Wedding 101

I knew several months ago that an upcoming family wedding was going to be a little "out of the box". My first clue was the unique blue and purple wedding invitation with a bicycle on it. The bride and groom are avid riders and these are their favorite colors.

Just in case you might be involved in some wedding planning here are some ideas to inspire creativity.  As with most weddings there always is extensive planning and a sense of hopefulness with the execution . But as far as I could see it all went off  without "a hitch".  No detail was overlooked for this event!
The reception was at a park inside a building that reminded me of a ski chalet. It overlooked a small lake with a wide veranda. 
Keeping with the theme of blue and purple and an earthy tone, the garden flowers were artfully arranged in blue mason jars by one of my sisters. In front of the flower arrangement was another smaller mason jar. A small  tea votive light was placed inside early in  the evening. Each table had a different framed picture of the bride and groom taken at different stages in their life. On the frame was the table number.   

At each table setting were honey sticks tied with a heart ornament that said;created with love.
This collage picture board was on the greeter table. It was easy for guests to know which table they were seated at by finding their name and table number at the top of box. 

I really liked the Jenga block idea. Each guest was asked to write a wedding wish on the block, sign their name and deposit it in the basket.  The bride and groom really enjoy playing games. 

Dinner was a buffet line. To determine which table would be called next the DJ was provided with a set of prepared trivia questions and answers pertaining to the bride and groom. If someone at the table could correctly answer the question their table could get in line. It was a fun and interactive way to start the evening festivities.    
There was no shortage of things to do during this wedding reception. The program even was subtitled: Your Practical Guide to Figuring Out Just What Exactly Is Going On. It gave guests an overview of available activities such as wedding mad libs sheets at each table, dancing, music, photo booth with a variety of fun props to use in the picture, walk outside along the paths of the lake, a fire pit with roasting sticks supplied for smore's and for the kids hula hoops and Frisbees. 
All in all a very fun time.

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Banana Cake/ Bars with Brown Sugar Icing (Penuche)

Cook's notes: This recipe comes from my neighbor Marilyn O. It was the frosting that won me over. I did make a few adaptations to her recipe by adding in cinnamon to cake batter and reduced the baking time to 30 minutes.
I used a food processor to mash bananas and then added in cinnamon. The cake/bars are moist and could also be served a morning coffee/tea treat. Keep frosted cake refrigerated.
Cake Ingredients:

• 2 cups of all purpose white flour or 1 cup white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• dash of salt
• 1/3 cup softened butter
• 1-1/4 cups white sugar
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 4 mashed bananas (about 1-1/2 cups)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Sift flour, baking powder and salt-set aside
• In a bowl cream butter, sugar and beaten eggs
• Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk and add to sugar mixture
• Combine with dry ingredients
• Add in lemon juice, cinnamon and mashed bananas and mix well 
• Stir in nuts and bake in a greased 13 x 9 pan  for 30 minutes or until center comes clean using a toothpick
• Cool cake before frosting

Frosting Ingredients:

• 3 TB. butter
• 1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk (may need more)
• dash salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup toasted coconut
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

• In a saucepan melt butter on low heat, stir in brown sugar, milk, salt and vanilla
• Cook and stir on low heat till sugar dissolved and smooth about 1-2 minutes
• Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar
• Use a hand mixer and beat frosting until smooth in the saucepan (may need some milk for right consistency)  
• Garnish with chopped nuts and toasted coconut