BBSF Spring/Summer, 2012 : Page 22

Wed d os s i e r · now! · in Favor! Done wrong, candy bridal favors are more clutter than keepsake (have any Jordan Almonds sachets in your drawers?), so we’re thrilled that San Francisco’s only chocolate factory has made some serious favor upgrades. TCHO now custom-prints packaging for cute taster cubes of six mini chocolate bars and off ers monogrammed silver-and-gold sleeves to adorn larger samplers. Th e wizards inside TCHO’s Pier 17 headquarters coax distinct fl avors out of single-origin beans (no fl avoring added), giving us nutty, dark chocolate from Peru; bright, citrus chocolate from Madagascar; and intense, spicy chocolate from beans sourced in Ghana. It’s chocolate-making with a winemaking sensibility, and the result is very, very good chocolat . Brides beware: Tasting may convince you to expand beyond favors. “Chocolate tasting is such a sensory experience. You’re smelling. You’re tasting. And it’s so interesting to hear what fl avors appear on everyone’s palate,” says TCHO’s Greta Miersma, who suggests a block on the dessert table for your wedding day. tcho.com –Nikki Ioakimedes Clockwise from left: Purple scabiosa and agapanthus are available in late spring and summer, while lisianthus is available year-round; verdant asparagus and fava beans add color to spring menus. Seasonally Guided Th e farm-to-table mindset of the 18th-and-Valencia restaurant scene now applies to wedding planning, with more couples than ever requesting menus to suit the season of their special day. “People want to feel more at home at their weddings. Simple, local food is one way they can achieve that,” says chef Jessica Lasky, who owns a catering company that specializes in Cal-Med cuisine. “Local produce is not diﬃ cult to source here. Th e climate here provides beautiful produce all year long.” For a spring wedding, treat guests to wild morel mushrooms from the Sierras. “Th ese come in for about six weeks in the year, and then they’re gone,” Lasky says. “But they’re just incredible.” Summer brings crowd favorites like tomatoes, lettuces and sweet summer squash. More brides now apply the in-season concept to fl owers as well. “Seasonal fl owers are usually sourced locally, fresher, better quality and more cost eff ective than out-of-season fl owers,” says Amanda Diamondstein-Cieplinska of Stellina Events. Poppies, cherry blossoms, peonies, garden roses and dahlias are some of Diamondstein-Cieplinska’s favorites for spring and summer, but check with your fl orist, as the fl owers don’t last all season. –Marissa Hopkins Your Love, illustrated Savor the Date sets a sweet and playful tone for pending nuptials with colorful bride-and-groom portraits by San Francisco illustrator Toby Simon. “People are surprised when they get the invite and start to notice the details, like the couple’s dog or a reference to their gardening hobby,” she says. savorthedate.com –Rachel Ward 22 s p r i ng / su mme r 2 0 1 2 chocoLate photos courtesy oF tcho; FLoWer photos by Karen Wise photography (2); FooD photo by b&n photography; inVite photo courtesy oF saVor the Date

Wed Dossier Now!

In Favor! Done wrong, candy bridal favors are more clutter than keepsake (have any Jordan Almonds sachets in your drawers?), so we’re thrilled that San Francisco’s only chocolate factory has made some serious favor upgrades. TCHO now custom-prints packaging for cute taster cubes of six mini chocolate bars and offers monogrammed silver-and-gold sleeves to adorn larger samplers. Th e wizards inside TCHO’s Pier 17 headquarters coax distinct fl avors out of single-origin beans (no fl avoring added), giving us nutty, dark chocolate from Peru; bright, citrus chocolate from Madagascar; and intense, spicy chocolate from beans sourced in Ghana.It’s chocolate-making with a winemaking sensibility, and the result is very, very good chocolat. Brides beware: Tasting may convince you to expand beyond favors. “Chocolate tasting is such a sensory experience. You’re smelling. You’re tasting. And it’s so interesting to hear what fl avors appear on everyone’s palate,” says TCHO’s Greta Miersma, who suggests a block on the dessert table for your wedding day. Tcho.com –Nikki Ioakimedes Your Love, illustrated Savor the Date sets a sweet and playful tone for pending nuptials with colorful bride-and-groom portraits by San Francisco illustrator Toby Simon.“People are surprised when they get the invite and start to notice the details, like the couple’s dog or a reference to their gardening hobby,” she says.Savorthedate.com –Rachel Ward Seasonally Guided The farm-to-table mindset of the 18th-and- Valencia restaurant scene now applies to wedding planning, with more couples than ever requesting menus to suit the season of their special day. “People want to feel more at home at their weddings. Simple, local food is one way they can achieve that,” says chef Jessica Lasky, who owns a catering company that specializes in Cal-Med cuisine. “Local produce is not diffi cult to source here. Th e climate here provides beautiful produce all year long.” For a spring wedding, treat guests to wild morel mushrooms from the Sierras.“These come in for about six weeks in the year, and then they’re gone,” Lasky says. “But they’re just incredible.” Summer brings crowd favorites like tomatoes, lettuces and sweet summer squash. More brides now apply the in-season concept to fl owers as well. “Seasonal fl owers are usually sourced locally, fresher, better quality and more cost eff ective than out-ofseason fl owers,” says Amanda Diamondstein- Cieplinska of Stellina Events. Poppies, cherry blossoms, peonies, garden roses and dahlias are some of Diamondstein-Cieplinska’s favorites for spring and summer, but check with your florist, as the fl owers don’t last all season. –Marissa Hopkins Bix it Up Former NFL linebacker Pete Monty and his bride, Muriel Mayes, had their fi rst date at the San Francisco institution Bix (after meeting in a bar) and returned to the old Hollywood restaurant for their big day. Although the mahogany paneling and baroque columns made an ideal backdrop for their reception’s Renaissance feel, Bix can accommodate all styles of weddings and even supply the service.“Th at’s the beauty of this venue,” says General Manager Blake Tippett. “We’re a full-service restaurant, so we’ll provide food, drinks and music.” Th e old-school supper club is also happy to work with outside entertainment, like they did for this celebrity couple. “Th ey went all out,” Tippett says.Fire-eaters and stilt walkers roamed the fun-loving pair’s party. From lively to traditional, this backalley jazz club has got your big day covered. 56 Gold St., 415.433.6300, bixrestaurant.com –Annie Tittiger Royal wedding fever may have subsided, but stateside residents are still donning Westminsterworthy caps at the city’s hautest nuptials. San Franciscans can turn their sights from across the pond to across the park, where the Bay Area’s arbiter of millinery style, Melissa Bolin, produces head-turning headpieces in her Sunset studio— and they’re not just for wedding guests. Under the cover of face-framing chapeaus from Bolin’s Kitty Andrews Millinery, brides channel Turner Classic Movies, Japanese street style or the red-lipped frontwomen of their favorite bands. “Headwear has a way of completing a look and causing a stir that no other accessory can achieve,” Bolin says. Th e bespoke bridal collection includes petite pillbox hats that have a refi ned play of texture, feather adornments that work as well down the aisle as they do down the runway and detachable birdcage veils that take the architectural arrangements from ceremony to reception. Kittyandrews.com –Mackenzie Wagoner sparkling Headliner If there’s ever a time when you can pull off a tiara, it’s your wedding day. Th e princess-cut and round brilliant diamonds of the new Tiff any Grace tiara by Tiff any & Co. Form a geometric pattern where the jewels, bezel-set in platinum, appear to hang in midair. Th e result is current yet timeless.$68,000, Tiff any & Co., 350 Post St., 415.781.7000. tiff any. Com –RW Digitally Yours Four new tools for the Bay Area’s tech-savvy brides The answer to the bridesmaid dress nightmare, Weddington Way, allows brides and their best girls to collaborate on dress selections. Th e site, founded by a Stanford MBA grad, carries top designers such as Lela Rose and Th read and allows bridal parties to compare and rank their selections with a drag-and-drop tool. (Type A brides can even discreetly check in on order status.) Weddingtonway.com Have fun with the biggest jewelry decision of your life: The ring finder app from Tiff any & Co. Lets you view the endless potential design combinations on a hand, determine your ring size and solicit feedback from girlfriends. Once you’ve narrowed it down to the classic six-prong setting or the modern Bezet, use the tool to make an appointment at the nearest Tiff any store. Tiff any.com If a calendar full of bridal luncheons, wedding showers and bachelorette parties has you making repeat visits to your favorite salons, bakeries and boutiques, download the Gving mobile app. It replaces the old punch card systems, earning loyal customers rewards at more than 150 Bay Area businesses. Gving.com You don’t have to settle for a department store registry list of less-than-riveting stainless steel toasters and Mr. and Mrs. towel sets, thanks to one Bay Area couple who started the alternative registry option Hatch My House.Design a dream home on the site, and guests can help you work toward a down payment by purchasing a window for $75 or the front door for $100. Hatchmyhouse.com – RW Golden Center Faced with the challenge of organizing the quintessential San Francisco dinner for a destination wedding, rehearsal dinner planner Kathy Goodman of Well Rehearsed designed a bronze replica of the Golden Gate Bridge. She inlaid the centerpiece with tealight candles for headlights and set it on crinkled gray and blue linens to emulate the bay waters. Guests could see the sun setting over Alcatraz from the windows of the Fort Mason Offi cers Club as the lights fl ickered from each table. Th e elegant result so inspired Goodman that she went on to create an entire collection of San Francisco centerpieces with rehearsal dinners in mind. Other themes in the expanding line include the Giants, Fisherman’s Wharf and cable cars. “Th e rehearsal dinner is a night to do something fun and playful and give your guests a taste of the city,” Goodman says. “Th e look and feel can be a little more bold and thematic than the wedding day.” wellrehearsed.com –AT rockin’ reception It’s a debate that’s as contentious as chicken versus beef and sheath versus ball gown. It’s band against DJ, and these days, it’s all about the band. “Th e biggest perk is the interaction and dynamics,” says wedding planner Jubilee Lau. “Th e energy really spikes up.” For an all-night dance party, ’80s powerhouse Tainted Love comes equipped with a song list of hits such as “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and delivers laser-guided drum beats and a reverberating bass guitar that gets a wedding party on its feet. If you can handle a band prone to hoist revelers onto the stage, the party shakers in Wonder Bread 5 cover everything from Motown to the Black Eyed Peas. For those who’d prefer to channel the Mad Men era, Th e Mood Swing Orchestra croons and swings with a big-brass sound. When the lights go down and the volume turns up, these bands give guests the party of their lives, tastefully. –Emily Cohen From Garden to Glass. Wedding cocktails are no longer limited to fruity concoctions that warrant the Kool-aid label. Forgo the artificial sugar rush this summer by taking advantage of the bay area’s bounty of fresh, local ingredients. We sourced three of san Francisco’s top gardento- glass mixologists for the season’s best cocktails. – Jenna Scatena H. Joseph Ehrmann (Elixir, HMS Cocktails) If a single cocktail could embody all the flavors of summer, this is it. That’s exactly why this seasonal cocktail veteran invented this melon lover’s libation. Juicy, floral, refreshing and balanced—the vodka brightens the watermelon, the St-Germain brings a floral note and the mint gives it a refreshing finish. Top with a dash of sparkling water or Brut, if desired. 2 oz. juice from fresh watermelon (or watermelon cubes) 1 1/2 oz. Square One cucumber organic vodka 1 oz. St-Germain elderflower liqueur 1/2 oz. lime juice 1/2 oz. agave nectar 6 mint leaves In a mixing glass, add watermelon cubes or juice and 5 mint leaves. Muddle and top with remaining ingredients. Fill with ice and shake well for 10 seconds. Then pour over ice in a tall glass and garnish with a sprig of mint. Jason Brown (Txoko) Classic cocktail fans looking to add a fresh summer twist will love this hybrid creation (think lighter mint julep). For this Kentucky-inspired brew, Brown uses his favorite ingredient, Bols Genever—gin’s great ancestor, with a hint of whiskey flavor. The light, smoky juniper flavors cut the smoothness of the muddled cucumber. Galliano adds a layer of vanilla, and cava dances lightly on your tongue. 3 slices muddled cucumber 1 1/2 oz. Bols Genever 1 oz. cava 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice 1/4 oz. simple syrup Muddle the cucumber. Then mix the rest of the ingredients in a shaker and double-strain them into a rocks glass rinsed with Galliano. Serve on the rocks topped with 1 ounce of cava and garnish with a long cucumber twist. Jennifer Colliau (The Slanted Door, Small Hand Foods) When this mixologist couldn’t find cocktail syrups with natural ingredients, she did what a typical San Franciscan would do: she made it herself. Lucky for us, because pineapple gum syrup (which she makes from hand with organic pineapple juice) is a key ingredient in this beloved, revived Gold Rush-era cocktail. Colliau’s rendition calls for plenty of fresh-squeezed Meyer lemon to play off the richness of the gum syrup and a touch of prosecco. The result is lovely, light and incredibly refreshing. 1 1/2 oz. Campo de Encanto pisco 3/4 oz. Small Hand Foods pineapple gum syrup 1 oz. fresh Meyer lemon juice 1 oz. prosecco Combine pisco, pineapple gum syrup and lemon juice in a punch bowl with a single block office. Have guests fill a wide-mouthed Champagne glass 3/4 full with punch and top off 1/4 with prosecco. Garnish with a thin lemon slice.

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