Halloween Harvest Crostini!

Here at The One! we like to share the occasional recipe.  And this weekend, in honor of Halloween, I’ve got a good one for you- Harvest Crostini! Perfect for a rehearsal dinner- or an autumnal ladies night.  Its my little modified version of a bruschetta recipe I once found.  I suggest you make a double recipe, because this is quite popular!  And have a Happy Halloweekend!

Harvest Crostini!

Crostini:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 (or more) baguette loaf

Squash Dip:

1 bag of frozen butternut squash, cubed

2 T butter

¼ c chopped shallots

1 clove finely minced garlic

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of sage leaves (optional)

Pinch of salt

Pinch of cracked black pepper

Garnish:

½ cup dried cranberries

2 tablespoons orange juice

¼ cup walnut pieces, diced

Combine the dried cranberries, orange juice and walnut pieces in a bowl and allow to stand for 30 minutes.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.  Slice the baguette on a diagonal to create oval-shaped slices about 1 inch thick and place on a cookie sheet.  Brush each slice lightly with olive oil and bake for five minutes or until the bread is lightly toasted.  Set aside for dipping.

Add thawed squash cubes to a casserole dish.  Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over the surface.  Cook the squash for 1 hour or until fork tender.  Cool slightly and set aside.  Sauté 1 tablespoon of butter and all of the shallots or onion and garlic until translucent but not caramelized.  Add the squash to the pan and slowly cook the mixture about 10 minutes to evaporate some moisture and intensify the flavors.  Season the mixture with cinnamon, sage, salt and pepper to taste.  Blend the squash mixture in a food processor until smooth and thick.  Remove and add spread to a decorative dish.  Top with the cranberry garnish, and surround with baguette slices.

NOTE, you can also prepare this as bruschetta by spreading the squash mixture on the bread and topping with the cranberry garnish, but it is much easier to make ahead for a group if you keep all three elements separate.  I like to make it in the morning and then reheat the squash mixture before serving, adding the garnish after it has been heated.

image source

50 Days!

50 days ago, I wrote a post about how I was 100 days from the “big day” and thus entering the twilight zone; and somehow we’ve gone from 100 to 50.  50 days left!  As my friend L. would say, that is bananas! 

During some of the past 50 days, I have been very good at staying grounded, while on other days I have failed miserably.  And as I predicted but didn’t fully understand until now, the countdown to a wedding can be a wild roller coaster- the upside down kind.  I have found myself getting emotional, as in like a teenager, only I can’t blame my hormones.   (Or can I?  Please comment if you know something I don’t!)  And I have learned that in spite of my best intentions to the contrary, even I can fall prey to worries about whether my menus are appropriately centered on the page, whether I’ll finish the programs in time, and whether my flowers will look tacky (a very real, irrational fear I’m working on getting over). 

Deep breath.  Reminder to self: I will prioritize my commitment to and connection with J. above all else.  No matter what happens in the coming madness, I won’t forget why I’m here.  A wedding is about love, about commitment, about caring, about family, about starting fresh and treasuring moments.  Who cares about the flowers?  It is time to regroup, to refocus on the joy, to allow small disappointments and details the space to pass by, because remember how they don’t matter?  I am pretty sure I once said that, nearly verbatim on this blog.

 I am more fortunate than I could have ever hoped to be.  It is good! 

And it is coming!!

Photo by Jessica Morrisy

Wedding Programs: Take Two

Sorry about the amateur redaction…

plus these little 4 bar cards…

from Papersource!

and these A7 booklets…

Also from papersource!

Plus some cream colored paper and cardstock.  And I was going to turn them into top-folding wedding programs.  Except, when I did so, my prototype was… well.. er…. um… ok I’ll say it.  Fugly.  Totally fugly.  I hate them.  But I like certain elements about them- like our monogram on the ivory sticker, and the scalloped 4 bar cards are pretty darn cute.

My first attempt- a catestrophic failure. Ok maybe its not that bad, but its pretty lame.

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99 Little Tips to Save Money At Your Wedding

It’s Wednesday so I’m back with more “favorites”!  This week as a new take, I thought I’d share my favorite money saving tips.  99 of them.  Ambitious?  Absolutely.  J. thinks I am nuts and got annoyed by all the typing this list took.  But I love a challenge!  Here goes…

1.  Skip inner envelopes and blotters for your invitations.  Most people won’t notice or care, and those who do won’t mind (and if they do, they’re not very good friends).

2.  Shop sample sales for designer gowns at David’s prices.

3.  Google coupon codes for Michael’s or JoAnn’s and use them to buy things you’ll need, like ribbon.  40% off is just a click away!

4.  Make your own aisle runner.  Save on the rental!

5.  Buy forever stamps before the prices go up again!

6.  Plan your wedding for the “off season.”  Christmas weddings cost less!

7.  Skip the limo; ask a loved one to drive you in their luxury car (you know you know someone who would do it).

8.  The tried and true ipod-in-lieu of DJ!

9.  Who needs favors?  If you must, donate to charity and take the tax deduction!

10.  If you can, buy less expensive wine and put new labels on.  Check out Budget Savvy Bride to see how she customized bottles of “two buck chuck” from Trader Joe’s!

11.  Skip the RSVP card and have guests respond by email. 

12.  Or, go with an RSVP postcard!  No envelope = less pricey.

13.  Find a photographer who offers complimentary engagement photos- many do.

14.  If your venue and ceremony are in the same place, the folks who work there may completely eliminate the need for a day of coordinator.  Worth the research!

15.  Buy bridesmaids dresses off season at stores like J Crew for major savings.

16.  Or, ask your bridal store if they’ll do volume discounts.  My girls saved 20% that way!

17.  Shop stores like Oriental Trading.  Sure, the wares may not look so fancy, but all it takes is a creative eye.

18.  Visit PaperSource in person.  They will teach you how to make stunning invites for a fraction of the cost.

19.  Calligraphy is gorgeous, but with a little practice, your home printer can make those envelopes just as pretty for significantly less!

20.  Even if you splurge on a gown, look for a veil outside the designer boutiques.  $700 for tulle isn’t necessary.

21.  Candles- they’re tried and true for a reason: they’re less pricey than flowers and create an ambient glow.

22.  Tell vendors your budget up-front.  They can’t meet you halfway if they don’t know where you are.

23.  Roses cost less than calla lillies where I live- ask your florist about what flowers are most economical in your area.

24.  If you want to get married in a church, going with your home church will save you big time.  Go someplace new and expect to pay for it (after all, you’re not making a weekly offering in these new churches).

25.  I hate to say it but I’ll say it.  Cut your guest list.

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Showered with Love, Ohio Edition: The Deets!

It started as a gloomy, rainy day.

But I didn't mind. I took the opportunity to snuggle with Sebastian, the family cat. While we bonded, I attempted a cat photo shoot, which is tougher than it looks.

And inside our house, the action was happening! First, the pinata-turned-card-holder was introduced. It was my favorite color- pink!

Dressing for the Rehearsal

As you may or may not know, I bought a rehearsal dress back in, um, July.  And I liked it- it was a high waisted Tahari satin dress with chiffon polka dots that actually looked better on me than on the model.  A rare occurrence which made me love the dress that much more.  But something happened on the way to paradise.  I started to have second thoughts.

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out where I got this image. But the dress is from Lord and Taylor. If you know where the image is from, please let me know so I can give credit!

And then it got cold!  So I tried my rehearsal dress on in this chilly weather, hoping I’d somehow talk myself into feeling it was ok.  And… it was too big!  Thank you white dress diet for giving me a much needed excuse to buy a new dress! Off I went to the internet superhighway to consider my options!

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Wedding Painting

I just had an amaaaazing weekend in Ohio, celebrating a hometown bridal shower with some of my favorite peeps!  And I promise, recaps are coming.  But in the mean time, frivolity!  Can we talk for a second about what you should have at your wedding if you possibly can?  If I had unlimited budget (or at least more money to spend than I currently do) I would definitely hire a painter to paint at my wedding.  Yep, seriously, you really can do that.

My friend P., who is always finding new and creative ideas for weddings, sent this my way and I’m sold on the concept, hook line and sinker.  Apparently, there are vendors all over the United States who will do such a thing, but we’re currently obsessed with the work of Martin Hardy.

His rate is $1200, so he’s pretty reasonable when you consider what you’re getting.  He paints in acrylic on a 24 x 36 canvas, which makes sense because no one would want fumes from oil paint at their wedding.  The way it works is that he positions himself close to the dance floor, and will paint a scene of your choice (first dance, cake cutting, toasts, you name it).  And the best part is that his painting is complete by the end of your event – though he cannot guarantee that it will be dry (which seems fair to me).  Can’t you just imagine your guests captivated, watching a painter at work at your reception?!

Absolutely loving the colors and his feature of the architecture.

This one is even more impressionistic to me, absolutely capturing the movement of the group and the joy of the event! And PS, I would like to be invited to a party with acrobats on the ceiling please.

Would you consider hiring a painter to document your special day?

All images from Mr. Hardy’s website, http://www.hardyboyart.com/id1.html

Groomsmen Gift Idea: Pens

If you’re like me, you find the typical groomsmen gifts kind of lame.  Well, ok, not exactly lame, but it seems that the whole world assumes that groomsmen are primarily interested in drinking, hence the prevalence of personalized beer mug options for gift giving.  Not that there is anything wrong with giving beer mugs- they can be fun and personal in the right context, and J. and I love putting his in the freezer for cold drinks- but what if your groomsmen are no longer in their 20’s or aren’t necessarily enthralled with the glory of drinking anymore?  Or what if you have so many friends who are already married, that the beer mugs have already been done?  And of course, one’s next options are typically golf related (again, not a bad idea if appropriate, but not everyone loves golf).

So when my friend B. told me about his groomsmens’ gifts, I totally loved them!  B.’s groomsmen are, much like ours, mostly professionals out there in the “real world” who live in NYC and don’t have room for much clutter.  And so I thought these pens were a terriffic idea for a gift!

The Roller Pen from the Cross Townsend Collection

B. Purchased these at Joon New York and he received a considerable discount just by talking to them about his plan.  Using his finely tuned Fordham negotiation skills (which anyone can use), he basically said he would either be buying five pens or zero, depending on whether the price was right.  Needless to say, the store worked with B. and he got these great pens to give as gifts.  He’s planning to have them engraved with each groomsman’s name and job title, where applicable.

I have to say, I think this is a stellar gift idea.  I myself have received some good pens as gifts, and I even wrote my bar exam essays with such a gift (a gorgeous pen gifted for graduation from a family I used to babysit for- I used it for good luck, and I think it worked).  People always forget about pens, but I think even bridesmaids might like to receive one!

Free beer mug image courtesy of FreeFoto.com

Wedding Makeup Looks

In addition to preparing for my upcoming hair trial, my stylist and I have been thinking about makeup looks.  In my past life (i.e., before I graduated from college) I worked in cosmetics and did a great deal of makeup myself, so I’m pretty sure about what I like.

For the wedding look, I’m thinking dewey and fresh makeup.  Something polished, in shades of gold and peach, with a slightly smokey eye and a glossy lip.  The glossy lip might be an issue, because lip gloss will need frequent re-application, but I think it will be worth it.  I can always put one of my bridesmaids on lip gloss patrol, right?

I’m planning to do a little bit of fake baking, along with some spray tanning, to get enough glow on my skin to feel comfortable but not-too-tan.  I know, fake baking is bad for me, but I’m only doing it just this once, and I promise not to do too much of it!

So here are my makeup muses- the looks I’m hoping to channel on our wedding day!

Love her or hate her, Kate Hudson absolutely glows here- looks like there might be some sort of shimmer product under her foundation.

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Best Online Wedding Vendors

It’s Wednesday again, and that means time for more of my faves!  This week, I’m featuring some of my absolute favorite online vendors- places I have found with unique wedding wares at competitive prices.  Read on to see what I’m talking about!!

Best Out of Town Totes: Inkhead.com

Inkhead is a downright fantastic resource for personalized items for your wedding.  My friend P. used them to custom print wedding tote bags for her out-of-town guests.  They even custom-designed a logo to coordinate with her wedding invitations.  While they are generally better for bulk items, with a little searching you can find great gift ideas for your OOT bags, or for your bridal party.  For example, P’s fiance loves the customized playing cards, and she’s planning to order custom bottle openers for his bachelor party.

Best Photo Books: Snapfish.com

If you’re racking your brain trying to come up with a cheaper way to create photo albums for your engagement photos or guest book, Snapfish Photobooks are for you.  A quick google search will locate frequent coupons for these books, and I can personally attest that the quality is excellent.  Make sure to use your highest resolution photos for your projects though, otherwise they’ll look better on the computer than in real life.  We got our album at 50% off by using a coupon, and uploaded digital images from our photographer to make ours- and it turned out great!  Of course, we’ll buy a professional album for our wedding, but since we didn’t want to buy an expensive engagement album, the Snapfish book was a perfect solution.

Most Killer Wedding Videography:  Well Spun Weddings

Ok, I admit, this isn’t technically an internet vendor, but it was found on the internet, so I’m counting it.  J. and I are not having videography (we had to prioritize, and sadly, videography didn’t make the cut) but if I had the budget, this would be IT for me.  Their philosophy is that they create films, not videos,  and they use tools like high definition and 8mm film to customize a video you’ll actually want to watch!  Hopefully my friend R. who turned me on to this place, will select them, so I can live vicariously through her!

Best Gift Bags: Dunwoody Booth

I’ve blogged about this before but it bears repeating because they are such a great deal!  Dunwoody booth sells high quality gift bags at really reasonable prices, and you can even get 5% off the price of your order if you join their “preferred program.”  In addition, they frequently offer gifts with purchases, and who doesn’t love a little something extra for free?

Most Cost Effective Save-The-Date: Vistaprint.com

Sign up for those email updates (but expect a lot of email) and you too can get 100 postcards (custom-design them yourself!) for about $6.  Which will leave you plenty of money leftover to design your own Photostamp for them!  (I swear Vistaprint is not paying me, I just really like them).

Best Place Cards: Chefsresource.com

My friend P. also turned me on to this great website, where she bulk ordered ceramic place tiles (typically used on cheese trays) as escort cards for her wedding.   Chef’s Resource was, by far, the least expensive on this item and shipping was free!  She also had good things to say about the customer service, and everything arrived as promised and unbroken.

Best Cufflinks: Groomstand

This is THE place for affordable engraved cufflinks.  Sure, you could go higher end, but depending on your crowd you may not need to, because these come in many price points.   Plus, they frequently run free shipping specials, and you get a discount if you order 6 or more! 

Best Place to Shop Offseason: Pottery Barn

When you think wedding, you probably don’t think “home decorating store” but Pottery Barn is great for offseason finds.  For example, I found wonderful miniature christmas ornaments in green mercury glass, originally intended as vase filler, for $2.99 a package of 18 in the off season.  I’m using them as part of our favor packaging.  And these lovely galvanized metal containers you see pictured left are a mere $7.99 each.  I’m thinking you could fill them with spring tulips or summer daisies for a sweet, cost effective centerpiece, or throw some ribbons on them and use them to gather cards in lieu of the traditional mailbox. 

All images sourced from their respective websites, except for the video camera image from clicr.com