Tom and I finally tied the knot on June 25th, 2011 at AniChe Cellars in Underwood, Washington. (AniChe Cellars will have limited venue availability in 2012, and open for weddings in 2013! They exclusively use Cork & Bottle Catering) The view was spectacular, right down the Columbia River Gorge all the way to Mosier! Tom and I are very into the down home feel of the parties we throw and really wanted to incorporate the theme of our personalities in every aspect of our 200 person wedding. From guests bringing pies, sewing hand made flags, bean tossing games, and folk music, we really wanted to make our wedding seem almost like a backyard carnival or fair.
After working so many elegant, fairytale weddings, I felt like I had already fulfilled my childhood fantasies through my client’s weddings. I wanted our wedding to be a “kick off your shoes, and walk in the grass” kind of affair. We had beer in pint glasses, kids running around naked, and people pitching tents for the night. Everyone had a great time; people who didn’t go heard that it would have been the best wedding of their lives. And for some it was! Not to brag…our cousins from Los Angeles said that from all the weddings that they have attended, they thought ours had the best character, and was the most fun. Maybe it was someone sneaking a little extra booze in the sangria…
The benches and tables were made by Tom from the fence that surrounded the now grassy field where the wedding was held. The isle was a simple bolt of linen fabric, held down by Columbia River rocks, polished from the Missoula Floods.
Achieving beauty in simplicity is easy when you have the Columbia Gorge as your back drop.
Flowers were done by an employee and gardener Mollie Wenger, who grows an array of beautiful and native flowers on her farm. My bouquet featured white Peony with soft spring Lamb’s Ear. It was so beautiful and soft in my hands.
Our band throughout the day was Coin of the Realm. They play traditional Eastern European Folk music, and helped represent my Hungarian ties.
The Details of the Table: Simple glasses bought at Ikea. We used these for wine as well. Collected flatware from thrift stores. Collected napkins from thrift stores. I bought vases at the thrift store and made terrariums a week ahead of time, each with river rocks and succulents. Our wedding favors were a tin of Pacific Northwest wildflower seed mix.
My dress and Tom’s suit were vintage. Tom wore a 100% silk vintage Italian suit purchased at Decades in Portland, with colorful vest and turquoise bolo tie given to him by our longtime family friend, Albert. His shoes were from an Italian leather shoe designer. I wore a Victorian lace “lawn dress” that I purchased at Avalon in Portland. The dress was originally used for lounging around and drinking tea on the lawn. Such elegance! I wore a 100% silk slip underneath, and strutted in my John Fluevog vintage inspired pumps. I wore pearls from my great-aunt, and had blue bachelor buttons in my hair.
Hair of all of the brides maids, mother and bride was done by a Cork & Bottle employee Monica. She works at Today’s Chalet in White Salmon and can do day of hair styles for the entire wedding party. Here’s a peek at the beautiful and elegant hair.
Other Details: Flags were hand sewn to be strung along the inside of the tent and along the dance floor that Tom also built. My aunts painted signs that said “Mule Sniffin” with arrows taking guests on a loop around the property. The same talented women made squirrels to be tossed for a bean bag toss game. Where did “Mule Sniffin” and “Squirrel Tossing” come from? A great vintage fair great poster that Tom edited with PhotoShop.
Beer was served in Mason Pint jars. We used Everybody’s Brewing in White Salmon. I highly recommend their beer. We had AniChe bottles on the table, Arygle Sparkling Wine for toasts, Old Crow in a fancy pouring contraption and an AniChe Rose` spritzer. We also made Sangria with AniChe wine, and served Lemonade, Iced Tea, Hibiscus Tea and Water for Non-Alcoholic beverages.
The food? Done by us, except the beautiful Hawaiian roasted pig by Lilo’s BBQ. Family and friends chipped in and helped make our delicious menu.
The Wedding Menu:
Hors D’oeuvres
-Sweet Creamcheese, Dancing Moon Strawberries and Marcona Almonds
-Cheeseboard with delicious PacNW Cheeses and Fruits
Dinner
-Mixed Green Salad
-Green Bean Salad with Goat Cheese and Toasted Almonds
-Classic Cabbage Coleslaw
-Dirty Farrow with Cajun Seasoning
-Pesto Pasta with Kalamata Olives, Goat Cheese and Tomatoes
-Nana’s Macoroni & Cheese
-Lilo’s BBQ Hawaiian slow roasted pork
Dessert
Tom’s grandma made 15 pies, all different flavors for the wedding.
Guests were also encouraged to bring a pie. We had 25 pies to eat that night!
We had Pampered Palette employees pass hors d’oeuvres and serve our food. They helped keep the flow of the event going, made sure there were enough beverages, and helped with clean up. Thanks to the staff!
And thanks to everyone that helped make our special day spectacular! Cheers!