Single Man Learns Single Ladies Dance

One of my bridesmaids and I watched this video last night while waiting for J. crew site to come back online and I could not stop laughing. First, I'm very intrigued by his ability to be so spot on with the timing and choreography. Second, I was mesmerized by how well he performed it. My fiance didn't appreciate it quite like I did, but he's not also a former dancer, but he was still impressed.

To view the video, click here.

Anyways, had to share. Happy Monday!

What to wear. . . for the Bridesmaids

Early last week I made myself check out J.Crew because of the bombardment of coupons and sales they had been sending to my inbox. At most times of the year I try to resist the temptation, but it was the holidays and I had felt bad about neglecting my bridesmaids and their search for dresses. Lo and behold, the dresses I had loved early this fall were on sale AND they had a lot of sizes AND they were in the colors I wanted!

So I refined my list of prospects and sent them quickly to my girls for comment. They have been so sweet and willing to wear whatever I asked the, but I still wanted them to have a choice in their dress cut and color so that they would have something that brought out their best features.

One of them said to me tonight online (while we waited for J. Crew.com to come back online . . . and we're still waiting): p.s. thank you thank you thank you for not making us get a certain kind of shoes (like a specific pair)...i appreciate that SO much! i think it looks silly when it is all matchy matchy. i knew you wouldn't do that but still!

I'm not saying my way is the only way to do it, but I really wanted the girls to be able to choose a dress style and color (they're picking between 2 colors and 3 dresses) that also made them happy to wear. Another one told me tonight that this is the first dress that she has bought as a bridesmaid that she'll actually get to wear again. Both of these comments meant so much to because they were exactly the end result I wanted to achieve.

I would show you their choices, but because J. Crew.com is being crappy, I'll have to update you with them later. However, knowing that they're all ordering their dresses and who's going to wear what makes me SO EXCITED all over again! It's one thing to pick them out, but to know they've ordered them and who's wearing what at the wedding in 9 months, it's completely different. I can't wait to see them on some of the girls when I go home next week!

Zola Wine and Kitchen Opens

Recently Star Restaurant Group, (one of D.C.'s leading restaurant development firms who also brought you Indigo Landing) Zola Wine and Kitchen. According to this Washington Business Journals article, it will be the site of a chef's test kitchen as well as a wine shop that will sell 6,000 wines. They will also be offering cooking classes during lunch!

I think this would be a really fun place to visit with out-of-town family or a fun activity for you and your bridal party. If you get to go, let me know how your visit went!

Bridal Shower on Top Chef tonite!

All of my friends know that I'm a big fan of wine, food, cooking, anything epicurean. So I'm sharing this passion with all of you by encouraging you to watch tonight's epi of Top Chef. Why? Why, Miss Keswick, would we want to watch Top Chef? How could it be relevant to our wedding planning lives? Because tonite the chefs are catering Gail Simmons' bridal shower party. What a great way to get some ideas for your menu - and who doesn't love a drama in the kitchen (as long as it's not between you and your mother or you and your betrothed).

Top Chef airs tonite at 10 PM, encore at 11 PM, on Bravo.

Bon appetit!

10% off Phyto Deep Conditioning at One80 Salon

This summer, I visited One80 Salon on K Street for a free Phyto Deep Conditioning Treatment. They were doing a special because they were recently featured in Allure and wanted to celebrate. I reasoned that maintaining good hair should start as soon as possible if I wanted to have long, healthy, happy hair for all the pictures we would be taking to celebrate our engagement, our engagement session, any possible engagement parties, and of course, the wedding.

My hair is kinda coarse, which lends itself to being dry. It's also very thick - like each strand individually is thicker than some types of dental floss (or almost). Thus, I've always maintained a very strict hair regimen, but I thought it was worth it to try something new. That's when I discovered the Phyto line. Basically, the premise of these products is that normal hair products "moisturize" your hair on the outside by leaving silicates so that it feels smoother, never really remedying the problem, kinda like what makeup does your face. Phyto (pronounced fee-toh), however, moisturizes your hair from the inside, actually helping each strand to become healthier.

The reason I share my hair history with you is One80 Salon is offering $10 off Phyto Deep Conditioning treatments through the end of December! Reasons why you should:

1. You've been meaning to try something different with your hair, but didn't know what.
2. It's never too late to take good care of your hair (oooh, you can almost feel them massaging your scalp, can't you?)
3. It's the holidays and you have a lot of holiday parties coming up and New Year's Even is just around the corner!

Enjoy!

AND 20% off at Macy's!!

Sales abound! Thanks to our partnership with Macy's at work, we received a lovely Friends and Family discount at Macy's. And now I'm sharing it with you! Now through December 15, take an extra 20% off AND receive free shipping! I'm sorry to any potential wedding guests out there for not finishing our Macy's registry yet, but I promise there will be more chances and sales!

Unfortunately, blogger doesn't let me upload files, only JPEGs, so send me a comment with your email address if you want the coupon. Or, download the 20% off coupon here (sans free shipping).

25% off at Lord and Taylor

Oh the economy. Oh the holidays. It seems like everyone's offering sales and specials to entice everyone to help out our limping economy. In addition to Macy's, Lord and Taylor is offering a 25% off Friends and Family Discount through Monday, December 15th. Not only can you get your holiday shopping done at reduced cost, you have another place to look for that holiday gift exchange party for which you've been avoiding buying a worthy present!

Download the 25% off coupon here

PS - Sorry I've been MIA! Work required some late nights, but I have plenty to post from all my time spent away from my laptop! At least you have a sale coupon now, right?

Inn at Little Washington: New Event Space

Photo Credit

One day, I swear, I will dine at The Inn at Little Washington. Chef Patrick O'Connell has received some of the greatest accolades in the culinary industry and I would love to stay overnite and revel in Chef O'Connell's mastery.

But alas, I don't have an amazing anniversary to celebrate (yet!), but one day we will have saved up to celebrate a special occasion there (according to this Washington Biz Journal article, it landed on Forbes's list of most expensive restaurants - sorry I can't find Forbes's original list.)

Photo Credit

However, for those who are searching for the most romantic and delicious meal in our area, do consider The Inn at Little Washington. Or, better yet, reserve their new Ballroom for the "Meeting of the Families." After a special meal there, they'll be jumping at the next opportunity to hang out with their new kin. The new space can seat 36 for dinner or 30 for a boardroom meeting. (Thanks to BizBash Washington for the tip!)

Enjoy!

Sweet Tea Vodka

Photo Credit

For my fiance's 26th birthday party, I thought it the perfect occasion to test out Firefly's new Sweet Tea vodka. Yes, Sweet. Tea. Vodka. My good friend, a North Carolina native, told me about it after hearing about it during a trip home. When we were buying the courvoissier for the baklava cheesecake, there it was right next to the cashier! It was fate.

Now, growing up, I didn't actually think I liked iced tea because I never had "real" iced tea until I had fresh iced tea at my friend's house in high school. I'm from a part of Virginia where, when you order "iced tea," they hear what the "Yankees" call "sweetened ice tea." You don't even have to specify "sweet iced tea" or "sweet tea." I'm probably not as much of a connoisseur as a gal whose mum made it fresh every day after school (oh the joys of being a first generation mix of the motherland and the new), but I know what good sweet tea should taste like.

So, how was it? The back instructs to mix 1 part water to 1 part vodka and a dash of fresh lemon. The verdict? Ridiculously delicious - dangerously so. It tasted JUST LIKE the real thing + an added bite from the alcohol. I don't recommend the 1:1 ratio for Sweet Tea vodka rookies. This is vodka, after all. And if you want this to be your one and only drink of the night, you'll want to cut it with some water - that's all you need.

Wouldn't this be something great to use for a personalized martini with a southern flair? Or you could serve it with some lemonade for at your bachelorette party! The possibilities are endless. I'm so excited to see what concoctions today's mixologists come up with this new development.

36 Hours in Charlottesvile, Va.

This post is super way overdue, but I'm determined to clean out my inbox tonight and I've been meaning to post it for a while. A few weeks ago, the New York Times printed an article on Charlottesville: 36 Hours in Charlottesville, Va.

For anyone visiting the Charlottesville area, don't miss this article! The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection is right behind the Hilton Garden Inn, in case you're staying overnight!

Top Chef Premier at Good Stuff Eatery

This post is long overdue, but as many of you know, I'm still trying to play catch-up on my posts. Now, if you haven't realized by now from all my posts on food, I'm a little infatuated with anything culinary and the epicurean lifestyle. (I'm only getting started on register for all the kitchen tools I will actually be using and have expressed a need for in the last 2 years.)

Naturally, I am a major fan of Bravo's Top Chef. You can imagine, therefore, my excitement when Chef Spike Mendohlson opened Good Stuff Eatery on Capitol Hill this summer - so excited, that I went there twice after its opening week: First, my new co-workers drove me there all the way from Ballston to try out the place and check out the space. Second, I met my former co-workers there after a reception on the Hill. It was wonderful and I won't even tell you about how giddy I became when I spoke to Chef Spike as he expedited the orders while I waited in line. He's very charming. Let's leave it at that.

So, of course I watched the premier of Season 5 of Top Chef in style last Wednesday at Good Stuff Eatery! Spike invited me via email (and the rest of his restaurant's subscribers) as he was on Twitter for the show. Lauren and I arrived super early to fend off the non-existent lines (I mean, it was packed. I wouldn't recommend going ;). We sampled Ryan's Milky Way milkshake (divine). Then we shared the famed Toasted Marshmallow milkshake.

This little beauty was, seriously, a girl scout campfire in your mouth-minus the fire and the mosquitos. Somehow, you could taste the toasted outside of the marshmallow in the milky ice cream concoction - almost like you were slurping off the outside of the marshmallow and it turned liquid in your mouth. Heaven. Milky, marshallowy, heaven.

At 11 PM, Chef Spike offered beer on the house to all of us watching the show (they normally close at 11 M-F), but the premier went until 11:15 PM - super special. It was aroud this time that I summoned up the courage to ask him to sign my Top Chef cookbook that Lauren gave me for my birthday.

And, like the gracious host he is, he greeted all of his guests at the door. I will definitely be back for future showings - but I definitely recommend that you check out his place if you haven't. I'm not sure if the restaurant caters yet, but this would be a great little site to show your visiting friends and family that is unique to D.C.

Engagement Session Follow Up - Part Due

Photo Credit

Here they are!! The photos you've all (or else I) have been waiting for!

First, the awesome slideshow Rob put together as a little teaser for us: http://www.robholley.net/data/slideshow/22/DesireeMike/index.html

The weather, as I said, was gorgeous and my fiance was a rockstar. We went with Robert Holley and he was absolutely fantastic. My fiance and I met with several photographers in the area and the decision to go with Rob was incredibly easy. He was one of the first photographers we met with, but I wanted to do our due diligence and we met with a couple more. He seemed to good to be true, but I'm so glad we chose him.

Because we booked him for our wedding, our engagement session was free - and we absolutely love the pictures he took! Unbeknownst to us, he made a short slideshow of his favorite pictures and sent it to us within days of the shoot. Both of our mothers AND our sisters cried! They watch it all the time and my fiance and I watch the slideshow just because it helps us relive (as cheesy as it sounds) how much we love each other.

Photo Credit

Rob focuses on capturing the emotion and feeling of the moment and he did such a wonderful job. (In the picture above, around the pillar on the right hand side were two little ladies and a little old man that would not stop taking pictures of us. I think they thought we were famous.)

In addition, I'm super excited at how much experience Rob has and his professionalism. My fiance's groomsmen are basically all his fraternity brothers and I'm not sure how many photographers would be able to tame a group as fratastic as theirs, but I have no doubt he will be successful and our pictures will be great.

Photo Credit

See the rest of our pictures here.

Ray's Hell Burgers

Recently we dined at Ray's Hell Burgers (the youngest little brother of Michael Landrum's Ray's the Steaks, which is just a few doors down) in Rosslyn for a quick Thursday night date. It was delicious!! The space is small, the location non-descript (a storefront in a small shopping area between Rosslyn and Courthouse), the decor, well, they don't really need it I guess, but the burgers are larger than life!

The meat, set atop a yummy brioche bun, was cooked to perfection and they have several exotic combinations from which to choose (sauteed mushrooms or white truffle oil, anyone?). Check out how thick that Swiss Cheese is!
I looove mini-anything to be served at our wedding reception, especially later on in the evening after many of the guests have been dancing the night away. I'm not sure if we'll try to do something like sliders and grilled cheese or more breakfasty - like Early Risers (fried egg and ham or bacon on an English muffin or bagel) and mini French Toast.

I have a theory that sliders will be the cupcakes and mini-grilled cheese will be the new sliders; however, only time will tell. Until then, eat up!

Baklava Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:

Crust

1 pound phyllo pastry sheets (I prefer the cheaper Wegmans brand because the sheets are bigger)

1/2 cup melted butter

Filling

32 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (room temperature)

1 cup Greek thyme honey

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 eggs (room temperature)

Topping1 ½ cup walnuts

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup butter, melted

½ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 (1 1/2-inch) cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon cognac or brandy

Directions:

Filling:

Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Beat cream cheese in large bowl of mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in honey, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat in eggs one at a time until just incorporated. Set aside.Crust: Brush 10-inch springform with butter. Arrange 1 phyllo pastry sheet with long edge partially to edge of surface (cover remaining sheets with damp towel.) Brush left half of sheet with butter and fold right half over. Brush top with butter. Place in prepared pan, buttered side up, leaving 5 inches over-hanging at one end. Cover with another dampened towel. Butter and fold second phyllo sheet and arrange in pan, overlapping first sheet by 3 inches. Repeat with 4 more sheets, covering entire pan. Wrap remaining pastry airtight and refrigerate. Stir through filling and pour into crust. Cover filling with overhanging phyllo, squaring at edge of pan. Bake until pastry is light brown and cake is firm to touch, about 50 minutes.

Remove pan sides. Using a wooden pick, poke 12 holes in top of cake to allow steam to escape. Cool completely on rack. Refrigerate 2 days to mellow flavors, covering after first day.

Topping:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover baking sheet with 2 pieces of parchment. Coarse grind all nuts with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in processor. Stack 10 reserved pastry sheets on work surface. Set rim of springform atop pastry. Cut around inside of rim through entire stack using a sharp knife, making 10 rounds. Cover rounds with damp cloth. Set pan rim on prepared baking sheet. Brush parchment and inside of pan rim, with butter. Place 1 pastry round in pan rim brush with butter. Repeat with 4 more rounds. Spread nut mixture evenly over pastry. Top with remaining 5 pastry rounds, brushing each with butter. Using ruler as guide, cut pastry into 16 wedges with sharp knife. Sprinkle lightly with water. Bake until crisp and golden, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile heat 1/2 cup sugar, water and lemon juice in heavy small sauce pan over low heat, swirling pan occasionally until sugar dissolves. Add cinnamon stick, increase heat to medium and boil until syrupy, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. When bubbles subside stir in Cognac. Flatten pastry atop cake. Remove pan rim from topping. Set topping on cake, using a large spatula. Re-cut wedges. Replace pan rim on assembled cake. Immediately pour on hot syrup. Cool 1 hour. Refrigerate for 1 to 6 hours. Let cakes stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Makes 16 servings

This recipe was adopted from ThatsMyHome.

My notes:

I find it's better to stop mixing the cheesecake filling when incorporating the eggs - less air in the mixture the better. Also, feel free to add nuts to the phyllo dough crust (I do) or a dash of cardamom to give it a more exotic flavor.

Many Happy Returns!

Last week we celebrated my fiance's 26th birthday. Of course, I made the delicious baklava cheesecake (recipe to follow) I only make twice a year (his birthday and July 4th). I went easy this year on the food since the guest list was smaller, but we still had blue cheese and garlic dip, prosciutto wrapped barbecue shrimp, and the normal stuff (chips and dip, etc.). BUT I was proud to say that this was the first year the cheesecake didn't crack on top!

Here she is fresh out of the oven:

Here she is finished with the baklava (and birthday candles) atop:
And us singing happy birthday! (We almost had an accident because the cake was on top of the springform pan which was atop the plate - buttered metal and ceramic are very slippery when together).

Apple Picking Follow-Up

I made apple crisp (3x) since my fiance loves it and it was a good way to use up the apples. The recipeI used is from Epicurious.com.

Cinnamon Apple Crisp

(Bon Appetit, March 1993)

Ingredients:

1 c. firmly packed golden brown sugar

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

3.5 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced (into 1/4 in. slices to make them crunchier)

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. sugar

1 c. (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in large bowl. Add apples and toss to coat. Transfer apple mixture to prepared dish.

Combine four, 1 c. sugar, and butter in medium bowl. Using pastry blender or fingertips, blend ingredients until coarse meal forms. Spread flour mixture evenly over apples.

Bake crisp 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake crisp until apples are tender and topping is golden brown, about 30 min. Let stand 15 min. before serving.

Serves 10.

My notes / revisions:

• Served warm with vanilla ice cream! (Cool whip also works, but it has a different consistency.)
• I didn't butter the baking dish - this wasn't necessary.
• I also combined all the ingredients in a bowl without the apples. I spread the apples in the dish and spread the topping mixture on top. This concentrated the flavors in the crisp and allowed the apples to complement the topping, preventing the apples themselves from getting too sweet.
• I used 1 - 1.5 c. of brown sugar, sprinkling it on top to add to the caramelization.
  I also roughly chopped 3/4 c. of walnuts and spread them on top of the crisp mixture rather than mixing it into the crisp. This allowed the nuts to actually toast in the oven. No one likes soggy nuts.

A close-up of the crisp:

Halloween Decorating Contest

Our office had a Halloween decorating contest, splitting the office into "neighborhoods." The winning neighborhood was the "Parking Lot" (aka the group of cubicles in which sits yours truly). We put this together in about 2 days. My coworker and I even came in early Friday morning to ensure our success (after carving pumpkins with another one of our group during our lunch break on the balcony outside the office. This balcony is also right outside our main conference room. We were so glad the Executive Vice President of association was inside the conference room for a meeting with the other VP's to witness us carve the pumpkins (note the sarcasm). We were on our lunch break!

Our handiwork:

The artists:

Happy Halloween!

(I stayed in because I had to work at 6AM at the National Mall, so I read Twilight.)

PS - I borrowed the "tree" idea from Ingrid's Halloween Flat party in London last year. Mine was made of Whole Foods and Trader Joe's paper bags.

Engagement Photo Follow-up

Photo Credit

It was awesome. After much deliberation on the outfits (I went through 3 different tops, 3 different pairs of jeans, 2 different skirts, one dress, one dress, and a partridge and a pear tree). Think of all the permutations of outfits that produced. Thank you to all my friends for their advice and insight - and thank you to Gridlet - my beloved maid of honor - for her constant attention, support, and patience. . . all the way from London.

The weather: gorgeous. Fiance: A.MA.ZING. Seriously. He was so patient and such a good sport about everything. Rob told him to look at him, he looked and smiled. Rob told him to stand over there, he trotted and waited. Rob told him to pick me up, he heaved. Of course, I think he hid behind me during many of the pictures, using his affection for me as a convenient excuse to press his head against my ear, but I didn't mind.

Tips and takeaways for couples about to take their engagement pictures:

Do have an idea of what kind of mood and shots you want to take - close up, far away, walking away, silhouettes, portrait facing the camera vs. artsy.

Do dress up a little - it just makes it special. Rob told us "Dress like you're going on a second date with each other."

Do wear something that complements your skin tones and eyes. I was very hesitant to wear black because I'd been told that black doesn't always photograph well, but Rob said that because it was a great contrast to Mr. Sweetpea's white button-up shirt. Both of our hair is also very dark brown / black and, as Rob said, he was "able to get the light to shine through" and highlight our hair and frame us in an awesome way.

Do talk to each other while the photographer is shooting. We were able to ignore everyone and just be ourselves in our own little world. It was really neat, actually, because all these tourists were mingling and strolling around, and we were just us. In fact, Rob told us that during one of our sessions, this little old man could not stop taking pictures of us because he thought we were famous!

Do research your venue! We were stopped by the little ranger at least 2 times to make sure we were in the allowed areas and that we had our park permit. Seriously, it was annoying because we were just like everyone else with their cameras -- only we had a flash diffuser (whatever that silver disc was), a mini-ladder, and 2 bags of camera equipment.

Don't be inflexible. It got a little cold in the last hour, so I just threw on my jacket, ran around in between shots, and forgot about the rest. Just go with it.

Don't be late. We ran in to a bit of traffic on the way to the Memorial - typical DC. But we were ahead of schedule a little bit, so that still gave us plenty of sun light.

Don't ignore your photographer. Get to know him/her (especially if they're doing your wedding). This is a practice session, so find out who they are and develop your relationship with them. We found out Rob went to school in Ithaca - oh so close to Colgate!

Venue Report: Newseum

I was lucky enough to attend not 1 but 2 receptions at the Newseum last week with my wonderful friend and former boss. The food, catered by Wolfgang Puck's The Source was delicious - despite it being "catered" but of course! It's Wolfgang Puck! In addition to the wonderful tastes we sampled, we were privy to the spectacular view from a balcony reception room.


The {breathtaking} capitol building at night:
The balcony - imagine how pretty she'd clean up with some flowers, candles, and linens:
The adorably delicious dessert lollipops (stuck in sugar, not sand):

I'm not the first (and I'm sure I won't be the last) person to blog about the Newseum as a possible reception space, but that view is definitely hard to beat! Reporters, journalists, newshounds, take note! Good food and good views.

Engagement Photo Panic

For the past two weeks I've been somewhat anxious about our engagement photo session becaus, naturally, I think I haven't a thing to wear. Not that I don't like any of my clothes our outfits. That's far from the case. I love them. They just don't photograph well. The cute pants don't go with the top, it's not formal enough, etc. etc.

Then, our photographer emailed me this morning saying it's supposed to rain on Sunday and asked if I wanted to reschedule. I started to think about it further, and I realized the Marine Corps Marathon is also on Sunday. . . and the memorial is smack dab in the middle of the course. According to godc.com, the road closures will end around 12:30 for the area around the Memorial, but now I'm worried about all the signage and rubbish left over from the run. But we also already paid for the park permit and the location fee ($100 total) so I'm not sure if we have the luxury of rescheduling.

And I thought an outfit was my biggest concern. Before, it seemed harder to find than a wedding dress!!

Our beloved Keswick

I think I love our venue *almost* as much as I love my dress which is *almost* as much as I love Sig. Keswick (just kidding!). This weekend, I was excited to read the Washingtonian include it in a recent article of theirs: Grape Adventures: The Best Vineyards in Virginia and Maryland.

Why do I love Keswick so much? It's gorgeous without being over the top. As my mother said it, "It's stately." But one of the most important things about it: It doesn't require we have a tent if we have more than 100 guests. It has a wonderful patio outside its ballrooms (accessed through several french doors) that overlooks their award winning golf course BUT in the instance of inclement weather, the doors can be closed and you won't even know that it's raining cats and dogs. It was really important for us to have the ability to welcome the out of doors - fresh air - natural scenery - into our wedding reception WITHOUT having to pay $4000 for a tent (money that could be well-spent on reception food). Plus, I didn't want to have it in a hotel (as I used to spend lengthy spans of time inside a hotel without any fresh air for days at a time in my old job) with padded walls and someone's bar mitvah next door next to and someone else's family reunion. Not that I have anything against people who have their weddings in hotels, I just wanted something more natural feeling for our wedding. And luckily, we were able to keep the guest list down (we hope) so that Keswick can fit all our guests.

The view from the veranda: The view when you arrive:

I can't wait for everyone to see it and for our lovely picture taking sessions there. :) And I love that we were able to get it after falling in love with it so long ago...in March.

Virginia Apple Picking & Wine Tasting

This weekend Mr. Sweet Pea and I ventured to Markham, Virginia (after battling an hour of traffic) and an additional hour of normal driving to visit Stribling Orchard and Philip Carter Winery (formerly known as Stillhouse Vineyards).

Unfortunately, by the time (in the season) we arrived, most of the good apples had already been picked, leaving behind the less desirable, brown-spotted, not-delicious apples on the trees. There were plenty of people picking apples, but what they were picking, we know not. We couldn't find ANY! But we had time for a photo-op. (I'm actualy sitting on a branch in the tree and the camera was positioned on the stump of a branch of the same tree. It was the perfect little tripod, I tell you. Thank you self-timers.)

Mr. Sweet Pea was also able to take a couple landscape shots, too. Fall in Virginia is beautiful -- I love this state!

Afterward we ventured to Philip Carter Winery for a short tasting as they were celebrating their 2008 harvest with pony and carriage rides and live music on their patio.

Take a look at those grapes. Aren't those delicious? Don't they look divine? (Get it? Ha ha, just kidding.)

The wine we tasted was actually pretty good. You can tell it's younger, but not bad for Virginia. Their 2007 Chardonnay was a little sweet but still dry - a hint of apple, too, which was nice. They also had pretty good dessert wines. The 2006 Late Harvest was a great not-over-the-top dessert wine. I thought of it as a good compromise for my mother and me as she prefers sweeter dessert wines and I like something a little more subtle. Their Sweet Danielle was also a good dessert wine - red - so less sweet than the Late Harvest, but fruity and sweet just the same.

They also just added a patio and another tasting room (upstairs they were sampling mulled wine and Sangria). So this would be a great venue for a smaller, casual, rehearsal dinner or even wedding photos if they'll let you. The views from the vineyard are gorgeous.

Baked & Wired Report

At my job, we always conduct research on food we want to include at our event. As many of you in the DC Metro area may have noticed, we have had a rash of cupcakeries pop up. My first report will be on Baked & Wired, a great that started out focused on coffee and baked goods, but has really expanded its cake line. My wonderful boss was in Georgetown on Friday and surprised me with the latest issue of Town and Country Weddings and this adorable box:Inside were these little beauties: Red Velvet and Strawberry from Baked & Wired in Georgetown.

Note the adorable pearl of sugar on the red velvet. Aren't they so sweet? I love the little paper "wings."

So, how did they taste? Delicious. The cakes were denser than some cakes I've had. The frosting -- not too rich.

Red Velvet's cream cheese frosting wasn't too cream cheese nor too sweet. His cake wasn't too sweet and rich like you'd be afraid some red velvets would be.

Strawberry was very succesful as a Strawberry. Bits of strawberry inside her cake gave her an authentic fruit taste wihout being too fruity. She also was reminiscent of the red berries in Capn' Crunch Cereal - but in a god way.

All in all, very well done. I also love the presentation of the cakes. They'e not overly made up so that you'd question whether the goods were as good as their looks and the paper wrapper makes them easier to eat.

20% off Sale at iomoi

Have you been to iomoi's website? I lurve all their adorable personalized products - preppy to punk, they have it all! I bought my boss a coaster last year for her birthday because she drinks a lot of Diet Dr. Pepper and coffee at the office and she needed something as stylish as her upon which to rest her drink.

And, now through Sunday, you can shop at 20% off! Just use coupon code "Take20" when checking out :)

These coasters would make adorable personalized favors for bridesmaids.
Their trays are also fun additions to your living room. It might be a little late for Boss's Day this year, but the holidays are coming up!

All photos courtesy of iomoi.

Old-Fashioned Photo Fun

Just discovered this awesome Japanese website Three Potato Four blogged about. You can take your regular photos and the website will convert them so they look "100 to 150 years old." It's already late, but I couldn't help but post!

This is a fun "action" shot we took in London this summer outside Buckingham. If they only knew what their peasants were up to.

And now, a more "serious" one: Mom and me in the spacious London taxi.

And of course, one with the fiance! This was taken 102 years ago at the Holston Dam.

Here's the website. Just remember to choose the English option in the upper right. Enjoy!

Flower Meeting with Beehive Events

I just had my first meeting with a florist and it was fabulous. I met with Shawn and David Cossette of Beehive Events from outside Charlottesville. Luckily, they were in town for another meeting and were able to meet with me at Barnes & Noble in Georgetown. They were a very lovely couple (originally from San Fran) and I really enjoyed meeting with them and brainstorming about possible flower (and non-flower combinations). I LOVE that they're thinking less traditional - we like flowers, but we also discussed mangoes and papayas (very Filipino), figs and grape leaves and rosemary (very Mediterranean). We discussed China berries, Dahlias, and lots of other fun elements.

I was so nervous before the meeting just because I knew I had a lot of ideas bouncing around in my head and definitely needed to be reigned in. Plus I wanted her to like me! Signor Keswick asked, "Why are you so flustered?" I wasn't flustered! I was just excited and wanted to make a good impression.

Here are some of the beauties we discussed:

Bursa Black Fig

Photo Credit

China Berries

Photo Credit

Fuschia Dahlias

Photo Credit

Here's a great website I found when searching for flower images: Lani Elizabeth Fine Design in Flowers and Events. Note the gorgeous Mokara, Cymbidium, ad Dendrobium orchids and the burgundy Calla Lilly (we won't be using them as Calla Lillies mean "death" but they're still a great color!

Fall Mountain Wedding

Congratulations to Alyson and Chris!! This weekend we were at the Greenbriar in White Sulphur Springs, WV. The weather was gorgeous, the company was warm, and the wedding was just lovely.

Very thoughtful idea: The bride’s friends handed out fresh lavender (which matched their sage green and purple color scheme) for the guests to throw at the newlyweds as they exited the church.

Very handy: A shuttle transported wedding guests staying at the hotel on regular loops to and from the church and wedding up to 10 minutes prior (awesome for those arriving 30 min. beforehand, *cough* us *cough*.

Very pretty: submerged tulips at the base of the centerpieces. I’ve seen calla lilies, orchids, and even fish in water, but not tulips.

And now the close-up:

Mother and my fiance discussing something very interesting or humours. I love that she loves him. The proud mother of the groom and my (basically) little brother (aka. brother of the groom). Her dress was so pretty! I told my mom she should look into her designer.

Hotties! And she even called me the "bride-to-be" in her facebook. Crazy that the term can define me now.

Long-time neighbors and now adults. *sniff*

The bar was open, the dance floor was full, and everyone had a wonderful time. Below are my “minute-by-minute” notes at the reception: