Generations Of Treasures: 2015

A good part of this last year was spent preparing for my oldest daughter's wedding. Last spring she graduated from Barret Honor College ASU, Suma Cum Laude as an English Major. We love to read in our home and have a huge collection of much loved books, so it was not surprise when my aspiring writer decided on a vintage bibliophile theme. I was so happy when she chose The Encanto Clubhouse as her venue because I have such wonderful memories of times spent at Encanto Park with my oldest sister. It was for me a way of including her, even though she is gone from us. We upcycled as much as possible. We spent months hunting for vintage dishes, like new books for favors, vintage books for decor, and second hand silk flowers that could be incorporated with some new to fill arrangements out. My three daughters and I spent many hours over the summer spraying book pages, hand cutting and assembling hundreds of paper roses for the bouquets and decor. My husband designed and assembled the invitations and provided all of our printed needs. What we didn't spend in money was made up in love and time for sure. One of my dearest friends was the pastor at the wedding despite losing her Father just days before. Having her marry my daughter meant so much to me. The love it took for her to be there and be so happy for Mary Kate was unbelievable. We catered the wedding as well. The Encanto Clubhouse allows you to bring your own food and beverages, which is a real money saver! For appetizers, we had pesto coated Mozzerella, cantaloupe, and Columbus salami on skewers and several varieties of incredibly delicious Spinatos pizza cut into appetizer sized pieces. The star of the Italian buffet was my husband's much loved meatballs and gravy served with gnocchi. It's a family recipe that has been passed down for generations and never fails to impress! I contributed Fettuccine Alfredo and a dish of my sister Tina's invention, consisting of chicken, pasta, pesto and wilted Roma tomatoes. It is absolutely delicious! Grilled chicken and Mediterranean vegetables were also served on the side to add to the fettuccine. A full salad bar, garlic bread, and of course, cake, completed the meal. I had the most AMAZING staff! The most charming waiter direct from Rome! Every guest was charmed and he made the party so much fun! The set up crew, kitchen crew and clean up crew were kind, hard working and treated the event like it was theirs! They were the kindest of my friends, and most refused compensation. The love given at this party was truly felt! It's been almost a month since the wedding and I still haven't finished packing everything up. I have been having a wonderful time costuming Starlight Community Theater's production of The Curious Savage. It looks a bit like a huge walk in closet, Christmas and a wedding have exploded in my house, but ah, well, it's a happy mess!