I really never intended on posting about the wedding. S’tasty is a recipe blog afterall. But, a few people were asking, so here goes…. I’m not one for fanfare, and was trying to keep the event as low key as possible. There was no wedding planner, there wasn’t a theme, and there were certainly no pink sugared almonds. It was however, the ultimate DIY family wedding. We had many helpers on board (family and friends) who had all been assigned specific tasks. Everyone assured me that I wouldn’t be wearing an apron on the big day, but to be honest I wouldn’t have it any other way. On the morning of our wedding, as I peeled carrots and did battle with a monstrous salmon, my sister turned to me and said “Shouldn’t you be at the hairdresser now, quaffing champagne?” We laughed. It was hard to be nervous that morning as there were so many other distractions and there was a lovely sense of familiarity, sitting at home in the kitchen, preparing for a family dinner.
We had initially thought of getting caterers in, but as a couple, the OH and I love to cook. So it might have taken away all the fun if a group of strangers came and did it all. There were times that we did wonder, what we had taken on. However, it was a small family event and it felt right to have everyone involved. We had lots of aprons, and the kitchen was buzzing with activity all day. A wedding for us was a day to celebrate with our families. It wasn’t a day of pomp or ceremony and there were lots of funny blips and mishaps that made it all the more memorable for us.
We had a beautiful small ceremony in my local church, with my uncle John as celebrant. We then had some photos taken in the nearby Altamount gardens. When we arrived back, we toasted our future with champagne and nibbled on brown bread with smoked salmon and charcuterie. We had some short speeches from my Dad and Rita my new mother-in-law, before we all went back to the kitchen to mingle and stir bubbling pots.
The meal consisted of beef striploin, expertly cooked by my Dad, and carved by my brother Gavin. The red wine and shallot gravy made by the OH and my aunt Ann, I cooked the whole salmon in a fish kettle and my aunt dressed it for the occasion with cucumber, lemon and bay leaves. The beef and salmon were accompanied by dauphinoise and roast potatoes, ratatouille and buttered carrots. It was all simple, but delicious fare. We had numerous desserts – raspberry pavlovas, hazelnut roulade, lemon tart -a special request for the OH and exotic fruit salad, followed by a small mountain of cheese. I got a little overexcited in Sheridans and ordered enough cheese to survive a famine. You probably all know by now that I have a major weakness for cheese. Rita made us a beautiful big traditional wedding cake, which we served with coffee. It was a magical day. Even, Ellie, my four year old niece helped with the stirring and carefully wrote all the place-cards. Everyone got involved and it meant a lot to us to be able to cater for everyone. As the local priest was leaving, he smiled and said that he had never been at a wedding where the bride and groom worked and wore aprons.
We finished the evening in the drawing room, surrounded by family, opening presents and chatting together. Some sat on chairs, some stood, others on armrests, we sat on a large beanbag and the little ones sat on the floor. It was a nice moment to have everyone together, and I don’t think we could have felt quiet so relaxed in a hotel as we did at there. There were favours of sorts in the form of slabs of cheese and hunks of cake wrapped up in tin foil, which people took home with them.
I have no real recipes to share and not many foodie pictures were taken. I just have a few snaps that various people captured along the way. It was a busy day and it all went by in a blissful blur. I finally did get to enjoy the champagne and it tasted all the sweeter in the end. Thanks to all our all family, and our good friends Mary and Rose, who we couldn’t have done it without.
And now we are off on our honeymoon, enjoying a nice break from the kitchen 🙂 I could get very used to writing blog posts, sitting in the sunshine.
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