The Wedding Reception- Finally Here!

food finally on the table!

Grilled lamb chops and scallions with cream cheese and salami



Penny's olive dip

tomato and mozarella basil boats

roasted corn salad in peppers

roasted asparagus in prociutto



roasted red pepper cheesecake

mini beet napoleons



Strawberry tree

top of cake for amy and john to take home

macaroons on the sweets table

frozen floral ice bucket made of peonies, roses and herbs

"let them eat cake" dessert martinis complete with angel food cake stirrers

such a pretty drink!

close up of the frozen ice bucket - love to make these as they are such a surprise when unveiled!

now full of wine and champagne!

angel in the center of driveway holding flowers in basket

Lloyd pouring champagne from rhinestone embellished bottle

floral bouquets throughout the house

statue holding bouquet on buffet in dining room

the amazing cooks, decorators , bottle washers and just all around great team

time to clean up

jobs complete and we are still smiling and good friends!

After all, isn't this what its really all about???   Fairy tales do come true!

 

 

A true team- the Romancing the Home girls do it again!  What can I say-  when this group of women put their minds to it- magic just happens!   Laurell, Candy, Penny, Katha, Julie, Linda, and Christy all made Amy and John"s day happen.  It was a gorgeous 75 degree day - the sun was shining and people were happy!  It was so much fun meeting John and Amy's delightful family and really fun friends, just a great mix of people.  Each of the RTH girls helped prepare the food and decor.  When we toured Amy through the special touches that we had made for her, tears flowed- both from her eyes and ours.  Lloyd kept all the glasses full  and replenished. Jesse, Laurell's daughter in law, did an amazing job taking great pictures of the event.  I love a the intimate gathering of friends and family in one's home- it gives a home its soul.  The girls really did an amazing job - so professional yet so personal for our Amy.  We love you Amy! We will be joining www.betweennapsontheporch.net for Tablescape Thursday.


Wedding Reception at Home- the Morning Of!

morning light in the dining room - so soft and dewy

gorgeooooous  flowers by Twigs- my fav

roes, hydrangeas, jasmine in soft pinks - so Amy

The box we made for Amy - a piece of old rhinestone jewelry from each of us is in the box.
Thank you Linda D. for the perfect box!

the wedding cake iced with organic edible sugared roses- 3 layers of chocolate, almond and red velvet

mini martini glasses with sugared rims ready for the dessert martinis

flower bouquets through the house of dahlias, butterfly plant, queen Anne's lace and apples from my neighbors tree

just taking the roasted grapes with sea salt and thyme out of the oven !

foyer table, blending the outside porch with the inside decor- rustic and sweet!

front porch ready for the party thanks to Candy and Penny!

apples, lavender, and mums

Mr. RTH built this stand for our mixture of  bar ware- been collecting odds and ends for a while now, so when one gets broken, no one has to feel bad.  Just go find another odd ball glass for the collection!

Candy and Penny created wonderful romantic vignettes on the porch tables

bar set up at the end of the porch

mona lavender plant and kale from Home Depot!  Pretty in the French planter from the store.

It is the morning of John and Amy's wedding reception and the house is very quiet at the moment. That will change in an hour!  Very soon  the RTH girls will arrive and the busy task of getting all the food ready for the table will begin!  But right now  it is fun to enjoy the decorations that Penny, Candy and I did yesterday.   We have a few more things to do with flowers this morning and need to finish setting up the bar.  I am looking forward to the day and hope it is everything that Amy and John would want!

Wedding Reception Preparation- The Buffet and Table

the buffet complete with the Wedding Feast menu by Joy- AKA Savvy City Farmer

a layered look of crystal, distressed woods and gilded accessories- styled by Joy

The wedding menu gives the "essence" of the feast to be served on Sunday in honor of Amy and John

Pretty little golded etched votives are sprinkled throughout the buffet

Graceful lady statue is holding a bouquet of hydrangeas and the wedding invitation 

Joy can customize these menu boards for any occasion

Old parchment tubes are used to give a sense of history to the event.

A glance from the buffet table to the buffet

Laurell painted the old urn an antique gold - before it was solid black! A huge bouquet of flowers and vines from
Twigs - my favorite florist- will sit on top and flow on to the table!

Laurell's aged mirror in the old frames will be perfect serving trays for the food.

Statues placed on the food table are deciding what to wear!

Crystal and silver bowls, pedestals and trays are placed in varying height on the table

ready for the grilled lamb chops!

 

 

embossed napkins in glass compote tied with sateen ribbon

Amy and John's party invitation cannister being used as a votive holder on the buffet, tying everything together!

 

Yesterday, Joy from www.savvycityfarmer.com , came to my home  to deliver the menu board that she had made for the wedding reception  on Sunday.  It's fabulous!  She visited a while and helped me stage the buffet with the board and all  the serving plates and napkins.  Gorgeous embossed cream and gold napkins were layered in the tall compotes, ribbon was tied on stems and candles were placed through out the vignette.  Thanks Joy - I think it looks great!  The table is complete with all the menu cards, serving vessels and utensils that will be  needed on Sunday.  Laurell did a beautiful job  painting the old black urn antique gold- it's perfect for the table.  Her aged mirrors will look so pretty with the candles and food displayed on them.  I can't wait to see the table with the beautiful flowers from Twigs and all the delicious food!

Wedding Reception Preparation Continues - Making Rhinestone Bouquets

Love this little hand dyed bird- done for me by a talented lady in Atlanta

A trophy filled with old buttons, rhinestone pins, mesh roses and vintage velvet millinery leaves.

The old silver basket on the left was my moms

 

Until yesterday, I was still searching for the unique and creative  accents for the upcoming wedding reception.  I have seen a lot of "brooch bouquets" made of old vintage pins and buttons on different wedding blogs lately.  However, yesterday at Grayslake, I found my inspiration piece- an old tarnished silver coffee pot filled with a "brooch bouquet".  I purchased it from a very talented artist who's real business is making these incredible bracelets and she uses the leftover bits of jewelry to create these "whimseys".  So I purchased one and when home to work on it.  I removed the elements that didn't work with our party decor and re-created the little rhinestone bouquet using different leaves and adding in a stellar vintage rhinestone pin. Then I was on a roll- went out to the craft room, unearthed my rhinestone treasures and got busy making 4 more of these unique little treasures.  My favorite is the tall basket that was my moms.  I used some of her old rhinestone pins in it. ( I think these will be great for the holidays too! They will be perfect for powder rooms - small and sparkley)  So I think I'll make more for the store for our Christmas open house.) I wish the photos did these justice  - but they don't pick up the sparkle and depth of each piece.

Then I had an idea and called the girls- how about everyone contribute an old piece of rhinestone jewelry from their jewelry boxes and we will make a special "whimsey" for Amy using all of our combined contributions.  Tomorrow, I will start gathering the pieces from each of the girls and begin to create a special bouquet for Amy. can't wait to see how it turns out!