While we feel particularly drawn to heart-shaped food around February 14th, it’s adorable any time of the year! Brunch treats lend themselves particularly well. You could choose to forgo a rehearsal dinner for a rehearsal brunch with these heart-shaped pancakes, waffles, and muffins. Serve with fresh strawberries and some garnish, and you’ll have a meal almost too beautiful to eat. For dessert, consider serving these gorgeous mini-cheesecakes, or offer a dessert table filled with heart-themed cookies and pastries.

Whether your wedding is Valentine’s Day-themed, or just based around love, consider incorporating edible representations of romance. With a premise as sweet and fun as “the day of love,” it’s hard to go wrong. What are your ideas for a Valentine’s Day Adirondack wedding? Please share in the comment below!

— Story by Elizabeth R. Davidson

Pearls will forever be a classic for wedding day wear. Edible pearls on your wedding cake or cupcakes, however, is a new and adorable concept! Chat with your baker if you’d like to replicate this look at your Adirondack wedding. In the meantime, stay warm!

Considering black in your color scheme? Let us know in the comments below!

There are many ways to incorporate autumn hues into your wedding, from pumpkins used as aisle runners to color-coordinated cupcake sprinkles. What are your ideas for a unique October wedding? Feel free to share in the comments below. Happy Halloween!

This cake is perfect for an engagement party, bridal shower, or as a tasty complement to a dinner at home for two. If you enjoy baking from scratch, give the following recipe a whirl. If you’re pressed for time (or patience!), simply use a lemon-flavored cake mix and top with the homemade strawberry frosting outlined below.

Cake ingredients:

1 cup of butter at room temperature (2 sticks)
1 3/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon zest
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup of buttermilk
8-10 large strawberries, sliced

Directions:

In a bowl, mix the butter, sugar, and lemon zest and beat until the texture is light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Mix the ingredients in the first bowl on low speed and slowly add in the eggs, one at a time, making sure to combine fully in between. Add the lemon juice and mix. (It’s normal for the batter to look curdled at first!) Add in about 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/2 of the buttermilk. Once it is mixed thoroughly, add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and the other 1/2 of the buttermilk. Mix thoroughly. Finally, add the remaining 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Dividing the dry ingredients will help give the batter a light and fluffy texture.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray two round 9-inch pans with baking spray and distribute the cake mix evenly into them. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Make sure to let the cakes cool before removing them from the pans. While the cakes are cooling, make the strawberry buttercream frosting.

Strawberry buttercream frosting ingredients:

1 cup of butter, softened
5 cups of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of whole milk
2-4 large strawberries, chopped

Directions:

Put the butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl and mix on medium speed. Mix until the frosting is pale and fluffy. (This usually takes about 3 minutes.) Add the milk and the chopped strawberries and mix together on high speed. You should mix the frosting until it is extremely fluffy and a light pink color with flakes of strawberries.

Once the cakes have cooled, place one on a cake plate. Carefully frost the cake and add a layer of sliced strawberries on the top. Place the second cake on top of that and add frosting. Carefully add frosting to the outside edges of the cake and top it off with sliced strawberries. Put the cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes for the frosting to set. Then, serve at room temperature.

Want even more strawberry flavor? To round out dessert, pair it with a colorful (and flavorful) strawberry cocktail.

This tangy-sweet cake is a perfect way to reflect on the past season while looking forward to the autumn days ahead!

— Story by Heidi LaPoint

In choosing wedding colors, many local brides and grooms seek to incorporate colors that are a natural part of the Adirondack landscape. Using a field of wheat as our starting point, we choose some of our favorite gold-toned photos to inspire you. The warm glow of gold brings out the natural brown hues of wood slabs, maple syrup, and birch bark (both real birch bark, and birch bark frosting!). To incorporate gold into your wedding colors, try gold candles, or an elegant draping of fabric across your reception tent or hall. Yellow-tinged peonies glow brilliantly in the sunlight. And don’t forget the power of color in your wedding attire! We chose a gold bridesmaid dress from Marks & Spencer that is stylish, adorable, and just a little bit retro. Short dresses are fantastic for warm summer weddings!

Are you considering including gold in your Adirondack wedding? Let us know! Like the board? Pin it, share it, and check back soon for more boards to come!

{Board photo credits: reception photo by Clark + Walker Studio; wood-burned initials with wedding rings by Elario Photography; bridesmaid dress image courtesy of Marks & Spencer; all others, Greer Cicarelli Photography.}

    
What we love the most about this first shot is that the wildflowers on the table are framed by the yellow buttercups growing just beyond the fence.
    




    
What are the flowers, you ask? We suspect the main purple buds might be a form of milkweed. Below, to the upper left of the bouquet is purple cirsium, more commonly known as thistle. Toward the upper right is a buttercup. And the other yellow flower is goldenrod, which is often confused with ragweed and unfairly blamed for causing hay fever. Unlike ragweed, however, goldenrod pollen is too heavy and sticky to be blown into the wind, where it could otherwise trigger allergic reactions.
    

    
Are we correct in our assessment of milkweed? Tell us in the comments below! For more summer wildflowers, also check out our recent Adirondack wildflower round-up. For flower arrangements of a professional nature, check out our online flowers gallery!

    
Ready for more floral goodness? Check out professional flower arrangements by Adirondack florists in our online flowers gallery!