Celebrate: A Bash at Bubby’s

I love a restaurant wedding.  For one, the food is being made on premise which is a huge plus, and unlike catering halls, you’re paying for the food, not the space.  Given my love of these more intimate, food-prioritized weddings you can imagine how much I enjoyed this Brooklyn wedding at Bubby’s.  I’ve never been to Bubby’s but reading their menus I now want to go.  And in addition to what looks like amazing food (including some dazzling pies) it’s a very pretty space, with views of the Brooklyn Bridge.  Above all else, these photographs by Daniel Krieger remind me why I love city weddings: in each photo, Krieger manages to contrast urban grit with pure romance.  From an editorial perspective this visual juxtaposition of the bitter and the sweet seems like an honest entre to marriage: not perfect, not a fairytale, but rather a glimmer of beauty among all that is ordinary and real. You can view more photos from this beautiful wedding here.

Say Yes: A Spanish Inspired Wedding

Adela by Pronovias

Cross posted from the amazing Hostess Wars:

I’m a big fan of culturally inspired weddings.  Just beware: there’s a fine line between adding a few special touches and making your guests feel like they’ve stumbled into Epcot Center.  The trick is to choose several key elements and allow the culture to influence rather than overwhelm the design.

I recently returned from Madrid and so a Spanish-inspired wedding has been on my brain (in part because I tried to sneak into walked by the Pronovias flagship store). Madrid is a subtle and formal city, so those characteristics can underscore the event: a gown embellished with lace and ruffles, high candelabra centerpieces, a Spanish guitar trio for the cocktail hour, nicely bottled olive oil as favors.

It is also a city in which food plays a dominant role in socializing and celebrating, and so the food ought to be the event’s cultural anchor.  You could, in fact, forgo a formal sit down dinner and instead, opt for an ongoing flow of hot and cold tapas.  But for the bride with her heart set on a feast, I asked Leah Obegi of Pier Personal Chef in Los Angeles to help me create a menu that captured the various culinary traditions of Spain. ¡Buen provecho!

Celebrate: An Elegant Boston Affair

Check out this beautiful Boston wedding brought to us courtesy of Person + Killian Photography.  The wedding began with a ceremony at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, and ended with a knock-out party at The State Room, which boasts amazing views of Boston.  Enjoy!

Yum: Cheese Cake

Perhaps you’re not a sweet eater.  Maybe you’re on a carb-free diet.  Then again, maybe you just really like cheese. If so, consider a cheese tower in leiu of a cake. 

Photo Courtesy of TheCheeseShed.com

From The Cheese Shed:

Using black and white cheeses creates a striking, dramatic and much more designed look.  Finding cheeses to make this was quite a challenge, and to do it we’ve had to venture a little outside our usual Westcountry selection. But the seven-layer result is one that we’re delighted with, and if you want to amaze your guests this might be one way to do it!

The black cheeses are waxed, and two of them (the biggest and smallest) are the Snowdonia Cheese Company’s ‘Black Bomber’.  Now take note: this is a properly strong cheddar.  The middle-sized black cheese, however, is a great contrast – Devon’s own Curworthy, a lovely mild, easy-going thing.

As for the whites, down at the base is a Cambazola – the very popular German blue brie.  Next one up is a Duckett’s Caerphilly – a classic which, again, will contrast nicely with the cheddar.  A small Somerset Camembert and a very small Gevrik complete the picture.

Bonus: most cheese towers are less expensive than a cake of equal measure. 

(h/t to Wedding Window)