Sips & Bites!

Ah Food and Drink… that’s what everyone comes to a wedding to do isn’t?  {Besides exclaim over how the lace pattern on our invitations matched the lace inlays on my dress, obviously.}

I’ll start with the beverages… we were very lucky to have picked a venue that let us bring in our own alcohol.  We saved a pretty penny by buying wholesale from Specs and Costco.  The quotes we received from other venues for just beer and wine (and I’m talking only Miller Lite and Yellow Tail) were at least twice what we ended up paying for our booze.  We did decide to cut out the hard liquor as both of us are winos and neither side of the family cared about the lack of vodka or bourbon.  It was wonderful to be able to select beer and wine that we enjoy in our everyday lives and not be forced to pay a huge mark-up.  In place of a “signature cocktail,” we had a Bubbly Bar, featuring prosecco and cava displayed in huge ice bowls.  Guests could choose to drink the good stuff “straight” or mix their own custom champagne cocktail with Chambord, fresh berries, Bitters soaked sugar cubes, hibiscus flowers, or pomegranate and peach puree.  The Bubbly Bar was a huge hit with our guests – and with me, as I was nary without a Kir Royale the entire evening (as it should be!).

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The food – catered by the ever-delicious Primizie – was comprised of traditional dishes with some twists and spunk!  We wanted fare that was familiar to our guests but not your typical wedding buffet offerings at the same time.

Passed appetizers included:

  • Goat Cheese Prosciutto and Asparagus
  • Crispy Baby Artichokes
  • Parmesan Crackers with Shrimp and Fava Bean Spread

The buffet featured:

  • Strawberry Spinach Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
  • Spring Wood Roasted Vegetables
  • Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
  • Pork Tenderloin with Peaches and Balsamic Vinaigrette
  • Grilled Sirloin Steak Roulade with Basil Pesto

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Now for the Sweet Stuff!

I wanted something extremely simple design-wise for our wedding cake.  I wanted the flavor to be the biggest standout and didn’t want to risk having a cake baked days prior to the wedding in order to decorate.  I fell in love with a very understated design – almost homemade-looking – with vertical icing strokes and a few random, full (fresh) ranunculus popped into the sides.  I love, love, love cinnamon and all things Spanish, so the tiers all featured tres leches cake with cinnamon filling and cinnamon buttercream icing.  The first and third layers also featured fresh strawberries.  The finished product was light and moist to taste – absolutely delicious!  I wish I’d gotten more than one bite!

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Evan does not like cake but loves cookies, so we had a “Groom’s Cookie Bar” instead of the traditional grooms’ cake.  Some of his favorite cookies are made by my grandmother, so Mama J made over 700 pink heart butter press cookies for our cookie bar!  Our baker, Michelle’s Patisserie, not only made our cake but also contributed the rest of the cookies – oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, and snickerdoodles.  All the goodies were displayed on vintage cake stands of varying heights.  Guests could eat their cookies with their cake, take them home as a favor in personalized bags from For Your Party, or both!  We also served brandy milk punch – a Moynahan Family Easter favorite – in old-timey champagne saucers.  

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Up next… My Favorite Details of the Day!