Have I told you guys that my DF and I have booked a venue for our wedding? I’m SO excited because this means I’m no longer venue hunting, emailing a million people for price lists, and comparing what exactly each place gives us. My DF and I are pretty easy going and aren’t very picky, so to find a place that is mostly all inclusive is perfect for us.
Next step: Wedding dress hunting. I actually went by myself last weekend and hated it. The salesperson was great and I couldn’t have asked for anyone nicer, but for every dress that I tried on, I couldn’t take it off fast enough. I tried a variety of styles, too. Ball gown, sheath, sweetheart, v neck, straight across, mermaid… it was all just too much for me.
Maybe it was because I went alone, maybe it’s because I should have tried on dresses that were actually in my size, maybe I should’ve tried them on in heels. Who knows.
Either way, I’m thinking I want more of a “white dress” than a “wedding dress.” Plus, why would you ever spend a thousand dollars on a dress that you wear once? That’s a whole lotta dinero.
I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.
Meanwhile, this orzo dish is a perfect side for dinner. It pairs well with meats and vegetables. It’s also good cold (maybe that’s just me), but I do have a thing for day old, cold food… 
Next time, I’d toss is some more spinach since it shrivels so much when cooked and practically disappears. Recipe from Life as a Strawberry.
Ingredients
- 8 oz orzo, uncooked (half a box)
- 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp. flour
- 1 cup milk (I used skim!)
- 1 cups spinach, chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded, plus extra for garnish
Directions
- Cook orzo according to package directions. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute or until onions are translucent. Add flour to form a roux and cook for an additional minute.
- Add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the pot and whisk to work out any lumps from the roux. When lumps are worked out, add the remaining milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened, about 8 minutes.
- Add chopped spinach to sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes or until spinach has cooked down. Remove sauce from heat.
- Stir parmesan cheese into sauce. When cheese has melted, add cooked orzo to sauce and toss to coat. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Hi- I felt the same with my wedding dress- I found a gorgeous white BCBG dress and had a bridal seamstress add crystals to the bodice. I found the dress for $80 at the outlet! Nicole miller, bcbg and a few others offer great white gowns that can easily be bridal!
My daughter didn’t want something over the top and finally found a Paloma Blanca dress for around $1000. It was very simple and had slash pockets that she liked and actually used.
Hiiiii! we met at anthony’s birthday party a couple weeks ago. nice meeting you, by the way!
i got married back in january. i highly recommend keeping daily tabs on flash sale sites like gilt and ideeli. i got a very simple marchesa notte dress for over half off.
also, those flash sale site are a great place to find bridesmaid dresses for under $100.00. don’t bother looking at bridal salons. the mark-up is ridiculous.
if you’re getting married in the southern california area, i can recommend wonderful duo of photographers. very reasonably priced and super sweet ladies. make sure you book a photographer you like. you’ll be spending all day with him/her.
=)