Wedding Food

If there is one thing that I could do over, it would be the food. 


I would go back for seconds and thirds and gorge myself. I might even ask for a to go box. I should get those recipes. Or maybe just hire the cook to be my personal chef.


Yes, it was that good. EVERYONE would agree with me. Josh wishes he had eaten more too. 


I wanted it to be Southern, so I tried to pick classic Southern dishes for dinner and dessert (with a few personal favorites thrown in there too). 


The menu:
* Fried Catfish. The outside was crispy, the inside was moist. It wasn't overly greasy. Best ever.
* Grilled Chicken. What was the sauce? Pure heaven. It was grilled, that's all I know. And that it was amazing.
* Fried Green Tomatoes. These were hard to come by, but they got them for us. It was a delightful cornmeal breading. Again fried to perfection. Oh, I wish I had eaten more...
* Shrimp 'n Grits. Hello wonderful. At our tasting they were a bit spicy. For the wedding they were perfect. Creamy, cheesy, comfort food. 
* Mashed Potatoes. All I remember is that they were delicious. And I want more.
* Green Beans. The "healthy" vegetable. Covered in buttery goodness.
* Fruit. There was fruit. And it looked beautiful. But how could anyone eat fruit with foods like those around?!

The signs Diane made were so CUTE!

You should get the guy on the left to cook for you if you have the chance

The Desserts:
* Chocolate Flan. A Cuban classic. We had some technical difficulties with the baking, but it turned out divine. Creamy, custardy, yumminess. 
* Red Velvet Cake. It doesn't get any more Southern, IMO. This is the cake we ended up cutting. Oh how I love cream cheese frosting.
* Orange Amaretto Cake. A favorite among many. How could you not like a cake soaked in Amaretto?
* Chocolate Cake. A classic. We had troubles with this cake in our test rounds, but it came through for us on baking day.
* Apple Pie. Josh's favorite. His mom made this. And luckily we had leftovers (that weren't left over for very long)
* Banana Pudding. Again, a Southern tradition.
* Bread Pudding. Josh's grandmother made it.

Wedding Table Decor

Let's compare the drawings with the real thing. 

Cake Table:

The pennant with "Dessert" was the only thing that I ended up not doing. The stained glass at the venue matched out colors perfectly. The florist chose forsythia to get the height I wanted in the back. Mom wrote the desserts on the chalk boards with a cute little picture. Fairly perfect I think. And fairly delicious!! 

Dining Tables:

Pretty much to a T. There were fewer vases (8 instead of 10) and the vases were all either clear or blue mason jars (no yellow vases, I didn't like how they looked). Also, you can see the middle planter box turned into a basket (coconut plant holder with the bottom cut off) with a candle & the table number. The venue also had tealight holders in the PERFECT shade of aqua that we were able to use. 

Escort Cards:

We used the same wood from the cake stands for our escort cards. These were not as level (as you can see from table 2). The actual escort cards were small gold pots that were $0.20 each. I put some styrofoam in, topped with moss cloth cut to a circle, jam in a popsicle stick with a paper flower on it. The names were held in with a mini-clothespin. Total cost for escort cards: $18

Simple DIYs:

* I bought 10 yards of burlap. I cut it into 2 5 yard pieces (so 15 feet each). Then I cut that in 4 lengthwise (so that I had 4 pieces that were 15' x about 12"). My kitchen floor was a disaster after that! Total cost: $15 for all of the burlap (I had a 50% off coupon).

* Coconut plant baskets were $1 each at the dollar store. I cut off the bottom (leaving about 4" at the top). Fill with moss, place a pillar candle in the middle! Total cost: $5 per table

* Flags above table: Cut or tear strips of fabric between 1" and 2" wide. They should be about 10" long. Fat Quarters would work well for this project. Tie onto twine. Done. Total cost: $5. I already had most of the fabric for other projects. 

Not so simple DIYs:

* We bought slices of wood in New Mexico. But they were too fat (like 4 - 5" wide). So the boy bought a saw and cut each slice in half to a more reasonable size. Then, once in Atlanta, he and his father took fire wood & cut in down in height to about 4" or 8" tall. Attach top slice with glue & nails. Total the project cost about $50 because we had to buy the wood (we are not lumberjacks who go into the forest and cut down our own trees)

All photos by Graham & Ashley Scobey

Venue: Simple Gatherings at Four Oaks Manor

Flowers: Laurens Flowers

wedding

I'm in love with my wedding. It was exactly what I wanted. In fact, if I could get married every day, I would, and I wouldn't change a thing. It was completely perfect. Oh, how I miss my wedding. The month has gone by so quickly! 


We were being considered for Southern Weddings Magazine, but ended up on the blog only. :( I couldn't publicize any pictures until they did. So now that they're all out there in the open, look for more infos about the wedding. 


Planning!


Here are the sketches I sent the florist & venue. And anyone who would listen. Click to see each image larger.

How I envisioned the dining tables. I wanted 12' tables, but I planned for 6' tables too just in case there wasn't space for the 12'. I didn't want ANY round tables. Something about them was just too...traditional. I have planned for 3 plants, candles, blue mason jar vases, clear vases (used mason jars), little critter, etc. You can read the key on the second image. Yes, I am that person. Just wait til you see how the tables turned out. I'll give you a hint, only ONE thing was different.

How I envisioned the cake/dessert table. 7 cakes, 2 levels, with cute little chalkboard signs and decorations like on the dining tables. Again, ONE thing ended up different. I must say that this project was a labor or love for Josh. His love for me, not for the project. 

Stay tuned for the after!