1~ A Sarah S. Smith original.
A custom sketch by my daughter.
We think she’s pretty darn talented!
Check out her website if you don’t believe me.

2~ Moonbird Art
Lots & lots of marvelous art by a very select group.  
Beautiful jewelry, glass, watercolors, acrylic on glass, custom sketches.
The owner’s focus is on Southern artists and their talent at prices that are a steal.

3~ Erin Lane Bags
This Mother/Daughter super duo can whip up some sewing machine magic.
Their designs are carefully thought out & their work is top notch. 
Erin Lane Bags are perfect for any knitter or crafter.  

4~ A Bottle Tree from the Mississippi Delta.
I’ve wanted a bottle tree for my garden for years.
It’s a Southern tradition & it’s about time I had one.
So Merry Christmas to me!

5~ Snooky Doodles Kids Couture
I have this sweet flapper hat for little Eden wrapped up & under the Christmas tree.
Can’t wait to see it on her.
Take a look at this gal’s website. She also has sweet scarves & mittens in delicious colors.
Perfect little things for little girls.

This year Bella Weddings was involved in weddings of some beautiful brides in both planning & coordinating. And spending time with wedding vendors that have become friends is just one more blessing in my life.

Good health, family, friends, a warm place in the cold months & a cool one in the summer, a business I love in a country that’s the best on the planet.
For all of this I give thanks.

Hope you have a wonderful & delicious Thanksgiving.
~Vickie

The Bride…

It is my great pleasure to announce that
my beautiful daughter Rosemary is engaged!
She & fiancé Chris will tie the knot in July of next year.
So Rosemary, her sister & I have been planning & plotting like crazy.
We’ve googled & pinterest everything from dresses to tablescapes.
But only after we started with the most important stuff
like booking these gals…

The Wedding Coordinator…

As a wedding planner/coordinator I know that booking a coordinator should be the 1st vendor to check
off the Bride’s list. And that’s the 1st thing we did. I have the very good fortune to have friend &
planner/coordinator Emily Humphries of Simply Yours Weddings booked to coordinate the day.
When my daughter Sarah was married 3 years ago, Emily was her wedding coordinator.
Having Emily take care of the day was one of the smartest decisions we made for the wedding – if not the smartest. And I know Emily’s work first hand as we’ve worked together since then on weddings more times than I can count so I rest easy knowing she’ll be in charge. Not one worry. Not one single one. 
And let me tell you, that feeling is priceless.

The Photographer…

Middle Tennessee has such an amazing group of photographers. I’ve worked with so many great ones but we made the decision early on to hire Wendy Cunningham of Wendy Cunningham Photography.
Her work is extraordinary. She has enough quirkiness to make her art interesting,
she pays special attention to the smallest details & her work has that perfect amount of class so we know Rosemary’s wedding photos will be timeless. 
And as a photographer herself, Rosemary felt Wendy’s work reflected her own style.  
I’ve worked with Wendy before & was very impressed with the way she connected with the bride & groom. Her photos from that day were stunning but on a personal level I really fell in love with her work when she took pictures of my 1st grandbaby at just 1 week old. Although Wendy concentrates on weddings,
she was willing to take pictures of a wee baby, which is not easy for anyone. But she did it with ease & gave us our first real beautiful baby pictures. We have no doubt that Wendy will cover the wedding day
as a professional with that important personal touch. And we can’t wait to see the results.

The Calligrapher…

Was there ever any question who we would choose? Rosemary will trust absolutely no one but her sister
Sarah Stanton Smith of Sarah S. Smith Art. We’re always amazed at her talent &  know that the invitations will be beautiful & exactly what Rosemary wants. And Sarah is also in charge of all other art & calligraphy – table numbers, menus, ceremony programs, etc.
Did you know that Sarah? Sorry, we should have already told you!
So excited to see what you come up with!
{If you go to her website, you’ll only find her art. Calligraphy pictures should be posted soon but email her
if you have any questions}

Now on to the other vendors…
I’ll keep you updated as we check off our list!
~Vickie

At some point during every Autumn season I start frantically hoarding the Basil I have growing in my garden & keep a careful eye on the temperature to make sure that I get every last little leaf before the 1rst frost. And curse the fact that I didn’t grown more of it the past summer.
The smell of Basil is as delicious to me as Chanel N º5 .  It’s the 1rst plant I see as I get out of my car & pass under the arbor & I think just as
beautiful as anything blooming. When several plants are close together as I have planted, it makes one huge glossy green bush.
Especially if the top leaves are harvested throughout the summer which makes it thicker & mounds the top. 
Mine is planted along the path to the back door so it beckons me to brush a hand across the top as I pass by.
I simply can’t get enough of the smell & taste. So it’s with a heavy heart when the day comes that I have to toss the plants after the 1rst frost.
Although not quite the same, I do have a way to enjoy Basil throughout the Winter & early Spring.  Homemade Pesto!
So if you didn’t grow Basil this past summer get to the nearest farmer’s market & buy up all you can find.

So have I enticed you to grow your own organic Basil?
Great! Just a few tips…

 ~ Plan now where you’ll be planting your Basil next year. Make sure it’s in a sunny spot & clear any dead plants before cold weather.
Weed it well & give the ground a good tossing & turning to break up the clots & have it ready for Spring.
~Start a place in the corner of the yard for organic mulch. Over the winter add great things like tea bags, coffee grounds,
fruit & vegetable peelings & leaf & grass clippings – turning once or twice during the Winter.  I keep a small covered stainless steel container 
next to the sink & collect this organic stuff & add it to the compost every few days.
Use this organic brew to add to your tilled garden in early Spring before planting the Basil.
~Start seeds inside before the temps warm or if you’re as impatient as I am just buy small Basil plants & plant once the risk of frost has passed.

Ok. So now you’ve grown your own Basil & you’re understandably very pleased with yourself.
What next? With all of this abundance it’s the perfect time to make your own homemade Pesto.
My tried & true recipe…

3 – 4 cups of fresh clean Basil leaves
{Try & use only small new leaves. I think the taste is fresher & ‘greener’}
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & pepper, to taste
~Pulse the Basil & pine nuts in a food processor
Add garlic, salt & pepper – pulse again.
Slowly add the olive oil while the food processor is on.
Add the cheese until just blended.

{Using a food processor is fast but if I’m making a small batch I prefer a sharp knife & a great chopping board - after all, not all great Italian cooks have food processors! And some purists would never freeze their Pesto arguing that the freezer combined with the olive oil would
damage the Basil taste. Whatever. Frezzing the Pesto reminds me of my summer garden & it’s still better than store bought!}

Now it’s time to show everyone how brilliant you are. Make the Pesto & fill tiny jars (that you’ve been collecting)
& freeze for giving away as favors at your outdoor country wedding.
Or freeze the Pesto in ice cube trays then thaw for dipping with warm crusty bread at your wedding reception.
Just add a little more olive oil & maybe some red pepper flakes before serving.  
Delizioso!

Nicole & Jarden Part #1  http://bit.ly/nMA2pY

September & October can still be really warm so these recipes would be refreshing & different to serve at a fall wedding reception.
A couple of DIY recipes for your next event - straight from my garden & kitchen. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

~Lavender Lemonade: If you’re planning a Fall wedding & want that ‘something different’ drink, try my Lavender Lemonade recipe.
Most caterers will be happy to take this recipe & adjust the amount for serving your guests. The intensity of Lavender, Mint & Lemon Thyme
can easily be adjusted by steeping more or less time. Experiment before adding booze. Gin maybe? Vodka? Yum!

~Lemon Lavenders: The last Lavender blooms of the Summer are perfect for this cookie recipe. Don’t overdo the Lavender - the cookies will be too perfumy & be sure & slice them paper thin because they tend to be gummy the thicker they are. And you must use organic!  
Beg, borrow or steal some from a friend if you don’t have a plant or you can find blooms at an organic food store.
Make a extra large batch of my Lemon Lavenders, cool completely then stack in plastic containers & freeze. Lavender Lemonade
7 cups of water
1 cup sugar
1 large can frozen lemonade
3-4  (4-5 inch) bushy stems of lavender (English and/or French)
5 or 6 mint leaves (leaves only)
2 small sprigs of lemon thyme (optional)
Bring water to a boil with the herbs. Add the sugar & cook on low. Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved 3-4 minutes.
Add the frozen lemonade. Turn off the heat & cover for 2-3 hours leaving the herbs in the sugar water.
Pour the lemonade through a strainer & refrigerate. Put in a large pitcher & serve over ice & garnish with lavender stems & lemon slices.

These cookies are not as simple as the lemonade but well worth the extra trouble…

Lemon Lavenders
2 lemons - zest & juice
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup sugar & more for sprinkling
1 & 1/2 sticks butter cut into pieces
1/2 t. good vanilla
1/2 t. salt      1/2 t. baking powder
2 cups flour
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. lavender blooms
1/2 t. lemon thyme leaves (optional)
In a large bowl, mix together lemon zest, lavender & sugar until sugar is completely mixed. The sugar will be damp.
(I used the back of a small wooden spoon but a mortar & pestle would work better)
In a small bowl wisk together flour, salt & baking powder. Add to the sugar mixture.
Then add the butter using a pastry cutter or fork until blended.
In a small bowl beat together lemon juice, egg & vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough forms a ball then cut in half for easier handling. Turn onto floured surface & use a floured rolling pin to roll out really thin. Continue to flour the surface if it becomes sticky (I had to pop it in the freezer for a few minutes when it became too sticky to roll). Using a round cookie cutter, cut out shapes &
place on a cookie sheet lined with buttered parchment paper one inch apart. Sprinkle with lots of sugar.
Bake at 375 for about 8-10 minutes (depending on how thin you slice them) or just until the edges become light brown. But keep an eye on them!
Cool on the cookies sheets for a few minutes then transfer to cookie racks for cooling.

~Her first re-gift to me was this Victorian brooch that belonged to her Great Aunt Alice. I love the gems that were so popular
in the Victorian era in this brooch – seed pearls, garnets, rubies, peridots. It’s well worn & well loved & I was excited to have it.

 
~This silver/ivory box that belonged to my English grandparents-in-law (Janet & Rex) was etched by their English artist friend – the same artist that designed their wedding china in 1923. It was later given to their youngest daughter, Anne. She re-gifted it many years later to her sister
  (my mother-in-law) on her 75th birthday. A hand-written history of it by Aunt Anne stays inside it. It was passed on to my house
where it sits safely out of the way of my pouncing cats but on display for all to see in a guest room.

 
~This 1897 sterling spoon commemorating Queen Victoria’s 60 years as monarch belonged to my grandmother-in-law.

~I’ve yet to find a safe place for this Vermeil (silvergilt) Victorian Ivory Cameo box I was given. It belonged to my grandmother-in-law &
she gave it to my mother-in-law as a personal wedding gift. It’s an exquisite piece that I keep wrapped in velvet & hidden in a drawer.

~The same for this inlaid box. A counter for a card game popular in the late 1800′s called Bezique. This one is particularly nice because
of the ivory pegs &  inlaid insects of mother-of-pearl & stones. This once belonged to my grandmother-in-law.
fyi: In the 1880′s the Japanese Emperor decided to ‘westernize’ his country so artists & artisans begin making items to export. 
Then Japanese art became all the rage in Victorian England.

~Another birthday gift – two sterling salt cellars that her Victorian grandmother (Victoria Christina) gave my mother-in-law when she married.

 
~This spring for my birthday, I was given another heirloom, re-gifted to my mother-in-law on the occasion of her wedding in 1945 by her mother.
A sardine/anchovy box – circa 1890. Yes, a crazy piece but the Victorians had something for everything!
And along with it, a proper English Victorian Bride must always serve the anchovies with an anchovy fork – and a sterling one of course!

 ~Although my husband has inherited some family treasures, the gifts given to me by my mother-in-law were given to ME with love.
Because she has two daughters, I feel even more flattered that I’m the recipient of these heirlooms. I think she feels assured that I’ll also
be a good keeper of these pieces & that my daughters will be equally protective when they have them.
Every Bride wants new china & crystal & deserves to have them but nothing enchances your home like a trinket passed down from generations past. As a daughter, you’re likely to recieve some or all of your own family heirlooms as I have, but what about your husband’s?
If you’ve fallen in love with that antique Waterford bowl or that French Trumeau hanging in the dinning room in your future mother-in-law’s house, go ahead & tell her. Chances are she’ll be touched that you’re interested in her son’s family history.
And if you don’t get it for a wedding gift then maybe one day you might just get it for your birthday!

Enjoy the pictures below of the wedding & the island.
{photography by Bob Gothard & Rosemary Stanton & me ~ no photo copying please ~ property of Bella Weddings}

The Reception…
1~ Caitlin & Charlie - 1rst Dance    2-3~ Atlantic Ocean view from Alan Sheep Farm reception site   4-5~ Reception   
6~ My kids…Sarah Stanton Smith, Rosemary Stanton, Dr. Aaron Smith
7~ Crazy girls    8~ Sweet baby…Eden Jane Smith
9-10~ Unbeknownst {I think} to the bride & groom, a wine they chose – The Show – is Nashville’s own.  Well, at least the label is.
The Three Thieves {and 3 cute guys I might add} combined their talents with the talented artists at Hatch Show Print - a Nashville tradition that’s over a century old!  Just goes to prove, as the saying goes, “There’s always a Nashville connection.”
11~ These were simply scrumptious! So I emailed the caterer to ask if she would share how to make them. 
Jaime of Jaime Hamlin & Sons Catering generously wrote back saying…”They’re easy. Poach shrimp with lemon juice & Old Bay Seasoning.
Get some seaweed salad & wasabi caviar – from a fish store – & put it on a spoon.” 
What!?!  That simple yet so delicious!
12~ Reception    13~ Caitlin & Charlie doing good  

Vineyard Shots…
14~ A very Edgartown thing – colorful roses on white fences bordering beautiful houses   15~ Eden & Sarah enjoying the ocean air & sun   
16~ On the Vineyard Ferry – a bleak but beautiful shot  
17~ An afternoon enjoying Oak Bluffs after gorging on Lobster Rolls & Fried Clams!  
18~ Edgartown Peonies    19~ Cool shot on Edgartown beach    20~ Harbor View in Edgartown    
Around the island…