Road Trip!

Time for a road trip!

Early morning wake up.
Too much caffeine, too early.
Random conversations.
Fighting over who controls the radio.
Crazy directions.  Traffic.   Messy car.  Cramped legs.
Naps.  Magazines.
(sometimes, cheetos :)
(occasionally, singing off tune)
(always, Anticipation!)

Half the fun is getting there.    We're back from a long and truly wonderful weekend 'down south'.    Anyone want to guess where we landed? (no fair cheating if you are a facebook friend!)

What's your take on road trips?   Love 'em?  Hate 'em?   Have a recent favorite to share?

Hindsight Bride - A Wedding Feature

They say that hindsight is 20/20.  

Images from Visio Photography as seen on Hindsight Bride

It's the reason I spent hours (upon hours) researching real life weddings.  I learned so much from other brides while planning my own wedding.  I had the benefit of their experiences to help shape my own.    Advice from past brides was so incredibly helpful.  

I'm honored to have our special day featured in a wonderful wedding blog, Hindsight Bride.   Christie O, a past bride herself, has an eye for selecting gorgeous weddings, many with a mountain style or inspiration.  

If you've been following along with us here on Vita Nostra, you know that our wedding was set in the beautiful mountain setting of Asheville, North Carolina at the Biltmore.   While not your typical mountain setting, the Biltmore brought an added European elegance and a stunning fall backdrop.   It is a magical location, captured by our amazing photography team at Visio Photography.

I wish I had known about Hindsight Bride while I was planning my wedding.    The site is full of great advice from past brides and all kinds of wedding goodness, all with a mountain twist!

I'd love for you to check out the feature... it is full of my personal hindsight advice and lots of great eye candy!  

Past Brides - What is your best advice/lessons learned for anyone who may be currently planning their wedding?

Roman Proposal - A Year Ago Today

Rose at the Spanish Steps near our Hotel

I can't believe it has been a year already!   So much has changed, I hardly feel like the same person.    I think that is a good thing.     

John and I had just arrived in Rome (a surprise trip for me!) and were wandering around jet lagged taking it all in.     It was a whirlwind weekend of a trip, highlighted by a very romantic proposal following dinner at my favorite restaurant.    A year ago today!

Thought I'd share a few images from our proposal weekend in Italy.   Brings back lots of wonderful memories.

Roman Forum

Man on the Steps

Pantheon Cafe

Etsy Wedding Love

I'm so happy.  Warmer weather is on the way, the sun is out.   Spring is finally here!   Plus, it's St. Patrick's day and who doesn't love a good holiday?

I thought I'd spread a little etsy love today and share some of my favorites that made their way into our wedding.   I would encourage you to check out these sellers.   They were all truly wonderful to work with and helped to make my wedding day special with each of their creative and unique touches.

Our ring bearer bowl, by Paloma's Nest.   I love that we were able to use this during our wedding and can continue to display it now at home.   I'm looking forward to hanging it on our Christmas tree next year.   The quote holds a special memory for me and was a subtle way of personalizing our day.

I love lace.   I especially love French lace.    The French Nest Company is filled to the brim with all kinds of sweet French touches.  I want to gather them all up and surround myself with them!   We used this lace in our favors.

These bags are fabulous!  I was looking for a unique Welcome Bag and stumbled across these beauties.     This Love Languages bag in natural and gold by The Bucktoothed Bunny shares love in all of the languages of the world.   These fit perfectly with our love of travel, our wedding colors, and were a very practical way to hold all of our welcome items for our out of town guests.

Our Italian Wedding Dinner Menu

Italian Baked Alaska.   Image by Visio Photography

So I know what you are thinking.   Italian wedding dinner with french inspired decor?   Really?

For us, it makes perfect sense.    We love to travel and having spent time together in Paris and Rome, John and I wanted to incorporate some of favorite travel memories into our wedding day.  

I knew from day one that the food had to be Italian.    We were engaged in Rome a year ago this month following a very memorable meal starting with my favorite carbonara.   Italy holds a special place in my heart for many reasons and I wanted my dinner to reflect this.  

And the thing about weddings is, it should really be all about the two of you and what you love.   It may not make sense to the outside world, but if it makes sense and feels special to you, then there's really no need to explain.  

Formal Italian Wedding Dinner.    Image by Visio Photography. 

Our wedding dinner was truly an experience.   White gloved, synchronized service by the team at the Biltmore.   The food, the setting, the entire night, was just the elegant and intimate evening I had always imagined.  

Italian wedding dinners are long drawn out affairs by their very nature.   Multiple courses, one followed by another.   We definitely warned our guests to arrive hungry!

Our Wedding Menu

First Course

Italian Wedding Soup with Biltmore Beef Meatballs, Kale, Pearl Pasta and Herbs

Second Course

Spinach, Red Onion, Pine Nut and Goat Cheese Salad with Warm Pancetta Vinaigrette

Focaccia

Third Course

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara with Cracked Black Pepper, Parmesan and Pancetta

Fourth Course

Veal Osso Bucco, Braised Veal Shanks, Gremolata, Creamy Polenta, Haricot Vert

Dessert

Italian Baked Alaska, Espresso Gelato, Marsala Ice Cream, Lady Finger Cake, Toasted Meringue, Raspberry and Chocolate Sauce

The dessert was a special dessert created for us by the Biltmore team.    They truly brought the concept of Italian and Baked Alaska to life.    I'm looking forward to trying to recreate some of the other dishes at home.     Been working on the Italian Wedding Soup and Carbonara recipes, but might need a little more experience before I tackle that Baked Alaska.  

When planning your wedding menu, did you incorporate any special dishes unique to you or your family?   Any favorites that you've been able to recreate at home?    I'd love for you to link up any recipes you have in the comments below!

Italian Wedding Soup

Fun Fact 1:  The Biltmore Estate in Asheville has a Farm to Table Program allowing their chefs to take advantage of the estates gardens and pastures while preparing the menus for each of the on site restaurants.

Fun Fact 2:   This program allowed us to have some really neat things, like Biltmore Beef meatballs in the Italian Wedding Soup we selected for our final menu.   Yes, the cows were actually 'grown' on site.   Cool.

Fun Fact 3:   We love Italian Wedding Soup.

A Little Taste

I'm sure I won't completely shock you by saying that planning our wedding menu was one of the tasks in our wedding checklist that I was most looking forward to.  The menu tasting fell neatly in line right after that.  

The Chef and catering team at the Biltmore did a phenomenal job working with me to understand what I was looking for, offering amazing suggestions and then executing it wonderfully.    John and I had so much fun at the tasting.   It was one of a series of marathon wedding tasks we were checking off the list on a very memorable weekend in Asheville.