Monday, July 18, 2011

Then You Better Put a Ring On It

Friday morning we said goodbye to Starbucks and drove up up up through Pennsylvania to the Poconocs and Lake Ariel.



May and June had been very rainy and they said summer had only arrived a week before we did.  Everything was so green, the skies so blue, the breezes cool and, as promised, the cake was orange.


 Cleverly ignoring all my advice they decided to prepare most of the food themselves.  So brothers and sisters flocked to the big white kitchen and as fans whirled over head  they marinated 30 pounds of flank steak, peeled and roasted pounds of shrimp, prepared sesame noodles and orzo pasta salads, threaded balls of marinated mozzarella and cherry tomatoes on skewers, chopped endless vegetables and cubed loaves of bread for a bread salad and made a good dent in the 12 gallons of vodka.  I'm betting there is no cranberry juice available in Pennsylvania at the moment.

The only food prepared outside the kitchen was the cake, a platter of beautiful wedding cookies and several poached salmon that were served with a dill sauce and capers.


We were invited for 5:30, there was an hour and half of cocktails and appetizers before Anne's oldest brother Doug led her down the stairs of the cottage across the lawn and down to the dock through  a small crowd of beaming relatives and friends.





It was a short and sweet ceremony, the lake was calm, the sun lit them from behind and from the house to the right a baby cried.  So did we.


Then there was music and dancing on the wrap around porch.  People filled plates and sat outside at tables, in vintage wicker chairs or on the big wooden porch swing.

We made it until midnight.  The rest are made of sterner stuff and the party continued till 4:00am.

The next day was full of swimming and kayaking, eating and more eating and further consumption of the vodka.  The beer and the jagermeister were all gone.  We all got to know one another a little better and I got an hour nap in the big front bedroom with an old quilt on the bed and breezes blowing in through the windows.


Sunday morning we packed up and left the celebrants behind in the beautiful house by the green lake  and drove down, down, down to Philadelphia for further adventures and iced lattes and hotter temps.

It was the best of times.

21 comments:

  1. Looks like an idyllic place for a wedding or just about anything for that matter. Very sweet inside too.

    Is that a carrot cake?

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  2. You know, we always oooh and aaaah over young couples getting married, but the truth of the matter is that it's really neat when an "older" {whatever that means} couple decides to take a chance on marriage.

    this looks like and sounds like a really great wedding full of people who mattered to the happy couple. glad you were able to go.

    Loved the cake!!

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  3. Apart from the food prep that sounds like such a relaxed wedding! Perfect, I am more and more into relaxed events. Maybe just getting lazy, but I like to think just focused on the right things!! So what happened in Philly?

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  4. What a fabulous setting for a wedding and a party; flowers, fine food and swimming in the lake, it surely can't get better than that!

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  5. Steve, No, but how did you know that is one of the bride's favorite cakes? She always bakes one for our b'days. The groom wanted a white cake so she "compromised', white with orange icing.

    Sue, I could write a book solely about the bride!

    Bonnie, Thank you:)

    Webb, wild horses or 1/2 the flower shop on vacation couldn't and didn't keep me away. Love is a many splendored thing, no?


    Belinda, i forgot to mention there were many new relatives helping out also. And thank God there were servers. If i had that kitchen I might have to cook my own feast too. Oh you know I would. Philly: up next!

    Share My Garden I don't think it could have been any more perfect.

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  6. what a gorgeous day. gorgeous bride, food, flowers and drink. jane you really should write for a magaizine. seriously.

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  7. The bouquet made it! And truthfully it was a perfect size!

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  8. A beautiful wedding and my best wishes to the bride and groom
    Love the setting and menu

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  9. Yum, the food sounds delicious- love the orange cake!

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  10. Looks like a lovely day so lyrically described and photographed by you. and I'm in love with the orange cake (and the letter L apparently).

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  11. It truly does seem like the best of times. Excellent photograph of the bride. Yes, you know the one I'm talking about. Fun!

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  12. "a baby cried to the left" and so did I reading this. Cheers!

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  13. Wedding cake to match the bride's hair - fabulous. In fact, it all sounds fabulous; why weren't we invited? We'd have prepared food too!

    And the names... Poconocs, Lake Ariel. So lovely!

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  14. I do love the way you write Jane, I find myself smiling all the way through... sounds like a wonderful day and the bride looks lovely :) x

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  15. Hi Jane,

    What a beautiful and romantic place to get married! Your friends look lovely, the cake yummy :-)!!!

    Lieve groet, Madelief

    * What were you wearing?

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  16. Love this images!
    Thank you for your last comment about our work, I particularly liked... I think that in our universe there are plants on either side...
    KISSES!
    Joan.

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  17. I love it when weddings go until the wee hours of the morning. If ever a celebration should go all out, it should be a wedding.

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