Seattle - Wedding and Food

The wedding day came and The Husband and I were lucky enough to officiate the ceremony. It was the greatest honor that the two of us had ever been given. We read poems and stories pasted to the inside of cookbooks and saw a hundred and fifty people come together with one single purpose. When we walked down the isle after the I dos were done, our hearts were racing. I've never seen two people more in love than Liam and Audrey. There were times during the ceremony when I felt like I was eavesdropping on someone's private moment. I had to remind myself in the middle that I was an integral part of the whole marriage ceremony instead of a voyeur.

But now, I'm sharing photos with you, so voyeurism is welcome.

Audrey's Mom made her dress out of a silk/hemp blend, it looked beautiful on her. And Liam, well, the man can wear a suit with the best of them.

The ride was a gift from a friend who knew the bride and groom all too well.

The reception was held in the backyard of Audrey's childhood home. These trees dotted the property and gave us dappled light all afternoon.

The cake with the little mushrooms on top.

Audrey and Liam cured and smoked the fish themselves. It was the best smoked salmon of my life. I think only the heads were left at the end of the night.

Hey buddy, how ya doin'?

At a Greek wedding, yes, we roast meats. As a matter of fact 'roasted meats' were mentioned on the invitation to this wedding. We even made a note during the ceremony about how much the groom loves Lamb. Here you see a whole lamb and six lamb legs that were tended to by a crew of Greek and Armenian friends/chefs.

Roasting an animal on a spit is always somewhere between cooking and construction.

Liam and Audrey made this potato salad with fresh dill and mustard seeds.

A dramatic bowl of tzadziki.

Brilliant colors and loads of local produce were on every table. Those cherries are Lapin Cherries, that grow on a 70 acre farm and are only harvested one month out of the year. They were crisp and explosively juicy and I loved them so much that I probably ate an entire pound.

Heirloom tomato salad that may have changed the way I feel about tomatoes or maybe just reminded me what a tomato should really taste like. And I love tomatoes but these, these were on a whole new level.

My dinner clockwise; heirloom tomato salad, feta cheese, french bread, potato salad, herbed cream cheese, smoked salmon, grilled corn medallions marinated in herbs and oil, tzadziki, Greek olives and roasted red pepper hummus (I think). I ate it with a really nice, dry glass of rose (well it was a wedding, so probably like 4 glasses). I don't eat lamb but The Husband is still talking about how remarkable it was. At the end of the night, I found him sitting in the corner by himself. He was eating another plate of food, but this one was piled high with only tender lamb goodness. Again, I had that feeling of cutting in on someone's private moment.

As the night died down, we danced into it. Our, belly's filled with some of the best food I've ever eaten. I hugged my cousin and thanked him for an amazing day, for letting us be such a big part of it, for his friendship, for everything. He paused and said "How was the food...?"

Yeah, he's got his priorities straight.