Post Wedding Day Brunch

Our wedding day was of course a very special day for Zac and I but it was also one of the most fun days as well. From start to finish we had a blast. We were both pretty worried that due to the amount of pictures we needed to participate in as well as the planned activities (cake cutting, bouquet and garter tosses, etc.) that we would feel pulled in all directions. We were thankful that although we needed to be in certain places at certain times we also had PLENTY of time to mingle with our guests, get our dance on and have an all around great evening. By the time we left at the end of the night we were exhausted.

The following morning we left our hotel and headed back to our house where our bridal party and families had stayed and were already setting everything up for our Cinco de Mayo post wedding day brunch. We seriously couldn't have been more grateful for all of their hard work and support. We're sure they were all pretty tired from the day before, too. Thankfully all of the decor was up and ready from our fiesta themed rehearsal dinner two nights prior. Still, there was a lot to do to get food and drinks ready for our guests. Zac's parents together with his siblings and their spouses were getting food together when we arrived. Along with muffins, bagels, and other traditional breakfast foods that Zac's dad picked up, the menu consisted of left overs from both our rehearsal and wedding dinners. It all came together to create a pretty yummy Cinco de Mayo brunch buffet. Of course it was all topped off with a full bar with beer, margaritas, champagne, and other beverages.

 By 10:00am our guests were starting to arrive. The music was going, the margarita glasses were full, and everyone was having a great time.

A few of our guests filled us in on their night after the wedding was over. It turns out that most of my coworker buddies had quite a fun after party and some of them were MIA from the brunch because they were just getting to sleep. These two strong ladies were not only wide awake but they were ready for more.

These ladies weren't the only ones getting down. Zac still had some party left in him, too!

A highlight of the day for me was visiting with this little man. This is Tyler. 

Zac's cousin Scott and his wife Amy (both in our bridal party) announced in September that they were expecting an addition to their family . (Read about it here.) They were blessed with this little guy on Sunday April 15, 2012. The girls and I were coming back from my bachelorette party in San Diego (which I'll be sure to fill you all in on later) when we got the call that Amy was in labor. By the time we go back into town Tyler had been born. I couldn't be happier to share a birthday with this adorable little guy. Just look at all that hair. Such a handsome little man!

We were so happy that the cantina was complete in time for our fiesta. The sign that Zac's parents created for the space was perfect.

The cantina gave us plenty of extra seating space for guests and everyone really seemed to enjoy hanging over by the pond.

The day was a success. We loved the additional opportunity to hang out with everyone after the wedding and continue the celebration. A lot of the special people in our lives live out of town so the time with them was pretty special as we don't often get the chance to see them. We appreciate all of them being there for thar amazing weekend!

The next adventure? Our honeymoon! Just two days later Zac and I were on a plane to Maui for a much needed ten day getaway. Can you tell that we were ready for the vacation?!

Rehearsal Dinner and Post Wedding Brunch

As the wedding gets closer so do the many events that come along with it. In addition to all of the fun events I discussed in the last post, we also have the rehearsal dinner and the post wedding day brunch to look forward to.

Last year when we first began planning our wedding and picked a day we settled on the first Saturday in May, which turned out to be Cinco de Mayo. At this point we were planning on having a backyard style wedding at Zac's grandparents home. When we eventually decided to have our wedding at Wolf Lakes Park instead we found out that Saturday was unavailable. So instead of a Saturday, Cinco de Mayo wedding, our big day will be on Friday, May 4th.

This change of date actually worked out very well for us. Not only is having a Friday wedding less expensive, it also frees up our Saturday to have a post wedding day brunch that embraces the theme of Cinco de Mayo. A themed brunch will be a lot more fun than a themed wedding. We're hoping that the brunch will give our out of town guests the chance to mingle and relax before heading home.

We have tons of ideas for decorations and food for the brunch. Zac and I are excited to have the party at our house the day after the wedding. The backyard is getting a little makeover (which I will be sharing a little later) and we plan to set up as much as possible before the wedding. Our goal is only to worry about the food and drinks the morning of the party.

With the brunch details taken care of, the only event left to think about was the rehearsal dinner. Zac and I didn't give it much thought at first. We figured that we would have everyone join us at a restaurant. Going through the list of restaurants close to our home, we chose Daily Grill as our favorite. It has such a great atmosphere and we had a great time last year at our engagement dinner.

The weekend of Zac's 30th birthday, we threw out the restaurant rehearsal dinner idea, when his mom, Tammie, came up with a much better plan. Zac's party took place in our backyard with tables set up on the lawn underneath our tree. Tammie suggested that with a few more lights added to the space, our backyard would be perfect for the rehearsal dinner. Zac and I completely agreed.

To go along with the Cinco de Mayo weekend, we'll be having a mexican cantina themed rehearsal dinner. The best part is that since our post wedding day brunch has the same theme we don't have to worry about decorating our space for more than one party. Since our wedding is on a Friday, our rehearsal will be the night before. Our Thursday will be spent setting up tables and chairs, and decorating for the mexican cantina rehearsal dinner that evening. Our table and chair rental should last for a few days which should allow for us to leave everything set and ready for the post wedding day brunch. We want to make things as easy as possible on everyone who is helping us out with these events and having the rehearsal dinner at our house will definitely make things easier.

I can't wait to share all the details of these events. Just another 56 days until our rehearsal! Ahhhh! :)

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Cinco de Mayo holiday! :)

Looking at all of the holiday decorations and party supplies this week I've started to get some great ideas for next year. As mentioned here, we are getting married Friday May 4 rather than Saturday May 5, but we still had some ideas for a Cinco de Mayo themed wedding event.

At this time next year, Zac and I will be hosting a Cinco de Mayo themed post wedding day brunch. Since we aren't planning on going on our honeymoon right away, we thought that having brunch at our house the day after the wedding would be a great way to wind down with close family. Zac's family will be staying at our house the night of the wedding, and a few of my out of town family members will be staying at my parents house. Before a few of them set off on their way home at the end of the weekend we thought that it would be a nice treat to share a meal and visit a little longer. We know the wedding day will go by quickly and we'll be moving from one thing to the next, so getting the chance to catch up with out of town guests will not likely be something we'll get the chance to do at the wedding.

The fun part of having the brunch on Cinco de Mayo is that we will have the a chance to use some of the holiday inspired ideas we previously considered using for the wedding. As we are serving brunch and not dinner there will not likely be a taco truck but I'm sure that margarita cupcakes might be in the mix. :) The menu will most likely consist of the usual breakfast spread of french toast, bacon, eggs, potatoes, bagels, fruit, etc. plus some lunch style ideas like finger sandwiches and a few salads. To go along with the Cinco de Mayo theme we'll proabably have items to make breakfast tacos or some flavorful and spicy omelettes. Zac is looking forward to transforming the grill outside into a french toast making machine (thank goodness one of us likes to cook) but aside from that we're looking to put together a simple to assemble menu as we're sure everyone will be worn out from the day before.

Along with food we will of course have an array of beverages. In addition to the usual breakfast beverages (orange juice and coffee) I'm sure we'll have a few alcoholic beverages for those who still want to continue the celebration (or for those who need a little help coming down from the celebration the night before). Mimosas, bloody marys, etc. will be available for our guests.

We know that we will probably be pretty tuckered out from the big day, so organizing another event might seem kind of crazy but we're sure that we can pull it off. Our plan for the day is to keep the brunch very chill, and casual but a few decorations won't be that difficult to put together. Since the brunch will be taking place at our house, we'll be able to set up most of it ourselves the day before the wedding. We've rented chairs and tables before from a company who is very flexible with their delivery and pick up times. This will definitely help us get it together in time without freaking out and feeling rushed.

I've browsed through some photos online and found a few ideas that I think we will be able to use for our brunch.

One of my favorite blogs, The Sweetest Occasion, recently had a tutorial for these wonderful tissue paper banners.

They are super easy to make and would look really cute hanging in our backyard.

I just love how light and airy they are. And wouldn't they be perfect for Cinco de Mayo?

Another one of my favorite blogs, Hostess with the Mostess, has an incredible array of inspiring posts. I love browsing the blogs pages and taking note of fun party ideas that I can use somewhere down the line. Last August, they posted party photos from a 40th birthday bash fiesta. Although the decorations were all for a birthday, they could easily be modified for a brunch. Check out some of these great party photos:

I love these colorful pom poms. I made a bunch of giant yellow and green ones back in January for Sarah's jungle themed baby shower. It would be so easy to make smaller ones and put them on sticks to add some color to the tables.

I also loved the taller versions that added some fun detail to the food table.

Having the event at our home would also allow us to get down with some pinata fun like we had originally hoped to at the wedding. What a way to let go of all the wedding planning stress by beating a pinata!

I love the yellow and white tablecloths. It adds such a bright, pretty color to the set up...plus since yellow, white, and gray are our colors for the big day, it would be nice to incorporate them during brunch as well.

Although our post wedding day brunch will not be on a Sunday, we would love to add a little "Sunday" into the mix. Before Zac and I started dating, our Sunday shifts at work were spent flirting (shamelessly) at the end of the bar. Our managers always had a Sunday paper available, so while we were slow and had no guests to take care of, Zac and I would attempt to solve the Sunday crossword puzzle. Although we never successfully solved a puzzle (or even came anywhere close), it was our Sunday tradition to work on the puzzle. So to make brunch complete we'll be putting together some homemade crossword puzzles for our guests to have fun with during the meal. Sounds fun, right?

We look forward to hosting this event, having some more time to chat with our family and thank them all for their presence, support and assistance during the weekend.  :)