Wedding Wednesday: Save the Date

This week my wedding to do list is small.  1) Finish up the invitation list and finalize addresses.  2) Get the Save the Date’s in the mail by next Tuesday.  Those two things seem obtainable to me at the moment, we will see if I can manage to get them done.

Picking out a Save the Date card can be overwhelming, just like anything else to do with your wedding.  There are soo many options to choose from.  Do you want a: magnet, postcard, peel off calendar sticker, sports ticket style, or artwork?!  Before I went searching, I picked out the type of card I wanted.  We decided on a postcard (hello cheap postage)!  After we had that in mind, next we just had to decide on the layout and material.

Etsy can be a bride’s BFF during the wedding planning process.  Numerous talented graphic designers have shops just waiting for you.  When placing an online order, you need to be very specific and detailed with your wants.  Most shops will send you a digital proof before you move forward with ordering.  My recommendation is that you look over it with your groom but also let another set of eyes check it out (just to be safe).

Save the Date cards are also a place where you can list your wedding website.  There are numerous free options out there for you to create a wedding website.  It is a place where you can list: your proposal story, a few engagement photos, and your wedding registries.

Wedding Wednesday: Flowers

Today is Wedding Wednesday!  Why do you ask?  This evening Jered and I will be meeting with our florist for the first time. Once again, I have turned to Pinterest to point me in the right direction. There are so many options when it comes to flowers.  Below are a few of my favorite pins.

Since our ceremony will not be long and elaborate, I am not worried about flowers at the end of each row. Instead, I am leaning towards flower petals down the aisle; it has a romantic feel to it. Also, since it is taking place outside in a vineyard, my hope is that it will be pretty enough to stand alone.  Who knows, maybe we could find a way to incorporate the flower petals into the reception site?  That might be asking too much; I am not sure.

When it comes to bouquets, I have two things in mind: roses and peonies because they will be in season for our wedding taking place in May. I want something feminine and fun!  I think that this particular one meets all of those goals.

Centerpieces for the reception need to be simple—hydrangeas along with baby’s breath might be the winner.  To me, this has almost a rustic feel to it that I enjoy.

Upper Crust Wood Fired Pizza in OKC

There are a few things in life that I am obsessed with; two of them being cheese and pizza!  When you combine pizza and cheese, boom—mind blown!  Living in Shawnee our options for eating out are slim.  During the week, I pack my lunch and try to cook dinner at home (not to mention it saves
serious cash).  However, when the weekend rolls around—it’s time for dining out and good eats.

Saturday morning we spent time in Oklahoma City shopping.  By 1:00 it was lunch time so we decided to hit up one of our favorite pizza places in Oklahoma City, Upper Crust Wood Fired Pizza.   We started off with fried mozzarella and then had the “Some Like It Hot” pizza.

When our waiter came back to check on us he asked how the fried mozzarella was.  Since it was all gone, one could guess that it was delicious.  I continued on to tell him “It’s the Michael Jordan of the fried cheese world.  All of the other fried cheese aspires to be as good as him.”  I am guessing he found my humor amusing because he busted up laughing.

Seriously, if you live around the OKC area and are looking for new places to try—take it from me and go there tonight.  You can have a bottle of wine and pizza for a steal!  Bottle + Pie = $25, tonight 7-Close.  Not to mention there are numerous TV’s that will have the big game playing, regardless of what team you are rooting for.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Yesterday I had one thing on my mind: cupcakes! I scanned Pinterest and every cookbook I could find searching for the right one. For some reason, I was feeling adventurous, contemplating trying something new. This recipe makes one dozen vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. The only thing that might be a challenge is findings vanilla beans. I had to hit up a local specialty shop to do just that. While on the hunt for vanilla beans, I scooped up a few gourmet cheese.  Did I mention I LOVE cheese!  I found the vanilla beans; these little guys are expensive at $14 per tube. No wonder vanilla extract is so high, it's hard work to get the seeds out. Once you taste this frosting you know all of your hard work was worth it!

It has been brought to my attention that I need a cooling rack…

Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Set pan aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides and beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow cooling in pan 5 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack and allow cooling completely. Prepare frosting.

Vanilla-Bean Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 ½ cups confectioners' sugar (sifted)

Directions:

1. Cream the butter in a medium-size bowl until very smooth. 
2. Stir in the vanilla-bean seeds until they're evenly distributed. 
3. Add the salt, vanilla and milk, and stir until combined. Sift the sugar over the butter mixture and stir the mixture until it's perfectly smooth. If the frosting is too loose, add a few more tablespoons of confectioners' sugar, and stir until smooth. 
4. Cover with plastic wrap until you're ready to use; mix well just before using.
5. Decorate cooled cupcakes as desired.