Nicolette & Brian: PaC Man & Wife: Banana Pancakes

After months of anticipation and planning, including a tasting, it was time to dig into our wedding food. Eating at our own wedding was a BIG deal to us. Aaaaand as it turned out, I was too excited to eat and only pecked at my entree. The special champagne and sauvignon blanc we ordered? Glad we shared it with the wine-drinkind tables because I didn't finish my first glass. Thinking of the pear and blue cheese salad makes me salivate now, but then I had to force myself to eat. (Apparently, this is not uncommon!) Anyone who knows me knows that NEVER happens. I love food. Often to the point where I'm thinking about my next meal while eating the current one. Foodie-bees, raise your forks!

In between forcing myself to eat bites of my entree, I sat back and people watched. Eventually I just gave up on the salmon and champagne.

Then the glass-clinking started...

Ohhhh no. There's only one way to stop the clinking.

Mr. PaC wasted no time in planting a dramatic kiss that satisfied our guests enough so he could finish his meal in peace.

Our photographer didn't get any detail shots of the food (we didn't ask and it wasn't a priority), but a friend familiar with my tendency to photograph everything returned the favor and captured the food at her table. I was thrilled someone thought to take pictures of food and share it with us!

First course: Pear and blue cheese salad with toasted hazelnuts and white wine vinaigrette

Second course, option 1: Grilled filet of beef with red wine demi-glace and roasted fingerling potatoes with Parmesan and truffle oil*

*We, or should I say M our best man (and professional chef), provided the bottles of truffle oil as it's an expensive ingredient GCC's kitchen doesn't stock. It was his suggestion to swap from mashed to fingerling potatoes and add cheese & truffle oil. The fingerling potatoes wouldn't have been the same without the truffle oil!

Second course, option 2: Coulibiac of salmon with mushroom duxelle and spinach wrapped in puff pastry (aka "Salmon Hot Pocket")

(above three images: guest photos)

Our third option, not pictured, was vegetarian spinach gnocchi with roasted fennel, baby leaf spinach and roasted garlic. We didn't sample it at the tasting but our vegetarian contingent was thrilled not to be an after-thought for once and raved about the flavor of the meal.

(guest photo)

Once Mr. PaC ate his fill, we visited the tables to thank our guests for coming. We skipped the traditional receiving line, so catching up with each guest at some point during the night was a priority.

(guest photo)

When you have 85 wedding guests, dinner service moves quickly! No one had to wait more than a few minutes for their meals... which meant more time for dancing and photo booth shenanigans.

Much later in the night, the dessert bar opened. Our guests were treated to crème brûlée, lemon squares, petit fours, chocolate-dipped strawberries, cheese cake bites (again with chocolate), and more. We flirted with the idea of providing fresh cannolis, but nixed it when we found out the scale of the standard dessert bar.

Slices from two tiers of our cake were also set out.

By the time I heard whispers of dessert... Dessert, OMG! Where!?!, most of the goodies were gone. My "X" ballon, liberated from the photo booth, and I waited patiently in line for a shot at tasty goodness: a lemon square, crème brûlée spoon (which I was told not to miss), and several slices of cake!

A sugar-happy bride with her mom and balloon.

And now, true to form, I am craving crème brûlée!

When we were planning the wedding, I was adamant about having time to eat dinner. What I didn't count on was that eating part would be more difficult than finding the time. What are you doing to make sure you eat at your wedding?

(all photos by Heather Fowler Photography, unless otherwise noted)

Catch up on our PaC recaps!

Days Before

In the days leading up to the wedding, I wanted to be sedated.

I walked the line between calm and stressed for the better part of our rehearsal day.

"Don't panic" and its friends were what Mr. PaC kept telling me on the way to our rehearsal dinner.

Wedding Morning

Best wedding morning advice: wake up slow and tackle the day at your own pace.
Once at our venue, our DIY projects were assembled with our own two hands.
The girls get ready with champagne and chocolate-covered potato chips.
The guys are ready... and waiting.
She's mine! All mine! (The dress that is.)
Brown-eyed girl (and guy) portraits.
Something old and new, borrowed and blue.

Portraits

My sneaky groom has a secret heart when it comes to surprises.
A first look for the two of us plus more couples portraits in the garden.
With brother and sister standing by, we took our bridal party and family portraits.

Ceremony

After fretting about rain, the sun came out just as our guests arrived for the ceremony.
Maybe I was just a little amazed at how beautifully our ceremony had started.
After waiting 19 long months, here comes Mr. PaC's girl!
We spoke of love and some verses in our ceremony.