It's been an especially busy couple of weeks as our family celebrated the marriage of our son and his beautiful bride. The last few months I've given you glimpses of plans and items we made and bought for the big occasion. Last weekend was the wondrous event, but I'm going to hold off telling you some of the details of the reception until we get back the professional photos. For now I'll just tell you that those invited to the reception traveled through San Francisco on classic cable car buses, stopping at iconic venues to sample San Francisco at its best. We were treated to tasty appetizers, clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls, and scrumptious gelato. Below is one of our grandchildren celebrating by dancing with the bride on the Hyde Street Pier. Their joy was felt by all!
These beautiful photos are courtesy of my talented daughter, Jillian.
Early on in the planning my husband and I were asked by Justin & Meghann (our son and his fiance') if we would host a brunch after the wedding. Traditionally, a reception is held after the wedding, but in this case the reception was the day before in San Francisco and the wedding the next morning in the LDS Temple in Oakland. The wedding brunch would be the last activity in a weekend filled with events, so we wanted it to be beautiful and relaxing. The brunch was held at my sister and brother-in-law's grand home, built in 1905, just 10 minutes from the temple. The home is beautiful and has an imposing view of San Francisco and the bay, so it is the perfect backdrop for this kind of occasion.
We didn't really want the luncheon to begin before the bride and groom arrived, so I decided to make a little "tide-me-over-lunch" for the smaller kids because we knew they would be ferociously hungry the minute they approached the house. I bought these cute sacks at Michael's and filled them with a drink, applesauce, chips, fruit snacks and half a PB&J sandwich. This held them off till all the adults had gone through the buffet line. {This was a brilliant idea, if I do say so myself.}
When Meghann told me that she loved all things French, the "theme" for the brunch was born.
I called La Boulange {a restaurant & caterer in the Bay Area}, and
we designed a menu consistent with what one might order for brunch in France.
we designed a menu consistent with what one might order for brunch in France.
For example, chocolate croissants...
fruit cream and lemon curd filled tartlettes...
"smoked salmon & cucumber," "apple, brie, & jam," "prosciutto & fig jam,"
and "chicken & provolone" brioche tea sandwiches...
an assortment of petite quiches --
"vegetable," "bacon & pea," and "ham & cheese"...
chocolate ganache tartlette...
mini-pastries, and an assortment of fruits, nuts & cheeses...
a "pear, walnut, & blue cheese salad" and a "hearty chef salad"...
and macarons.
One must never forget the macarons at a French-themed brunch...
The bride's sister made this traditional French wedding cake, called a croqembouche,
and I ordered three different styled cakes to be shared among the guests.
One was chocolate cake with chocolate filling,
another was lemon cake with raspberry filling,
and the last was vanilla cake with salted caramel filling.
Simply beautiful and beautifully simple.
Simply beautiful and beautifully simple.
I would highly recommend Andrea at "Cake" in Lafayette, California.
Her cakes were beautiful and absolutely delicious!
Go here to learn about the cake toppers that were bought and made for these cakes.
I love the feeling of satisfaction after a party that's gone well,
when you realize all your hard work and effort made a difference.
Happy.
