A short post about something I mentioned last week — this year, I am thrilled to be attending a total of seven weddings. It’s a record high for me, but ’tis the season I guess! And truth be told, I’m looking forward to every single one. Almost all will serve as mini-vacations. The destinations range from Maine to Connecticut, Ireland to New York. The first wedding takes place this weekend — in Fort Lauderdale! My beach bags (and new bathing suit) are packed.

All these upcoming celebrations got me thinking — what is your favorite wedding movie of all time? Mine include Wedding Crashers, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Father of the Bride, and Bridesmaids. I’d love to hear your picks!

And don’t be surprised if you start to see more wedding-related content on my blog. A girl needs input about what to wear, gifts to bring, and destination advice, too. 🙂 

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A birthday toast to my dad — today he turns the big 6-0! Definitely a milestone birthday, and a very big deal. We celebrated this past weekend with a very successful surprise party, where plenty of pics taken over the years were shared. Here, I wanted to share a couple of photos from my first trip to NYC as a family. The first shot is of my dad and I at the Statue of Liberty; the second is with my sister, too, at Rockefeller Center. I have so many memories from this trip. 🙂

Happy Birthday, Dad! 

PS—More memories from this trip.

 

Last week, I blogged about starting a letter chain with friends. Oh, the delight of getting snail mail! 🙂 This week, I’m taking it a step further after learning about Biscuiteers, a charming bakery in London that, with just a click, enables you to send one-of-a-kind “pressies” to your friends. Choose from an extensive array of occasions to toast— the Queen’s Jubilee, the one-year anniversary of the Royal Wedding or, my personal favorite, a trip to Paris. From there, you can select the day you want your package of sugary confections delivered, and that’s it!

The best part? I checked—international delivery is available from Biscuiteers. But if you need a state-side option, I fully recommend these two bakeries here and here.

(Images via Biscuiteers and A Girl, A Style) 

I’ll admit: when it comes to cooking, I’m not the best chef. That said, I’ve made a 2012 commitment to showing noticeable improvement in my culinary skills. 🙂 My secret weapon? The help of my friend Shalah, who is a natural in the kitchen. Instead of splurging on high-cost cooking lessons, we have created a girl’s night where we choose a new recipe, one of us grabs the groceries, the other picks up a bottle of wine, and we get to work! I’m amazed at how much I have to learn. (If you don’t believe me, ask about my lemon zesting technique for the recipe above.)

For our first dish, we made Ina Garten’s lemon chicken from her Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That? cookbook. It was delicious! As side dishes, we made roasted brussels sprouts and potatoes. This week, we’re at it again with plans to attempt our own version of chicken parmesan. Details (and hopefully pics) to come!

Who taught you how to cook? Do you have any tried and true tips that every cook should know?

PS—I just picked up Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook — there are so many great recipes that I can’t wait to try!

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Happy weekend, my dear readers! This week flew by. What are your Saturday-Sunday plans? As the photo indicates above, I’m skipping town — off to Boston to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday. Such a milestone occasion! It’s a quick trip, but I can’t wait. Another exciting part of the weekend? The season 5 premiere of Mad Men. Finally! 🙂 Here, to get your weekend started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

A sip, a snack.

City prints.

Colorful method.

Life as a cloud.

You are sweet.

For the next sunny day.

Notes from Mia Nolting.

Pantone produce.

A visit to NY.

A subtle pop of color.

Travel bag.

(Image via Note to Self)