{wedding menus} surf's up!

Is there anything more fitting for a beach wedding than printing the menu on a bright surfboard?  I think not.  Surf's up & dinner is served!

Photography: Braedon Flynn Photography via

Have Your Cake . . .

Our Wedding Cake by Cake Boss

The delicate orchids decorating our wedding cake

Sitting Pretty!
(Photos by Friends)

A wedding cake should look good & taste even better. It's that simple. With our little old local bakery, Carlo's Bakery (aka Cake Boss), making our wedding cake, I was confident ours would be pretty & tasty!

Let's talk pretty first.

Our wedding was simple & elegant so we chose the cake design that best fit this vision. Our four-tier, square cake was covered in white fondant with white orchids cascading down the side. Oh so simple, oh so elegant.

Every last detail of our wedding cake was carefully planned & executed. The four tiers were suggested to feed our 125+ guests. The square shape was an absolute must for me; I'm a huge fan of square cakes & their clean lines. The all-white color scheme matched our winter white wedding. The white fondant was a different shade of white from the white orchids to keep the cake from blending into white nothingness.

Our pretty cake was surrounded by votive candles on a table with ivory linens directly behind our sweetheart table in the Manhattan Ballroom. It was a simply stunning display!

How did our wedding cake taste? Details tomorrow!!

EAT, Drink & Be Married

Bride & Groom enjoying their Entrees
(Photo by Friend)

Many Brides eat little to nothing at their Wedding. I was determined not to be that Bride. I believe in the "Eat, Drink & Be Married" philosophy. Much like life, there is a time for everything at a wedding: a time to dance, a time to laugh, a time to drink & a time to EAT. Our four-course Wedding Feast was near & dear to my heart & I'm happy to say we enjoyed every last bite.

Shortly after toasts, the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake appetizer was served. YUM! I'm a picky eater & my family teases me that my diet consisted solely of grilled cheese & chicken fingers until college when I added crab cakes to the mix (thank you, Maryland). They're exaggerating a bit but they're right that crab cakes are one of my favorite foods. As such, it was added to our tasting menu upon request & chosen for our wedding because it was delicious & reflected my tastes. Mmmm, great choice.

Next, the Apple, Endive and Feta Salad. The salad was a beautiful presentation of green apple slivers, purple endive slivers & pops of white feta cheese. RZ raved about it at our tasting & raved about it again at our wedding. While the appetizer was all me, the second course went to RZ. I can't speak to the taste of the salad because I, Mrs. Picky Eater, was served the Caprese Salad because I don't like feta cheese. I was quite happy with my tasty fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes & pesto.

We offered three entree selections: Tenderloin of Beef, Pan Seared Salmon & Pork Loin Medallions. There was also a vegetarian option available. We made our selections shortly after being seated at our Reception & we ordered the Tenderloin of Beef. It was our clear favorite at our tasting &, as far as we can tell, at our wedding too! We haven't talked to one person who didn't order & love the tenderloin. Although the theory of ordering two entrees & sampling our wedding food was tempting, we couldn't resist the tenderloin which was melt-in-your mouth good.

Last, but never least, was dessert. Zeppoles & cake which as far as I can tell are a match made in heaven. Oh zeppoles, how I love thee. I've been known to wait on line for over 30 minutes to get the famous zeppoles at our church's annual street festival. We were thrilled to add these doughy little balls of heaven to our wedding menu. When our zeppole basket was delivered to our sweetheart table, RZ & I almost knocked each other over to get to them first. They were piping hot & absolutely divine!!!

Are you wondering about our wedding cake from the Cake Boss?! Full details coming soon when I post about our cake cutting :-)

Will (or did) you eat at your wedding? Does your wedding menu reflect the food you enjoy?

Our Wedding Feast

Bride & Groom enjoying the Second Course
(plus a sneak peek at our cake!)
(Photo by Friend)

RZ & I celebrate everything with food- relationship milestones, job successes, family triumphs, etc. We toast the latest good news, then dive into a delicious appetizer, entree & dessert. It's our way.

As such, food at our wedding, our biggest celebrations to date, was a huge deal. We chose the Hyatt on the Hudson for many, many reasons & one important reason was the food. We didn't regret this decision one bit as we worked hand-in-hand with the Hyatt to create a custom wedding menu to reflect our personal preferences & tastes. This was one of our favorite parts of planning our wedding.

Here is our four-course Wedding Feast chosen by our hearts & our taste buds:

Appetizer:
Jumbo Lump Crab Cake

Salad:
Apple, Endive & Feta Salad (Caprese Salad for Mrs. Picky Bride)

Entree: Guest Selection of
Tenderloin of Beef, Pan Seared Salmon,
Pork Loin Medallions or Chef's Choice of Vegetarian Entree.

Dessert:
Zeppoles & Wedding Cake

My tummy is rumbling at the mere mention of this yummy food! Tune in tomorrow for the full report on our Wedding Feast!

Planning Nightmare

My exact sentiment about planning our rehearsal dinner
Print available on Etsy in breedingfancy's shop

Okay, I wanted to share the story of our rehearsal dinner with you today but I can hardly talk about the dinner without mentioning the planning of the dinner . . .

The planning of our rehearsal dinner was one of our biggest challenges. It took us five months, not to mention plenty of blood, sweat & tears. The premise seemed so simple: a casual dinner to celebrate with our bridal party, families & out-of-town guests. Sounds easy, right? Nope, not in Hoboken. I started out focusing on our favorite restaurants, then tried anything & everything. Most restaurants are too small for private parties & the few that can accommodate large parties charge a fortune. Frustrating.

After getting nowhere fast, we decided to host our rehearsal dinner at the Hyatt on the Hudson to keep things easy for ourselves & our guests. The Hyatt offered us the Harborside Room, a good-sized room with pretty views of the Statue of Liberty. We were on the right track! But it wasn't as easy as we hoped. We didn't like any of the plated or buffet dinner options because they were too formal, very similar to our wedding menu. We wanted the rehearsal dinner & wedding to be vastly different especially now that the venue was essentially the same. I began to wonder if McDonald's would mind a party of 50.

The Hyatt sent me their complete corporate & private catering menu in what I can only guess was sheer desperation. I stumbled upon a "themed snack break" of soft pretzels, french fries & funnel cake. My stomach growled at the mere thought of my favorite foods. We were on to something! With the easy additions of salads, 3 choices of pizza & 3 choices of sliders, we were set. We sent out easy, cute invitations from Pingg & called it a day. At last, we had managed to create the fun, casual rehearsal dinner of our dreams!

Check in tomorrow for the scoop on my last dinner as a Soon-to-Be Mrs.!

Fall Into Savings

The chill is in the air, the leaves are changing & Fall savings are HERE! Just in time for Fall & Winter Brides, Koru is happy to offer 15% off ceremony program, escort card & menu orders now through November 24!! All you have to do is follow three, easy steps to receive this generous discount at Koru Wedding Shoppe. For full details, please visit our Noteworthy page.

Ceremony programs are wonderful keepsakes of your marriage ceremony. They're the perfect place to detail the ceremony order, the bridal party, the special customs & the thank you. We recommend one per couple, although some Brides prefer one per guest. Naturally, we can customize the program to perfectly coordinate with your wedding. Now 15% off ceremony programs like these:

Classic Program with Ribbon
Program by Chloe B. Weddings
Available at Koru Wedding Shoppe

Escort cards are displayed in the Reception entryway & indicate which table the guest is assigned for the Reception. Some couples also provide Place cards at each setting, indicating the guest's seat at that table. Escort & Place cards can be arranged for a beautiful display at your Reception. Now 15% off escort cards like these:

Traditional Escort Card with Ribbon
Escort Card by Chloe B. Weddings
Available at Koru Wedding Shoppe

Menu cards announce the wedding meal is being served at the Reception. Brides may order one menu per guest, one per couple or one per table. It depends on the design & look of your Reception tables. Now 15% off menus like these:

Lavish Menu with Ribbon
Menu by Chloe B. Weddings
Available at Koru Wedding Shoppe

Visit Noteworthy for the Fall 15% off Savings details & I hope to see you soon to assist you with your program, escort cards &/or menu orders!

Pretty in Pink, Part Two

Pretty in Pink escort card & menu

Pretty in Pink design close-up

Above items were designed to perfectly coordinate
with the Pretty in Pink pocket invitation

The design started here with the wedding invitation

I experience a short mourning period when my Brides & Grooms get married. Whether I was assisting them with invitations or helping them with planning, I miss their phone calls, emails & visits. Such is the case with the Pretty in Pink couple. I started designing their wedding invitation with them in November & throughout the next few months, we worked on escort cards, menus & a Soon-to-Be Mrs. hoodie together. Then they got married in late June & they happily entered newlywed territory. Sigh.

But let's concentrate on the positive here. Don't you love the escort cards & menus designed to match their wedding invitations? I adore it when a Bride & Groom carry through a design in all of their wedding stationery. The shimmer paper, pink design & chocolate fonts were a constant from the wedding invitation to the escort card to the menu. Simply beautiful!

Taste of the Tropics

Jullian's full stationery set is on display
at Koru Wedding Shoppe

A table number, escort card & menu fit for the tropics

The wedding menu describing a feast reflecting the local tastes

Matching table numbers & escort cards to show the wedding guests the way!

I'm in full "Life Goes On" mode today. Gucci & Kaydee are missed so much but I can't sit home & mope. I don't know how to function any other way. Since I can't wallow, watching bad movies & eating tubs of ice cream, I'm going to concentrate on something happy & fun.

On that note, I wanted to share with you a complete stationery set designed for a destination wedding in Puerto Rico. Can you get much better than thinking of palm trees & sunshine? I showcased Jullian's wedding invitation in January, maybe you remember. Her wedding invitation featured a Mango design with Slate print, just perfect for an elegant, tropical wedding. I was thrilled when she came to me last month to order matching menus, table numbers & escort cards. While you don't have to follow any rules, it's great to carry a theme throughout your wedding for a cohesive feel. Jullian's wedding guests will be greeted with escort cards informing them of their table assignment. Table numbers will guide them to the correct table. Finally, a wedding menu will detail their meal of local flavors. Each stationery item perfectly coordinates with the wedding invitation & each other. Jullian put a lot of heart & thought into her wedding design & it will show. Her wedding guests are so lucky!

I wish Jullian & Gregory a lifetime of love, laughter & happily ever after!