The Cure

We are so blessed to have a dear friend who remembers our anniversary each summer. She's the friend who made my wedding dress.  At the time that we were married, only Civil Unions had gone into effect and we would wait another year for our Civil Union to change into a marriage. When she was telling friends that she was making a Civil Union dress they asked if it was blue or gray. Which isn't so far off of a question as one might think. You see, we live a block from a Civil War reenactment that occurs each year on the same weekend we were planning our ceremony. This story has brought us so many laughs over the years. 

This same awesome friend also threw us an amazing bachorlette party before our big day. I love outdoor dinner parties and she planned the perfect evening of wine and food. The music at the winery has also given us many years of giggles but we will always remember that night! 

Every year since then we have had our CURE (Civil Union Re Enactment). An evening with good food and drinks but even better friends enjoying life. This year we hosted in our gorgeous backyard. It's unseasonably cool this weekend and it was so comfortable sitting outside for an evening of wining and dining. The food was delicious- shrimp, fruit, fruit dip, lentil salad, anti-pasta platters, vegetable trays, hummus, champagne and champagne cookies. I had hibiscus flowers in elderberry syrup and had been waiting to use them in champagne. We learned about this drink while in Las Vegas a few years ago and I just love it! 

The tablescape was a simple one. I wasn't sure if it would be raining and we would have to move inside or into the cabana. The plates are actually plastic and I just got them from Pier 1 Imports on clearance! The napkins are also from Pier 1 Imports. I had fun making the place cards using wine corks from our favorite winery and old buttons. The base that I have our little flags in is candle holder that my grandmother had painted. Our wine glasses are little mason jars that we use for lots of our outdoor parties. I added the wine stem markers along with the buttons to make them fit for our theme.