Food and Love

A dark and rainy New Jersey evening couldn’t dampen the love and joy in the air at our friends’ wedding this past Saturday night. Held at the Park Savoy, a beautiful old house in Florham Park, NJ, the wedding was a celebration of two of our favorite people, a friend I have known since childhood and her now husband who has now become a friend to us.

The evening was humid and pouring when we arrived, but we still got a chance to check out the beautiful grounds. While we waited for the ceremony, waiters passed out glasses of Champagne with blackberries floating in them. Yum!

The ceremony was held in the ballroom, which was dimly lit with pillar candles lining the aisle, creating a cozy, romantic, and sacred feeling in the room. Just the ambiance made me a little teary eyed. The ceremony itself was one of the most beautiful I have ever been to. An interfaith ceremony, it was led by my friend’s cousin who is a Catholic priest, and a Jewish Cantor, and they did an amazing job of blending religious traditions. From both you could feel so much love and so many blessings.

The cocktail reception that followed offered any type of food that you could ever want. One room featured an endless selection of meats and cheeses, smoked salmon, sushi, oysters, and a carving station.

Another, smaller room offered Middle Eastern fare like hummus,pita and kebabs, along with a macaroni and cheese bar with toppings like Bang Bang shrimp, bacon, broccoli, chicken, and cheese. I had mine with the shrimp, spicy, creamy, cheesy, deliciousness.

A literal garden of vegetables and dips made for a lighter option.

We sipped Champagne and nibbled on a bit of everything but mainly stuck to the sushi. It was fantastic, and there were many different types to choose from.

Once the cocktail hour was over, we were led back into the ballroom which had been magically turned into an elegant dining room. Tall, narrow centerpieces made it easy to chat to our fellow table mates, all high school cross country and track friends. It was a fun table.

I was too busy chatting and dancing to photograph dinner, but I couldn’t pass up on photos of dessert. In addition to cake, there were Belgian waffles with toppings, Bananas Foster, tables and tables of pastries, fruit, cookies, and tarts, and mini ice cream cones with a bunch of difference ice cream options. Coffee, tea, and mini dessert drinks rounded out the feast.

Fueled and festive, we danced the night away to a great band and had so much fun seeing the newlyweds so very happy. I love when that happens.

How was your weekend? Did you go to any fun parties or events?