Katie & Matt book the Honeymoon!
Katie & Matt – the Future #ACoupleofBucks
It may seem a little early to talk about the honeymoon since Katie and Matt’s wedding day is in late October but, wait it is never too early to talk about plans as exciting as your honeymoon!
The couple plans to embark on a fun trip after the wedding – driving straight to Charleston, SC. A 13-hour road trip during the (literal) honeymoon phase of their marriage will be a breeze for these crazy in-love kids! They expect to have a full day in the lovely low-country historical city and take in the romantic battery, rainbow row, the market and other steamy spots.
Next, #Acoupleofbucks will depart Charleston on a cruise to the Bahamas – that’s right the Bahamas on a 5-day cruise! They are both incredibly eager for this first-time cruise vacation as a couple – romance is in the sea! Speaking of sea, there are two “fun-at-sea” days where they plan to get decked out for dinner one night while the rest of the time they will simply relax and be pampered poolside, with a tropical drink in-hand.
Katie has a shopping trip planned to freshen-up her tropical wardrobe – her list includes a cocktail dress, swim suits, sunglasses and sun-hats as well as everyday comfy yet smart cruise attire. Snorkeling is on the itinerary for their day in Nassau. Another other shore day includes the gorgeous exclusive beach at Half Moon Cay! Looking at the photos it is no wonder they are thrilled to experience this scenic islet retreat.
Sounds like a fantastic romantic respite to me considering all the effort and emotional ups and downs that go along with a wedding day.
Katie and Matt’s Wedding Day Menu
Quincy Cellars is known for its fresh gourmet food with a contemporary flair and so I personally have been very curious to hear all about featured couple Katie and Matt’s menu choice for their upcoming special day.
Events manager, Amy, guided the couple through this important decision. First she presented them with owner/chef Kevin’s decadent wedding fare options – which by the way totally impressed Katie. Next, considering Matt is an outdoorsman with a traditional American palate (hot dogs, tacos, burgers, you get the picture), Katie wanted to make sure he was happy and asked him to take the first pass at the menu choices. He chose at least two options per category – despite a little trouble with some of the pronunciation of the contemporary options (wink, wink) and, Katie filled in the blanks in request for their personal tasting.
The couple worked with Amy, scheduled the tasting and ultimately discovered a perfect menu just for them. Drum roll please… and, here it is:
Hors d’oeuvres will be offered in the venerable wine cellar, including an assortment of classic and mod artisan cheeses, meats, and crackers at the bar. Black-tie serviced hors d’oeuvres include a one-of-a-kind Bloody Mary shrimp cocktail, along with delicately created spinach and artichoke phyllo cup pastries (Katie’s fav!). My mouth is watering already!
North 40 Photography captures Abbey and Chris in the cellar at Quincy Cellars in 2012.
The main course includes a locally-sourced field green salad with house-made intensely flavored and fresh vinaigrette. The salad is accompanied by bread freshly baked onsite, served along with compound butter. If you are like Matt (and me) and wondering what compound butter is – it is just that a combination of fresh herbs and spices added to the butter giving it amazing flavor, kick and sweetness – a perfect match spread upon the out-of-the-oven hand-crafted bread.
Abbey and Chris’ menu. Year 2012 by North 40 Photography.
All guests will be served a paired plate which includes a poultry and a meat entree. The bird is a slowly roasted chicken breast with a honey pomegranate sauce which assures a moist white meat along with an incredibly sweet and tangy flavor – divine! The hoof is an exquisitely selected filet mignon cooked just right using Quincy’s very own Merlot along with a hint of rosemary garlic for a flavorful yet subtly infused steak. Katie and Matt chose a parmesan and herb mashed potato for the starch. A seasonal farm-stand vegetable will also be prepared with care and served with the paired plate.
Kevin and Andrew in the Quincy Cellars kitchen making the magic happen!
Drinks include Quincy Cellars’ fine wines and 7 Sins Brewery crafted beers. Per Katie’s request, a variety of 5-star doughnuts from Mighty Fine Donuts in Erie will be served along with locally pressed apple cider.
October 22 cannot come soon enough!
Katie & Matt Planning Ahead for October Storybook Wedding
Katie is busy with planning the details for her big day and has found herself fretting lately – with all the big decisions made, she is finding that it is the little decisions and tasks that are a bear. And to top that off, she is most concerned about one item she cannot change – the weather! October 22 is a bit of a gamble on the shores of Lake Erie so please join us in sending in good vibes to her for that day!
The bridal shower is scheduled for August 22 and so the guest list and design for the bridal shower invitation are top-of-mind for Katie right now with the date fast approaching. Her aunt is hosting the shower in Sherman with an artsy theme. The bride-to-be and guests will be guided through creating their very own painting! Her aunt is calling the day, “Brushes with the Bride” – trendy and fun!
Katie is also getting the wedding day guest list together which for most brides can be exhausting. The good news is the guest list is often the most challenging task of all! Here are a couple articles on etiquette and simplifying the task. Real simple offers 6 tips on creating a list and keeping the peace while The Knot suggests a few simple rules.
Selecting the ring for Matt is on Katie’s upcoming to-do list and Matt has yet to pick out the tuxes for the groomsmen. More tasks include finalizing decorations for the ceremony to be held in the pavilion – and again, with some concern – in her words, “you cannot see it all tied together until the night before/day of when it is completed so it is hard to decide!” She is renting some of her decorations from Special Occasions Rentals & Design and plans to have her order buttoned up soon.
Special Occasions Rental & Design
A plus for Katie is she is finding all the vendors (and especially Amy at Quincy Cellars!) to be very patient, helpful and insightful which is putting her at ease.
See you next time to discover together more decisions to be made and details to be planned!
Less than 150 Days Till Katie and Matt’s Big Day
With 150 days left till the wedding day, what does a bride in our modern Information Age do in preparation for her big day? Creates a save-the-date card, a website and a hashtag – but, of course! #ACoupleOfBucks
Katie was stressed about creating the save-the-date, having a tough time deciding whether or not to place an engagement photo as the focus or a different graphic related to the Fall country chic theme. She also knew that time was of essence and getting it designed, printed and sent out no later than 4 months prior to the wedding date was critical. After much fretting and procrastination, Katie finally pulled the trigger and went with an engagement photo. She also created the card herself to save time.
Katie chose Zazzle.com as the vendor to produce the cards. Zazzle.com is an online store where you can collaborate with makers & designers to make almost anything. It has easy-to-use templates to help customers create a variety of event planning and marketing collateral. In addition to artwork as the focus, the details of the day are important in producing a save-the-date card. Here is what Katie’s design looks like – fabulous! She is waiting for the printed product to be shipped – cross your fingers it is what she expects! 
The purpose of the save-the-date notice, the wedding website and the hashtag is to give guests enough advance notice about your date. Having this knowledge for one, assures guests reserve your wedding day on their RL (real life) social calendar. Secondly, when friends and family talk about your day through social media like FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, via the hashtag, all chatter, photos and links can be searched and viewed easily. The date, time and venue are the most important details to share at this point. Also, if the venue is in a busy region, if your date falls on a holiday or otherwise busy weekend and/or guests are traveling far (typically, 30 miles or more), you will want to suggest accommodations for them.
Again putting her creative skills to work, Katie designed the website and a hashtag. She went to theknot.com to produce a personalized wedding site. She had fun with this one, telling the “Matt and Katie” story and simply used the Knot’s boilerplate to fill in the blanks for their special day. The address is theknot.com/us/acoupleofbucks. She also had fun with the hashtag creation – #ACoupleOfBucks – Matt’s last name is Buck and before you know it, so will Katie’s – and that, my friends, makes a couple!
Phew, who knew wedding planning was so fun??!! We at Quincy Cellars are so glad to be a part of it!
We support
Follow Us