Rehearsal Dinner

My son was married this past Saturday.  Being the Mother of the Groom is quite a different experience than being the Mother of the Bride. 

I was the Mother of the Bride 4 years ago and I loved every minute of it.  It was so girly!  But with a boy, well that is quite different.  Actually, not a boy, a man.  My son will turn 30 in very short order. 

To describe his Groomsmen as similar to the characters on "Big Bang Theory" is very apt.  These are extremely intelligent, very geeky guys.  Let's put it this way, his bachelor party took place partially in a "barcade".  That's a combination between a bar and an arcade! 

My son and his friends are huge "Star Wars" fans.  So I got it in to my head that I wanted a full size Darth Vader helmet as the cake for the rehearsal dinner.  His groom's cake, but at the rehearsal dinner instead of at the wedding.  This proved to be a difficult task.

The bakery I love was closed for the week of the wedding.  A second bakery wouldn't make it siting copyright infringement issues.  A third bakery gave me a price that rivaled the price of the actual wedding cake!  Finally, after getting a referral from Duling-Kurtz Country Inn which was the venue for the rehearsal dinner, I found a Bakers of Buffington to make and deliver this fantastic cake!!! 

 Not only is it great to look at, it tasted fabulous as well!!!

The gift bags contained flip flops for the girls, black framed sunglasses for all, pins that said their roles in the wedding (i.e. "Best Man", etc.), and some other goodies.

 

Wedding Celebration!

I have been MIA because I have been in wedding preparation mode!  My son is getting married this Saturday!!! 

We are so blessed that my son, L.J., has met the love of his life, Emily.  They are perfectly matched and we wish them a lifetime of happiness. 

I will be posting tons of things about the wedding and what I have done to prepare for it, but here is just the first installment.  I am saving many things as surprises. 

I am having a breakfast on the morning of the wedding and that means that I want the house to be decorated like a wedding celebration.  So I made this wreath to decorate the door. 

 I wasn't able to find a grapevine wreath to work with, so I got a wreath that was already complete (and pricey, but any port in a storm) and I remade it. 

This is how the wreath started out.  I absolutely hated the twigs and a lot of the green plants.

This is how it looked after the white flowers were added and the twigs and green plants were removed.

The only other addition was this great wedding ribbon I got on clearance. 

It will make a nice welcome for the groomsmen and their gurests. 

By The Sea!

I am just back from a week long vacation in Sea Isle City, New Jersey!  If you aren't familiar with this wonderful ocean side town, you are really missing something!!!  It is family friendly, but still has quite a nightlife to offer.

With great restaurants, many new ones since we were there last 3 years ago, and a nice selections of rides for the kids and bars for the grownups it's got something for everybody.  There are even some free concerts in the town square!  The beaches are not so vast that you can't see the ocean, but there is always room.

We had a wonderful condo on what they call the promenade which is like a board walk.  We faced the ocean, there is nothing quite like seeing the sun coming up over the ocean in the morning. 

The most genius of the new restaurants (I use that term loosely in this case) is Drifters.  Here you can get sliders, funnel cakes, French fries, deep fried Oreos, ice cream, kids favorites, or even strings for your guitar!  Open until the wee hours of the night/morning, they cater to the after bar crowd and they have just what hits the spot after a few cocktails!!!  

The nicest surprise we had was when we decided to go to La Fontana Coast for dinner!!!  This elegant BYOB at 50th and Landis is fantastic!  It rivals any of the top restaurants in Philadelphia (think the Palm, the Ritz Carlton, the Four Seasons).  The Crab Bisque was phenomenal!!!  Outstanding!!!  Just over the top good!!!  The service, well if it were any better they would be getting us things BEFORE we wanted them!!!  

The old standbys that are always good are still so, The Lobster Loft had some great specials that were reasonably priced and delicious, and Braca's is still delightful!  They have added some sidewalk tables out front which is a great option in nicer weather.  Given that both are walking distance to our condo, they are always favorites of ours.  

Until next year Sea Isle!  I did record the sites and sounds of the ocean on my cell phone for those days when I need a little boost!!!