Update: The Motown Mrs.

It seems as though Spring and the start of Summer have completely passed me by...that is in terms of being prompt and regular with my writing. But - I do have a pretty good excuse this time...The Motown Maiden became the Motown Mrs. on June 11!

Yes, with all the hustle and bustle of wedding planning, I got all wrapped up in plans and details to ensure a perfect day and a rockin' party. I suppose I never realized how much work was involved or even how busy I'd be close to the date (even though I am a ridiculous planner). When Jonathan and I were figuring out what we wanted, we laid out a few requirements: Good music (Rick C., you Rock!), good beverages (we picked a venue that allowed us to bring in our own beer, wine, & liquor which allowed us to have anything we wanted), and of course, good food (I had our reception venue make this recipe from Food and Wine and source their bread from here). We also had a great photographer who has just started offering wedding photobooths in addition to their wedding photo package (a huge hit with our guests...we can't wait to see the photos from Crystal and Brandon).

Once I get back some photos, I promise to share - as well as some recipes from the cookie table - everything was homemade by family and friends (my mother made two wedding cakes!). The only dessert items we outsourced were some tasty Michigan pies from here.

I'll be taking a few more days to recover from a wonderful weekend and reveling in the joys of married life. But I promise I'll post something delicious very soon and not keep you waiting. In the meantime, you may want to check out this recipe for a great use of fresh-from-the-garden asparagus and healthy soba noodles. We had it a couple of weeks ago and it was a nice change for a breakfast-meets-dinner entree.

In case you're planning a wedding or a party or helping a friend research their's, here are some of the key vendors and etsy sellers we used for our event. I would highly recommend all of them!

Wedding Ceremony: Our Lady of Good Counsel Church - Plymouth, MI
Wedding Reception: Earhart Manor @ Concordia University - Ann Arbor, MI
Photographers: Toole Art Photography
String Quartet: Go 4 Baroque
Live Music: Rick Canzano
Custom Items from Etsy (my all-time-favorite shopping site):
- Custom stamp from Terbear Co
- Book Safe (for the rings)
- Bridal Bolero
- My something blue that we sewed in the back of my dress
- Personalized matchbooks from DIYLasercut
- Fun photo booth props (the chalkboard thought bubble was a major hit!) -This, This, and This
- Burlap banner from sherisewsweet
- Chalk tags to use for table numbers

Food: Restaurant Gripes

Why do restaurants keep taking my favorite dish off the menu? Was it something I said? As I started to write below, since I get stuck in a rut and tend to order the same thing when I find a favorite, they (gasp) are forcing me to pick something else on the menu! What horror :) Although, seriously, even though I was able to find other things I like on their menus, I am pretty disappointed not to have the option to order my favorite dish anymore.

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Garden: The Peony Garden at Nichols Arboretum

Before going out to dinner last Saturday, Jonathan took me to see my favorite late May/early June wonder - the Peony Garden at Nichols Arboretum (University of Michigan). I only discovered the garden a year ago after living in the metro-Detroit area for 7 years (Why did it take me so long?!?).

Since we visited the arboretum last year, we were better educated about where to park. But we still weren't smart enough to discover the wide-open lot next to the Ronald McDonald House (closest to the garden) was permit parking only on week days (i.e. free on weekends) and instead, fed the meter by parallel parking across the street. Oh well, I suppose we now we know for next year...

We strolled into the garden behind an elderly couple holding hands and I couldn't help but think how lovely it was to see the two of them taking an evening strolls through garden, still in love after all of those years. There were a lot of other couples and families in the arboretum and, as we were entering, Jonathan told me a man gave him a sympathetic look when he we passed by (I suppose not everyone can appreciate massive amounts of peonies in all their glory!). It was really a peaceful and pretty setting. There were people picnicking on the hill and others running through the arboretum on an evening jog. But most visitors were like the two of us, wandering around, inhaling the fragrant blooms, trying to capture the fleeting beauty. I think if I could live all summer long in a garden filled with blooming peonies I would...