Spoke card guest book

So, yesterday I came across this really cute postcard idea yesterday at The Knot’s blog.

They suggested using vintage postcards for the guest book. I thought, “Damn, I need a cool idea for a guest book.” I voiced my concerns to Amanda and, like a good Maid of Honor, she pulled through: spoke cards.

In the fixed gear culture, many people have spoke cards in their rear wheel. You receive them at every alleycat, basically representing your attendance. Some people have them for other random reasons too like if you’re in a bike club. Some people proudly display their cards in their spokes, some choose to hang them up on their refrigerator. Either way, spoke cards are all over the place.

I had wanted to use spoke cards in our engagement photo shoot, spelling out our wedding date in our back wheels. I definitely still want to do that. Plus, we could tie it into the wedding too.

Basically, I’m thinking that we need to have some spoke cards printed up, maybe tying in our name “logo” from our invites. If we printed that lightly along the side, everyone could take one and write a memento on it. After the wedding I could get them all laminated. Then, we could collect them all and frame or install them somehow … or we could put them in a pair of wheels and hang them in our house! I think it’s super cute.

Wedding alleycat!!!!

As many of you know, Josiah and I are heavy into cycling. We ride fixed gear bikes, the kind with no gears and no brakes. The sport is a blast and we've gained so many really, really incredible friends over the past years through bikes.

Josiah and I have officially decided to hold a wedding alleycat (a scavenger hunt-like bike race). We're thinking it'll be the weekend after our wedding and it'll be a way for us to celebrate with all of our bike friends! I've been wanting to organize an alleycat for a long time now, and Josiah ought to plan something (since his wedding planning involvement is not much to brag about haha).

I'm pretty sure this is the greatest idea ever! We are already having a blast thinking of destinations (Tempe Center for the Arts, courthouse, dress boutique, strip club) and props (something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, garters, ring pops, etc.). The people who help us with the race can be the bridal party! The spokecards could be adaptations of our actual invitations, and the fliers could be save the dates...!!!

Now we just need to come up with a punny name. And get this shit together.

Sad but true: I am kinda more excited about this than the actual wedding. Sort of kidding haha.

Edit: It would be great to make this a guy/girl partner race. The dudes could ride to Dream Palace, while the girls could ride to a salon or something, etc. then meet up at the courthouse or chapel or whatever. Yes, it is going to be hilariously stereotypical hahah.

I hate chocolate, except when combined with hazelnuts

Yesterday Bethany and I were having an emotionally charged conversation about old people not liking cute invitations. In a rash moment, I blurted out (via Gchat) “My mom is just lucky that I didn’t fold the invitation like a crepe and put Nutella inside.”

Thus came the greatest idea of the wedding so far: “You should do mini things of Nutella as your favors.”

Oh yes.

Anyone with a brain knows how good Nutella is. Especially paired with bananas. And especially inside crepes.

Like all good things, Nutella comes in small jars that would be perfect as a gift. I’m still unsure whether people will think I’m odd or not. I mean, it’s not exactly the same as gifting a jar of super-crunchy Jif, right? I wonder if our non-hip, non-Euro guests will even know what Nutella is.

Who cares. Nutella!!!!!!!!!

Here’s a picture of a cute set of seven mini jars.



I have an inkling that mini Nutella jars will be:
1. Hard to find. Dumb imports.
2. Not economical.

Regardless, my search starts now. As I told Bethany, I hope people are confused and don’t want the Nutella. That way I can take it all home. I deserve 100 mini jars anyway. Think of all the crepes I could make…

I have a jar of Nutella in my “pantry” (really just half a spice cabinet) that hasn’t had any use in a long time. That needs to change. When I studied in Italy, I had a Nutella and banana sandwich every day for lunch because there was no peanut butter. I also had four helpings of gelato a day. And I still lost 10 pounds!

In honor of Nutella and the glorious Italians who created it (I think. Maybe not. Too lazy to go on Wikipedia.), I am going to make banana and Nutella cupcakes from the blog Bleeding Espresso. Maybe I’ll post some pictures tomorrow.

Statutory Crepe

While driving to work this morning, I came up with a glorious idea.

Those who know me well have come to deal with my hatred for coffee and tea products. I have never liked them and have never will. Surprisingly, I love coffee shops. But I obviously had to find a quick alternative to the quadruple shot Americano iced skinny frappuccino with a half order of whip.

That alternative is the Italian soda.

I have been obsessed with Italian sodas for as long as I can remember. There are just about a billion flavors — blood orange!!!, banana, almond, guava, peach, vanilla, mandarin, etc. — including a tasty variety of sugar-free products.

For those poor souls who have never had an Italian soda … well, the recipe is fairly simple.

First, pour a glass of sparkling water, like San Pellegrino, over some ice.

Then, add a generous amount of your favorite flavor of syrup.

Lastly, add some half and half and maybe even whipped cream. (Optional)

I would love to have an Italian soda station set up at the wedding. I feel like this has a ton of potential to be really cute and bad ass. If we had a table with a ton of supplies, set up cutely with some pour spouts on the syrups … oh man I am getting goosebumps, I’m so thrilled.

Now I just have to find some syrup for cheaper than $8 a bottle. Maybe I can find a wholesale place?

Station idea No. 2:

The only things I love more than Italian sodas are crepes. Sweet crepes, savory crepes, big crepes, small crepes … give them all to me.

I believe my fascination with crepes started a year or two ago, when I visited San Francisco with my BFF Amanda and this other weird guy who I don’t even know, Eric. In fact, the meal was probably the best in my life and I will forever remember The Crepe Vine.

My caterer, Santa Barbara Catering Company, offers a French toast station, but I am going to try to finagle a crepe station instead. Just think of all the toppings we could have: berries of all kinds, caramelized bananas, nutella, mascarpone, cream cheese, yogurt, chocolate, peanut butter, whatever … sigh.

Crepes are great because people can truly personalize them and fill them with whatever tasty combination they want. (Once, I made a banana cream pie crepe with banana pudding and vanilla wafers. Best decision I’ve ever made.)

On a personal note, I plan on opening up a crepe cafe at some point in my life. It needs to happen. Josiah and I already came up with some amazing names like Statutory Crepe (his idea). So thankful to be marrying such a punny man!