Wedding Vitlin's

They say that you should focus your money on three things/areas of your wedding.
Unless of course you have unlimited funds & an amazing wedding planner.
Another thought is that too much is just that....too much.
With a smallish budget we chose food, decor & extras as our focus.
Food because I think it is so yummy & you really should feed people if you love them.
Decor because it can create any atmosphere that you want & we wanted a bit of glam.
And extras because it was new years eve & you need extras to make a fun party.

Let's start with food.
I love to eat the really good stuff like lobster & spaghetti without meat & butter & creme brulee & lovely heavenly creamy glorious milk chocolate (go away if you are a dark chocolate fan).
And some of the trashy stuff like taco truck & cola slurpees & curly puffy cheetos & tequila shots.
All that would have been a great dinner mix but a really screwed up tummy afterwards.

Because our ceremony was to be on the back patio & the temperature was to be a high of 50 & a low of 33 we had a propane heater on the patio & also a fire pit in the lounge area under the trees for comfort & the smokers.
But I thought something warm to drink would be nice for during the ceremony.
Sort of the same idea as a cocktail immediately handed to you upon arrival at the reception.
But warm so you don't freeze your ass off & leave.
And of course some cookies to go with it.
Cookies are always good.
Always.
I purchased black hot drink paper cups but they just needed a little something extra.
Gold Christmas tinsel garland it is.
You'll see it used here & there throughout the night.
I hot glued the garland on, THEN after I was halfway through I thought....'uh oh, what if a hot drink rewarms the glue & it melts off?'.
Thankfully it held up pretty well.


The inspiration....




Our cups for cocoa....

We also self catered dinner.
Not too difficult if your wedding is smallish.
Spiral hams are easiest for buffet serving, good bread, salad & a nice mac & cheese with mushrooms & white truffle oil.
The only thing I actually made was the mac & cheese,the  recipe is at the bottom of this post.

As the night went on there were nibbles....prawns with cocktail sauce, a variety of olives, a nice nut mix & chocolates.
I love Salvatore's fish eye photos.





There was plenty of champagne which everyone brought in leiu of a gift, wine from my sister Willow & her husband John, a light punch & coffee.
And of course cake.
We chose to not have a traditional wedding cake, instead, having 3 coordinating cakes.

The inspiration....

                       


Ta daa....



Yeah, there was a dent somehow.
Seriously?
You know what?
We still ended up married.
Even with a dented cake.
Priorities people.
Cakes really don't matter.
Love does.

Also, Fred found the vintage cake topper in a Jamestown antique store.
I love this guy (Fred).
Who does that?




She needed a little work.
I washed her skirt, made her a bouquet & glittered what was left of her head piece.
I absolutely love these two.

Oh, & I don't cut cake.
I just eat it.
This is a forced photo.
If I had cut it, then I would probably wear it.

Okay....the mac & cheese with mushrooms & white truffle oil.
Sort of.

Normally what I want from macaroni & cheese is oozy, creamy, really cheesey.
Not this time.
This mac & cheese needed to be a bit upscale.
There isn't a photo, I was busy getting married to the man I adore.

6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 T butter

4 T flour

3-1/2 cups warm milk

Cracked pepper

3 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, I got a wonderful white one from Costco 

4 oz goat cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 T truffle oil  

1 cup sliced mushroom + 4 T melted butter

8 oz macaroni or pasta

1 cup of panko crumbs, buttered & toasted

In a small saucepan on med-low heat, melt the butter, stir in the flour & stir to form a roux. Add half of the warm milk, using a whisk mix well. Add the rest of the milk. Using a wooden spoon, continuously stir the sauce until it begins to thicken and tiny bubbles form on the sides (5 to 6 minutes). Do not boil. Add pepper to taste and then the cheese. Mix until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the heavy cream & the truffle oil, (optional) and mix well. Cover and set aside.

While the sauce is warming, saute mushrooms in melted butter on med-high heat until beginning to brown a bit. Add to sauce.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions & drain.

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 4-quart casserole dish.

Place ]macaroni in a large bowl, & pour the  cheese/mushroom mixture over it, mixing well. Spoon the mixture into the casserole. Bake 30 minutes or until bubbling. Sprinkle toasted panko crumbs on top & bake 5 minutes more. 

Serve immediately.