Awesome Friends over Awesome Food Equals Awesome Time

And occasionally awesome news as well!

I've mentioned Vandrew (Van + Andrew = Vandrew) a time or two here on the blogs. They're our awesome (foodie) friends. When we get together, food is always involved and it requires consumption of it that is 4x the size of your stomach and then you keep going. all. day. long. Feel your stomach expanding and aching just hearing it? Yea. It's an art.

We were super fortunate to witness something amazing during our Christmas 2010 vaca to Jamaica - their proposal! It was the most hilarious proposal - ever (ask Van), but it was so them and of course, perfect!

Andrew proposing after a comical misunderstanding

on Christmas Day 2010 in Jamaica

The newly engaged Vandrew! Yay!!

This past Friday was another group get together over food, of course! Duh! At our favorite local BBQ joint, Hutchin's. While I thought it was just another friends get together, Vandrew had something else on their minds. Since I laid out the background for ya already, I'm sure you know where this is heading. As for me, I was completely clueless (as always).

After wolfing down dinner, Vandrew excused themselves and came back with a tray full of huge, homemade fortune cookies (the ladies in Van's family are serious baker extraordinaires) and passed one out per person.

(*Note: horrible iPhone pix ahead because the ONE day I take the camera out of my purse is the ONE day something exciting happens. Sigh...).

They handmade these! Craziness!!

The color baby blue is going to be a very important detail

 and no it does not involve a baby

The hubby with his cookie

Baffled by the size, we were told to quickly unwrap the fortune cookie to reveal our fortunes.

And what did the fortunes read?

Eeeep! Wait. Does promising mean its not for sure yet?

The boy's fortunes. Disclaimer and all. Ha!

The lucky numbers on the back. The date they were

officially "Vandrew" and their engagement date.

And since all the ladies was still unsure of our fortune as Van's bridesmaid, she handed personal letters to each of us to seal the deal.

My fortune cookie with my fortune and my

personal letter. I'd say it's official don't you?

After all the confusion and squealing of excitement settled down a bit, the boys decided to have way too much fun with their fortune cookies and fortunes.

The hubby making his fortune cookie talk like a clam before sticking his hand in the "mouth" to reach for the pearls fortune

Best Man A, Hubby, Groomsmen S

making fortune moustaches

But most importantly, consuming the monstrous fortune cookie. It was the end of the meal after all...

 

Food always tastes so much better when you're in good company, but when it includes awesome surprises, it makes it that much better! Especially when it involves helping out great friends plan their wedding. How darn cute are those fortune cookies??? I still can't get over the fact they were handmade. I thought they bought them from one of those giant fortune cookie sites! Shame on me! LOL! First on the Van's bridesmaid To Do list - engagement party.

We took group pictures after all this also, but they're on Van's camera so I'll have to go steal them from her soon.

How did you ask your girls to stand by your side on the big day?

Andrew & Teresa's Wedding

While the weatherman predicted scattered rain and thunderstorms on Saturday, the rain gods held it all off until Sunday so that Andrew and Teresa could host their beautiful ceremony outdoors at the Four Seasons.

Wedding Program

Ceremony site

Chuppah

Chair decor for every other row

As we all were raving how darn cute the ring bearer was,

a change in melody signified the ceremony was commencing. First up, the groom and his mother.

Followed by the groomsmen escorting the bridesmaids.

Proceeding them was the flower girl

Another change in melody and it was time for the Bride to make her debut.

 and ceremony to make them man and wife took place.

Since the cocktail hour and reception took place in the main lobby area, we took advantage of the opportunity to take group pictures as we waited for a golf cart to whisk us away.

Cocktail hour details

Top to bottom, left to right:

Cocktail napkin wrapped around each beer bottle,

Andrew and the hubs, our escort cards, guestbook

table, centerpiece for cocktail tables, bride and

groom with me and the hubs, me and the bride

and groom, and the escort card table

Check out the shoes the bride was rocking!

Then the dinner bell rang to notify us to enter the ballroom for the reception.

Chivari chairs! Chocolate fountain that was absolutely

delish! Up lighting! Sweetheart table was gorgeous.

The bride and groom kicked off the evening with their first dance to "From This Moment" by Shania Twain

Then, dinner. was. served!

Top to bottom, left to right:

Meat/carving station with turkey and sirloin, Asian station

with lo mein and fried rice, variety of salads, and mac and

cheese with truffle oil and lobster meat

Then the bride pranced on the dance floor to let everyone know it was time to get jiggy with it and work off some of the food!

To give everyone some time to catch their breath from the raging dance floor, it was time for the bouquet and garter toss!

And the rest of the evening consisted of dancing the night away! Congratulations, Teresa and Andrew!!

Weekend Recap (Mar 19 & Mar 20)

One thing I absolutely love about my corporate job - my manager is super flexible! When I ask my manager if I can leave work a few hours early here and there, it's never been an issue. Last week was Spring Break, so the bride-to-be, Hany, her MOH, and other bridesmaid took advantage of the open schedule and drove up to Dallas from Houston to go wedding dress shopping!!! I asked my manager if it was cool to take off around 2pm on Friday and he said, go for it! No questions asked. Sweeeet!

Thankfully, the bridal salon Hany picked to check out was only 2 train station stops and a 10 minute walk away! Once everyone arrived, we got to work on pulling dresses and finding The One for our bride. The bridal consultant was completely useless. Sorry! She never came to help us pull dresses off the rack and put them in the dressing room, never the less help us identify dresses we were looking for and help the bride in and out the dresses. Um, I know my wedding wasn't that long ago, and I'm pretty sure that's part of their job! Hany tried on about 12 dresses in less than an hour and has a major contender for The One. Yay! 3 bridesmaids and 1 bride make things super efficient! :) This was the first planning event I was able to participate in so I was super stoked! Simple mind, simple pleasures, I know.

After wedding dress shopping, we decided the shopping extravaganza shouldn't stop so we headed a mile North to Northpark Mall to grab a bite at La Madeleine (I totally heart this chain French Cafe).

Top left and clockwise:

Chicken Friand, Potato Galette, Croissant with Chicken

Salad and a side of pasta salad, and Spinach Pochette

After burning some calories at the mall, we headed over to Krispy Kreme. Lilli has major love for this donut place. The girl shrieks when she sees this sign lit up half a mile away for goodness sakes! haha! And yet, she still skinny as a stick! Totally jealous.

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Saturday morning was working at the shop and since I was still on a shopping high from the previous day, the hubby was kind enough to take me to Allen Premium Outlets on the way home. Normally, we only hit up 2-3 stores (4 max) because we're so darn tired after a grueling 10 hour shift at the shop, but we took advantage of the gorgeous weather (85 degrees) and walked the entire mall. Best purchase: a pair of jeans and three shirts at Banana Republic for $25, for the win! WOOT WOOT!! I also stopped by BCBG Max Azria in hopes of picking up a dress for a wedding we're attending in April, but that was a fail. :(  The hubby did pick out a really nice dress, but my not so nice body denied it with a quickness. Super sad!!

Me sucking in hardcore to see "what if"

I lost enough weight by then... It was

still exposing all the wrong curves! Fail.

Meanwhile, this shopper was also checking out dresses at BCBG:

Tshirt with running shorts, panty hose/tights

with Ugg boots? I know I'm not fashionably

inclined, but does anybody else think this is

a fashion breach?!

Sunday was more working at the shop in the morning then a dinner fiasco at a Hibachi and Sushi buffet since I didn't have lunch (I woke up STARVING and that rarely ever happens). I've been on a sushi kick lately despite what I've recently learned about the potentially deceiving wasabi being served! Oh well! Hi Serena from Big Apple Nosh!

Pigging out - wasabi and all! Ha!

They serve shaved ice here! Unfortunately,

the complimenting condiments were eh.

Papaya! Totally good for your digestion

and moving things along if you're um

struggling in that particular area!

Chocolate fondue with an assortment of

fruits. Tomorrow - back on the healthy

wagon I go!

We're also dogging sitting for my former colleague for the next 10 days. Say hello to sisters, Calle and Scout, y'all!

How was your weekend?

P.S. I get to wear my contacts again today. I can't flipping wait!! Eeeep! No more glasses suckas!

Bridesmaid's Dresses: Revisited

I recently had a major minor panic attack when my dear friend, Hany, a bride to be, asked her fellow bridesmaids to pick out a style of dresses each of us liked. Well, I guess Hany's prayer for me worked because a light at the end of the tunnel was visible and a silver lining in the sky appeared. Cue angels in a church choir singing - hey! I can use all the help I can get okay?? Shesh! Anyway, I'll let you be the judge of how well I did on my selection:

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Well judges? How did I do??