Time Minus - Five Months

   Carrie has met with several florists on multiple occasions, the floral details are yet to be determined. We have made our honeymoon plans (more on that in a future post), the groomsmen and groom's attire has been chosen (see Delightfully Tacky, Yet Unrefined), we have booked the Take 2 party band for our reception and I'm feverishly trying to lock in the music for the ceremony. Over the past few weeks, we've looked at invitation sample after invitation sample after invitation sample, I'm not sure which style of invitation we'll choose, but I know it will fold, it'll be in an envelope and have intricate details.

   27 feet of snow has fallen at lake level this season. In five months when you're sitting in a chair at the ceremony or dancing at the reception, take a moment to think about that and appreciate the beauty and awe that Tahoe provides. Another reminder, lodging is quickly booking. Always more to do and of course, I'll keep you posted.  

Groom's Attire, Delightfully Tacky, Yet Unrefined

My idea of elegant groom's attire is formal highland wear (see google images). Naturally, Carrie was less than thrilled by the idea of her groom wearing a dress. Needless to say, my dream of wearing a formal kilt was quickly shot out of the sky.
When we found ourselves in need of tux rentals, the first place that came to mind was of course, Mens Warehouse. Our visit was a little less than awesome, I'd rather spend an entire day candle shopping at Wal-Mart than try to set up tux rentals with the mongrel employees at Mens Warehouse. The selection was quite limited,  pretty much black, white, fluffy, poofy and shiny then you have the option of a colored bow tie or skinny tie.
Carrie was envisioning a dressy three piece suit in gray tones as opposed a traditional black and white tux.
Our search led us to Joseph A. Bank Clothiers. We were quite pleased with the friendly staff and large selection. Without too much pain we decided on a Calvin Klein two button slate gray tux with a pleated shirt and flat front slacks. I'll have a "some shade of white" vest and bow tie to match Carrie's amazing dress. The groomsmen will be wearing the same tux but with a celadon vest and bow tie to match the bridesmaid's dresses.
The bottom line is this, we will look awesome. Can't wait to see you there.

Red Velvet Cake (we wouldn't subject you to it)

   First off, I apologize for neglecting my duties as a blogger. I realize that it has been nearly a month since the last update. Secondly, prepare yourself for the barrage of information that will flow to your screen in the form of this blog over the next few days.
   Now... let's talk wedding cake; as is almost everything in the wedding realm, it is steeped in tradition. From what I can tell the wedding cake concept is convoluted at best. During the Roman empire a groom would literally bash a loaf of bread over the bride's head as a sign of dominance, the French refined things a bit more with the cromquembouch, that started when a pastry chef disguised as a red coat watched a groom and a bride try to kiss over a giant mound of dessert rolls piled between them without disturbing the pile (a public exam of their parental tendencies). Apparently this turned into a tower of pastries and cookies at a later date in France. Later, the tradition of providing a sweet treat to the wedding guests found it's way to Ireland, being the stoic drinkers they are, they decided to add dark beer and honey wine to the menu. Their concept was the sweeter the wine, the sweeter the couple, the darker the beer, the more satiable and therefore a smaller meal and cake would suffice. By providing a sweet wine and less food, the sweet couple would have more money and be better prepared for their endeavor together (apparently they didn't have Visa, white zinfandel or 24 Hour Fitness). How these interpretations have meshed into the 20th century wedding cake is truly beyond me, but one thing is known, I like cake.

  Apparently there is a craze sweeping this nation's wedding receptions faster than we can forget the macarena, it is commonly known as "Red Velvet Cake". I just want you to know that behind that sexy name is nothing more than a chocolate or vanilla cake with massive quantities of food coloring. Carrie and I have tried white chocolate strawberry cheesecake, the best carrot cake you've never had, Boston cream pie from Loomis, shamrock chocolate, lemon, triple chocolate, strawberry champagne (frankly, an oxymoron), mango, white chocolate raspberry, and orange chocolate raspberry with Grand Marinier. We've looked at round, cushion, square, off set square, square-round-square, three tier and four tier plus a sheet, we've looked at basket weaved, Swiss dotting, piping and pulled or spun down sugar. Through all the trials Carrie has decided she likes the off set square, but she also likes spacers and flowers. We both agree that fondant tastes like sugary cardboard, therefore we'll use butter cream. I think a half sheet of carrot cake is certain and orange chocolate Grand Marinier will likely have some influence.
   The above mentioned creations were prepared by Javier Aguirre, owner and master pastry chef at Divine Desserts on Walnut Street, in Loomis, California. I have attached some pictures of the different cakes Carrie and I tried several weeks ago. In addition to these cakes, we were lucky enough to score an "in bakery tasting" with Carrie's Mom, Grandma and Sisters today. If you think I'm just writing with diabetic desire, ask them, they can attest to the quality of these goods. When we commit to a particular cake, I probably won't blog it, we'll surround it with hype so everyone asks us about the cake on our big day.
In the mean time, stay tuned and thanks for reading.

P.S. I built a garden box today.