The two IRL friends I refer to most often, Catherine and Lofton, both got married a week apart. Both are my very dearest friends, and my head is spinning in the aftermath of their weddings (and one of my other closest friends just revealed she and her husband are expecting their first baby – my mind has been blown). Catherine had a yearlong engagement and a big affair which I’ve already recapped, but Lofton had a very short engagement and a small backyard ceremony on Friday night (no, she’s not knocked up).
Because it was a small event, a few of us friends brought appetizers, and family members provided the dinner. My friends brought pigs-in-a-blanket and “meat-wrapped meat” (bacon-wrapped weenies with brown sugar glaze)…
…Greek dip: hummus topped with feta, olives, and roasted red peppers…
…and I made baked brie with a quick compote. I diced an apple and a pear and cooked them in a saucepan with about 3Tbls brown sugar, 1.5Tbls honey, a few diced dried apricots, about 1/3c dried cranberries, and about 1/3c chopped walnuts. I *think* I added some cinnamon, but I was in such a hurry, I honestly can’t remember. I probably did. Anywho, I placed a wheel of brie on a sheet of puff pastry, topped with the compote, and wrapped the dough around the cheese before baking. I served it with some assorted crackers and baguette slices. I wish I had gotten a shot of all the cheese oozing out when I cut it open. 
Dinner was an amalgamation of different homemade comfort foods – I had mac ‘n’ cheese, chicken and broccoli casserole, curried chicken over saffron rice, peas, layered salad, and a croissant.
And don’t forget the cake! Our friend Kaycee’s mom made some AMAZING pound cake with buttercream icing and marshmallow fondant.
Of course there was beer and wine to be had, and I took a picture of this red blend that made me think of you guys:
“Blends have more fun!”
Though at Lofton’s wedding, us IRL friends had a lot of fun, too.
Congrats, kids!
Did you have/do you want to have a big wedding or a small wedding? Lofton’s backyard ceremony had such an amazing feel to it – the awkward pomp and circumstance weren’t there, and we were all able to just be ourselves and have fun. I wouldn’t mind something similarly low-key!