Our Royal Wedding Celebration!

We put a Design Muse spin on our Royal Wedding celebration and unsurprisingly things got real over the top real quick.  Enjoy these highlights from our terribly fun day!

Instead of sending plain 'ol invitations we decided to up the ante and mail tiaras to each of our guests.  While we usually have a the-more-the-merrier take on party invites, we limited the guest list to family only for this particular occasion.  Granted, our family is huge so there were no shortage of invitations to send out, but the cap allowed us to include a lot of personalized touches for each guest.  Instead of just including local family, we sent invitations across the United States and I'm thrilled to say a handful of gals hopped on a plane and joined us!  

My favorite part of the event itself was the table decor.  We raided our event styling inventory for our favorite ornate pieces and put together a few beautiful flower arrangements using peonies, brightly colored poppies, a variety of roses and a few other beautiful blooms.  We couldn't fit all 16 guests at the dining table, so in an effort to avoid the feel of a "kids table", we got creative and came up with an inclusive T shaped layout.  We bought a beautiful gold fabric to create custom tablecloths and red velvet to fabricate the runners.  Each place setting included one of Hester and Cook's Gilded Frame Die Cut Paper Placemats and a personalized Table Accent Place Card...the perfect finishing touches!  

I used our Cricut (a purchase which- for the record- pretty much changed my life) to create a few embellished monogrammed seals that we placed on the runners.  I also used it to create some precision cuts on the Instrument of Consent we displayed that gave Harry and Meghan permission to marry.  

We rolled out the red carpet (quite literally, as you can see) and guests were greeted by a friendly member of the paparazzi (alias: Paul Wharton of Paul Wharton Photography).   When my Mom came up with the idea to order a red carpet I cracked up, but it was such a fabulous addition to the day and really added to the VIP experience we were trying to create. 

We kept the menu fairly simple, and decided against making it too British (because let's be honest...the Brits do a lot of things well, but food isn't one of them).  I ordered an assortment of Tea Forte blends, and a special Harney & Sons Royal Wedding Tea for the occasion.  We also set up a Mimosa bar and station for coffee.  Since our celebration was taking place mid-morning, the menu consisted of fresh fruit, macarons, tea sandwiches (peach/honey/ricotta and avocado/cucumber), shortbread cookies, charcuterie, quiche, yogurt parfaits, breakfast meats, a light salad and my Mom's famous homemade scones.  I also whipped up what turned out to be a delicious replica of Harry and Meghan's Lemon Elderflower cake and topped it with fresh flowers. 

One of the most memorable moments of the day was when my cousin, Natalie, made a quick costume change and re-entered the party wearing her mom's wedding dress.  It was hilarious and sweet all at the same time.  

Another special moment came when I received a few picture texts from my mother-in-law.  She and my beautiful niece Ava weren't able to make the trip from Virginia to join us, so they threw on their tiaras, invited over a few special guests of their own and had a lovely satellite party.  

                   

We watched the guests arrive while we ate (with much commentary, as you can imagine) and then moved to the sofas to watch the wedding itself.  Royal Wedding fan or not, if you haven't watched the ceremony yet you should put it on your to do list!  It was beautiful from start to finish but, as many have said, Bishop Michael Curry stole the show with his impassioned message on the power of love.  

I teared up on a few occasions, but cried very real tears when The Kingdom Choir performed Stand By Me.  While many moments of the Royal Wedding made me think of my own marriage and how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband in Davey, this particular song made me grateful for the community of women that surrounded me in that moment.  The last few years have been challenging for our family, but the women in that room and the ones who couldn't attend but celebrated with us from a distance have consistently poured so much life into me.  I looked around and saw strength, love and the main characters from most of the best stories I have.  The gift of a life crowned with family is unlike any other.  Makes me feel luckier than a princess. :)

Table For Twelve: The Royal Wedding

Happy Royal Wedding Day!  I've been scrambling all morning trying to put together this post in a timely fashion...not unlike Cinderella, come midnight a bit of the magic is gone.  Not that I expect to make it to midnight.  I'm freaking exhausted.  But the early morning (and late night, in our case) was so worth it!  We had a brilliant time celebrating the royal couple!  Here's a peek into how our festivities went down...

I was determined to make our little shindig- above all else- as authentically British as possible (minus the accents, although I suppose it would've been a nice touch).  I used various-sized blue toile candlesticks as the base for the centerpiece and topped them with "sculpted trees" (moss covered foam balls), candles and crowns I purchased at Hobby Lobby.  I wanted it to look not only regal, but unmistakably English as well.  

My favorite favorite detail of the table was the paper products- not only do they look fabulous, but they're straight from the woman of the hour...lovely Princess Kate.  At least peripherally.  I ordered the plates, napkins, platters and cups from Party Pieces, the Middleton's UK based party supply store.  It doesn't get more legit than that, folks. :)

We kept round one of the menu simple and limited it to British snack foods.  I'm not gonna lie to you...locating food that was not only British but that I could- in good conscience- actually serve was all kinds of difficult.  They eat some wacko stuff over there.  After some extensive Googling and several trips to international markets, I came up with a menu that included individual traditional English trifles, crumpets, orange marmalade, English clotted cream, loganberry preserves, chocolate tea biscuits, Digestive cookies, sweet oat crisps, Bounty and Yorkie candy bars, cream crackers, Melba toast, and Double Gloucester, Cheshire Blue, Derby, Red Leicester, Lowerdale Goat, and Aged Cheddar cheeses. And it was actually quite good!

The best move of the night was making the dress code tiaras and PJ's.  Not surprisingly, everyone looked adorable.  We make pretty good princesses, don't we? :)  When it came to the champagne toast, I was forced to deviate from my England-only policy.  Come to find out, Welsh Wines aren't all that easy to come by here in the States.  Good 'ol Asti pulled through for me, though.  As much as I like to stay on theme, I can't say I was complaining. :)

After our snack and toast, we made our way to slumber party central.  I set up a few "stations" around the room and let the girls enjoy them at their leisure instead of telling them "now we're going to do this".  I figured, this is actually supposed to be fun- it's a sleepover, not a bridal shower for heavens sake. :)  And the stations were....

Manicures, magazines and bridal ware...I know...we are such girls.  I love it, though.  Not sure how well you can see our 'Guess the Dress' participants work, but they did a pretty swell job.  In case you can't tell, they were trying to predict what Kate's gown would look like.  I think Princess Catherine ended up holding the trump card on that one, but it was lovely work nonetheless :).  And did you notice anything familiar about the flowers in the mani-pedi area?  We got a little inspiration from home sweet Buckingham Palace.   

Before we went to sleep, I gave the girls their bag 'o treats.  Even though it was for a noble cause, I felt pretty bad about everyone having to get up so early to watch the wedding...sooo....I put together a few things that would help them stay up at work the next day.  I designed a little royal crest for us (fun, right?!) and used it to personalize each bag.  I also had it printed on coffee mugs which, as Nikki pointed out, means we now have 'merch'.  For some of us, this is a first.  For others...not so much.  But I digress. :)

Wedding coverage started at 3:00am (Central Time) so we were up at- you guessed it- 3:00am.  I didn't know I was capable of feeling or expressing joy that early in the morning, but the moment I saw those royal processionals I was up and at 'em, loving every second.  From start to finish, it was a fairytale...Kate was beaming, Will was smitten...just a perfect day.  Luckily, I got my hands on a Pioneer Woman make-ahead English Muffin Melt recipe for our main breakfast item.  I couldn't have achieved consciousness a moment sooner, so it pretty much saved the day.  We feasted on said Melts, Weetabix cereal, and sliced tomatoes.  Because that's what those crazy Brits eat.  I had some mercy on the girls and put together a fruit salad in lieu of the fruit cake (yuk) that was served at the wedding.  I did manage to score a recipe for Prince William's Groom's Cake, however and we chowed down on that alongside our breakfast.  For the full Groom's Cake recipe, check out yesterday's Foodie Files.

I hope you enjoyed your all access pass of our royal soiree.  If you haven't checked out our previous Table for Twelve posts, you can do that here (Breakfast at Tiffany's Brunch) and here (Valentine's Day).  In closing- Prince William...if you're reading this, a billion ca-trillion congratulations to you.  Kate...you were beyond beautiful today.  Many congrats to you as well.  And Prince Harry...I don't think there's anything left to say but...call me.

The Foodie Files

Consider today's very special Foodie Files a royal herald (cue trumpets) for tomorrow's royal wedding.  We're making Chocolate Biscuit Cake- a dessert recently made famous by His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales.  Tomorrow, it will be served as his Groom's cake...so...you know we had to get in on that action.  I found the recipe on a website called The Southern and- in an unusual twist for me- didn't deviate from it very much at all.  I figured the closer I could get to the honest to goodness Grooms cake, the better.  I have to say- it was very good!  Incredibly rich...perhaps too rich, even- but definitely tasty!


Ingredients:
7-ounce package butter tea biscuits (sold in the cookie aisle)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
16 ounces (about 2½ cups) bittersweet chocolate bits
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coat a 7- or 8-inch round springform pan with cooking spray.  With your hands, break up the tea biscuits into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces; you want chunks, not crumbs.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the cream, honey and butter. 

Microwave on high for 11/2 minutes, or until bubbling. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and the mixture is smooth. 

Stir in the vanilla, then the crumbled biscuits. 

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, using the back of the spoon to smooth the top. Gently tap the pan on the counter to eliminate any air pockets.

Refrigerate covered for 3 hours or until thoroughly chilled, then carefully remove the sides from the springform pan.  You may need to slide a paring knife around the inside upper edge to ensure the sides come away cleanly from the cake.  Now, was that simple or what?!  Check out the finished cake tomorrow on our Royal Wedding Table for Twelve post!  Eeek!  Can't wait!

Dinner In London

Despite the chaos of the Royal Wedding, I plan on having dinner in London this week....get it? :)  Seriously though.  These are awesome.

World Map Placemats, A+R Store $20

Royal Wedding Fever!

Judge me if you must, but I'm totally psyched about the Royal Wedding.  Yes-it's has nothing to do with the country I live in, sure- people get married everyday and "one wedding isn't more special than any other", but who cares!  The fact of the matter is this: from the moment she sees her first Disney movie, every girl (or, at the very least, this girl) has thought about being a princess.  And this Friday that's actually happening for one of us.  And it kind of makes you feel like anything could happen!  That being said, this wedding has no doubt taken on a life of it's own.  Some of the memorabilia and souvenirs people are coming out with are outrageous.  I'm not gonna lie, though- on a scale from 1-10, 1 being horrified, 10 being totally entertained, I'm sitting at a solid 5.  Okay fine, maybe more like a 7.  So while I'd never be so tacky as to actually purchase any of the products below, I will mildly contribute to the hysteria by sharing them with you.  Cause they're a riot.  So file this under "Things that make you say 'I can't believe this exists'" and enjoy. :)

1. Royal Rumble Tea Towel, Culture Label £15.00 2. Keep Calm and Marry a Prince Coaster, Amazon $3.50  3. Katea and William Tea Bags, Culture Label £4.99  4. Royal Crest Phone Case, Royal Wedding Case Store $220  5. William and Kate Dress Up Dollys Book, Culture Label £5.99  6. Union Jack Phone Case, Royal Wedding Case Store $220

Did you see us in The Tennessean today...?

Cause we were there!  You can check out the article here...oh, and brace yourselves for next week's Royal Wedding Table for Twelve.  It's a doozy.
-Gab
p.s. Not sure what Table for Twelve is?  Why didn't you say something!?  If I was you, I'd get caught up on February and March ASAP...