Weddings...

In a few days my husband and I will be celebrating our 47th wedding anniversary.  Time has a way of fleeting by and the bride I once was has now been the mother of a bride (and two grooms!)  I well remember the thrill of planning my wedding.  With my mother riding shotgun, we drove at break-neck speed into the excitement and frenzy.  With the guidance of a cousin with strong ties to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, we began the process with a visit to the Banquet Manager. We were taken on a tour of the available rooms... given menus to select from... locked in a date...August 23rd...my parent's anniversary...and the game was afoot!  

                                                            
I was the last of my friends to get married.  I wanted to travel, get my degree, have a career and some freedom before I settled down.  Needless to say, my mother was ecstatic that at last I would be a bride. In those long gone days most brides, like me, followed the lead of our mothers when it came to weddings.  We became inseparable! She and I took a course at Cartier's on wedding etiquette, shopped at Saks for a wedding gown, chose colors and flowers and hired a band.  We ordered invitations and ran to fittings.  I shopped for a trousseau ... and she accompanied me to Loehmann's in Brooklyn. When Mrs. Loehmann, a family friend, heard I was getting married, she said in her inimitable way, "Leave the girl to me..."   and my mother did.  Mrs. Loehman, with her red-rouged cheeks and upswept hair was a formidable presence...but she outfitted me in stunning clothes, all  with designer labels, all discounted.  (This was when Loehmann's Back Room gathered the likes of Lauren Bacall,  Rita Gam and New York's fashionistas, fighting to get first dibs on top designer clothing).  With all the "girl" plans underway my dad set about ordering the proper champagne, liquors and cigars.
We were married on a Sunday afternoon which meant striped pants and morning coats for the men.  My husband and father looked absolutely British lordly...not so much some of the groomsmen who neglected to get proper tailoring on their too long trousers!
And then...at last...the big day arrived...I remember being very calm.  My sister., my Maid of Honor,  and I rode down in the elevator holding hands, we would never live together after this day...but I did not think about that...not then.  I heard the music and saw the groomsmen begin their walk...I took my Daddy's arm...I smelled  Herme's Equipage, his scent, and I was comforted by it...by his closeness and strength.

  My bouquet was fastened to a borrowed antique lace fan that had belonged to some French noblewoman in the 18th century...my shoes were a gift from Roger Vivier, and my veil was purchased by my aunt and sister in Venice. I was getting married...This was the first day of the rest of my life!               

                                                                                                                 

                                                               

         

Photos were black and white...music was 6 pieces playing big band (with a little bit of rock 'n roll and lots of Latin!)  menu selection was simple,  filet mignon, chicken or fish...and desserts were fabulous and calorie laden. The chef was under instructions from our cousin and totally outdid himself. The cake, a gift from that cousin, was stupendous, with each layer a different flavor.  It was a glorious affair.  I had arranged for an anniversary cake for my parents and for as long as they lived we shared that anniversary date.  Now I silently raise a glass to them and remember them with love and thanks.

When my daughter announced that she was getting married, she wanted to share something with us, so off to the Waldorf we went.  Times had indeed changed.  The first question I was asked was, "Who is your wedding planner?"  I had planned many, many events for my charity, two Bar Mitzvahs and a Bat Mitzvah and am a professional interior designer...I could handle it!  (Hadn't I made a venue remove the offending window draperies for my son's wedding some months earlier?) 

My daughter had far more input than I had when I got married. She chose the Waldorf's Starlight Roof.  She and her fiance went to listen to the bands and chose the music.  She traveled to Brooklyn with me to meet with the Classical Ensemble who were to play during the ceremony... was involved in the menu planning and every aspect of flower and color selection..(.things I had left mostly to my mother).  She ordered a Groom'scake for her husband...I had never even heard of this outside of the South before. She was adamant about simplicity and elegance.  Her gown was without a single embellishment...stunning and stark, worn with a borrowed collar of pearls, rubies and diamonds with her husband's gift of diamond studs in her ears.

Music was a 15 piece band that played every kind of music... with singers and an MC (who was not obtrusive and annoying!)  Pictures were in color and there was a videographer as well!  The food had been chosen from an extensive gourmet selection and then sampled at a formal tasting weeks before the event...how times had changed!

The day of the wedding was exciting and emotional.  We arrived at the Bridal suite at the Waldorf to find that VeraWang had delivered her gown... (stuffed so full of cardboard form and tissue that it looked like someone was in it)...and hung it in the closet.  I jumped when I opened the door and we laughed a tension-breaking laugh.  Aida was there to do hair and make-up and so much was going on that we forgot to be weepy and tense and just had a really good time.  The wedding party girls began to arrive and the air of celebration was exploding around us.

As guests stepped off the elevators, champagne and straweberries were served  before they headed into  the ceremony.

                                                                    

                                                                      

      Under a bower of flowers, my daughter stood beside her new husband as he smashed the glass beneath his foot.  The first day of the rest of her life. She was flanked on each side by her brothers... all of my children were married now... I looked at my  three children with such pride and happiness...my heart was so very full of joy ...so why was I crying?

                                                                     

                                                                         

 ...and as my daughter stepped onto the dance floor with her Daddy...  I closed my eyes...and I could smell Herme's Equipage... I stepped into the past... and danced with mine...   

                                                                    
 Happy Anniversary Peter........and Happy Anniversary, Mommy and Daddy.                                                                                     

 I created this dish for my husband on an anniversary a few years ago.  Anxious to make something different and celebratory I started to play around in the kitchen and came up with my version of...

 ORANGE CHICKEN
3 boned, skinned and split chicken breasts (6 pieces)(pound until whole piece is about same thickness)
salt, pepper, garlic powder
1 1/2 cups 0range juice
3/4 cup white wine or sherry
2 1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar
grated zest of 1 orange
butter
olive oil
1-Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in large skillet on med/hi heat
2-season one side of the breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place into the heated skillet seasoned side down.
3-When seasoned side browns turn over and season other side in the pan...if you need to do two batches just place browned breasts on a plate and repeat the process.
4- Mix wine, orange juice and sugar until sugar dissolves and pour half of liquid into hot pan...deglaze pan and return all breasts to pan...add the orange zest...as the liquid thickens a bit you may need to add more...cook breasts about 6-8 minutes on a side and turn...check for doneness.
5- When breasts are moist and cooked through remove from pan.  Continue to cook  liquid and add 1 tbsp. butter to give it a glaze.  It should thicken a bit, like a thin syrup.
Serve on a bed of brown or white rice, garnish with orange slices and pour glaze over chicken and rice...YUMMMM