I’ve been a bad, bad blogger and I’ve got a lot of explaining to do. It’s not that I haven’t thought of you constantly and always, it’s just that the distance between my head and the keypad was too great most days. There’s been a rushed wedding, two birthdays, three major holidays, and more baking and cooking than I can possibly remember crammed into less than three months time. Whew! I’ve taken tons of pictures, tried to capture recipes, and I’ve written posts in my head. But I really doubt I’ll ever catch up completely. The further behind I got, the less I wanted to sit down and write.
But I’m back. Because I miss you. I’m so grateful to have this space. I’m grateful it’s 2009. I’m grateful for the crazy, probably greenhouse gas caused 70 degree days we’ve been having in the middle of January. So there you have it. I’m back.
It all started way back in August when we decided to get married before the November election. I had been reading Smitten Kitchen’s account of making a friend’s wedding cake and I was inspired to make my own. Deb’s step-by-step account of the process gave me the confidence I needed to get going. Which meant baking countless cake rounds in various-sized pans. First, I threw together a small square surprise cake for our neighbors’ wedding ceremony using Deb’s vanilla buttermilk cake recipe, Rose Levy Beranbaum’s lemon curd filling , and white chocolate buttercream frosting. Everyone agreed that, yes, this was the magical flavor combination for our wedding cake as well. (Our neighbors had a big wedding years ago, but this ceremony was the first time they could be married legally. They hadn’t even planned on having a cake, which was just more than I could bear!)
Eventually, after several practice rounds, I managed to pull off our wedding cake. I loved every single minute of making it and I don’t regret it one bit. It was, however, difficult to decorate it at the restaurant the morning of the wedding. When one is shaking and hurrying because the people who were supposed to open the restaurant early for you are running late, well, that’s the kind of stress you just don’t need on your wedding day!
I’m not much for frills and curlicues anyway, so I was delighted when one woman called the cake, “handsome.” Since I used to be a costume designer for the theatre, vintage ribbon was a theme in our wedding, and I of course found a way to use ribbon on the cake.
I had done all the prep work prior to driving to the restaurant, and I had ordered bakery boxes to transport the cakes in, so the assembly on site actually was quite painless. Therefore, if you wish to make your own wedding cake, I can highly recommend it. Read everything in sight; there are great tips all over the internet now, including on wilton.com. But if you prefer “fancier” decoration (other than just fresh flowers, I suppose), it would be a good idea to have a friend who is great with a pastry bag come with you. I know I couldn’t have piped a clean line to save my life that day!
We were married at The Hastings House, which opens out onto the Pacific Ocean in Half Moon Bay, and is gorgeous year-round. (Although sun in Half Moon Bay is not a regular occurrence, we simply lucked out.) Our reception was at Pasta Moon on Main Street in Half Moon Bay, and they did a fabulous job of accommodating our tiny crowd. In fact, they kept remarking that we had such a nice group of people at the reception. Naturally, I adore our dear friends, but it did make me wonder what the restaurant usually has to put up with!
My most precious friend Tanya arranged our flowers for the bouquets and the reception (we purchased them at the San Francisco Flower Mart, of course) and they were truly stunning. I’m in total awe of her talent. The wedding pictures above were taken by my favorite photographer in the world, Todd Rafalovich. He was an absolute dream to work with, and his photos are exquisite.
It was a perfect day. Exactly the kind of day one dreams of, inspiring feelings of hope and possibility. I am grateful for all those who shared the day with us, and for those who shared from their perches around the world, unable to physically be with us. Blessings on us all.
I’ll be back sooner rather than later this time – to continue to get caught up!
