Tuesday Shoesday: Paper Shoes

{Lynn Dennison via popgloss }

Pretty paper shoes for this "Destination: Paper" week. Don't they look like a pair you'd want to wear with a wedding dress?

The Cod

Although this may be obvious, Cape Cod is named after the codfish, which swam in great numbers along our coastline. Its abundance lured thousands of immigrants to settle on this spit of sand, yet the cod is a much maligned fish and often said to be the most ugly. What do you think?

  (And I bet you're wondering how this is all going to relate to something wedding-y.)

Local graphic artist Andrew Newman (whose daughter had a lovely wedding a few years back) elevates the lowly cod with a unique tongue-in-cheek style and puts his clever designs on cards, totes, t-shirts, stickers, etc.  in his Cape Card line (also sold on Etsy).

How about this as a Welcome Bag:

Or this as a funny thank you note, or save the date?

And, well, this one just cracks me up. Can I register for this?:

(*This whole thing has gotten me wondering who was the judge in the Atlantic Ocean fish beauty pageant that determined the Cod was less attractive than the flounder. Perhaps it came down to the talent portion of the competition.
Ahh. Too much caffeine too late at night.)

2011

Happy New Year!

Newly engaged and still pondering:
When to Get Married on Cape Cod? 
Those trying to nail down a date, here's a nifty Cape Cod calendar of dates to consider (or reconsider):

January
15,16, 17 -  Martin Luther King Weekend

February
6 - Super Bowl Sunday
14 - Cupid hit you with his bow, but he can't do much about the astronomical price of roses around Valentine's Day, which falls this year on a Monday.
19, 20, 21 - President's Day Weekend

March
17, 18, 19, 20 - For basketball fans (or fans of betting), the first two rounds of March Madness take place Thursday through Sunday. That would be 48 games in 4 days. It's a lot of hoops.
17 - Erin Go Bragh. St. Patrick's celebrated this year on a Thursday. Hopefully enough time for groomsmen and guests to recover from any Irish Car Bomb-inflicted hangovers. 

April
1 - Red Sox start the season on this Friday. No Fools.
2, 4 - Your team make it to the Final Four? Root them on on Saturday the 2nd, with finalists playing the championship game on Monday the 4th.
8, 9, 10 - Red Sox open at home on Friday the 8th. Against the Yankees.  And play them again Saturday and Sunday. See all Red Sox-Yankee game dates here.
18 - Passover begins at Sundown Monday.
24 - Easter Sunday
29, 30 & May 1 - Brewster in Bloom weekend. Brewster is bursting with daffodils, parades and other home-town festivities.

May 
7 - Mint juleps and big hats your thing? Share your wedding with Kentucky Derby Day. 
8 - Mother's Day, always held on a Sunday
28, 29, 30 - Memorial Day Weekend. The traditional start to a Cape Cod summer. BBQs, Figawi, & beach stickers required. 
TBD - High school's across the Cape usually host proms in May. Although this ties up some function facilities, the most noticeable impact would probably be a lack of limos. 
TBD - Love the fluffy pink, lilac and white rhododendron that are found all over the Cape? They bloom for just a few short weeks in late May and early June.  
 
June
4,5 - High school graduations might tie up some of your guests.
10- Play ball! The Cape League season kicks off this Friday. Tell your guests to check out a game while they are on Cape. See here for the 2011 schedule.
19 - Father's Day. Honor Dad on this Sunday, even if you choose it as the day he gives you away.

July
2,3,4 - July 4th falls on a Monday this year. Hotel rooms are at a premium and traffic is a nightmare, but you'll get a free firework display!
16-23 - There's a fair in the air. Not that the livestock at the Barnstable County Fair smells all that bad, but for the duration of the fair, traffic on Rt. 28 and Rt. 151 stinks.

August
7 - Pops by the Sea. Spend a little more time with your guests on Sunday by inviting them to check out the Boston Pops play at the Hyannis Town Green. This is one the Cape's premier events.

September
3,4,5 - Labor Day Weekend. The Cape Cod summer's last hurrah. Traffic can be bad and hotels can be booked, but I've often found there's a lot of good deals for weddings for this weekend.
10 - Like a quirky (and easy to remember) date? How about Saturday 9/10/11?
11- Patriot's Day.  Joy might be hard to find this Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks.
23, 24, 25 - Bourne's 42nd Annual Scallop Festival. This old-time festival - it's not just about scallops - draws huge crowds that can tie up traffic on the Bourne bridge for the weekend. 
27 - Rosh Hashanah begins at Sundown Tuesday and lasts through nightfall on Friday the 30th

October
7 - Yom Kippur begins at Sundown on Friday and lasts until Sundown on Saturday the 8th 
8, 9, 10 - Columbus Day Weekend
15,16 - Enjoy some of the famed Wellfleet Oysters at the weekend Fest.
31 - Hallowed Monday Eve

November
11 - Veterans Day (A Friday... also another quirky date: 11/11/11)
24 - Thanksgiving Thursday 

December
7 - Pearl Harbor Day, this year on a Wednesday
20 - Hanukkah begins at Sundown on Tuesday and lasts through Sunday on Wednesday the 28th
25 - Christmas falls on a Sunday this year.
31 - For all you party animals who want to kick off 2012 with a new hubby at your side, New Year's Eve falls on a Saturday this year.

Cheers to 2011!

Cold night. Hot Drink How-To.

Yes, yes. Cranberries are synonymous with Cape Cod. Any good Shoreside Bride would feature this crimson berry in a signature cocktail. The classic Cape Codder, The Cranberry Spritzer, The Cape Cod 'Rita... all a little summer.

For you winter Cape Cod brides looking to keep your guests warm, how about a Mulled Cranberry Cocktail?

Recipe:
Combine one quart of cranberry juice, 1 cinnamon stick and two whole cloves in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.

In another saucepan, combine 1/2 cup cranberries, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of water. Warm over medium heat, gently stirring, until the cranberries pop and are well coated with sugar. Use these cranberries to garnish a toothpick or skewer.

{ Recipe & photo courtesy of Martha Stewart }

If you want to booze it up, add some fruity red wine to the juice as it is simmering, or top off the mulled juice with a splash of orange-flavored liqueur, like Cointreau or Triple Sec.

{ Alcoholic suggestions courtesy of yours truly }

Me making one of these to keep warm on this freakin' cold night. Snow? Where are you? Snow?!?

Pizza Night

Is it OK to serve pizza at a wedding? I'm not talking about having pizza delivered late-night for people to nosh on as they continue to dance & drink into the wee hours. (This is, obviously, totally acceptable and really good. Who doesn't love drunk food.)

No, I'm talking about serving pizza for dinner.

{ via Every Last Detail }

{ via Style Me Pretty }

{ via Red Box Pictures }

I'm not thinking Domino's delivery...  Something more like an interactive food station with wood-fired pizza and lots of gourmet toppings.  

Something like this:

 { How cute is the antique truck? Pizzas are created to order,

grilled and served from the bed of the truck. 

Too bad they are in New Jersey. }

Imagine the savings! Pizza, even from a cute old truck, can't be too much of a budget-breaker.

Any Cape Cod caterers doing something like this? 

Or am I completely crazy?

Bachelorette Survival Kit

Just now recovering from an all-out crazy bachelorette party. (They are all crazy, I know, but this one was really off the charts. Really) We hit it up big in Provincetown, which is just about the awesome-est place ever for a bachelorette party. We did drinks, dinner, visited a few "specialty" stores, saw a drag show, tripped into more than a few bars... Obviously, this is the G-rated version of the night.

Lots of love to all the girls who planned this for our dear friend... And a special shout-out to the one who put together these little charmers:

Bachelorette Survival Kits

Wet Wipes, a stain pen, band aid, tissues, mints, chapstick, hair tie, nail file, a certain safety precaution in case anyone got frisky (no - not the bride) and a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card.

Cape Cod Photo Booth

Whether it's the old-fashioned type that spits out a strip of images or a backdrop set up by a photographer, photo booths are a crazy-fantastic way of capturing a (typically crazy-funny) snapshot of each guest.

And I'm crazy-go-nuts about this particular photo booth, which made use of some classically campy Cape Cod-themed props. Gotta love it when granny gets it on with a plastic lob-stah.

    { Davina + Daniel via Style Me Pretty }

For those interested in renting the old-fashioned kind, check out Cape Cod Photo Booth. And ask your photographer. So many now are offering them. 

It's also possible, without too much effort, to put one together yourself. Click here for some ideas on how to do it. As a gift to the bride, a guest set up this photo booth.  She tacked up some fabric, hung paper flowers, threw some props in a basket and called it done. I give her mad credit, though, for taking pictures almost all night.

 { Cape Cod wedding at Nauticas Marina by Lara Kimmerer }

Got to go find me an enormous plastic lob-stah.

Gettin' Ready

I'm getting ready for the Brimfield show tomorrow. Has anyone ever been? My mom and I will be going for the first time and have been scouring blogs for tips on how to best take it -- i.e., thousands of antique & collectibles vendors -- all in. Posting will be a little light this week.

And how this for a place to get ready?  Little dressing rooms courtesy of Sperry Tents.

{ via Sperry Tent's West Coast brother, Zephyr Tents }

Fan Yourself

I'm a big fan of anything that serves dual purpose at a wedding: placecard/favor, food/centerpiece decor, awesome shoes/something blue...you get the idea. I'm also a big fan of staying cool on hot days like this.

So of course I'm the biggest fan of wedding programs/fans.

Check out this easy-peasy wedding program/fan template at Intimate Weddings Blog:

And what makes it even better, it has even another purpose: Wedding program/fan/pre-ceremony entertainment.

Madlibs! Or crossword puzzles or word searches.

Finish off the project by attaching a tiny pencil with ribbon.

Check out the DIY instructions here.

And stay cool tonight, y'all.

The Bachelorette a Shoreside Bride?

Any Bachelorette fans out there? I don't normally tune in, but I went to high school with bachelor contestant Chris Lambton. And let me tell you, ladies, he's just as good looking, funny and sweet as he appears on TV. According to gossip websites, Chris will be one of the final two men left standing.

So now while I'm rooting on the hometown boy, I'm dreaming about a Cape Cod Bachelorette Wedding. Something casually elegant. In a backyard tent. With lobster. And lots of champagne and beer. (They seem to drink a lot on that show. ABC probably encourages it to help Ali and the boys lower their inhibitions.)

 { The crazy talented and very droll Channing Johnson. His blog is a personal favorite. 

Check out his post about a September '09 Cape Cod wedding }

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

The 114th season of Cape Cod Baseball League got underway last night, with the Wareham Gateman topping the Cotuit Kettleers 5-2 in the league opener. This storied league, with its wooden bats, glittering alumni (one out of every seven Major League players spent some time in the CCBL), and quaint seaside ballparks, is the preeminent summer league for top college players. If you haven't been to a game, you should go. Check out the schedule here. Admission is free to games (though players pass around a cap to collect donations).   

So now let's play ball with a baseball-themed wedding. 

{ Invites from Etsy seller Byvikink }

{ Pass around some snacks... From Rebecca Thuss }

{ Autograph the bat guest 'book' via Style Me Pretty }

{ Must-take photos from Rob and Lauren Photographers }

{ Tablesetting from Style Me Pretty }

{ Favor from The Well Dressed Cookie }

The Countdown is On

To my birthday, which is tomorrow. (Not 134 days away.)

But I love this wedding count down chalkboard chart.

Dog Days

I'm melting. And it's only May. If it's this hot now, what will it be like in the true Dog Days of Summer?

But despite it being too early - way too early in my opinion - we'll have a Dog Day:

{ Wedding Course }

{ Patricia Lyons via Style Me Pretty }

{ Love his collar boutonniere. From The Knot. }

{ Martha loves dogs, too }

{ Dog wedding cakes from Tiny Water Photography via Wedding Chicks }

{ My dog. He wanted to be famous. }

And probably the most famous 'dog' seen on Cape Cod:

 { Ubiquitous sweatshirt from The Black Dog Tavern }