Starting September

 

The funny thing about living in Florida, especially being from the midwest is that September does not mean anything changes weather wise.  In fact it can be even hotter and hurricanes are more likely.  So for us, seeing the fall season through the experiences of those up north are as close as we get.  I did buy some cider at Publix though - and will drink it poolside.

September is the start of football season and it is always a good fall Saturday when Michigan State wins. Also, anyone who is a Detroit Lions fan is extremely excited for this season, which starts Sunday.  This is their year for a super bowl win and we will be cheering them on from Florida.  And then, to everyone’s surprise the Detroit Tigers are in contention for a wild card playoff spot.  I will be watching and hoping all of September.

I found a delicious recipe for peach cobbler and will share here.  There is something with the start of fall that makes me want to bake something.

Finally, we have received the official wedding photographs from the photographer and all I can say is wow.  I will write a final wedding post soon, but wanted to share a few of my favorites.  I can’t get over the church, the venue and the beautiful couple.

A Beautiful Michigan Wedding Day

 

Elegant, simple, whimsical.  Maybe contradictory descriptions, but my daughter designed a beautiful wedding with all these elements.  She let the setting be the star at both the church and the venue and the whole day was nothing short of amazing.

Sweetest Heart of Mary church in Detroit is historical, Polish and quite ornate.  We knew her dress needed to make a statement as she walked down the very long aisle.  So, we found the perfect elegant statement dress and purchased extra length on her cathedral length veil.  Her vision came together beautifully.  

The reception venue was at a lovely old mansion on Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe and we were able to utilize the terrace overlooking the water for cocktail hour since it was a spectacular Michigan summer night of 78 degrees and perfectly blue skies.  The guests raved about the whole experience and we were thrilled too.

Once the doors opened for dinner seating, the whole evening; from food to speeches to dancing, was filled with love for the couple and a lot of fun too.  The photos I have collected from others tell the story and once we receive more from the photographer, more details will be shared, but I think the beauty and fun of the wedding day shine through.

The bride is an event planner and designs weddings for others. She outdid herself on making her wedding reflect both her and the groom in such a perfect way.  The MOB and FOB were very happy.

 

Pre Wedding Fun in Detroit

 

Tomorrow it will have been one week since our daughter’s wedding and it has been a week of much fun, much excitement and much love.  Also a little travel turmoil, but we are back in Florida and Melissa and Kevin are finally on their honeymoon in Maui after a three day delay (Delta outage mess). So, all is now good.

I am going to break up the wedding recap posts into two posts with this one consisting of all the pre wedding events and the next one in a few days with the wedding details.  Everything could not have been more beautiful and I can’t wait to show you.

We arrived in Detroit and immediately worked on the hotel welcome bags, so they could be dropped off at the hotel our guests were staying at in downtown Detroit.  Then, the next day was a whirlwind of manicures with the bride, brunch and later dinner at The Detroit Athletic Club with the two families.  It was a perfect Michigan summer night on the rooftop overlooking Comerica Park and Ford Field.  The DAC is a historic private club and we were feeling lucky to be there all together and start the celebration.

The rehearsal day went by fast and after checking into our hotel downtown, we headed to the church for the rehearsal.  That is when things began to feel real.  The rehearsal dinner was held at a Detroit polish institution; The Polish Village Cafe.  We wanted to keep things fun and casual and it was perfect.  The meal of pierogis, kielbasa, stuffed cabbage pickle soup and much more was served family style with strolling guitar players. There were many kind and funny words shared about the bride and groom from the wedding party and a good time was had by all.

We ended the night at a welcome party back at the pretty hotel bar and the excitement was high for the wedding the next day. 

Wedding Excitement

My daughter’s wedding is one week from today and in just a few days we will be on a flight to Michigan for all the pre wedding festivities. We still need to put together the hotel welcome bags, get manicures and pedicures and pick up my husband’s tux.  There will be a family pre wedding dinner with the groom’s family. The next night is the church wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at a fun polish restaurant in Detroit. Finally, a welcome party at the lovely hotel bar.   Then of course, wedding day and all the excitement that brings. I am looking forward to so much.

1.  Seeing Melissa in her wedding gown.

2.  Seeing my husband walk her down the aisle.

3. Seeing my granddaughter as flower girl for her auntie.

4. Finally wearing my mother of the bride dress.

5.  Seeing the wedding vows given by our friend and former parish priest at a beautiful historic church in Detroit.

6. Seeing the lakefront venue, the flowers and the table settings.  

7.  Dancing the night away with friends and family.

8. Feeling all the love for the bride and groom and our family.

And, I can’t wait to share it with all of you.

Bridal Shower for Melissa

 

We are getting into wedding mode and the first big step was Melissa’s bridal shower this past Saturday. Planning something like this long distance takes a lot of coordination, but my co hosts were so helpful and the vision came together beautifully.

Melissa is a wedding and corporate event coordinator so I knew I had to step up my game and it made me very happy that when she arrived and saw the room she was thrilled and appreciative.  The theme was vintage garden party with blue cloisonné vases of different heights and styles, linen napkins, blue goblets and a lot of white hydrangeas.

We picked up the vases over time and with the blue goblets, the color really popped.  I love all things floral, so I knew having a lot of vases overflowing with white flowers would make a lovely setting.  The hydrangeas were ordered from Costco and delivered the day before.  I highly recommend how they were shipped and the amazing quality.  The other flowers were picked up at Trader Joes.  Everything was put together on site the morning of the shower in just under two hours.

Perhaps the centerpiece was the sign I had made from Etsy that was a flower box design.  I used greenery as a base and then filled it with flowers.  We added garden lanterns and a big balloon bouquet to make a pretty photo backdrop.  

We enjoyed a delicious luncheon of broccoli soup, grilled chicken Caesar salad and lemon sorbet with mini chocolate tarts.  Everyone was very generous with gifts and Melissa definitely felt the love.  It was a beautiful day.  And now, just under three months until wedding day.

Life Lately

 

It is a few days past Easter and April is already whizzing along for me with a lot on my calendar.  Melissa’s bridal shower is fast approaching and I am hoping for a flurry of rsvp’s to come in this week, so I don’t have to follow up with people.  I am working on menu cards and some table top signs and still need to place a flower order at Trader Joe’s.  Otherwise all is well with that.  3 months until the wedding!

I didn’t take any photos on Easter, but do have a few fun shots of our Good Friday.  As is our tradition, we went to Stations of the Cross and then did a mini bar crawl in the afternoon.  This tradition dates back to our parish friends in Michigan and we see no reason to not continue in Florida.  There was one big change and it was very Florida centric. Instead of stations of the cross in church, there was a procession through downtown Venice.  This was the first year for this and it was really quite special with several hundred participants on a beautiful day under a bright blue Florida sky.

Happy April!