Writing about food is not my forte, so allow me to show you what we ate. At the end of the meal we received a sort of menu with a listing of ingredients. The photos are captioned with these descriptions.

Porcini and Parmesan cookie

Scallop Cone    Bacon, Egg and Cheese   Hot Chicken Skin

Albacore with Citrus, Chilies, Cilantro, Basil and Sea BeansAsparagus, Egg Yolk, Iberico Ham, Caviar, Potato/Onion Crumble, Chive Blossom – and something I can’t decipher from the handwritingHalibut, Carabinero, Ramp sauce, Snap Peas, BBQ Leeks and Carrots
Rabbit, Morels, Smoked Yogurt and WatercressVeal, Chard, Oyster, Parsley, LemonHudson Red Profiterole with Burned Sugar, Herbs and Apricot1.) Eucalyptus Crisp, Coconut Fluff, Milk Chocolate Ice Cream, Tangerine Dots, Sweet & Salty Plantain  2.) Pineapple Gelee, Oakwood Ice Cream, Vanilla Cake, Bourbon Beads and Cherry Crisp  3.) Maple Bacon Custard with Thyme

One of the questions that I get asked over and over again is “ how much time do we need for the formals?” There’s no right answer, it depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want the coverage to focus on the candids and the posed pictures are not important to you then you can allocate a short block of time. If however that’s one of the things you loved when looking at wedding images, in other words, it’s very important, you must set aside at least an hour if not two. Timing will depend on where you’re shooting and if you need to include travel time, how many people are involved (bridal party and family) and if this is happening before the ceremony. Shooting formals before the ceremony is the best way to schedule it, otherwise you’ll likely miss the cocktail hour or keep your guests waiting until you finish. With that I must add that hair, make-up and dressing must all be done on time. Plan on all of it taking longer. One of my biggest disappointments is loosing shoot time because prep is taking a lot longer than planned.

And so I move on to Ajeet and Ashmedh’s fourth and last wedding blog post. You can see what resulted when we had a generous amount of time for the formals. We were able to get a nice amount of variety and even get silly with some of the family shots.

Ajeet & Ashmedh had a formal reception in the groom’s hometown of Raleigh, NC a week after the wedding. In earlier visits to Raleigh, Ashmedh’s new bride had fallen in love with the natural elements of his hometown, so they decided to do wedding portraits in the rustic surroundings – first at Yates Mill County Park and then at the area’s famous farmer’s market. This was so much fun – despite the sweltering heat and humidity of this southern town! We all later met their families at the historic Washington Duke Inn on the campus of Duke University where we were able to capture the late afternoon light to take gorgeous family photos on the patio by the golf course. The following affair was a relaxed intimate gathering of friends and family. Of all the amazing dresses the Ajeet wore over the 3 days of celebrating this one in Raleigh is by far my favorite.

My husband and I went to Mexico for spring break this year. Even though we stayed in a place relatively close to Cancun, we actually avoided the tourists and the crowds. The town is Puerto Morelos and it’s just 20 minutes south of the Cancun airport. It’s a whole different vibe. We loved it and plan to visit again. In between a heavy schedule of reading and sitting by the ocean,  I had a chance to attend the Little Mexican Cooking School. Whatever your kitchen skills, it’s a lovely way to spend the day. They start with coffee and biscuits, move to an introduction of ingredients, then you’re off cutting and cooking and tasting. The day ends with eating the delectable dishes that you helped to prepare. The class is led by Chef Pablo Lopez Espinosa de los Monteros and takes place at Casa Caribe Bed & Breakfast.  Both the school and the inn are run by Catriona Brown. There’s also a shop on site that stocks many of the ingredients you might find hard to get at home.