December 2018 – Talking Wed

5 Ways To Make Bacon Part Of Your Wedding Day

December 30, 2018January 27, 2019by Connie Jones-StewardLeave a Comment

December 30th is National Bacon Day. In honor of this special day I present five ways ways to include this tasty meat in your wedding day: from procession to reception.

1. Bacon Bouquet. Want something different from the traditional wedding flowers? How about walking down the aisle clutching a bouquet of bacon roses.

Photo credit: Foodbeast

2. Bacon hor’doevres: offer your quests these petite hor’doevres to snack on while your wedding party is out taking wedding photos.

Image may be subject to copyright

3. Bacon with bourbon chasers: because nothing goes together like bacon and booze.

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4. Bacon Bar: Having a morning affair? How about pairing a bacon bar with an omelet bar and waffle station?

Photo credit: Sweet Rhodes Photography

5. Bacon Wedding Cake And finally, the piece dela resistance! The bacon infused and decoraed wedding cake.

Photo credit Daniel Taylor Photography

Wedding Traditions

Happy National Fruitcake Day

December 27, 2018December 27, 2018by Connie Jones-StewardLeave a Comment

You may know that December 27th is National Fruitcake Day. You may know that fruitcake is traditionally served at British royal weddings. But did you know that the original wedding cake is fruitcake? It’s true, and for two reasons.

Firstly, fruitcake was once viewed as a symbol of wealth and prosperity due to its expensive and sought after ingredients , ie sugar, spices and exotic fruits. Therefore serving it was a show of financial status.

The second reason has to do with the fact that the tradition started in the Middle Ages, when food preservation was a problem. The high content of rum or brandy in fruitcake protects the cake from spoilage. The fruit in a fruitcake is also functional; it serves to attract water molecules that keep the cake moist. Add the fruit and alcohol together and you get a moist cake that just won’t (or can’t) go bad.

The virtual inability of fruitcake to go bad is a huge benefit to royal wedding cake bakers who sometimes require several months to decorate royal wedding cakes.

Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding cake in 1947 photo credit: Getty images

Beach Elopments, Real Elopements

Alexis & DeAngelo at Little Corona Del Mar Beach

December 26, 2018by Connie Jones-StewardLeave a Comment

Who says that you can’t dress up for your beach elopement. Definitely not Alexis and DeAngelo who came to slay at their beach elopement on Little Corona Del Mar Beach in Corona Del.Mar.

The date 11/11 holds not only spiritual but personal significance for Alexis and DeAngelo, therefore it was important for them to be married on that day. They originally planned to elope on El Matador in Malibu. However when the Woolsey wildfire made the Malibu area inaccessible, I was able to suggest Little Corona Del Mar Beach. So not only were they able to marry on 11/11 in the presence of Mother Ocean, but they both said that this setting was even more beautiful than their original choice.

The ceremony, which was attended by both mothers and the groom’s sister, included words on the significance of numerical sequence 1111 and jumping the broom.

Photographer: Kelley : Kelli Scates

Officiant: Rev. Connie Jones-Steward

Real Weddings, Ventura County Weddings

Ife & John at Hummingbird Nest Ranch

December 6, 2018December 6, 2020by Connie Jones-StewardLeave a Comment

On a sunny afternoon in September Ife and John said “I do” in a lovely ceremony at The Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Simi Valley, CA.

The groom wore a pink tux in honor of his mother who died of breast cancer. Their customized ceremony included personal vows written by the couple, poetry by Gibran and culminated in Ife and John jumping the broom.

John is author of the book “The Oop: Simplifying Finance & Economics Through Basketball”, in which the concepts and terminology of basketball are used to impart financial wisdom and literacy. His writing skill was evident in his touching and personal vows to Ife.