Par-tays

I've been reading alot about engagement and bridal showers lately. Man, people have some creative friends!! I grew up in Georgia and my mom and I would read the Sunday paper's wedding announcements in utter amazement at the INSANE number of showers these women had thrown in their honor. A tiny (ok, sizable) piece of me was pretty jealous/excited for "my turn" some day.

Skip forward 15 years. None of us live any where near GA, nor do I live any where near my family and my friends are scattered all over the country. If you haven't heard, the economy's not doing so hot either, so money laying around to spend on travel to those types of parties is pretty scarce. So I've come to the realization that I'm not going to have any pre-wedding showers. (MOH K wants to have a spa day a day or two before the wedding, as a bachelorette party, which will be very nice. Which is why I'm saying "no showers" not "no parties.")

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I was starting to throw a teeny little pity party for myself, when I stopped to think. I don't love surprises, I don't love being the center of attention, and honestly, my wedding is a big ol' party. Do I seriously need another a few months before? (Although, someone else planning it would be nice!)

I've said before, and repeating it is a good reminder, I'm excited to celebrate my commitment to the love-of-my-life in front of my family and closest friends. If I really need a another day for people to celebrate me with a party, I'll have Mr. SB throw me one for my birthday. My wedding day will be plenty special (and I know people are excited for me) even without pre-big-day festivities.

But it won't stop me from looking at blogs of other people's. :)

Did you forgo pre-wedding parties? Or were they an important of your wedding experience?

Addressing envelopes

Now that the liners are cut, I can get started with addressing the envelopes, though they won't be sent for several months. Hooray for things you can check off your list early!

I knew pretty much immediately that I wouldn't be paying anyone to calligraphize them, so... to print or hand write? That is the question.

My handwriting isn't that bad, but there are some reallllllllll pretty fonts out there. You can also make sure the spacing/centering is even on the first take, so you avoid wasting envelopes. So let's compare....

Printed with ChopinScript from www.dafont.com

Printed with Miss SB script from Catholic elementary school. Har har.

I'd obviously have to pencil in some lines so that it's straight, but in my defense, the picture IS a little crooked. It looks better in person. Maybe.

I'm leaning towards computer printing, my mom voted computer printing, Mr. SB voted computer printing. But is it "cheating"??

What do you think? Will people care one way or the other?

Development of a Wedding Cake, part III

Flavors, check.
Size, check.

Design....

Overall, the look I'm going for. Sleek & white, three tier, symmetric. Decoration at the base of each tier. Orchids. But a little plain. From theknot.com.

Almost perfect... but still a little plain.
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Oh.... look at that texture between the tiers. Wouldn't that be lovely in green??
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But look at the detailing on this one!
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So, we turn to our lovely baker/cake designer to help blend all this together.

The green will be the texture/layered fondant, like in photo #3 above. The middle row with have fleur de lys and diamond piping detail. And there will be white orchids.

Our top & bottom tier are one flavor, while the middle is different. I love that the design reflects that and she was able to combine all our ideas into this sketch. And apparently I like sticks. :) Half of my inspiration photos (and some that I didn't post here) had them, did you notice?? This won't be 100% settled until later, but I'm really happy with our first draft.

How many components did you try to incorporate into your cake design?

Bebidas

For some reason, Mr. SB and I started referring to any alcoholic beverage as a "bebida." Why? Because we're cool like that. Anywho, alcohol is a large part of most wedding catering budgets and ours is no different.

We are getting married at a winery, and as such, will be purchasing their wine. They don't have a hard liquor license, so beer, wine, and sparkling wine (from neighboring vineyards) will be our options. (*I'm the teensiest bit bummed that we won't be creating a signature cocktail, but maybe we'll come up with one for the rehearsal dinner.) We're fortunate that they make really very yummy chardonneys, pinot noirs, and syrahs. Mr. SB's favorite wine is pinot, so that's easy.

Engagement weekend wine tasting at Duckhorn Winery, Napa.

I, however, am a different story. I don't like chards. I wish I did, but I don't. And that's the only white wine they offer. I DO like reds, but 0% trust myself to drink red wine on my wedding day in a very expensive white dress. And I don't want purple teeth in my pictures. I like sparkling wines, but they require renting extra glassware and purchasing extra bottles (we have a wine minimum from our site, exclusive of the bubbly). And I know it's fairly out of fashion to have a "champagne toast" at weddings, because of the extra cost, and how each person gets one little glass like-it-or-not, and the not-that-special-ness of toasting with it.

But remembering that I'm planning a day for me, not the rest of the wedding world... I would like the option to drink an alcoholic beverage that I enjoy, worry-free on my wedding day. Sparkling wine fits the bill. And realistically, the total with rentals and wine will be *maybe* $350 to add sparkling wine, and we might even be able to get away with less regular wine so the relative cost will be less. And I won't force anyone to drink it. I think "Please raise your glass (with what ever you have in it) to toast the bride and groom" is a perfectly acceptable sentiment.

Color co-ordinated wine varieties with my co-residents.
Ok, fine, we're dorks and switched glasses for this picture.

So, that's that. Red, white, and bubbly offered throughout the night. It's also a perfect way to showcase the variety of wines of Sonoma Valley to our out of town guests AND have enough variety for all.

Are you having sparkling wine? At all, throughout the night, or just as a toast?

What I really think about my venue

In contrast to my last Debbie Downer post, I've been feeling pretty rah-rah about one aspect of my wedding. My venue. My awesome, amazing, beautiful venue.

I feel like Helen Madden, played by Molly Shannon, from SNL.
"I love it, I love it, IloveitIloveit!!!!!"

I read some where (?) that if you spend more than 10% of your budget on a site fee, including rentals, that you will be over budget. My site fee, including rentals, is estimated to be 23%. Eek. But let's think about what I'm getting/why frugal ol' me might be ok with that.

To say that Mr. SB & I love wine country would be an under-under-way-understatement. We really like it here, like have been taking every opportunity to explore it for the past 3 1/2 years love it here. And exactly 6 family members have ever visited. I can't *wait* to showcase my new home to my family. And hopefully give them a glimpse of why I decided to move 2000 miles away and spend 4x as much for the cost of living to be in Northern California.

Our wine glass collection. Every single one is a free glass from a wine tasting.

So, of course, one of the main attractions up here is the wineries. We've seen some GORgeous ones. Big ones, small ones, unique ones, dramatic ones, wine so amazing that makes you forget you're in an ugly little warehouse... but one always stuck out. Mr. SB digs Spanish style architecture, I dig views (as in, from a hill or tower). On the 12 mile highway between Napa & Sonoma there are few wineries, except for one gorgeous little Spanish villa on a hill. By a lake. And grape vines. With an overlook balcony. And a dining room to die for. Swoon. We stopped there on our very first trip to Napa (before we even really knew Sonoma existed, rookies). And have stopped there on nearly every trip since to have a glass of wine and take in the serenity, the beauty, and the view.

Nicholson Ranch Winery
Image from source.

When it worked out (!!) financially that we could have our wedding there and we saw that the private areas were even more beautiful than we expected and it was the perfect size and the owner is amazing to work with and on and on with things seeming to fall into place... I knew that it would be worth it. Since we will have to walk through the production part of the winery to reach the caves for the cocktail hour, I've got the opportunity to explain wine making/wine country via a page in the program so even people who are in town for only a day get a mini-tour & explanation. ("As you head downstairs, notice the blah blah blah that does blah blah. Also, the wine caves are used to yadda yadda.")

It's a more beautiful venue than I could have ever imagined and I'm glad that my friends and family will be traveling to something other than another church/reception hall wedding. I hope I can do the place (and the region) justice in showcasing it's beauty. I sure am excited to try. Even if it causes my budget to swell just a tad.

Do you have a love affair with your site? Or any other aspect of your wedding?

A little down

Sometimes I tell myself I have to stop reading wedding blogs. It's an endless sea of so many incredible, creative, talented women out there who share their day & planning with others. The ladies at weddingbee, and offbeatbride, and stylemepretty... wowsers, you make a girl's eyes glaze over with all the fun stuff you've got going on.

But sometimes, instead of being inspired, I start thinking that I'm going to have the lamest, plainest, boringest wedding ever thrown. My budget seems unreasonable, my ideas uncreative, and then it's a downhill spiral.... into whiny bride mode.

Seeing as the dumps are no place to live, I have to remind myself of what "my" day should actually be like. For starters, I'm not really that "offbeat." I shop at Banana Republic & Express. I listen to whatever is on the radio, probably something top 40. I drive a Civic (it's a Hybrid though!). To have a totally vintage, or black tie, or Alice in Wonderland themed wedding would look fake and feel wrong. I'm also not really that into style/fashion/details. I mean, of COURSE I want things to look good and I have a certain vision for what I think that is (yay nature!), but... I can't say I've ever been that observant of the details at weddings we've attended. (Sorry ladies! I should have commented on how cute your bathroom baskets were!)

And while I LOVE the idea of DIYing my little heart out for this wedding, I would hate to spend even one minute being embarrassed of how it turned out. I've been balancing what I think I CAN do (favors, paper goods, even some pretty elaborate ones... stay tuned) with what I canNOT (ipod DJ, my bouquet).

Anyway, writing down all this whiny-ness has made me feel a little better and a little silly. I want to spend my life with Mr. SB and I want my friends and family to have a fun day sharing in that excitement with me. Sure, maybe it would be a little "better" or "easier" if I had more money to spend, but that's not who I am either (ok, yes, Mr. SB, I'm a little on the stingy-with-money side of the spectrum). I'm going to do the best with what I've got. Which is how I've gotten through life so far.

Here's to years and years of beautiful days in wine country, Mr. SB.

I can't wait to have our loved ones celebrate our day with us. And I'll try my hardest not to let any amount of beautiful inspiration boards get me down, because I know I'm planning a great day that reflects who we are as a couple. March, here we come!

Did you ever doubt your wedding planning skills/vision?

To veil or not to veil

I admit, the first time the consultant put a veil on my head I got the giddy, girly swoon and felt "like a bride." After that, I thought a few of the dresses were really transformed by a veil, others not so much. (**Side note, this was not an area I knew ANYthing about prior to wedding planning. Bird cage, mantilla, blusher, cathedral, etc. etc. meant absolutely nothing to me. Spend some time on theknot.com, you'll get an intro.)

These are not my dress, but have a similar top. And that is kinda, sorta how my hair will be on the big day.
Don't the veils just look like blobs of fabric on my head?

Style-wise, I don't think they'll add much to my outfit. My dress is strapless with a relatively low back and I'll be wearing my hair mostly down. If I *did* get a veil, I'm into fingertip length, non-blusher style with a small crystal trim. Pretty specific, I know. But since I love the sparkly hair clips so much, I'm really thinking of forgoing the veil all together. The traditionalist inside me cringes a little, but eh. If I don't love it, I'm not doing it! So there! :)

What traditional aspects of your wedding did you leave out because they just "weren't you"?

Guest book

My first (and practical, though uncreative) idea for a guestbook was to create a photobook with our E photos. There are some beautiful, inexpensive options available online and then we can have that book on the coffee table next to the wedding album. This website has a side by side review of ten online sites to customize/order your book. I headed to shutterfly during the most recent ND football game and had one put together in less than a quarter. :)

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Option two, Mr. SB and I really love the idea of a photo/faux-to booth. Add a little printer, have them tape down their favorite pic into a scrapbook and sign there. Soooo adorable. I think our crowd would really get a kick out of it. (Polaroids are a variation on this theme, but since they're no longer in production, that's out.)

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But........ there is no appropriate space at our site to set one up :( I'm pretty bummed about that. And even my most creative thinking doesn't come up with an acceptable location. So that's a no go.

Moving on, we are still decorating our new house and there is plenty of space for "stuff on the walls." While I like the theory of having guests sign a frame, I don't think I would actually like this hanging any where. Too much writing, too little decoration. Would I actually go stand and read it in the future? Not quite right.

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Back on the scrapbook theme, I came across the following idea. Guests signed vintage (or color themed) postcards and had them inserted into a scrapbook. You could also insert pictures of the guests from the wedding next to the postcards to have a really comprehensive memento.

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I'm leaning towards the first or last options, but am still searching for more ideas.

Have you come across any guest book ideas you love?

Development of a Wedding Cake, part II

I was really really really really excited about the prospect of multiple cake tastings. I like dessert, if you hadn't heard. I scheduled our first tasting with one of the least expensive people in the area, as kind of a "warm up." If it worked out, great. If not, eh, at least we got free cake.

Basically what I'm after: A round, balanced, three-tier, not too elaborate cake, with green accents.

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(**Side note: We did our tastings prior to my starting the blog, so the pics will be quite light. Sorry.)

However, I quickly realized the cake tasting process not as fun as I had envisioned. For one, it's a lot of work to arrange the tasting and talk with the person and describe your vision and look at their samples... it's definitely not just free dessert. That first tasting was kind of a flop. We didn't really like the cake, she was obviously very new in the field, her designs weren't that great. We headed home a little deflated.

Take two. Our wonderful caterers told us that they have worked with basically all the cake makers in the area and hands down recommend one woman. Her cakes are beautiful, cut well, are high quality, delicious, and reasonably priced. Sold. We headed to her house for a (extremely generous) tasting of the following jaw-droppingly delicious combinations:

• Chocolate cake + Hazelnut Buttercream filling w/ Buttercream frosting
• Chocolate cake + Raspberry Cabernet Chocolate Mousse w/ Fondant
• White cake + Raspberry Cream Cheese filling w/ White Chocolate Ganache
• White cake + Champagne Custard filling w/ Buttercream frosting

Yum-tastic. The raspberry cab chocolate mousse was the best thing I've ever tasted. We decided to go with the buttercream after seeing how beautiful her work with it was.

One part of the tasting that was harder than I expected.... planning the size of the tiers. I figured "I want three even tiers for ~65 people" was all you had to say. Nope.

Do you want (and remember, you're paying per slice):

• 10" x 8"x 6" for 57 servings?
• 10" x 8" x 5" for 72?*
  
• 10" x 7" x 5" 61?*
  
• 10" x 9" x 8" for 70?
• 12" x 10" x 8" for 88?
• 12" x 9" x 6" for 74?
• 12" x 8" x 6" for 69?

Calculations based on this chart, except those marked by * which were estimated by our baker.

We decided on 10" x 8" x 5" with the 10" & 5" tiers as chocolate cake w/ the heavenly raspberry cabernet mousse and the 8" tier with white cake and raspberry cream cheese, all covered in traditional buttercream. Oh my gooooosh I can't wait!

Up next: Designing the cake.

What parts of the tasting process surprised you?

Team SB project #1 - How to cut paper

This is a less "entertaining" post and a more functional, directions oriented one. I am doing a pocketfold invitation, with three inserts, a belly band, and lined envelopes. I ordered the materials from cardsandpockets, but am cutting/printing everything myself.

My trial runs, so you can see where we're headed.
The invite mat & patterned paper will be different.

The DIY goods. Nothing too fancy: Scissors, paper cutter (not shown), pencil, ruler (the one in the pic is in millimeters, how annoying). Clover pocketfold, cream square flap envelope, 8.5x11" patterned paper, regular printer paper.

Step 1: So as not to waste the cardstock/expensive paper, I used regular paper and cut it into various sizes to figure out the dimensions I wanted. And to practice using my cutter to be accurate.

Some of the sizes we tried out. For the invite, invite mat, inserts, band, liners.

Step 1b: Good Thursday night tv, a tasty cocktail, and a helpful fiance make this go faster.

Step 2: Once we were happy with the proportion/look, we wrote down all the dimensions and what type of paper would be used (cream, clover, or patterened) and tried to figure out how to maximize the paper we had.

Trying to figure it out by hand. We couldn't find a regular ruler, so we used a yardstick. A lil' cumbersome.

I found the best method was to go into powerpoint and resize the slide so that it is 8.5" x 11" (or whatever size your paper is). Then make little boxes for the sizes you need for the invite pieces and color code them. Then you can move the boxes around to maximize the space you've got. Our results (for the cream cardstock) are below. We did the same thing for the clover & patterned paper, but it looks basically the same.

Side note: You should probably do this BEFORE ordering. I was stressing that I'd not have enough, but it worked out ok.

Two 4.5" x 6.5" invitation mats + 3.5" x 5" inserts fit on one piece.

Three 3.5" x 6.5" inserts on another.

Three 3.5" x 6" inserts on another.

Step 3: The easy part! Cut and paste. Cut out the sizes you've planned and glue them to the preformed pocketfolds. I used a two sided glue runner so that there wouldn't be a line from real glue and that they'd be securely tacked down with no "gaps" on the edges.

Mr. SB & Elliot cutting paper.

We didn't cut the cream cardstock yet, because I'm not sure how my printer will handle small pieces of paper so I might have to print then cut, rather than cut then print. But it's planned and ready to go for that day in the future. We also didn't glue in the envelope liners, because (for now) I'm planning on printing the addresses and don't want the extra thickness in the printer.

The finished result. All liners cut and folded/scored. Invite mats & belly bands glued down.

Overall, I think team SB did a great job on our first project (in my humble, unbiased opinion) and I can't wait to see the finished product.

How have your "team" projects gone?

Adding some swirlies

Although it fits the look and feel of our life and wedding venue not at all, I think damask weddings are pretty spectacular in their drama. I mean, how GLAMorous would you feel with these details around you. The black and white base with endless accent color options. So pretttty...

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And you can even get matching TP! :P

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Anyway, back to my wedding (yes, that was long enough thinking about some one else, back to me, me, me!), I was on the lookout for paper to multi-task as #1. envelope liners, #2. belly bands, #3. invitation mats. I ordered my invite products from CardsandPockets and they had a design your own paper option. I decided to go that route because at the very least, the colors would match. And they had a pseudo-damask option, the design "Swirls".

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I was a little nervous because the example didn't give me a great idea of the size of the pattern or what a whole page of it would look like. But I ordered some in clover & cream and was very happy with the result.

My own picture of a full sheet. The background really is cream, the lighting is just off a little here.

Although I hadn't planned on it, I'm very happy that we were able to incorporate a little damask-ish element into the wedding. I think the invite suite is much more interesting and cohesive because of it.

Up next: The making of the semi/mostly-DIY invites!

Where did you sneak in little patterns to your wedding decor?

FMIL

Pronounced "Fimmel," a future-mother-in-law is something I just realized that I'm getting. Very soon.

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My mom never really got along that great with her MIL, and I could never figure out why, but I knew that I would be different. She'd love me! Even better than her real kid! Calling her "Mom" would be natural! We'd get along great!

Then I fell in love with an only child of a single parent. Pretty much no chance I'll ever be "more" anything that her own kid. However, I did expect that we'd have a great relationship! I love your son! He chose me! It'll be great! Love and happiness!!

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Hello reality.

In the 6 1/2 years Mr. SB & I have been dating, I have spent a total of mayyyyyybe 6 hours with her. (I don't have a single picture of us together.) We certainly don't email or talk on the phone. And all inquiries of "How's your mom?" are met with "She's fine." And...... that's about the depth of our relationship.

We certainly don't have a *bad* relationship, it's more of a non-existent one. She came to visit us recently (3 of those previously mentioned 6 hours together were this week) and she was very pleasant and friendly. But not the sunshine & rainbows I had hoped for.

To be fair, Mr. SB & his mom don't really have a sunshine & rainbows, talk-all-the-time, we're BFF kind of relationship, so it's not realistic to expect I would. But it was a strange realization that I won't be part of either stereotype. She's certainly not a monster-in-law, nor will we buck the trend and be BFF. She leaves us alone to live our life together with support and without interference. We'll be two grown women who adore the same guy, in very different ways. And that I can live with.

Is your relationship with your FMIL/MIL what you expected it to be?

Confessions of a Bad RSVPer

Until 3 months ago, I had little appreciation for the mountainous volume of work that planning a wedding involves. One would assume, however, that I had possessed basic social etiquette skills. The following examples indicate that may not have been the case.



During grad school I was (kind of randomly) invited to the wedding of a high school friend of mine who I had lost touch with. I got the invite, realized I couldn't make it, didn't want to look rude by sending an RSVP "too soon" (what?!) so I NEVER REPLIED. Nice. Classy. Emily Post would be so disappointed. Click the link above to see proper behavior for RSVPing.

Next, my best friend was getting married in CA while I lived in Boston. I was super upset about being unable to attend (which, yes, I had informed her of). The week before the wedding, I got the incredibly bright idea that I would find a last minute ticket, drop my Boston obligations, and fly out to surprise her! (What?!) Thankfully, that plan didn't pan out, but how um... "surprised" would you be on your wedding day to have a random extra with no seat, meal, name card... etc. Eek.

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So, anyway, I think karma is getting a kick out of these past "errors in judgment." We are inviting 81 people and want 65 to come. Like exactly 65. And no more. Really, no more. Seeing as family takes up the majority of the A list, there are some pretty darn good friends on the B+ list that we'd really like to invite (and not go over 65, if you hadn't heard). But sending STDs/invites to the B+'s is dependent on a firm "No" from the fam.

I've been asking my parents to ask their sibs if they'll be able to make it to our big day... pretty much since the day we got engaged. I put out the requests again since we sent out the STDs... but so far no solid replies. Alas.

All I can do is wait I suppose. Hopefully the B+ friends won't be too upset/realize they're not A list, but who knows. I know it'll work out, but I'm still anxious.

How tight is your guest list? Did you try to force people to pre-RSVP?

Development of a Wedding Cake, part I

Oh fondant, you're so beautiful. Before I had ever heard your name, knew how to pronounce it, looked up how to pronounce it on YouTube, or what you tasted like... I loved your look. Your smooth sides, the beautiful detailing that is possible, your elegance.

You are the basis of all my cake inspiration photos.

Four previous photos from TheKnot.

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But, oh beautiful fondant... even my hyperactive sweet tooth thinks you're too sweet. Like sickeningly, weirdly, thirst-inducingly too sweet. And while I may be willing to sacrifice comfort for beauty (hello stilletos!), I won't ask my guests to do so.

So... farewell fondant cakes... I'm heading to your delicious, if very slightly less attractive, cousin.

Buttercream!

What choices have you made regarding fashion vs. function?

"You don't have to"

I sometimes feel guilty that I spend a significant portion of every day thinking about my wedding.

Not my marriage, the important part.
But my wedding, the party part.

Maybe it's because Mr. SB & I have been together so long that I feel really confident in the "important" part. And we really have discussed our views on money, kids, pets, goals, travel... and life with each other. And I love us for our similarities and differences. It's nice to stop and remember that in the midst of all the party planning adventures.

I'll leave you with a little bit of cheese, that reminded me of why I like this guy so much...

This weekend, Mr. SB and I were on a plane and I was struggling to finish the "difficult" Sudoku in the inflight magazine. He leaned over and gave me a few helpful breakthroughs. As I finished the puzzle, he congratulated me.

My reply with an I'm-kind-of-down-on-life-in-general-lately groan: "Sigh. I couldn't do it alone."
His answer with a sweet grin and a this-is-about-more-than-Sudoku look: "You don't have to."
Then, "That was cheesy."

Cheesy, but perfect.

Did your honey come through with any awww moments to in the midst of the planning chaos?

The dentist with the sweet tooth

I really really really like dessert. Alot. Mr. SB cannot fathom why after EVERY SINGLE MEAL I go looking for my "something sweet." While he can do without, I always sneak an eager little nod to the waiter at the "Would you care to see the dessert menu?" question. And yes. I'm a dentist. I know.

So back to the wedding world. We've been to weddings with and without the traditional cake and I think both options work just fine to get their guests the little "something sweet." I do like cake, but I'm not that into cupcakes (if I was going to serve cupcakes, I'd rather just do regular cake). However, brownies, cheesecake, pie, fudge, petit fours, mousse, cookies, yes. I'm into those. Very much.

(I also understand it's very "in fashion" to forgo the big cake in honor of "non-traditional" desserts. And seeing as I'm so fashion forward, I'd definitely consider that. No. Not that at all. I just really like a lot of different desserts.)

I do love pie. And look how pretty these are! Apple, cherry, pecan, pumpkin...
Especially with ice cream!
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Little cakes made of sorbet.... Oh my cuuuute.
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After minimal googling, I found the world of multiple mini dessert buffets... Everyone could get their favorite! I could get it all! And the pre-wedding diet would be over! And it's so pretty!!!

Pistachio Macarons & Key Lime Pie Shooters
It even matches our colors!

Fruit Tartlets and Baby Cakes

Chocolate goodness & Banana Pudding
Three previous drool inducing images from Source.

As my eyes glazed over from looking at all the yummy possibilities, a little voice spoke up. "Excuse me, sugar lady, haven't you always liked looking at wedding cake photos? The multi-tiered, sleek beauties, with their gorgeous details. Don't you watch BOTH of the cake shows on tv?? Aren't cake photos one of the things you like best in the recaps? And if you buy 6500 little dessert-lets, you can't really justify 'the big one' too."

Oh yeah. Forgot about that.

So, wiping the drool off the keyboard, I went and found my "something sweet" to satisfy my now substantial craving and put the dessert bar/mini desserts idea aside. I'll just have to find a party to throw to incorporate them. Anyone need a baby shower??

What more "modern" options did you discard in favor of something more traditional?