Tequila Fresa

Charles H. Baker Jr., loveable drunkard and certified bon vivant, traveled the world in search of a life well-lived. While some of the libatious adventures in The Gentleman's Companion should be avoided (I'm remembering a particularly disgusting morning emptying cachaça from coconuts buried in the front yard for a year), tequila fresa seems hard to beat! 

Find a 2-quart jar with a sealer top. Into this put 1 quart stemmed, washed, cut up, and crushed strawberries dead ripe. Pour in 1 bottle Tequila. Seal tightly, and allow to stand for 2 to 3 weeks. Strain through a double cheesecloth, and you will find a lovely thing, a rosy liquor with its rude sharpness blunted, yet with the kick of a mule. It may be poured over ice, sweetened to taste, and consumed as is, for a quickie, or as a julep over fine ice, or frozen with cracked ice in the Waring Blendor, with the addition of the juice of 1/4 lime for tartness, in tropical style a Daiquiri. Color, a lovely rose; flavor unique. 

Now tell me that doesn't sound delicious–cheers, and happy weekend!

Photo by Romulo Yanes for Gourmet. 

Color Block

Something about this invite has absolutely captured my imagination–can't you just see a backyard wedding in a beautifully restored Craftsman home, Louise wearing a colorblocked cotton shift and Thom passing out Aperol cocktails in highball glasses? Or maybe that's just me.


What kind of wedding do you think suits this suite?

Color Block wedding invite by Paper Dahlia at Minted.

Davina + Daniel: Puerto Vallarta

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe you remember Davina and Daniel's gorgeous Vegas elopement–I fell hard for their classic style, their sense of fun and their wedding plan–marry soon after getting engaged so that no matter the exotic locale where they ultimately tied the knot, they wouldn't have to worry about the legality of their union. Pragmatic problem solvers with exquisite taste? It's no wonder they had such a chic elopement, and a downright gorgeous wedding!

The pair stumbled on their venue, the magnificent Casa China Blanca, without ever having put Mexico on their list of destination locations, and they teamed up with event planners Kristin and Michelle of The Dazzling Details to help coordinate a distance celebration that threw tradition to the wind. Davina and Daniel wanted to be married at sunset, but the villa had a strict rule against loud music after 11pm; faced with an unfavorably short reception, they scheduled dinner, drinks and toasts all before the actual ceremony would take place!

Davina wore a gorgeous Pnina Tornai gown purchased at Kleinfeld's and paired with a mix of vintage and J.Crew jewelry, while Daniel chose a slim-cut Zara suit and Reiss shoes. After their sunset ceremony, the newlyweds danced down the aisle to the dance floor, where they celebrated to the sounds of Minuit, Davina's father's band, until the venue shut down the party! Davina changed into a Tadashi dress and Christian Louboutin pumps for a sparkler exit with her sweetheart, the final frames beautifully captured by the couple's close friends, Ben and Erin Chrisman, who generously shared these stunning images with me.

Tell me, what's your favorite detail of this spectacular celebration? Or are you as single-mindedly focused on planning a Mexican vacation this summer as I am? To tell the truth, I just booked ours yesterday–we're headed to our favorite little home away from home, Hotel Secreto on Isla Mujeres!

All Your Own

I was talking weddings with the wonderful Rhi (you might know her as the powerhouse pixie behind Hey Gorgeous Events), and confessed how nervous I am to plan in view of so many other wedding bloggers and aficionados. But as I started to talk about the morning ceremony and brunch reception we're dreaming of in shades of white and grey with touches of crimson, I was so swept away in the excitement that I forgot to be self-conscious. In a world of over-proped photos, it's easy to feel like you're living a life just a little less fantastic than everyone else you know. But if you stop worrying about what your Facebook friends will think and celebrate the things you truly love, your wedding/kitchen remodel/dinner will be all your own–and what could be better than that? Maybe I won't actually wear patent leather red pumps on my wedding day, but it's a little peek at the celebration I just can't wait to plan!


Did you feel pressure planning your big day, or face it now? How did you handle those moments of self-doubt?

Image by Jennifer Bowen Photography.

Strawberry

John put on his graduation cap and brought home a Master's degree on Friday, so surely a celebration was in order! I'd made reservations at RN74, and we happily made our way through all the menus and wine lists–oysters on the half shell, pate de campagne, arctic char, duck breast, a cheese plate and a bittersweet chocolate tart with roasted bananas that I'm still dreaming about, to say nothing of the gorgeous wines we sipped. We didn't even open the bottle of Paul Bara brut rosé we had waiting in the fridge when we got home, and tumbled into bed instead.

John let me sleep late on Saturday morning, and while he ran errands, I caught up on some season finales and lovely blogs with a cup of English breakfast tea. We snacked on buttery croissants and fresh fruit into the early afternoon, rather than have a proper breakfast, and recuperated from a challenging week with hours in bed, watching episodes of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations that had us making lists of places to visit (John wants to see the whiskey capitals of the world–Scotland, Ireland and Japan, while I've got Greece and the South Pacific at the top of dream destinations). After cleaning house, we decided to catch a showing of The Five-Year Engagement, which was hysterical and perfectly suited to the two of us, since we haven't made a single concrete plan since we got engaged in October! The movie was followed by dinner, a veritable Indian feast, and we were content to stroll home hand in hand.

We live very near to Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach, which means we have perfect quiet on most weekends–but Sunday was Bay to Breakers. San Franciscans love any excuse to dress up in a wild costumes (or no costume at all) and day drink, and they headed to our 'hood from early morning to late afternoon. John was up with the winners, making a beautiful Mexican-inspired breakfast he delivered to me in bed (I really do love Sunday mornings!). I managed an overflowing inbox while John practiced and arranged, and we watched the costumed revelers stagger down the street. Eventually we settled back in for a few more episodes of No Reservations–I guess we needed another weekend of recovery! Later that afternoon we took a stroll to Andronico's for basil, John's favorite dry-farmed tomatoes and plenty of fresh mozzarella to make up a bowl of Patricia pasta, a simple family recipe that's perfect for warm weather evenings. After a little yoga together, we prepared supper and poured ourselves two well-chilled glasses of rosé–the perfect end to a wonderfully relaxing weekend.


Tell me, how did you kick back this weekend? I can't wait to hear what you were up to!

Image by A Simple Photograph; see more of this gorgeous celebration on Style Me Pretty.

Greyhound

The Kitchn spent last week talking cocktails, and one post in particular struck me–What do you order in a bad bar? Most of the drinks I feature shouldn't be attempted in bad bars–neon Budweiser signs or bathrooms that make you doubt the existence of a God are my first clues–so what should you order when you find yourself in a dive?  

My go-to "safety drinks" are a Greyhound–1/3 vodka, 2/3 grapefruit juice with plenty of ice, or a Campari and soda, if the bar has a dusty bottle of Campari hiding on the shelf. Even though these are my orders in case of crisis, I actually love these drinks at home, especially in the spring and summer! 

Tell me, what do you order in a bad bar? 

Image by KT Merry.

Perfect

 After last week's informal poll, I feel confident that I can announce womankind's favorite flowers–or at least brides, wedding vendors and the sort of bloggers, married or unwed, who read wedding blogs for fun. This might represent a particularly skewed demographic, but ya'll are as crazy for peonies, garden roses and lilacs as I am (and brava to the handful of you who love daises or sunflowers, for bucking the trend)! 

With our favorite flowers in mind, I thought this might just be the perfect bouquet–what do you think?

Image by Jessica Loren Organic Photography.

Lindsay and Jake

Call me crazy, but there's just something different about the Atlantic–and since I live just a few blocks from the Pacific, I feel qualified to make that assertion. With summer just around the corner, I can smell the salty air of Massachusetts marinas and taste the corn on the cob–can you tell I'm not completely sold on life in San Francisco? This Nantucket wedding is the perfect way to celebrate all things perfectly prep, and a wonderful reminder that no matter the weather, the day you marry your one and only will be beautiful!

The pair, who used the beauty of Nantucket is their theme, sent out nautical-inspired invites for their August nuptials–little did they know Hurricane Irene was also on her way! After a year planning her perfect tented wedding, there was no way the bride was letting all that work go to waste, and so while guests called to cancel at the last minute, Lindsay and her family broke out the rainboots and umbrellas.

The bride chose a one-shouldered Amsale gown, paired with blue Kate Spade sandals, pearls and a feathered fascinator by Bride's Head Revisited. She and her bridesmaids, dressed in preppy classics Lilly Pulitzer and Jack Rogers, carried lush ivory bouquets by Jean Cawley of A Taste of Nantucket, while her Canadian groom and his pals donned Nantucket Reds, Sperry Topsiders, navy blazers and Etro ties.

After a traditional ceremony at St Mary's, Our Lady of the Aisle, guests took cover under a Nantucket Tent. A Taste of Nantucket made sure guests experienced an East Coast summer feast, but it was the groomsmen's self-made fireworks display that truly blew everyone's socks off! Only hours after the reception was finished and vendors were breaking down the tent did Hurricane Irene arrive, and the newlyweds threw a "stranded party" the next day, since there was no transportation off the island! Bravely capturing each gorgeous moment was Brea McDonald, whose photos tell such a fabulous story of one couple's faith in love–and the weather. Thank you so much Brea, for letting me feature your beautiful work!