Flash Back: DIY Wedding Venue & Food

Choosing the reception and caterer: I had always dreamed of a garden reception. Always. Lots of greenery, lots of flowers, Italian bistro lights (sigh) over a wood dance floor. Getting married in January in Utah? Ugh. Where do you hold the ultimate indoor party on a dime? I won't even go into the list of places I "looked" at (online).

As the fates would have it earlier in the year, Emily (aka: younger sister who used to be mistaken for my twin) and her associates held the Bijou at Southworth Hall for the first time. She suggested that I check it out.

photo credit: Brown Brothers

 It was the exposed brick and art deco ceiling tiles that sold me. They also have a catering company onsite, Brown Brothers, with competitive pricing. So, chairs, tables, basic linens were all included with the venue and the food.

All other photos: Jenna Rammell

In Utah for Thanksgiving AND the Holiday Bijou, I took the chance to meet with them, take photos of the space, and also have the final fitting for my dress (more on this later).

The food. I decided early on in the planning process that I wanted to incorporate a Frenchy theme, given the Captain's roots. I exchanged emails with my soon-to-be mother-in-law about French wedding foods and ideas for the menu. In the end we opted for a flaming crepe bar, with sweet and savory options. It was simple, but lovely. I heard the crepes were good, too (shaking a fist in the air -- my one regret was not getting to eat ANY of the food, not even our cakes).

The cake. My youngest sister, Bethany's BFF has a cousin who loves making cakes. I was sent to her blog, we exchanged emails, I sent pictures and described my ideas: Three round cakes, each with a different black and white design. I knew I wanted one with white fondent ruffles, one with stripes and one with polka-dots. I LOVE how they turned out. I don't even remember what flavors we chose.

We also had a French wedding cake, or a Croquembouche (somehow didn't get a picture of it), that my mom put together. How can you go wrong with cream puffs drizzled in caramel? I envisioned them all connected together with a washi tape penant banner that I made to create one cakey piece of art. Emily executed my vision very well.

Due to the "destination wedding" we decided to not save any of the cake and had all of it served to the guests. But not after we kept with this tradition. I guess I did get a little bit of the cake after all.