Sweet and Savory Love

2011 is officially the year of weddings.  So far this year, Bryce and I have been invited to 8 different weddings!  You may remember John and Brooke's wedding in January and the cookie table I helped to make and Bryn and Melany's wedding with the many creative cakes.   Weddings are always so beautiful, touching, and fun.  Oh yeah - there's always great food, too!

The thing about great couples is that they're a combination of 2 very different people who, despite their differences, compliment each other and get even better when they're together.  Dare I compare love to food?  Forrest Gump says life is like a box of chocolates.  I'm going to say, officially, that marriage is like chocolate covered pretzels.  Pretzels are good - salty, twisty, and crunchy.  Chocolate is good too - creamy, rich, and sweet.  If you get them to commit to each other permanently, in a melting and bonding ceremony, they become even better!  It's the combination of savory (salty) and sweet that make chocolate covered pretzels so fantastic and the same combination of 2 different personalities that makes a marriage wonderful.

In 4 weeks we went to two different weddings in Honolulu.  Both brides are my former coworkers. 

The first wedding focused mostly on sweet things, like dessert.  Pink was one of the theme colors, lots of adorable children and even a dog were included, and there was enough candy and dessert to kill Agustus Gloop!  The beautiful bride is Marichris, one of my former coworkers, and her handsome groom is Norman.

Upon entering the ballroom for their reception, we each found a small box at our place setting.  They read "Step right up to the Candy Buffet, It's a fabulous was to end a Wonderful Day!  And as you enjoy your box of treats, Be sure to remember LOVE is sweet."

  

Look at the amazingly sweet candy buffet!

 

It was almost too beautiful to ruin by removing candy.  Thankfully we managed!  Could I be any happier?

Let's get a closer look at the buffet: M&M's, Hershey Kisses, sour belts, Dove chocolates, Red Vines, gummy bears, and Oreos!  It's a dentist's worst nightmare.

The best part were the little personal touches from the couple.

They did a great job incorporating their colors and even their engagement photos.

I especially loved the varying sizes of diamonds on the photo holders and scattered across the table.

All of the food was amazing.  Dinner was a never ending buffet of just about everything you could ask for, literally.  The candy buffet was the most spectacular sweet at the wedding, although it was far from the only one.  There was a three-table-long dessert buffet plus wedding cake!  

Congratulations again, Marichris and Norman!  Be sure to always remember that love is sweet, but to always brush your teeth before bed :)

The second wedding was a little bit more savory.  By definition, savory can mean: pleasing to the sense of taste especially by reason of effective seasoning.  Allison and Blake's wedding was beautifully classic, a little more traditional, and seasoned just right to fit their relationship!  The ceremony took place in a gorgeous Catholic Church and the reception at the members-only Pacific Club. 

 

We got to the reception fairly early and got a sneak peek at all the food we'd soon be devouring!  I wasn't the only one taking photos of our dinner, for a change :)  We begin with some pork.  Vegetarians, close your eyes now.  That's right - an entire pig! 

There were three of these giant displays of shrimp cocktail and crab claws, I could have eaten at least half of one myself!

More meat - look at that beef!  

The little sliders were made from that HUGE hunk of meat and they were delicious!  Also note some sushi on this plate, one of many. 

This Italian girl LOVES pasta and there was a pasta bar :)  Bryce was being a gentleman and filling up the plates for us while I sat around, gabbed with the ladies, and sipped cocktails!  This was a perfect combo of sun-dried tomatoes, basil, Parmesan cheese, and onion with penne and some type of delicious cream sauce. 

It just kept getting better as the night went on, it was incredible!  Chinese chicken salad in little take out boxes, the shrimp and crab I'd been eying all night, and a steamed bun with duck.

There was even more food that I managed to eat but never got a photo of, it happens to the best of us.  The entire night was magical and we savored every moment.  There was a sweet side too... the cake!

Not only was it beautiful, it was chocolate too!  Bryce and I got a piece to share... and got another just one minute later.  The cake was my favorite of all time - chocolate cake and white butter cream frosting.  Ali, I knew you had great taste from the day I met you!

Congratulations Allison and Blake!  Be sure to always savor each others' love and company, even when your partner is being less than sweet :)

If I keep this wedding reception feasting up, I won't fit in any of my dresses by 2012!  We'll see how many weddings we go to next year.  And no, we're not getting married anytime soon - stop asking :)