Food trucks have skyrocketed in popularity even beyond LA recently and are on their way to becoming a huge culinary trend. Even cable has gotten on the bandwagon, with The Food Network launching “The Great Food Truck Race,” featuring culinary sensation Tyler Florence.

Not to be upstaged, DC has started a mobile food truck craze of its own.

Curbside Cupcake was one of the first mobile treats in DC. Fans follow the truck’s whereabouts via Twitter (how most of the food trucks attract their customers), stopping at select locations around the city to peddle a variety of cupcake flavors. What a treat (no pun intended, I promise) it would be to have the truck stop by your next party!

yummy cupcakes from Curbside Cupcakes (photo via Curbside Cupcakes)

One truck I am salivating over is Takorean, a truck selling Korean-inspired tacos. Tell me how good a Bulgogi taco with a side of Spicy Kimchi Slaw would be right about now?! Dee-lish!

Takorean's three signature tacos; photo by Alexandra Boule-Buckley

One word. Lobster. If the Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck, which recently expanded to DC from NYC, doesn’t knock our seafood-loving socks off, I am not sure what can.

A beauteous lobster roll! (photo via Red Hook Lobster Pound website)

So hit the streets to pick up lobsters or cupcakes for your next party or take an out-of-town guest on a hunt to find the trucks and share a taco or two… Enjoy!

Do-it-Yourself Customized Napkins

I spotted these napkins yesterday in Food Network’s magazine and loved them so much that I immediately looked to see where similar ones could be purchased. I was excited to read, instead, that these customized napkins can be made at home in three easy steps:

1) Create a message or image on your computer.

2) Use your home printer to print the image on iron-on transfer paper (found at craft stores).

3) Iron the labels onto fabric, towels, or napkins.

Now you can whip up some clever napkins just in time for your Labor Day picnic!

There are lots of new twists on the traditional guest book and the ones that I prefer most are those that create some interactivity, conversation, and “buzz” among the guests.

This idea from Martha Stewart does just that. By setting one of these “conversation starter” books at each table, guests can not only share their personal well wishes for the bride and groom, but they can also chat with their table guests about the question posed and ask their thoughts on how they would answer. It offers a great way for the table to connect.

The format Martha suggests is beautiful (as always) but could easily be altered to meet a bride’s color scheme and taste.

In the bedroom, I set out reading material, an alarm clock, and a fan. I emptied the closet to make space for their clothes and left a variety of hangers. I set a tray on the console with two glasses and some bottled water…

In the bathroom, I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned! The bath mats were fresh out of the dryer. The mirror was spotless. I set out toiletries and placed a vase with some flowers and aromatic herbs on the sink…

After my parents had arrived I walked past the guest bath and noticed a new box of tissues. My mom had found a stash of them in our supply cabinet and brought one up to the bathroom. Tissues! Of course! Why hadn’t I thought of that?

So that got me thinking about tissue boxes (I confess, this is the stuff that keeps me up at night!). The trouble with them is that, generally, they are pretty unsightly. They come in packages with funky patterns and colors and I cringe each time I set one out.

The solution to masking the ugly boxes is to hide it with a cover. Tissue-box covers, have a reputation of being really tacky, but I have found a couple that are surprisingly stylish.

This one from Restoration Hardware’s metal apothecary collection could work not only in a bathroom but also in other rooms around the house.

Restoration Hardware's tissue-box cover from the Metal Apothecary collection

How about this one for a little tike’s room? Adorable!

monkey tissue-box cover from Target

I love the idea of being able to customize a cover to complement the decor of a room. That’s why this project featured on Design*Sponge (one of my favorite, “go-to” blogs) caught my eye.

tissue-box cover by Brett Bara, featured on Design*Sponge

Brett Bara provides step-by-step instructions on how to sew a cover with the material of your choice. Pick a fabric that coordinates with your room, bust out the sewing machine, zip-zip…. you’ve now masked an ugly box and created a pop of color in your room!

This “Dunk Mug” from British purveyor, Mocha, is a perfectly efficient, clever way of having a coffee or tea break. The cookies slide right in the bottom, eliminating the need for a plate and a mug.

This would make a perfect gift for a coffee or tea lover. Mocha even offers a left-handed version of the mug should you need it!

Cheers!

"Dunk Mug" from Mocha

Patty and Jasper celebrated the traditional Korean wedding ceremony, the paebaek, the day before the wedding. The next day, they had a traditional ceremony at St Andrew Kim Catholic Church followed by a reception there for parents and the church community. Following that reception, Patty and Jasper’s friends all went to Hotel Helix for food, drinks, and dancing for the rest of the night.

The party at Helix was high-energy and hip, and included lots of fun food, a vodka bar, and amazing music spun by local deejay Russell Belicek with Chris Laich Music.

A few months before the wedding, photographer Ethan Yang went to New York City, where the couple lives, to shoot some engagement shots. Urban and incredible!

The paebaek ceremony was colorful and symbolic. Elders on the groom’s side of the family offered words of wisdom to the couple and the ceremony included a tradition that predicts how many children the couple will have. They ceremony was both joyful and meaningful.

The marriage ceremony took place at St Andrew Kim’s Catholic Church in Olney, Maryland.

The bride and groom and the entire wedding party had a great time throughout the day, enjoying each moment including the dance-filled party at Hotel Helix which lasted late into the night.

Wedding Invitation: SugarB Studio
Photography: Ethan Yang Photography
Reception Music: Russell with Chris Laich Music
Flowers: Petal’s Edge
Venue: Hotel Helix, DC

flowers by Petal's Edge; photo by Holland Photo Arts

Much of the wedding planning process focuses on the fun elements of the reception: food, music, decor… In the excitement of thinking through those items, it can be easy to overlook some of the necessary logistical plans, like where should the bride and groom’s personal items  (e.g. gifts, candles, guest book…) should be packed or taken to at the end of the evening? Another important thing to think through is what the bride and groom would like to do with the flowers at the end of the evening.

Reception flowers are generally a fairly significant chunk of the wedding budget and, for most brides, it seems wasteful to not do anything with them once the party is over. Brides can think through some of the following things when figuring out their flower plans:

1) What is the tradition among your guests regarding flowers? For example, in some communities women “elders” feel the right to take the flowers at the end of the night — sometimes without asking. If you suspect your guests fall into that category, plan for that.

2) Are any of your vessels rentals belonging to your florist? Make sure that guests do not walk off with those rented vases, but only the flowers. Depending on the arrangement and flowers, you might want to have plastic floral bags for guests to use when taking home the loose flowers.

3) Think of local friends or family that would enjoy the flowers. Obviously, out-of-town guests would have difficulty taking them with them.

4) Provide a list to your planner of whom you would like to receive the flowers at the end of the night. He or she can help ensure that the right people receive the flowers.

5) Consider what the flowers could be used for the day after your wedding. Should some of them be brought to an after-party? Are you having a post-wedding brunch? Are family members getting together for a party that weekend? Maybe you know of a friend who is hosting a personal party at their home the next day?

6) Some brides wish to donate flowers to nursing homes or women’s shelters. This is a fabulous idea but needs to be well-thought out and organized.

Contact the organization well in advance and ask them if they have a need for the flowers. Determine when and where the flowers can be dropped off. How many would they like? What size arrangements can they accommodate? Let them know if the flowers will be in vessels or if they need to have their own on hand.

Then consider who will take the flowers, how they will transport them, where they will store them overnight, and how they will be dropped off the following day. Ask your florist the “shelf-life” of your flowers as some last longer than others, especially depending on how they are arranged. You wouldn’t want to donate flowers that were wilted and quickly dying.

7) Know that even if you do not have a plan to give the flowers away or re-use them, they will not go to waste. Catering staff often appreciate being able to take an arrangement home and it is another way to thank them for their hard work. Not once have I seen flowers go in the trash so trust that they will be enjoyed and not wasted.