cupcakes.

My thoughts on sweets? Go big or go home. If I am going to eat a big white flour/sugar/fat mess, I want it to taste amazing, and I probably want to eat a lot of it. Don't you?!

Remember when I said I was going to make all of my own cupcakes for the wedding? Well, I pulled it off. I also made just about a million cookies. I was smart enough to hire someone to make a couple of cakes and a pie (for some reason I can bake a mean cupcake, but whenever I try to make a full size cake it ends up being a huge kitchen disaster!), and one of our friends made an apple crisp. Lets just say we had a lot of yummy dessert.

The following food porn is all vegan and all delicious:

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting


Black Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream and Raspberry Puree Filling


Coconut Chocolate Cream Pie


Peanut Butter Cups


Chocolate Chip Cookies (using the classic Tollhouse recipe, veganized!)



Lemon Macadamia Nut Cupcakes


Red Velvet Cupcakes with Fluffy White Buttercream Frosting


Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

The dessert buffet presentation came together quite well, if you ask me!







When it came time to cut it up, we decided to go with a cupcake.

I love how my cousin is looking on so longingly at the desserts!

We got a little confused and twisted up in the arm department.

And we made it! Cake in mouth success!

That tiny bite is the only cake I managed to eat that night. After swallowing it my stomach turned, so I grabbed another drink (always a good idea when your stomach revolts from sugar) and headed back to the dance floor!

A lot of people told me I couldn't, or shouldn't, make cupcakes for my own wedding! I am super proud that I pulled it off. I am so happy that I went ahead and did it anyway! Trusting your gut usually pays off.

All photos in this post: Hazelnut Photography

danced myself out of the womb.

Dance dance DANCE. Really, that is all I wanted to do at our wedding (besides the obvious, getting married part). Way back in the planning stages, when I was thinking about evening entertainment, I considered other things to keep people occupied. Like, performance artists and portrait drawers and such. But that would have been overkill. We had a great DJ, a photobooth and tons of booze. That should be enough!


I have to admit, I was worried about having a packed dance floor. In fact, I worried about this all the time before the wedding. I had dreams about it. Honestly, I shouldn't have stressed. Although it wasn't always packed, there were at least a few people out there all night, and at times it was fairly crowded. We really didn't have a very dance-y crowd though, and in a way I think we disappointed our DJ. At one point he pulled us aside and said he was doing everything he could to get people to dance, but that it was just a mellow crowd. I told him not to worry about it, that I wasn't bothered, and 15 people on the dance floor was better than none. And the main thing? I danced all night! Literally, all night long. I only left the dance floor to cut cake, get drinks, pop in the 'booth, and I may have ran to the bathroom, once. Maybe. I really, really like to dance.

Luckily, some of our guests like to dance, too. (You might also notice that Morrissey likes to dance, as we played his videos over and over throughout the night, on the big screen above the dance floor.)

Tween boys are pretty amazing dancers!

So are the girls :)

Who knows what move I am perfecting here.

My Aunt K is the life of EVERY party that she goes to. She is infamous for dancing at our family weddings!

It doesn't get much better than this.

Seconds after this shot, he was break dancing on the floor.

Please familiarize yourself with Aunt K again, you will see more about her below!

B and I singing along to some song (probably the Smiths).

Toward the night, something magical happened.B and I were getting ready to leave (yes, we left our own wedding reception before it was over - we were tired!), but we were out on the dance floor jamming to a couple of slower songs before jetting out. Our DJ started spinning a new song and suddenly, one of the (super cute and very nice) waiters started dancing with Aunt K. It was a sight to behold. When we watched the video later my family was in hysterics! It was fun! So much fun, that I made a one minute video clip, just for y'all to giggle at (the best parts start at about 40 seconds in!):



Aunt K's daughter, my cousin, is getting married this summer. I can't wait to enjoy more of her fabulous skills out on the dance floor.

Do you have any wacky relatives that just love to strut their stuff on the dance floor at every event? Or are you the wacky one??!


All photos in this post: Hazelnut Photography
Video: Josh Kun

babies babies babies!

Just in case you are one of those people on the fence about whether or not to invite children to your wedding, I hope this post helps sway you (one way or the other...)!

I had a great time planning out the fun stuff for all the kids who would be at my wedding. From crafting activity kits to each individual child, to making sure they had plenty to eat and drink.



We had a special meal for the under 14's: vegan pizza and pb&j. I also made sure we had several kinds of water and lemonade that they could consume, along with a chocolate soy milk at every place setting. And I have to say, the milk was a total hit!


I also spent a lot of time creating individual activity boxes that suited each child's likes and needs. The pre-teen girls received some magazines, lipgloss, notebooks and jewelry kits. The smaller kidlets had boxes full of stickers, bracelets, princess stuff, race cars, army men, and bouncy balls. Everyone, regardless of age or gender, received a fairy wand and a slinky because I love both toys :)




We kept the decor on the table to a minimum, because kids tend to knock things over, ALL THE TIME. Instead of flower centerpieces we put out jars of glowsticks and straws and lollipops. Along with the bright colored pencil boxes and wands, it was all that was needed to make the kid's table look magical.





The seating arrangement at their table was just as planned out as the adult tables! We kept the youngest kids closest to our babysitter, the older kids in the middle of the table, and the wildest kids toward the back near their parents :) It must have worked, because the children were on their best behaviour all night. They really did stay at the table throughout dinner, and after dinner they spent a lot of time hamming it up at the photobooth.

(photo taken by guest)

I also left a basket full of bigger toys with our DOC, to be taken out after dinner. It was crammed with coloring books, etch-a-sketch, baby dolls, art kits, jewelry kits, flashlights and more. The kids had a blast and got to take it all home at the end of the night.




Just in case you need more convincing that kids are adorable and really fun to have at weddings:







Are you having children at your wedding? Did you have special activities for them, or do you just plan on letting them dance the night away?

All photos in this post (unless otherwise noted): Hazelnut Photography

first dance time!

B and I practiced our first dance routine for weeks. We hired a local dance instructor to come to our tiny house and choreograph something simple for us, and it was such a good decision. I never would have done a first dance if we hadn't had lessons! Picking our song was really easy, as it is one of our favorites. We used lyrics from this song on our invitations and programs and everywhere. The lyrics mean so much to me, I can't even describe it. I'll post them for you instead:

I'll be your mirror
Reflect what you are, in case you don't know
I'll be the wind, the rain and the sunset
The light on your door to show that you're home

When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
'Cause I see you

I find it hard to believe you don't know
The beauty you are
But if you don't let me be your eyes
A hand in your darkness, so you won't be afraid

When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you're twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
'Cause I see you -Lou Reed


And post this for your listening pleasure as well:



We started out slow, with a few small steps...


Performed a couple of fancier turns...



Some faster twists...


And the big finish!

As our first dance ended, our DJ started playing this song:


I had asked him to play a fast dance-y song (to get people pumped and out on the floor), but didn't specify anything, since I trusted his instinct. The song was perfect. I got really excited, threw my hands in the air and started to dance. I continued to dance for the rest of the night, stopping only to cut cake, hop in the photobooth and grab drinks.

For some reason, that Modern English song reminds me of our wedding more than anything. It just encompasses the party, the feeling, the mood, the everything (maybe because it is in "Valley Girl," and if I didn't marry B, I would have married Nic Cage as Randy). Whenever I hear it, I can't help but cry happy tears and want to get married all over again.

Did you think about the lyrics in your first dance, or choose it based only on danceability? We did both!

All photos in this post: Hazelnut Photography

toasty time.

Towards the end of dinner, our venue coordinator let me know that it was time for toasts, and that there were going to be a few more than expected! We had told her in advance that both Cory and Gina would be doing toasts, and that my mom had a slideshow planned. What we didn't know was that another friend, my aunt, and my mom all wanted to make speeches too! Our coordinator asked me if this was ok, and of course it was! I wasn't going to deny anyone the pleasure of saying nice things about us during dinner.

The slideshow started up first, on the large screen that Marvimon has behind the dance floor. I was SO embarrassed about the slideshow, and at times I really didn't want it to play, but I knew it meant a lot to my mom. She worked on it for months! It turned out really well and super adorable, and I am now glad that I let it happen. My mom put together many pictures of us as babies and children, and managed to squeeze in photos of all our relatives as well.

(Can you see my holding a puppy on my Rainbow Brite bedspread?!)

Cory was up next. She has known B for much longer than me, and has been with him through thick and thin, which really means, she has met all of his previous gf's. Her toast focused on how much she likes us as a couple, and how I am the only girl that B ever dated that she actually approved of. That got a lot of laughs!


After Cory stepped down, Gina gave her short but sweet toast. She referred to my ridiculous love of jelly shoes, pet rats and the fact that I can't eat with metal silverware (this is true! I only use wood and plastic, unless I am stuck at a restaurant and have no choice). Her toast got many laughs as well.


Our friend, former boss and the father of our ring boy also said a few words about us. It was totally unexpected, yet very sweet and sincere.



My mom's sister M.A. gave the next toast. I know this will sound silly, but her toast was really the most emotional moment of the day for me, and I think the only time I broke down in tears. She spoke about how I started working with kids because of her (her children, my cousins, were my first nannying gig!) and how passionate I am about it. M.A. also talked about my grandparents, who passed away six years ago. I wish they could have been there. When she talked about how I took care of them in their last years of life I started BAWLING. Luckily, I had a small child sitting on my lap so I was able to hide my smeared mascara behind her cute little head :)



My mom spoke last, and thanked everyone for coming out to our wedding. She hadn't prepared or planned on speaking, but I am so happy that she did. It was a sweet ending to our toast, and a great segue into our first dance.


Did you have any unexpected toasts at your reception?

All photos in this post: Hazelnut Photography