Becca's reception

Did a reception last night. Do you wonder how I catered food for a party with the bodybuilder diet thing? Yeah, by the end of the night I blew it. Bless me mother confessor for I have sinned. I just run out of time to eat, and then I get SOOO tired I have no will power left. Zero. Back on the wagon today (or is it off the wagon as Seinfeld says? doesn't the food come to the village in a wagon? ). Extra tired last night, because my helpers kind of dwindled at the end and I had to pack up my stuff myself (although I had help carrying the coolers thank goodness). The family offered near the end--but it was their wedding for pete's sake! Also long drive to get home. Enough complaining. Beautiful wedding. I wish I had dared to take a picture of the bride and post it, she was beautiful. Victorian ivory lace veil just simply placed on her head, and the dress too --scrumptious. That was kind of the theme. They had victorian pitchers and wash bowls as centerpieces, and lilacs and roses. The plates were even gold-rimmed cream. No clear crystal.
This presented kind of a challenge for me, as most of my stuff is clear crystal or silver. I had to borrow gold colored serving spoons, and bought some white platters and things to match the set-up. In particular the salad was a serving dilemma. I finally bought an extra-long platter to serve it from, which I think displayed nicely, although we had a couple of coordinationally challenged guests that pushed salad off the edge, no biggie.
The other challenge was the centerpiece and garland. I REALLY wanted to use viburnum snowballs. I needed a white flower, and they were beautiful all around my town this week. All around my 6 days of 80 degree heat town. I went to cut them at 6:30 yesterday morning, and they fell apart in my hands. I went to three different bushes in different parts of town and got some from each. Finally, as I was driving up to the event, I noticed that in the mountain town where it was held, all of the lilacs were still in bloom, and viburnums were just getting started! I stopped a total stranger in his yard and asked if I could cut some of his. He even gave me clippers to use and and old bucket to keep them in. Amazing how nice people can be to a psycho lady in an apron walking into your yard holding a kitchen knife in her hand (I needed SOMETHING to cut them with --it was all I had). I still had to use some of the Springville-Mapleton flowers, and they were a little droopy by the end of the night, but not too bad.
I also bought 4 packs of toothpicks so I could have enought green ones to use for the sandwiches, but some helpers forgot. I know I'm crazy, but I just wanted green ones used. I thought it looked nicer.
I wish ferns grew better in Utah. They're acid loving, and while I have seen some people manage it, I haven't tried. Ferns are what I really wanted for this table. Remember Anne decorated her table with ferns and roses for the lady authoress she thought was coming to tea? I'm always quoting Anne of green gables --not even my favorite books I swear. I wanted the big puffy white flowers and ferns when I they told me Victorian. I tried using yarrow foliage, that looks pretty fernlike, but it didn't hold up super well. Had to rely on the little bit of my tried and true euyonomous. At least it wasn't in the church so we could do candles. I love candles. Still. Even after all of the candle hoopla of the past couple of decades.


Here's that salad platter. What do you think? Love it that my chives were in bloom to garnish and sprinkle on top.

Tweet