You can sigh with relief if you’re tired of all the wedding-related blog posts since today I bring you the last installment of them. The last thing to cover about it is our reception, which wasn’t your typical reception party and more of a celebratory dinner.
Like I’ve mentioned before, we decided to keep things simple and somewhat low-key. Even though we were all dressed up, the vibe throughout the whole day was laid-back and relaxed; I felt like I was just hanging out with my favorite people, enjoying every second of it. For family photos we even did some silly shots that ended up being my favorite compared to the classic serious family portraits (which granted we also did). Though the atmosphere was laid-back, we did have a formal dinner with amazing food and plenty of wine to go with it; however no dance floor, band or DJ (my playlist played thru the sound system) were involved, not even a wedding cake.
Family, friends and food were all we needed. Our guest list consisted of 35 of our closest and dearest. There were a lot of extended family and friends that we would’ve loved to have invited if we would’ve gone the huge wedding route, but because we wanted to keep things small and intimate, we only invited those people that in some way or another have been a big part of our journey as a couple. That included our parents and siblings, and a few friends.
Of course being a foodie, food was very important to me and I wanted to make sure everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner. Arcadia Farms, with their mostly local and organic ingredients as well as wonderful chef and recipes, didn’t disappoint. Everyone commented on how amazing every course was.
Right after the ceremony, we all walked next door to the private dining room where dinner was held. We had a cocktail hour, with red wine sangrias, champagne, red and white wine, and passed hors d’oeuvres. Then came a 3 course dinner which included the following: a strawberry salad with strawberries, toasted almonds, mixed baby greens and a poppyseed vinaigrette; for an entrée, guests had a choice between butternut squash ravioli in a walnut sage cream sauce (my personal favorite!) or seared salmon with sweet corn, shiitake mushrooms and spinach with a Pinot Noir butter sauce; and finally for dessert, in lieu of a wedding cake everyone was served their own individual baby cake, which they could pick among dark chocolate raspberry, tuxedo (another favorite of mine!) or red velvet cake. If you ask me, it wasn’t only a memorable occasion, it was also a memorable meal!
As usual, I leave some photos here for you to enjoy.
Photos by Steven Toupin
