In The Works

www.zenaandjose.com

To Do or Not To Do

The Cake Lady

I love Lauri Ditunno from Amazing Wedding Cakes & Cake Alchemy.

She made this sample cake for Jose's Surprise Birthday Party. It was so amazing.
It was vanilla cake with a pear mousseline filling wrapped in airbrushed fondant.



Don't even bother asking for a slice... its completely GONE.

Sexy Dresses for the Ladies

By Vera Wang Maids

Single Ladies Soiree - Cont.

It seems counter-intuitive to discuss frivolous travel during a recession, but now is the best time to book tickets, hotel rooms, etc. Many of these airline and hotel companies are offering great deals during these hard economic times.

Anyway, I have been doing some research for my east-coast & west-coast invitees to make this as painless on the pocket as possible.

East Coasters:

• $299-$339 RoundTrip (NonStop) from Newark to LAS on Continental
• $160 Oneway (Non Stop) from JFK to LAS on JetBlue (just in case you want to stay or book your legs seperately)
• $350 - $419 RoundTrip from JFK to LAS on Virgin America
  

Hotel Options for 3-Night Stay (April 15-18th):

• $389 at Treasure Island (Average $119 per night, closest to Wynn Complex)
• $434 at Monte Carlo (Average $129 per night,
• $180 for Friday Night)$556 at MGM & Paris Las Vegas (Average $167 per night, $200-$220 for Friday Night)

(Rates taken from http://www.hotels.com/)

These hotels are all 3.5 Stars+ and have decent reviews. There are obviously cheaper places to stay and more expensive hotels if you're a baller.

Won't you bee mine...

I love honey. Favors, anyone?










www.beeraw.com

...And the winner is...

Jordan Van Aken
I met with her today to go over pricing and packaging. I found that she offered several options where some photographers serve you one type of album as the "go-with-all." She has a lightly-sarcastic "Imma a New Yorker" personality with a romantic-photojournalistic approach to her work. She has a good eye for details and composition... and she seems to appreciate my quirkiness (give her a few months...). She's hired.

Thank you to all those that participated in the poll. There wasn't actually a definitive winner. There was a 3-way tie between Jordan, Sara & Sarma, & Tiffany Atlas... So my vote for Jordan had to outweigh the rest.

A Picture is worth a 1,000 Dollars... I mean words.

The 5 Hour Wedding is over... the guests are packing up... pillaging for favors and left-over cake. What is left after a year of planning and a closet full of new toasters... your wedding photos.

Please assist me by viewing some of these websites. I have met with some... meeting with a few more. Just let me know who you think has the best shot. Ha I made a funny.

Sara & Sarma: www.saraandsarma.com
Tiffany Atlas: www.atlasweddingphotography.com
Victoria Jackson: www.victoriajacksonweddings.com
Jordan Van Aken: jordanvanaken.blogspot.com
Jennifer Davis: www.jenniferdavisphotography.com

Solid as Barack

Congratulations, Barack. Our country has changed in a BIG way. I hope this election portends new times for Americans. During this presidential race, I have made my position quite clear that Obama's race should not be a leading factor in electing him president. One can not deny, however, what an incredible role model he will play to children in less fortunate situations with mostly mainstream "Lil Waynes" to get inspired.

I have nothing against Lil Wayne...

but I think its important we have a diversified group of individuals
leading our community.

New York Palace : R.I.P.

Any wedding does not come without its share of planning disappointments. As some of you know, I had chosen the New York Palace (http://www.newyorkpalace.com/) to have my ceremony and reception. It's pretty swank, but I decided a more cost-sensible solution would put us all at ease.

So we are off to Blue Hill in Tarrytown, NY. I asked them to send me the new contracts today! When I first began this search, I wanted trees, earth, sky, fresh air... a departure from the every day. Blue Hill becomes a quasi-destination wedding for anyone living in the city and knows if you drive 30 minutes outside of the boroughs, you'll be in some indistinguishable small town.

Well the cows await us.

...and M'am How was the Pig?

I didn't have the 5-course feast at Blue Hill. I was intrigued by the melange of offerings, but Annie wanted to go ala carte. If you go 5, you go all the way (as in all guests must participate).

First they presented us with an amuse bouche of pickled cauliflower. Extremely eager to try it, we ate the orange and green variations before snapping any photos.

I know you love that rustic wood block upon which it was presented. Ok maybe you didn't notice.

I'll take you through rest of our courses:

Butternut Squash Ravioli:

Sqaush Puree, Pecans, Apples & Sauteed Escarole

Perfect fall dish... hints of cinnamon & nutmeg. Nice combination of texture between the silky puree and the pasta.

Maine Crabmeat Salad (Annie):

I tried this... and since I ate this a week ago, I can't recall what the sauce was. I remember it being very fresh & flavorful.

Berkshire Pork:

Shelling Beans, Herb Pesto, Lardo
It was so tender and juicy. The pesto was very brightly flavored, almost fruity with an assortment of shelling beans (snow peas, string beans, etc). I am not one to finish my veggies, but there wasn't any left on the plate. Very delicious.

Annie's usual Fish Dish.

Sorry guys, can't comment. I don't like any fish, but she had a positive review. I know the red portion is Manhattan Clam Chowder and there were bits of pancetta in there as well.

Honeycrisp Apple:

Poached apple, Crisp, Saffron Cream, & Honey Ice Cream

Presented on Slate

AMAZING. Possibly one of the best deserts of my life. The ice cream is made with honey grown on the farm.

Strawberry Canneloni:

Strawberry Puree, Creme Fraiche, Balsamic Reduction, Strawberry Ice cream.

Yes dinner was pretty good... I was satisfied with the portions & the freshness of the ingredients. The story behind Blue Hill is they serve what is in season and literally what can be found on the farm that day. It's not food that overwhelms the senses, but you do feel this place is thinking about food and its preparation & presentation in an innovative way. I didn't have an OMFG moment, but I became very introspective with my meal. I wanted to connect with the flavors and get something new with every bite.

www.bluehillnyc.com

www.bluehillstonebarns.com

My stomach grumbles...

A lot is riding on the next few hours. I am going to Blue Hill's urban loculus in hopes that their $72 5-course meal somehow redefines cuisine for me. Think positive people, because if this brulee gets burnt, I have to plan out wedding scheme #5 or 15... who knows at this point. Will post photos of the meal tomorrow.

Less than A Year & a Few G's in the Bank

I'll start by saying I used to think that blogs are mostly self-indulgent ways to pollute the internet with personal views and opinions. However, in planning my wedding and trying to save a buck while doing so, I have found many great resources vis-a-vis blogs... bridal blogs to get specific; people like me struggling to meet the deadline and attempting not to go into debt for a 5-hour fiesta.

So I hope, for any of you passer-bys, that you find my stray thoughts helpful, constructive, possibly even amusing as I try to be a hopelessly-romantic cynic creating the wedding of her dreams - cheap, yet chic, and full of gastronomical delights.