and the food was delicious.
Here are the details:
Location & Catering: La Bella Restaurant in Erie, PA
Music: Ipod mix of the standards
Games: Wedding Shower Mad Lib & the "Shoe Game"
Cupcakes: Liz Freeman of Cakes & Bakes by Liz in Erie, PA
Assorted cookies: Ye Ole Sweet Shop and The Magic Cookie Company
Design Planning & Coordination: me & our mom, Maria
I am gearing up for my sister's wedding shower this weekend back home and have been having fun planning various activities and decor elements with my mom. I got the idea to do napkin rings for some kind of occasion after seeing the how-to across various blogs. So easy and cute!
I tried them with both soft, light-colored tissue paper as well as heavier metallic tissue paper. The results are both amazing but strikingly different. The lighter colors appear weightless and pretty; the metallics have a structural element to them that is really cool. Given this is a couples shower for both Amanda and Tom, maybe we'll use a little of both! Can't wait to post how it all turns out.
Instructions (from Martha Stewart):
Napkin Rings
1. Stack four sheets of tissue. Cut a 10-by-5-inch rectangle, going through all layers. Make 3/8-inch-wide accordion folds.
2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, slip over center of tissue, and twist to secure. Trim ends of tissue.
3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.
4. Bend wire into a loop to fit around napkin, and twist end around loop to secure.
Note, for the above I adapted her directions a little bit, making them 6 x 6 squares, not 10 x 5.
Happy Sunday! As we battened down the hatches this weekend in NYC it felt appropriate to share this image of our ceremony spot -- the weather was a perfect 70 and sunny in VA Beach on April 30! This is a picture of the hill to the right of the entrance at the Old Cavalier on the Hill at the beach, as I'm about to walk out with my dad.
Jedd and I decided to forgo the seated option at the last minute as a way to calm our nerves and increase the feeling of intimacy of the ceremony. It is still talked about by our guests as a very memorable approach to this part of the day, and it worked because the ceremony was fairly short and sweet. I'm sure the little sip of bubbly as they took their spots didn't hurt either!
For my northern and southern friends up and down the eastern seaboard, try to stay dry and please stay safe!
Photo credit: Eleise Theuer Photography.
