modern-twist

My friend Sara gave me these great, modern wine tags - Vinotagz by modern-twist. They are stylish and multifunctional. They can also be used as napkin rings or place cards since they can be written on with regular ballpoint pen, rinsed and then reused.



Made of FDA grade silicone, all of their products are so cool! They also make doilies, coasters and placemats! Good stuff, right?

My First!

Two of the weddings that I planned/coordinated are featured in the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Savannah Weddings magazine!

There are a bunch of images from one of the featured weddings on Your Daily Wed right now. Check 'em out!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Nicole, the designer for Lobo Mau ("big bad wolf" in Portuguese), is a childhood friend of mine, so I'm really excited to be supporting handmade, etsy, and a talented friend with my purchase of this amazing dress! The jersey is printed with an original digital design, which is my favorite part of many of the pieces in her line.

If you aren't immediately inspired by her clothes, read her etsy profile. I think that her point of view is right on!

Why be tame? Tame is boring…and you are definitely not boring. You don’t deserve to be a wall flower… or be covered in them

The Scarlet FedEx Letter...

When my doorbell rang on Monday afternoon I was really surprised to be receiving a FedEx! "How exciting," I thought, "someone sent me a gift!" NOPE! It was the most personal catalog I've ever received. It was a handwritten note from Robby, my local Marc By Marc Jacobs sales guy, along with the Marc By Marc Jacobs Spring Summer 2009 look book.

My husband gave me a pretty suspicious look. He doesn't know much about fashion, but he knows Marc is expensive....so I had to immediately plead my case:

"It was one time, baby...and it was a long time ago! I was weak! But I swear it's never happened since...I don't know why Robby keeps sending me hand-written notes..and now FedEx!"

Seriously, I bought a shirt there this summer in a moment of pure weakness. I was feeling really desperate and limited by choices in other stores, which is the only reason I even allowed myself to enter the MBMJ. Then, I just felt some kind of surge of empowerment and used every reasoning tactic I have in my repertoire to convince myself it was ok. I think I even used, "you deserve it." Anyway..I immediately regretted it, but it was too late because there's a no-return policy.

So now I'm reminded of my indiscretion, this Scarlet M burning on my chest, every few months when "new pieces" come into the store! And I have to tell you, it gives me a little bit of solace to know that I wasn't only paying for a shirt when I made the purchase that day, I was also buying an entire personal mail campaign aimed at me returning to the store. If I had a lot of money...I could see this working.

The Female Superbowl

I've heard the Academy Awards broadcast referred to as "The Female Superbowl." I guess that would make the rest of the awards season "the playoffs." And I have to admit I love watching the red carpet coverage to see what everyone's wearing....love hearing rants about the "worst dressed" people after the fact. And this year, the red carpet was all that really captured me about the Academy Awards! I actually didn't see ANY of the movies nominated for the Best Picture award...I don't think I saw many of the movies nominated, period! We don't go to the movies much, but Savannah theaters also don't (sadly) show independent films! They've been released recently in conjunction with the upcoming Awards season, but generally we get kids' movies and big blockbusters. So I need to get some movies queuing on my Netflix and get caught up.

So, I return to the red carpet portion of the evening. I wasn't really obsessed with anyone's look this year, but Heidi Klum definitely caught my eye. I thought, "has she worn that before?" So I googled my way to the conclusion that she had not worn this Roland Mouret dress before...

Picture from stylefrizz.com

but she DID wear this John Galliano frock to the 2008 Academy Awards. Pretty similar, right? Obviously different, I can appreciate the differences...but yeah, they're a lot alike.

Photo from fabsugar.com.

I think she looks great! She was wearing red on both occasions in support of a women's heart health awareness group, so even better. Last year I think you could bid on the dress for charity, but I'm not sure about this year. I am, however, sure that I would have nothing to wear the dress to even though I love it (and look good in red, heehee).

But maybe if I was going to a pretty chic wedding I could get this Carmen Marc Valvo number from Bluefly and hope to channel the lovely Klum...without, hopefully, prompting people to openly discuss the numerous ways that I do NOT compare to her.

Floating Holiday

This Valentine's Day post is coming a few days late because my husband and I will not be celebrating until Tuesday. So I'm keeping it real for all of the readers out there who also may have spent the holiday-o-love apart from their significant others. After all, it's not the date that matters, you can celebrate love any time!

So, for all of my fellow late celebrators, here are my favorite fondue recipes. I think fondue is the greatest way to spend a night in with someone you love. Even if only one person does the prep work, it's an interactive meal that leaves plenty of time for talking. I find that too often we spend only an hour of a "night in" sharing a meal, and the rest of the time watching TV. But fondue can take HOURS if you eat all three courses...and I can't imagine skipping one of them.

My husband always says he could eat only the first course - Cheese - but he never fails to eat the two that follow...

Cheddar Cheese and Beer Fondue
6 0z Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
4 oz Gruyere Cheese, shredded
4 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup Lager Beer, room temperature
1 tsp Dry Mustard

1. Combine shredded cheeses and flour in a bowl and mix it with your hands until all of the cheese is coated in flour.
2. Bring beer to a simmer over a medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
3. Add cheese mixture by the handful, stirring constantly.
4. When the cheeses is melted, stir in the dry mustard.
5. Transfer to the fondue pot.

*For dipping I like to use apples, bread and raw broccoli flourets.


Beef Broth with Red Wine, Leeks and Wild Mushrooms
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Leek, white part only, chopped
1/2 cup Wild Mushrooms, chopped
5 cups Beef Broth
3/4 cups Red Wine
1 tsp Dried Thyme

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add leek and mushrooms and saute for 3 minutes.
2. Add broth, red wine, and thyme and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
4. Transfer to the fondue pot.

*I usually use this for cooking filet, chicken and shrimp. I once used to for a dinner party with friends who don't eat red meat and I used chicken broth and white wine and it was still really good!


Chocolate Fondue
4 oz Milk Chocolate
4 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
1 cup Whipping Cream
2 tbsp Grand Marnier (or Amaretto...or Frangelico...whatever liqueur you like)

1. Fill a small pot halfway with water and bring that to a simmer. Set a glass bowl atop the pot, and heat the cream in the bowl.
2. Add the chocolate, stirring constantly, until it's all melted and smooth.
3. Tranfer to fondue pot.

*I like to use strawberries, bananas, marshmellows and mini pretzels for dipping.


Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Historic Charm and Modern Flare

Hi everyone who is still visiting or stumbling upon this blog! I've decided to try to keep this going for a little while and include some non-wedding things on here, and share my wedding-related posts from Your Daily Wed. Look for a non-wedding post very soon and check out yesterday's wedding post.

Last night was the Open House for Savannah's new boutique hotel, Avia. Situated in the Historic District, between Bay and Congress, it is conveniently located only steps from City Market, Broughton Street and River Street. This new, modern venue and the Victorian District's The Mansion on Forsyth Park offer the Savannah wedding customer a surprising, yet harmonious, contrast to the historic charm of America's first city.

Avia will be hosting its first wedding on Valentine's Day...how festive! They offer a couple of options, from an intimate package including a 3-course meal in their modern and comfy dining room to a larger affair in their Grand Parlor. We had the opportunity to sample some of their menu items, including mini grilled cheese triangles served with tomato or lobster bisque (v-good). But don't fill up on grilled cheese, because all of their wedding packages include...drum rooooollll...a cake from Custom Cakes. That's no joke, kids.....not at all.

Their guest rooms are spacious and beautiful, but the addition of "hosting suites" to the room mix really amped up their wedding party appeal from our perspective. With separate living and sleeping areas, including expanded kitchens, they would be a great place for the bridal party to relax and get ready together before the ceremony OR for the bride's or groom's parents to host out-of-town guests for cocktails as they arrive in town.

From one modern Savannah wedding venue, we travel up Whitaker Street, and around the park to The Mansion on Forsyth Park. A vision in red brick, a wedding at The Mansion is a kin to a wedding in an art gallery + great food + beautiful guest rooms (and hallways, and stairwells, and elevators). They too have a wonderful Intimate wedding package in addition to the Classic option in their Viennese Ballroom, which is hard to match...this is not your average hotel ballroom.

Photo Credit: Donna Von Bruening Photography

The Mansion's bridal appeal can not, however, be fully explained without mention of the Marble Garden Courtyard. The white marble floor and chandeliered tent don't need much decoration to provide an elegant ceremony venue right there in The Mansion.

Photo Credit: Nichole Barrali Photography (top), timwill fine art weddings

We could write every day about the historic features that make Savannah such a popular wedding destination, but these newer additions to the city (post 1733) don't hurt.

Where in the world...

I'm going on a vacation! It's been too long since I've been able to say that! We take a lot of "trips," but I don't think that my husband and I have been on a full-out vacation since our honeymoon! And that was Paris, so it wasn't exactly relaxing. Well, here are some of the things that I'm packing...



Shoshann Bikini, Aveeno Sunblock, Antibiotics (just in case), passport, JCrew Victoria Ruffle cami, JCrew Chino shorts, Cole Haan sunglasses, The Twilight books, Jack Rogers Sandals, Rainbow Flops, a deck of cards

...to find out where exactly I'm going you'll have to visit Your Daily Wed.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week. Some of my old IDTE posts are going to be going up on YDW while we're gone, original material when we return.

Symmetry be *darned* in 2009

This post also at our New Blog

I'm a symmetry gal. I would never get a tattoo, because I change my mind way too often to be eternally happy with permanent body art. If, however, I had to get a tattoo I would most certainly get it in the middle of my back OR I'd have to get two - one on each side of my body. It drives me absolutely crazy when I see someone with a tattoo, say, on their ankle. Don't they realize, I ponder, that they are permanently off balance?

But a less permanent form of asymmetry has really caught my eye recently in the Spring 2009 wedding gown lines of a number of designers. The one-shouldered gown is all over the place! We've always seen it here or there, a nod to "old Hollywood." But so it goes that everything old is new again. Which is not to say it's the same "goddess" look over and over again. The styles I see are really innovative - whether it's structured bodice giving way to a sculptural shoulder piece or a beaded bust line continuing as a strap.

They say the human brain equates symmetry with beauty, but I don't think it would have a problem with any of these dresses...

Left to Right from the Top: Priscilla of Boston, Priscilla of Boston, Vineyard, Vineyard, Reverie, Jenny Yoo, Ramona Keveza, Ramona Keveza, Ramona Keveza, Anne Barge, Anne Barge

Transition Time

Google Analytics seems to think I have a nice little group of regular readers. For this, I am grateful. When I started this blog, it was really just an experiment to see if I liked blogging, had the discipline to do so regularly (still questionable), and had the ability to produce something that people like reading. I never discussed this blog with anyone or made really specific connections to my work as a wedding coordinator.

Well, times are a-changing, and we have started a blog for our company, Tricia Huddas & Co. Weddings and Events. It's called Your Daily Wed, and I would love for you to continue reading my work there!

Even now, as I type this, I'm not sure what to do with this blog...so I will be double posting for a while to direct people to Your Daily Wed. I am going to think long and hard about whether or not this blog still serves a purpose to me and to blog readers, and go from there!

Thanks for Reading and Please Keep it Up, here or elsewhere!
Ainsley