Thursday, June 30, 2011

Saying farewell to fair June...

Here it is, the last day of June. It was a hectic month spent preparing for my son's wedding here on the ranch and I plan to do some resting during the month of July! It was to be a fancy "Midsummer Night's Dream" wedding held on June 21st, but Mother Nature (and my lack of help!) had other plans. The day started off stormy so we were unable to set up all the lovely decorations, etc. as planned. Fortunately, by late afternoon the weather had cleared enough that Jesse and Nerisha were able to be married beneath the huge old sweet gum tree.

Their wedding vows were based on old Celtic vows and were quite lovely:

Celtic Wedding Vow by Morgan Llywelyn:

You cannon possess me for I belong to myself
But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give
You cannon command me, for I am a free person
But I shall serve you in those ways you require
and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.

I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night
and the eyes into which I smile in the morning
I pledge to you the first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup
I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care
I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine
I shall not slander you, nor you me
I shall honor you above all others, and when we quarrel we shall do so in private
and tell no strangers our grievances.

This is my wedding vow to you.
This is the marriage of equals.


Afterwards everyone feasted on Greek influenced foods (Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was set in Greece) which included several meat pies (pork and venison), cheese tartlets, homemade herb bread with feta cheese and tomatoes, fruits, etc. It was my first time making a wedding cake and, while tasty didn't look quite the same as what I had hoped! Per the bride's request I made lavender syrup (using lavender we picked in my garden) to pour over each layer. We also soaked blueberries from my mother's farm in lavender syrup and put a layer of them between each layer of cake. The whole thing was held together with a cream cheese icing and I made my Red Velvet Cheesecake for the groom's cake as well.

The bride and groom enjoyed a honeymoon in New Orleans where they stayed at the romantic Magnolia Mansion http://www.magnoliamansion.com/ and had a wonderful time! They are back at home now and it is time for me to take a deep breath and a long nap!