"This Is Always"

It's the second week of Music Monday being hosted by Kuppy Kakes by Kristin, and her theme today is "Romantically Nostalgic." How perfect, considering that I was proud to be the date of the extraordinarily handsome man pictured to the left, Tom, at his niece's wedding on Saturday ... :)

The ceremony was just lovely! The bride was gorgeous in the most beautiful vintage-style ivory lace dress with cap sleeves ... the groom was clearly genuinely in love with his new wife ... the bridesmaids were so pretty in navy dresses which were each very slightly different from each other, and they carried white roses that were perfect in their simplicity ... the groomsmen looked so sharp in their tuxes ... and the bride's mother, Tom's sister Sandy, was radiant in a mauve gown ... sigh.

Of course, this being a blog about edibles, I must tell you that the food -- provided by local institution Angel Food Catering of Ypsilanti -- was sophisticated and wonderful. We were welcomed to the reception with hors d'oeuvres: a cheese-topped Spinach-Artichoke Dip served with pita triangles, a variety of fruits, and a vegetable assortment served with onion dip. The dinner featured a beautiful salad with almonds and dried cranberries, served with either Ranch dressing or a raspberry vinaigrette; Chicken Cordon Bleu with a rich wine sauce; fork-tender Sliced Beef Tenderloin; roasted potatoes; mixed vegetables; and flaky dinner rolls served with either a luscious Spiced Honey Butter or a Garlic-Dill Butter.

Now, I'm sure everyone is wondering why I'm not offering pictures of the food for drooling purposes. Well, I didn't take any pictures for two reasons: 1) it really wouldn't have been appropriate at a formal gathering, and 2) I was meeting Tom's sister Anne and brother Jim for the first time, so I hardly wanted to embarrass myself (or Tom!) as the flaky chick who takes pictures of her food. That is, in fact, who I am -- there's no denying it! But they don't need to know that just yet ....

There was also the mandatory wedding cake (CAKE!!!), which I did take a picture of; it was on display, so my camera and I weren't too disruptive ... and c'mon -- it's just adorable, demonstrating the bride's and groom's mutual sense of humor and whimsy! (All the guests got to take home rubber duckies, too, which had been floating in glass bowls as table centerpieces. Mine are proudly joining the other two I already had, such that I may need to repaint and redecorate my bathroom to properly showcase them now that I'm apparently becoming a collector.)

Anyway, the cake -- baked by The Milan Bakery -- was a perfectly tender white cake with raspberry filling (one of my personal favorites) and a rich frosting ... sigh. (FYI, for non-Michiganders: the little town outside of Ann Arbor is pronounced MY-len, not mill-AHN like the city in Italy.) And although I did wonder aloud if there were seconds, I didn't go greedily in search of more. I was good ... :)

After indulging in the cake, it was time for the happy couple's first dance, then the introduction of the bridal party, the bride dancing with her proud father and the groom dancing with his charming mother. Then all the cute young women in their 20s took over the floor as a hip-hop song I didn't recognize (there's a shock!) played LOUDLY, and they did some sort of line dance that they all knew the steps to ... they had a ball, while I simply felt old. It was time to leave while my ego was still intact.

So Tom and I went home and danced to a song of our own choosing, since we didn't hear any slow ones at the reception. It's not our song, but it's now on the list of our songs -- there is one particularly special one, and then there are several secondary choices. It's the perfect selection for Kristin's Music Monday, as it is romantic and nostalgic and simply beautiful ... and wedding vows should, of course, be for always ....

A quick note: My son, Jeremy, has started a blog of his own! Much as this former non-smokers' rights worker is loathe to promote anything tobacco-related, she is very proud of her son's initiative and of his passion to educate himself and to become a connoisseur-in-training. So it would be much appreciated if you could go to his site and become a follower, and show him a little bit of love ... :) Johnny's Cigar Escapades