Dance Fever!

Although my new hubby is NOT a fan of dancing and 3 dances was all I got out of him, it was more than I’d thought I’d get! Everyone else however, danced like crazy! The kids were hilarious! During every official dance and otherwise, kids were galloping and waltzing all over the dance floor! It was a blast!! I got in as much dancing as I could when I wasn’t otherwise distracted with pictures, talking with guests, trying to take it all in, etc! It was during the dancing that my the hubby disappeared quite a bit to avoid having to get out there!

Apparently there was even a lot of dancing going on before Ray and I even made it to the reception…I LOVE these pictures of my little girlies swirling around! My photographer had a great time with them! (and don’t their dresses look cute! Made by the two little twirlers wonderful mom!)

 

And now the wild boys! (video of the boys is much funnier than these pictures! Ray’s groomsman’s son, my cousin’s and nephews were dancing kings- and they knew it!)

Did you see the beads around the boys necks?? I had tons of stuff laid out on the kid’s tables, spilling out of sand buckets…games, jewelry, toys, lots of stuff to keep them entertained. Most of the beads, ended up on the BOYS – Mardi-gras style! I’m just hoping they didn’t steal them from the girls Mardi-gras style!! Ha!

My bro Craig and my good friend Josh were my DJ’s. Josh has known my family for years, so they did a great job picking out tunes! His wife was also my lovely coordinator! So of course, they picked out a very fitting song.

Their most obvious choice was “Stacey’s Mom.” Oh yes….it was a requirement and yes, my mom does have it goin’ on! The groomsmen dragged her out on the floor and they along with myself and my bridesmaids loudly serenaded her through the whole song! Now, my mom– is NOT a music listener! I don’t know that she’d ever even heard of the song before- except for the time I played it for her on my phone to show her it was her ring tone! They tried to get Ray to help serenade her out on the dance floor, but it didn’t happen!

It seemed like every time I tried to dance with my maids, I got pulled away, but we still had a blast!!

Betcha can’t guess what song we were dancin to here! I thoroughly protested against group dances, but for some reason they’re always requested at weddings! So, I just went with it! As long as the YMCA wasn’t on the playlist!

But….ummm….what exactly is going on here? Can’t say I remember this moment, but it kinda looks like the YMCA?? Or was it “Shout” and everyone is “throwing hands up?” Oh no!

However, I am ok with the dance line! It’s always funny!

My grams requested a special song for us to dance to…although I pretty much hate the song, I’ll do just about anything for her! After all she’s 85 and can still get down, so let her have her fun! She requested “Achy Breaky Heart.” Yes, you read that right. Supposedly in honor of a certain student I used to teach (since Grams is a little too old to actually know any of her songs, but knows her dad’s! Ugh!)

She grabbed me and a couple of my youth girls and created her own “line dance.”

And these pictures pretty much express how crazy things were all night!

 

Did you notice who was missing from all of these pictures?? He didn’t get back in the action until our last dance! Since he’d told me he wasn’t dancing after our first and the one with his mom, I didn’t pick out a last dance song.  No worries, plenty of people to pick that out for me….let’s just say a little Marvin Gaye was going on….and I’m glad that I was married because it would’ve been embarrassing dancing to THAT in front of my guests! Hehe!

Then it was time to take off for our bed and breakfast in our balloon filled car! The guys had to beg my dad for the keys to the rental so that they could do something! I know I’m particular, but I did NOT want to drive off in a car with dirty things written all over it, so that’s why we got a rental! That, and driving away in a Mustang convertible on your wedding night is just pretty darn amazing! Besides, I’ve already ridden with Ray in a car with filthy stuff and condoms hanging everywhere. Last year when my BFF got married they decorated BOTH their cars not knowing which they’d use and we had to drive her husband’s truck!

 

THE END!

(or at least, the end of what you get to know about!!) 

Dinner Reception

As previously mentioned, we held a cake reception and a dinner reception after our wedding! We wanted to be able to have the traditional dinner/dancing reception, but didn’t want to have to limit the guest list due to the higher cost of serving guests dinner! So we decided to do both! Everyone was invited to the cake reception, and family, wedding party, and anyone who helped with the wedding were all invited to the dinner. It was hard to decide who to invite to what, so that was what we came up with!

Our dinner reception was held at Old Natchez Country Club in Franklin, TN. Our coordinator, Debbie was fabulous! She made sure that every detail was put in place and carried through, from setting up our table designs, working with the chef on the perfect menu, shooing the kids away from places they shouldn’t be, to making sure that Ray and I actually ate something!

(I love that you can see my chocolate fountain in this pic!)

We had a buffet dinner, which I never saw, since our plates were brought to us, and which I heard was wonderful but didn’t really even taste it until we ate our goodie bag they sent with us later that night! The best stuff was the Coconut Chicken, with a mango sauce, and Marinated Flank Steak. Oh, that and the cupcakes and the chocolate fountain!

Of course, here is where the cupcakes I have so long raved about (here, here, here, and here!) made their debut! People are STILL talking about these babies!

 

                   

Here’s my favorite pictures of our decor. I worked my butt off planning all of this, since I’d kept the church decor simple and left the cake reception up to my mom and Sherri! While I didn’t actually put any of this out, I worked hard on buying, ordering, and designing it all! The lovely escort cards (which I was THRILLED with!) were done by my friend Susanna, with sand dollars I bought at one of my favorite beach shops in NC. (So yes, some things really were from the beach!)

During our official dances, we invited other couples, fathers and daughters, and mothers and sons to come join us about halfway through the respective songs. It’s kinda awkward to just sit and stair at one pair of dancers.

Our first dance was to “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers. My all time favorite song!

 

Our Father Daughter Dance was “Cinderella” by Stephen Curtis Chapman. It had just come out when I got engaged, and my dad had to listen to it for months in order to make it through the actual dance! He cried when we “practiced” a couple months before!

I loved seeing the other fathers dance with their daughters!  Here’s my brother, Rob, dancing with his girls, my brother-in-law Hector and Kaylee,  and then my Jr. Bridesmaids dancin with their daddy.

 

His Mother son dance was to Christina Aguilera’s “Por Siempre Tu” (Her Spanish version of “I Turn to You.”). He was super cute dancing with his mom, as was my brother Craig with our mom, and my sis-in-laws- Carla dancing with Nicholas and Lindsey dancing with Baby Grey!

After a few dances, it was dinner time!

Then a few impromptu speeches!

 

 

After all that, and an outdoor picture session (which I’ll feature pictures from later!), it was time for some serious dancing! It was so crazy and fun, it merits its own post! Stay tuned!

(I’m currently playing with layouts, as I didn’t love the sidebar placement on the last and trying to get my pics to show up normal! Sorry if you see a few changes!)

Beach cupcakes!

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you already know how in love I am with these!

If you haven’t seen this before, this is one of the cupcakes from Cakes by Shara, which won a Martha Stewart cupcake contest!!

Anyways, I’ve tasted her cupcakes at a few wedding events and parties (including one DIVINE chocolate cupcake from the SATC party!), but still wanted to set up a tasting to choose the three flavors for my cupcakes at my dinner reception. I already knew for SURE that chocolate would be one guaranteed! )

These are the cuties that she made up for me!

And a close up of the big one so you can see the details of the adorable (and yummy!) shells!

All of the shells and the blue “waves” are made from fondant, and there is icing below the waves too. I’ve never been a huge fan of fondant, but apparently that was because I’d never tasted fondant done right. This…was amazing…and sparkly! Very yummy!!

The big one is chocolate, the white one front/left is strawberry, white one back/left is orange, and the back blue one is vanilla cake with amaretto icing….YUM!!!

I decided on the chocolate, strawberry and amaretto. I was going to do them all medium size and all with the blue, but after seeing how cute the other ones were (and maybe not everyone would like fondant), I decided to do some of the white too!

And we thought since all the little ones at the wedding might be snagging cupcakes left and right, we’d make minis like these she made for the Relish party. They’ll have blue icing with a smaller version of the shell on them.

I’m also getting a cupcake tree similar to this one! But with the center columns in navy!

So we’ll have about 60 mini’s and 60 medium cupcakes!! I can’t wait to see how cute they will look all together!!

If you are at ALL interested in getting cupcakes for your wedding in place of or even along with a cake (I’m having a cake too earlier in the day at a larger cake reception- made by Cake by Dake.)

Here’s some other adorable/beautiful cupcakes that Shara has made- all pics from her blog Cakes by Shara Lunn…

These monkeys are too super cute!!

 

Beautiful flowers and pearls!

Valentine’s Day!

 

 

And my fave, other than the one I’m getting! (hmmm, I wonder why I like it??!) If I’d done pink and aqua….guaranteed I’d want this beauty!!!

And a more close-up pic of the custom cupcake stands she makes!

Visit Cakes by Shara now and check out all her amazing cakes too!!

More Signature Drinks!

(from patriciapiccinini.net)

I was reading through one of Gram’s Quick and Simple magazines she’d given me awhile back but had misplaced and never read- when I noticed a great article on “Bubblies, punches, mocktails and more….” Technically, they’re New Year’s drinks since it’s from their new year’s edition (yeah, I’m behind!), but they could work great as signature drinks!

I searched hard to find them on the website and no luck….so, I copied this from their December 25, 2007 issue……….

1. Cherry Classic
Crush up some ice and place in margarita glass. Drizzle in a few teaspoons of grenadine or the juice from a jar of maraschino cherries. Slowly pour in seltzer (look for vanilla  seltzer to create a cherry-vanilla flavor), and let the liquids combine into a pretty shade of pink. Top it off with a marachino cherry, or skewer a few on a swizzle stick.

2. Mango Bellini
Puree the flesh of 1 ripe mango in a blender until smooth (my note- mango’s can be tricky- use a veggie peeler to peel then slice the fruit until you feel resistance from the seed- those seeds are weird! You can rarely get it all off!)
For each reveler, mix 1 Tbsp. of the puree with prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) or a sparking white grape juice in a martini glass or champagne flute. Garnish the rim with fresh mango slices (we used a star-shaped cookie cutter to make it even more festive)

3. Choco-Bean Chiller
Make a pool of chocolate syrup on a small plate. Dip the top of a martini glass into the syrup for a chocolately rim. Add some crushed ice to the glass then carefully pour some store-bought eggnog and a shot of coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua) or espresso. (Not exactly the right season for this drink so keep it in mind for later!)

4. Faux-jito
In the bottom of a tall glass, use the handle of a long wooden spoon to mash several mint leaves with 1 tsp. sugar and a splash of lime juice. Add a few ice cubes, fill the glass with ginger ale and give it a stir. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

5. Candied Apple Toddy (great for fall wedding!)
In a small saucepan, heat 2 cups of apple cider with a spoonful of cinnamon candies (such as Red Hots), stirring occasionally, until the cider is hot and the candy has melted. Pour into mugs and stir a small dab of butter into each. Spike it with rum, if you like.

6. Party Punch
In a large punch bowl, mix 1/2 cup frozen limeade concentrate (thawed) with a 64-oz. (1/2 gallon) container of grapefruit juice. Add plenty of ice, a cup or two of lemon-lime seltzer and some thin citrus slices. Ladle into cups and start sipping.

7. Nada Colada
In a blender, combine 3 parts pineapple juice with 1 part cream of coconut (not coconut milk), 1/2 tsp. almond extract and lots of crushed ice. Pulse until smooth and frosty. Pour into glasses, sprinkle with flaked coconut and garnish with a pineapple wedge. Add a little paper umbrella!

8. Ginger Beer
Fill a chilled mug or a tall glass with ginger beer (look for Goya or Reed’s brands at your supermarket). Scoop in some creamy vanilla ice creamand sprinkle chopped crystallized ginger on top. Serve with a spoon and a straw!

>q&s tip- To crush ice, place cubes in a resealable plastic bag, cover with a towel and pound with a rolling pin or heavy skillet

These would also be great party or shower drinks!! I’m also loving this recipe for Mimosas from my fellow bride blogger. Anna on her fantastic blog Southern Fancy!

Refer to my last post on signature cocktails for more ideas!

Feliz Cinco de mayo!!!

In honor of today, I thought I’d share some lovely Mexican inspired wedding ideas! If I didn’t already have my theme planned, I might go with some of this stuff!!

And just for a little history lesson (I have to teach my students this every year!!), Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexico’s Independence Day (contrary to what many gringos believe!). It’s simply a celebration of the victory at the Battle of Pueblo. Somehow, it gets more attention in the US and is often celebrated by us crazy gringos here more than in Mexico! However, it is celebrated there too in great style! Trust me, I know!! I unknowingly stepped into the middle of a Cinco de Mayo parade once in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico- a border town near El Paso, TX.  Becky and I had wondered why they market was so quiet that day! Hehe! Also Ray heard lots of fireworks the other day while talking to his mom and dad on the phone- who are in San Julian, Mexico!

So here’s some fun inspiration, for weddings or for Cinco de Mayo inspired parties!! )

(pic from favorideas.com)

Mmmmmm, mojitos! I love the contrasting splash of color with the pink placemat!

(pic from favorideas.com)

You can’t really claim to be Mexican or like Mexican food if you don’t love Hot Sauce (Ahhhem! Ray??) How cute is this personalized hot sauce for favors?

This board is from wedding planner Linnyette Richardson, often featured on the Style Networks, whose wedding is it anyway. I LOVE these champagne flutes with salsa!!

(another from favorideas.com)

Fiesta Lanterns from Oriental Trading Company

Fiesta Drink/Toothpick Parasols also from OTC

Separate reception areas ala Rosepepper’sfun/crazy beads! (see below for more Rosepepper info!)

A Mexican/Cinco de Mayo theme can also be great for a rehearsal dinner or shower! We might do our rehearsal dinner Mexican style. However, I’m slightly afraid to offend my new “Mexican” family, since an American’s idea of Mexican food, is NOT what is really eaten in Mexico!

If you’re in Nashville, be sure to hit up a great Mexican restaurant today or sometime soon! My absolute fave is Rosepepper Cantina. It’s a great little place hidden away in East Nashville. If I wasn’t on a diet, that’s where you’d find me today! Let’s hope I don’t cave in and head there anyways…..although just thinking about it my mouth is watering for their super delicious cheese dip, chimichangas, quesadillas, and drinks!! Yuuuuummmmm! If you don’t feel that adventurous, head to Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant (just google or citysearch it, they’re all over the place!)

I’ll be thinking about Mexico all month long with my student’s current Marketplace project! We’re recreating all kinds of handicrafts and practicing how to buy/sell them to each other!! Soon we’ll have a fun day filled with Mexican food and the kids all dressed up to show off the Mexican spirit! And then….school will be over!!! ) YAY SUMMER!! I’ll drink a margarita to that!! )

Yummy goodness!!! :o)

I love cupcakes….they make me think happy childhood thoughts, of birthday parties, and less stressful times!! One of the great things about being a teacher (great for the spirit, not for the waistline), is that almost any time a kid has a birthday- they bring cupcakes or other goodies for their class AND the teachers! ) Even ones other than their homeroom teachers. I’m ever so happy to get a yummy homemade goodie- like the one I got on Wednesday- that had some of the best homemade chocolate icing I’ve ever had!!

For some reason, this has been the week of the cupcake for me!

Last week was my maid of honor, Bridget’s birthday. We went out to lunch on Saturday along with Kelley, and I made our fave cupcakes from when B and I used to live together….I had a bit of a Martha Stewart moment and got creative with an icing tip and a Ziploc baggie! The strawberry cake with cream cheese icing was quite yummy!

These were ones I finished up after lunch, and I was running low on icing- hence the gaps! The others were better looking- except of course I smushed the one for the b-day girl on the way there. I also branded them with our initials….BSK, which stands for the name of our “band”- the Bull S*** Kittens! Hehe!

When I brought these leftover ones to my parents later that night….my mom said I should’ve been the one to make the cupcakes for my sis-in-law’s baby shower the next day!! Oh well, they’d been ordered before I ever had a chance to try my hand at it myself! )

The one’s for Lindsey’s shower were quite cute too with the lifesaver/jelley belly pacifier’s that my mom made on top! These were from Publix and were really good, we just wished we could’ve gotten a wrapper color other than yellow!

I’d wanted to get one of my friends to make the cupcakes, but she was out of town and we were too down to the last minute to special order them…..too bad I didn’t read these next ideas from Ashley’s Bride Guide until later in the week!!

I’d seen this cupcake place last Monday (also after the shower! gr!) and thought it looked really cute and was very tempted to stop….however at the beginning of the week I was keeping my diet- not so the rest of the week! I’ll get back on track this coming week! A girl needs a break…oh about once a month!! Haha!

Ashley always finds the best stuff, and I wasn’t surprised to see she’d found Gigi’s!!

This kicks my cupcakes’ rear ends! And those from Publix!! ) Anyone up for heading to Gigi’s Cupcakes with me?? )

As I’m finishing reading Ashley’s post on Gigi’s, I noticed the most beeeaaauuuttttiiiifffuuuulll cupcake I’ve ever seen to the side of the page (right under the blurb about myself- The Fabuless Bride, and Anna- Belle Bride)

Ok….my heart is fluttering with how in love I am with this cupcake as I’m about to post it!!
It’s from Cake’s by Shara- a local, whose stuff I’ve seen and tasted at a bridal show! Super yummy and cute!! This cupcake def should’ve been on display! It was one of the winner’s of a Martha Stewart cupcake contest! And it’s a beach themed cupcake!! I didn’t know you could DO beach themed cupcakes!! How many more things that I love can you get into one small cupcake…..ta da!!!
(ok…thank GOODNESS for WordPress having such a great auto save!! I’m not kidding….the moment I typed “ta da!!” my computer screen went dark…I thought the lights went out, turns out my laptop cord fell out- and of course my battery hasn’t worked for months!! WHOOPS! But it was ALL here when I turned it back on!)
Sooooo…ta da here’s my all time fave cupcake!!! (oh please don’t turn off again!!)

I will be contacting Shara soon to get these babies! Not sure what for….I already have my cake, but somehow I HAVE to have them!!! )