Impossible Cake
It was a wedding fit for Brides’ Magazine. The bridesmaids were beautiful, the groomsmen handsome, and of course, the bride and groom were the best-looking couple present. Floral arrangements of white roses and hydrangea provided elegant simplicity, food was beyond delicious, dancing continued until the final moments of the evening, the guests were a joy, and the setting was exquisite.
We partied for four days, with everything from the super casual to the extremely elegant. Mother stayed with us for an extra week, the last few days of which we spent in San Francisco, revisiting memories of where she and Dad lived when they were newly married.
I try not to write about people I know without their permission. Since the newlyweds are
still off the grid on their honeymoon, I feel limited in what I can share. But here are the basics of an amazing week.
We began with a get-acquainted, informal Taco Party Fiesta in our backyard on Thursday. Wow, was it fun! We had made-to-order tacos from a taco cart, awesome Margaritas, tropical fruit skewers, and a dessert about which I must brag: Impossible Cake (a.k.a. chocoflan). I made two of these cakes and they turned out like the picture in Rick Bayless’s new cookbook, Fiesta at Rick’s: Fabulous Food for Great Times with Friends says they should! (www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=57) So did the watermelon, raspberry, pomegranate shaved ice for which my mother cubed 8 pounds of watermelon, also from the same cookbook. The cake and shaved ice, and Mexican Wedding Cookies made by a friend, formed one of the showiest dessert plates I’ve ever made. Friends and family helped make the event happen. We absolutely couldn’t have done it without them. Feeling their love expressed in such generous ways made the event even more wonderful. Thank you!
The next day, a small, intimate, wedding mass in the bride’s Catholic church recognized her religious tradition and formalized the marriage. The loving looks the bride and groom shared with each other, and how happy they seemed, are the most tender memories I’ll carry from that service.
Friday ended with a rehearsal dinner at the tip of the Malibu Pier, overlooking the Ocean. Stories about the bridal couple lasted for hours, none of them raunchy, all of them tender or funny. It was obvious that everyone’s happy for them and for the love they’ve found with each other.
Saturday was the big day. The wedding itself was outside, with the rolling hills of Southern California forming the perfect backdrop for a beautiful bride, groom, and wedding party. The country club provided an elegant setting for an exquisitely elegant event, decorated beautifully. I always feel emotional during wedding vows, and I did so on both Friday and Saturday. These are significant promises couples make to each other and mean more than any of us can know we state them. Their truth becomes clear as the years go by.
Just as the entire week had range, so did my dancing at the reception: I two-stepped with the groom, fox-trotted with my husband, and finished the evening doing the Pogo (a disco dance) with the twenty-somethings I’ve known since they were in middle school. My dress was as much fun to dance in as I’d hoped it would be!
After a lovely brunch on Sunday, Mother, Mark and I came home for naps. The wedding was June 11. This is June 30. My dress is home from the cleaners, notes are written, Pinatas and Margarita glasses are packed away for the next party, and the house is back to normal.
I’m finally ready to begin life again. That includes writing my blog, so be sure to subscribe or check it out each week.