Wedding Wednesday: A Stormy Night

Last Friday, cubes and I attended two of our friends's wedding - Ava and Conor. Each touch was uniquely them, from throwing stars as favors to a fully stocked open bar to two fighting eagles atop their wedding cake.

Ava and Conor gave each guest a throwing star with their escort cards. At the beginning of the ceremony, the officiant had us take out the stars and raise them up. We were instructed to tap our star with the star of the guest nearest us whenever we heard something in the ceremony we really liked.

To help guests find their tables, each escort card included an image which guests matched to a 3-D representation.

They stocked their bar with top-shelf alcohol and freshly squeezed juices, including grapefruit. Being pregnant, I especially enjoyed the fresh ruby red grapefruit juice.

While the rainy night was free from thunder and lightening, lightening from their invitation reappeared on their wedding cake along with a cake topper of two eagles.

Congratulations Ava and Conor! May you share many adventures together. 

Ciao Bella!

Eden

 

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Wedding Wednesday: Julia and Simon, The Street Fair

How do you guarantee a good time for young and old alike? Bring on the clowns.

Throw some sausages from Rosumunde on the grill.

For more photos, check out my set on Flickr. To see more details, see Part 1 of Wedding Wednesday.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

 

P.S. I know it's no longer Wednesday, but I was having out of memory issues with Photoshop, which delayed the post.

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Wedding Wednesday: Julia and Simon, The Details

How do you transform an ordinary street into a extraordinary venue? Decorate every surface with flowers.

Offer fresh in season vegetables. Carefully arrange everything in a buffet.

Throw in some butterflies.

What do you think of the cake? The lovely bride made it herself - completely vegan, no eggs or dairy, and absolutely a dream to eat.

For more photos, check out my set on Flickr. Come back later this afternoon for more goodness from Julia and Simon's wedding when I share photos from the street fair.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

 

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair. Vegan cake designed and made by the bride, Julia Barber.

Wedding Wednesday: A Classic Alcoholic Beverage for Summer

On Sunday, we saw two of our friends Julia and Simon celebrate their one year wedding anniversary with a local wedding celebration (they were married last year in Italy). They picked the one day so far in July when the overcast gloom lifted in San Francisco and sun shone down.

For refreshment, Steve23 whipped up a batch of Pimm's Cup, using fresh local fruit - strawberries, nectarines, and blueberries - with cucumber, lemon, and mint.

To make sure he could accomodate all of the guests, he prepared the beverage in a cooler. (If you're curious, yes, it was thoroughly cleaned out before the mixing began.)

There are a few twists on the basic recipe which was created by James Pimm in the 1840s:

• Pimm's Cup recipe from Brooke Arthur, bar manager of Range
• The Craftsmann's Pimm's cup recipe
• Traditional Wimbledon Pimm's cup recipe

The keys to a heavenly tasting beverage are quality ingredients and fresh ripe fruit. (If you find yourself without Pimm's No. 1, you can improvise with Darcy O'Neil's Pimm's No. 1 Cheater Recipe.)

While Steve23 and his helpers sliced, many of were drawn in to the kitchen by the fresh mint and watched patiently. (If you're curious how this translates for an outdoor wedding or a picnic, check out Recipes for a Good Life today. Photos of the Pimm's Cup assembly line from Krissia and David's wedding in June are shared.)

Are you having a summer wedding? What are you serving your guests?

Be sure to come back next Wednesday for photos of Julia and Simon's wedding celebration.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

 

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Wedding Wednesday: Krissia and David

How do you make a wedding uniquely yours? Krissia and David did that by starting with the location - Howarth Park in Santa Rosa. What was unique about Howarth Park? It was where they went on their first date over ten years ago.

Krissia and David crafted a wedding that reflected what they liked. From the programs - a Golden Ticket - tucked in a paper bag filled with childhood candies.

To the pet rocks for place cards. (Some would say these were actually souls.)

To the park itself: guests joined Krissia and David for train rides and carousel rides after the ceremony.

Guests were told to dress nicely but not formally. For Krissia and David's wedding, "nice but not formal" was translated as dapper, with guests sporting mid-afternoon fashions from the 1940s to 1960s.

To see full size photos from the wedding, visit my Flickr collection.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

 

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Wedding Wednesday: Niki and Paul, 1967

This past October cubes and I were married and I walked down the aisle wearing my mother's wedding dress, reconstructed by Miss Velvet Cream with lace repair by Studio Trousseau.

My mom and dad celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary last October. Their love story started out as many stories did in the late 1960s - as an office romance. She worked on one floor. He worked on another. A mutual friend, who would later be the best man at their wedding, introduced them. 

Initially my mom was a little unsure whether or not my dad liked her. She has vivid memories of walking down the street, smiling at him, and seeing him cross to the other side of the street. Turns out it wasn't that he didn't like her, he really did; he was shy.

Once they were introduced formally and worked out that they both liked each other, they then had a whirlwind courtship and short engagement. My mom lived in the East Bay and my dad across another bridge. He would drive to her house, park his car - an Austin Healy Sprite, walk up to her door, ring her doorbell, and escort her to the car. They'd then drive to the city for their date. My dad would then return her to the apartment she shared with her sister and then cross back over the bridge to go home.

My Grandmother and My Mother

My Mom's Family

The Cake and Flowers

From the photographs I always forget their day did not go as planned. Another couple was married before them and rearranged all of their flowers - there was not enough time to fix it. Their photographer was unable to make it; a replacement was sent who was working another wedding the same day. And - something my mom found out just recently - the caterer ran out of food.

Ciao Bella!

Eden

 

Credits: All collages created by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.

Wedding Wednesday: Lisa and Jason

Today at work we're celebrating the upcoming wedding of one of my coworkers; Lisa's getting married in just over two weeks.

Because her bridal shower is on my mind and it's Wedding Wednesday, I thought I'd share with you her Save the Date which she designed.

I love designs that only incorporate typography. What about you?

Ciao Bella!

Eden

 

Credits: Save the Date design by DesignDork. All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair.