Simply Smashing!

My dear friend, Makayla and I threw a party to celebrate a little wedding held over seas.  Naturally, hats were a must at this soiree. We rented hats from The Duluth Playhouse and had a thrill of a time going through their treasure trove. Truly a milliner's fantasy, as we needed ladders to see all the hats. 

We've been planning this for weeks...nay...months. We were both really excited about it. And to find out, so were several others. 

  

Makayla's mother, Dana prepared the programmes for us. Full colour, factual and great momentos to remember the occasion. The front had Prince William's family crest and the back cover, the Middleton family crest was represented.

Above: Strawberries and cream, Chocolate Oblivion, and my little Battenburg cake.Below: "Cheese & Crackers, Gromit!" scrumptious Cucumber Tea Sandwiches, delightful Raspberry Scones, and delicious Crescent Roll-ups of which I devoured.

My mum and I. My dress is actually another one of my Gram's dresses from the 60's. Isn't it a doozy? My mum's ensemble actually reminded me of Kate Middleton's mother's morning suit in a lovely powder blue.

 

Katrina & Jody sporting chic fascinators that I believe Katrina made. Aren't they great?

Dana & Dede dressed to the nines!

The marvelous Makayla! The union jack table cloth was actually made from a white linen sheet that Makayla and I spray painted by using masking tape. Jolly good fun!

Believe me, I think I ate 2/3's of the crescent rolls pictured here.

So here's my Battenberg Cake that I stubbornly made using the metric system. "No, I refuse to measure this in cups!" It's actually a cake that was made for Queen Victoria's granddaughter when she wed Prince Louis of Battenberg.

My mum made this chocoholic treat, Chocolate Oblivion. It's so rich. I love it! 

A close-up of Dana's delectable Raspberry Scones. Mmm!

There they are...making my mouth water.

I think I have another picture of the pudding cakes in the background. They were delicious and brought to us by Katrina and Jody. The tea cups were from my Grandma LaPine's collection as well as a set that was on loan from my friend, Katie. In the back, there is a picture of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on their wedding day. Queen Victoria's dress is worth seeing up close. You can see it here. Also, Makayla found these dainty coasters and napkins. "C" for Catherine of course, and "W" for William. ;)

Flags to wave with the rest of Great Britain as well as our array of programmes.

Here's the new engagement picture. What an attractive couple! Oh, wait, but there's more to this post. To be continued...

Julia Child, Eat your heart out!

I couldn't be more sarcastic. Baking is definitely not my forte. I really don't belong in the kitchen. Really. That phrase, "Too many cooks in the kitchen" came to mind several times while I attempted my latest disaster, especially when my mom was breathing down my neck. 

Better yet, do you know that scene in Sleeping Beauty when the fairies decide to make Aurora a birthday cake and one fairy (Fauna? Flora?) folds the eggs with the shell still intact into the cake batter? Well, I feel like that is exactly how I would have followed those directions. (I reference Disney movies too often, don't I?)

Anyways, all the hype around this Royal Wedding has led me to plan a Royal Wedding Viewing Party with my friend, Makayla. (Hi, Makayla!) And it was decided that we would serve traditional British desserts and hors d'œuvres...and tea, of course. Yes, and it's definitely one of those parties where fancy hats are required.
A Battenberg cake.  I thought, "Sounds British. And even if I screw it up, it will probably fall into the the "tastes British" catagory." (Don't judge me. They are notorious for having terrible food and you know it.) To find out it was created in honor for a wedding in 1884 when Queen Victoria's granddaughter wed Prince Louis of Battenberg. The four checkered squares represent the four princes of Battenberg.

Yes! Challenge accepted. Here's the link to the recipe.

So this is what it was supposed to look like:

She couldn't understand why I was in the kitchen. Abnormal behaviour alarms her.

 
 Too many lumps!
Mmm. Definitely does NOT look appetizing. Who is going to eat this?

Now this painting portion was tolerable. I could get used to this.

She was so concerned. I wasn't making coffee, so why was I still in the kitchen?!?

 Haha. So droopy. Ugh. The perfectionist in me was tempted to photoshop this to make the pink more brilliant. I should have added the entire bottle of food colouring. Ah, maybe next time...hahaha who am I kidding? This is not my territory.  Let's just hope it doesn't make anyone sick. ;)

2 hours to go until this wedding! The anticipation is killing me!