Airmail

There was a time when the only thing I'd order at a bar was an Airmail–rum, honey, lime and a touch of Champagne to top it all off with. My horizons have since expanded, but this cocktail is still a favorite, and perfect as warm days melt into cooler evenings.


Airmail

2 ounces rum
1 ounce honey syrup
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1 to 2 ounces chilled Champagne, to taste

Shake rum, honey syrup and fresh lime juice with ice; double strain into a coupe glass. Top with Champagne.

Notes: The richness of this cocktail is based almost entirely on what kind of rum you use; a white rum will mean a brighter cocktail, while a 15 year aged rum will make this libation taste like dessert. To make honey syrup, combine equal parts honey and hot water, then stir or shake until honey is dissolved. Cheers, and happy Labor Day!

Image courtesy of Tanqueray via Refinery29.

Saranac

This week I'm loving a palette of elegant neutrals, the promise of a long holiday weekend and these lovely links–what are you crazy about this week?


I'm a sucker for red & white weddings, and this Big Apple celebration photographed by Jessica Lorren via Snippet & Ink is a dream!

Destination: W magazine is new to me and absolutely delightful–Palm Spring, Ireland and St Martin, oh my!

This elegant wedding photographed by Byron Loves Fawn featured on Magnolia Rouge is full of gorgeous details.

Byron Loves Fawn,

Byron Loves Fawn,

A beautiful barn celebration from Southern Weddings Magazine captured by Paige Jones is as pretty as a peach!

This stylish Brooklyn fête featured on Martha Stewart Weddings is equal parts organic and urban.

Byron Loves Fawn,

Byron Loves Fawn,

Saranac save the date by Crane & Co. for Paperless Post.

Rachel and Chris

 

Though the bride and groom live in Los Angeles, Rachel wanted to tie the knot in her Virgina hometown; as a girl who lives far from her own childhood home, I completely understand the appeal of marrying in such a meaningful location. The couple chose the Oatlands Plantation for their outdoor ceremony and tented reception, and worked with Engaging Affairs to create a celebration that was equal parts black tie and organic.

Rachel wore a Lusan Mandongus lace gown and jeweled Vera Wang Lavender flats; soft curls and a delicate pendant necklace completed her natural look. Bridesmaids wore matching black cocktail dresses from Watters and carried posies of green hydrangea and white freesia and calla lilies by Multiflor that matched the bride's white freesia bouquet, while the groom and his attendants looked sharp in classic black tie.

Keeping in mind that a wedding is reminisced over long after the last chairs have been put away, Rachel and Chris focused on the lasting effect of their celebration. Friends of the couple played "Unchained Melody" as Rachel walked down the aisle, and after exchanging heartfelt vows, the newlyweds enjoyed a glass of Champagne and the spectacular views with their guests. An elegant dinner by Occasions Caterers was followed by dancing beneath the stars, and when Rachel and Chris said goodnight, they knew they'd remember the night for as long as they lived.

Gorgeous images by Gabe Aceves; do you have a favorite snapshot from this classic celebration?

For the Dogs

Darling image by Jose Villa.

Boxwood

After a big week at the office and a Campari and soda in the afternoon, I was looking forward to a fun Friday night with my guy; instead I found him curled up in bed in his pjs at 6:30, looking ill. He'd already ordered Indian food, the cure for nearly all things, and we settled in with two dance documentaries before an early bedtime that I hoped would ward off his malaise. 

We slept in and took it easy on Saturday morning, and even though John couldn't work up an appetite, I poached a perfect egg and sipped a cup of tea while we worked on program notes for his upcoming recital. Eventually John headed off to work and I settled in at the kitchen table with biographies and my Oxford Music Dictionary subscription. Hours later I packed up my notes and pulled on some sneakers to take a walk to the beach; the bonfires and the cool, crisp air reminded me of fall on the East Coast. John called to tell me he was heading home as I was opening the front door, and I set to making a spicy garlic pasta that I thought would be the perfect thing to jog his appetite–and it was. We had a late supper as the fog grew thick, and fell asleep long before the final credits of Zodiac rolled.

We were up early on Sunday morning, and it seemed like the combination of rest, pasta and an entire box of Emergen-C had worked its magic! After a simple breakfast of roasted potatoes and poached eggs over avocado toast, we threw ourselves into a deep house clean–the kind where you take everything out of the fridge to wipe down the shelves. It must have exhausted John though, because by the end of it he looked as sick as ever; luckily, a quick run shook most of the malaise loose and gave me a little free time to finish posts and clean out my inbox. He headed off to play one of his last few degree requirements while I practiced some much needed yoga, and we decided that rather than root through our nearly empty fridge, we'd treat ourselves to a little sushi. Ebisu was surprisingly full for Sunday night (that, or we're not usually out at 9), but we managed to snag a little table, a delicious dinner and still be in bed by 10.

Tell me, what were you up to this weekend? Soaking up the last rays of summer, or making Labor Day plans perhaps?

Image by Brumley & Wells.

Bourbon Street

I've only come around to whiskey in the last year or so, and I find that bourbon's even more delightful when topped with a touch of sweetness–strawberries, ginger and honey sound perfect to me!

Bourbon Street

2 oz bourbon

2 fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered

3/4 oz ginger syrup

1/2 oz honey syrup

3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Club soda

strawberry slice and mint sprig for garnish

Muddle strawberries with honey syrup at the bottom of a cocktail tin. Add bourbon, ginger syrup, lemon juice and bitters; shake for 10-15 seconds with ice. Pour into a highball glass, top with soda and garnish with strawberry slice and sprig of mint.

Notes: Normally I belly up to a good bar if I'm craving a cocktail with more than 4 or 5 ingredients, but I'd happily make an exception for this drink (and then you can keep drinking until you tumble into bed!). While good ginger syrup is easy to make, you could also pick up a bottle from Morris Kitchen, and when a recipe calls for honey syrup, John shakes up 1 part honey and 1 part hot water in a mason jar until combined, though you use agave nectar to sweeten up this sipper, too. Cheers!

Image by Aaron Delesie, cocktail recipe by Dave Whitton and Arianna Reel Cook of One-Eyed Gypsy.

In Bloom

This week I'm loving rich, vibrant color, planning a fall editorial calendar chock full of inspiration and these gorgeous celebrations!


A pretty pink wedding photographed by Olivia Leigh Photographie featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs.

A luxe celebration that re-imagines the courthouse ceremony snapped by Scobey Photography from Smitten.

Speaking of courthouses, I love these City Hall couples via Refinery29.

A classic fête at one of my favorite venues, The Presidio Social Club captured by Josh Gruetzmacher via Snippet & Ink.

In Bloom invitation by Love vs Design.

Sarah and PJ

"Classic casual" was Sarah and PJ's guiding principal as they planned a Roaring Gap, NC celebration–and boy was it a beauty! 

The bride spent every summer growing up at Roaring Gap, and always planned to marry in the same mountain chapel where her parents had tied the knot. Sarah worked with Rebecca Rose Events to plan a wedding in shades of ivory, green and the bride's favorite, coral, that made each and every guest feel welcome–from the green Crane & Co invitations to the orange flip flops (a nod to the newlyweds' alma mater) and late-night milkshakes at the reception!

After trying on countless gowns, Sarah's mother’s alençon lace gown turned out to be the family favorite, and with the help of a seamstress, it was converted from long-sleeved to strapless. Along with the gown, the bride wore her grandmother's bracelet and necklace, and the groom's grandmother's diamond ring, which his mother also wore on her own wedding day. Simple bow-topped flats from Something Bleu and a lace-trimmed veil complimented the look, and Sarah's lush bouquet by Amy Lynne Originals incorporated the vibrant pink of her bridesmaids' Jenny Yoo dresses. The groom wore a navy suit, while his groomsmen looked handsome in blue blazers and chinos, and flowers girls were dressed sweetly in ivory Janie and Jack dresses.

Heirloom silver baskets and revere bowls held ceremony programs and flowers, and after the couple exchanged their vows, they made their getaway from the church in Roaring Gap's antique fire truck. Sarah and PJ arrived at their cocktail hour on the lawn of the Roaring Gap Club with celebratory sirens wailing, and toasted with mint juleps in antique silver cups. Rebecca Rose Events and floral designer Amy Lynne Originals kept the bride's favorite coral shade alive in the club's dining room with colorful napkins and petite peony arrangements in heirloom silver vessels. After dinner, Sarah and PJ enjoyed a slice of Ketchie Creek Bakery wedding cake before hitting the dance floor, and the bride made a quick change into an ivory lace shift to wish their guests goodnight! 

A big thank you to the talented Meredith Perdue for sharing her timeless images; this is the sort of wedding I go back to over and over again for inspiration. Tell me, do you have a favorite wedding style?