Andy and Kristy’s Wedding Celebration: My Thoughts
Taken by Morinico Photography
Sharing this playlist with all of you, as the songs mean so much to us.
Thank you to all who joined us in our celebration. We love you.
Special thanks to Cristian Morinico and Morinico Photography.
Here is a link to all of the pictures captured that day:
Kristy & Andy’s Wedding Celebration
Cake by Pushkin’s Bakery and Floral Decoration done by Relles Florist.
Food catered by Florez Bar & Grill.
Event venue: Caverna 57.
I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect party or better guests, and I was so lucky to have my mom with me. Thank you, Diana Hicks for traveling so far to be by my side to help me with my dress and to listen to my vows as I said them to Andy. I know it’s a hard trip, but I love it when you come see me and I TRY to keep you entertained for a couple of days.
Thank you to my loving and supportive husband. You really are the best and I got to be queen for a day TWICE! 🙂 I hope you enjoyed everything as much as I did.
Lots of happiness and memories to come!
We’re Married! (Part Three)
Forgive the RBF (resting b*tch face) in the photo. Quite honestly, I’ll never forget how happy and excited I was when I took it. It was taken in our hotel room at the SLS Las Vegas, right before we left for the Mon Bel Ami chapel for our ceremony. Andy was in the bathroom and I had just finished getting ready myself. It was finally about to happen. I know, we’re on installment part three of the wedding in Las Vegas, and I still can’t believe it.
But first (a little earlier in the day) we had a little lunch with drinks at the Foxtail Pool and bar at our hotel. This lunch/drinking session was both the best and the worst idea ever. Why? Well…. we had this great drink (Absolut Frozen Lemonade) with vodka and lemon in it. It was probably one of the best drinks I have ever had. Best of course meaning overwhelmingly yummy and best also meaning highly intoxicating! Was it OK to get completely wasted before walking down the aisle? Probably not, but we kiiiinda did. And there was the great food we had with the adult beverage! I ordered the Ahi Poke Tacos and Andy ordered the Caesar Salad with Shrimp.
Oh those tacos, though! They had a yuzu crème fraîche and a truffle soy sauce. Yes, I think everything in Las Vegas has truffle or truffle flavoring involved. 🙂
After our lunch, we headed back up to the room to nap. Though, I don’t think I napped because I had to start getting ready for the ceremony. I gave myself SO MUCH TIME because I wanted my hair and makeup to be perfect. I decided on my Amore Brittany in Medium Brown, and decided to set her the night before in foam rollers.
I remember being very nervous, only because I thought something might go wrong. I was completely ready to get married to Andy… just super concerned about my dress, hair, makeup… then also worried about the place where we had chosen to get married… was it going to be as nice as it looked online? Was anyone going to be there to marry us when we showed up?
Yes. There were people there when we arrived to the Mon Bel Ami. Fun fact: The chapel is located about 3-3.5 blocks away from where you have to go to get your marriage license. We took care of that the day before, though. 🙂
Here’s a look inside the chapel at Mon Bel Ami in Las Vegas. It was just what we needed to get the job done! A big thanks goes out to the staff at the Mon Bel Ami. They really made everything perfect for our special day.
And in case you missed it (HINT: you did because it was just the two of us!!) Here’s the ceremony itself:
My bouquet that was included in the wedding package we bought.
And that was it! We were married and now on to more important things! Like EATING DINNER! 🙂 Seriously, though, I remember sitting in the car after the ceremony and taking a deep breath and just feeling joy. And taking note of that feeling so that I could remember it forever no matter what happens.
We decided to celebrate/have dinner that night at Top of the World in the Stratosphere Hotel. I mean, why not wear your ceremony garb and have your wedding dinner rotating 844 feet in the air!
On the way to the restaurant (in the lobby and casinos of the Stratosphere) people saw us (obviously by our clothing just married) and called out to us/cheered to us their congratulations. It was a beautiful scene! One man even stopped us to take selfies before we took the long elevator ride up to the restaurant. I wish I knew who that guy was… I would have loved to see those pictures.
Speaking of pictures, I took so many from our table, but here are just a few of the view (followed by a rundown of what we had for dinner). 🙂
We were there just before the sun started to set and I believe we were able to go around almost 3 times and see the 360° view of Las Vegas. It was just stunning. And Andy looked stunning…
More deep breathes. This man is my husband now! I can’t believe it! This calls for bubbly! And not just any bubbly, but Champagne in an awesome looking bottle!
Our somm for the evening gave us excellent service. He found out in about 2 sentences that we are two of the biggest wine geeks around, so he stayed at our table for some time to chat. I hope we go back someday and see him again.
Our dinner itself began with the Crab Cake (Lump crab, jicama and green papaya slaw, Asian vinaigrette, Peppadew aioli) followed by a duo of Carpaccio & Tartare (Australian wagyu, Peppadew aioli, truffle salt, lemon). Notice how they snuck in truffle AGAIN?!? Ha! It’s so Las Vegas.
Then it was the Colorado Rack of Lamb for Andy (Hoisin orange sesame glaze, crispy rice cake, Las Vegas grown Swiss chard, demi-glace)
And the Organic Half Chicken for me! (Semi-boneless chicken, roasted Yukon Gold potato, corn salsa, crème fraîche, demi-glace).
I am pretty sure we stuck with the bottle of Champagne and then had wine by the glass. Andy ordered this mango sorbet for dessert. The red object in the glass is actually plastic, not isomalt (ingredient used in cake decorating).
We also snapped a few pictures of each other during dinner. What a handsome guy!
Ready to dive into some chicken!!
That ring looks so GOOD on him! 🙂 This was taken AFTER I tried to eat the plastic thingy that was indeed NOT sugar or isomalt.
I’m Mrs. Harris, it’s official!
Hello, World! Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Andrew Harris.
And I took this photo of me right before bedtime. What a perfect, beautiful, sacred, day! And the best part is there are so many more to come. We decided that day we would come back to Las Vegas every year on our anniversary because it was just so much fun and so memorable.
I am happy and content like I never was before. Thank you, Andy.
And that’s it. We closed the door to our room at the SLS Hotel the next morning and this is the parting shot. See you next year!
And they lived happily ever after…
We’re Married! (Part One)
I feel slightly guilty about not writing anything for this website since November. To be honest, there wasn’t much to write about over the holidays, and pitches in my inbox have not been very interesting or have not been a good fit. So I decided to come back with something very personal which I would enjoy writing about and definitely love reading many times over the years. Please indulge me as I recall the most perfect weekend of my life (so far), March 17-20th, 2017, our trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, where Andy and I got married.
We flew out on St. Patrick’s Day (Friday) on Southwest Airlines directly to Las Vegas from Sacramento, which is probably one of the easiest and shortest flights in existence. I ran 10 miles that morning (it was weigh-in day) and I was doing everything I could do look good for the ceremony (planned for Sunday), so I didn’t have the free cocktail offered to us on the plane (it was only about 3:30 when we took off, and a little early for me anyway).
Thanks to a late(r) check-in, we didn’t get to sit together––Andy was sitting directly in front of me––and I was sandwiched in between two guys in their twenties, passing the time by doing a crossword puzzle (which is one of my go-to things to do to occupy myself on an airplane). People are so weird with their window/aisle seat obsessions. I was admittedly overly annoyed with having to sit between two “bros” and not be able to sit beside Andy. It’s just that I love our time together and know that it’s finite. I already don’t spend enough time with him because we both work so much. I love the person he is while we are on vacation. Andy really likes to have fun when it’s time to have fun. I love that about him. I love sitting beside him and looking over at his profile and his face and I love holding his hand. I love it that he kind of ribs me about stuff. But, I love that he makes me laugh sometimes when I least expect it.
Anyway, I just sat there in my seat and prayed that the flight would be done soon and that my wedding dress (which I had checked in the larger of the two suitcases we checked) would arrive with me along with my designer dress I rented and all of my cosmetics and skincare products. See, it takes a lot to make me look like a girl…I mean, Industrial Light and Magic would shudder at the job. I was on the verge of hiring a team for hair and makeup for this trip, but ultimately I decided I had enough faith in my own skills.
We landed soon, and I was reunited with Andy. We were able to find our luggage right away and get the rental car fairly quickly. Our trip to Las Vegas was a package deal with flight, hotel and rental car all rolled into one cost. I think it was around $1500. I tell you that only because I want to look back ten years from now and laugh/cry about how affordable this trip was.
Our hotel reservation was for the SLS Hotel and Casino, mainly because we wanted to see a show at the same hotel on the next evening. And not just any show, but Saturday Night Live alumni Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz. We figured it would be so great to have dinner at our hotel, then walk across the casino into the nightclub to see two of our favorite comedians, and then be able to walk back to the elevator to head up to our room. We stayed on the 19th floor, room #311933.
We checked in around 5:30 or 6:00, and huddled on where we might go to dinner. The only criteria I had was that I wanted to eat at a celebrity chef-owned restaurant (that night). We had already made plans for Saturday and Sunday night dinner destinations, so this was the only night we weren’t sure where we would end up. We decided to try Guy Fieri’s Las Vegas Kitchen and Bar at the LINQ. Aaaand cue the food and beverage pics!! 🙂
We arrived at the restaurant around 7:30-7:45, and there was probably a 30 minute wait. We really didn’t give a damn. We were both so happy to be in Las Vegas and all checked into our hotel, and to be at Guy Fieri’s restaurant.
To all the Guy Fieri haters, I don’t know what you’re mad about. Maybe you’re just extremely jealous. For me, I find Guy Fieri’s story extremely fascinating. Andy and his mother actually met him during the Tex Wasabi days in Sacramento. I saw him live at a food and wine festival and thought he was very entertaining. I am not sure what all the negativity is about. At the bar, we were actually excited to wait for a table amidst all the St. Patrick’s Day partying and shenanigans of others (which were actually entertaining to watch, as we could see a lot of people were having bachelor/bachelorette parties). While we waited for a table, I had a vodka and diet coke (came with one of those giant ice cubes I like), and Andy had a white wine blend.
We were seated fairly quickly and again, I just remember being so excited about the weekend to come (and all the food and beverages, OK, that, too)! We decided that we would order the Triple T Fries (because I am obsessed with Truffle flavored anything). The description on the menu is as follows: Julienned-cut fries tossed with black truffle & truffle infused gouda, served with a creamy white truffle dip.
For my entrée, I ordered the Italian Deli Salad (crown of prosciutto-wrapped smoked provolone, imported Italian meats and cheeses, romaine lettuce, olives and pickled Italian veggies with chicken breast added). The prosciutto was the largest piece I have ever seen and very thick. I thought I was taking the light way out by getting a salad, but I can imagine Guy himself laughing in my face at my attempt.
Andy ordered the Flat Iron Steak and Smashed Potatoes (8 oz. prime flat iron steak, seared and sliced with garlic smashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, onion straws and chimichurri sauce).
And to pair with our meal, we ordered a Red Wine Blend by Hunt and Ryde Winery, produced by Guy Fieri and named after his sons, Hunter and Ryder.
We had to call it a night fairly early because we had business to take care of the next day (workout, wedding license, tuxedo rental) before dinner and the show we had come to Las Vegas to see: Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz: Reunited, so we headed back to the SLS Hotel immediately after dinner.
The next day, we were off to the Clark County Courthouse to get our marriage license. And that’s where I will pick up with Part Two of We’re Married!
Gluten and Sugar Free Baking in Sacramento
OK, I know how that sounds. To anyone on a standard American diet, sugar free and gluten free sound like flavor free. I am here to change your mind! 🙂
On Sunday, I retired my old website, cakegrrl.com. I didn’t see the point of maintaining the blog because the name alone is 180° degrees from the lifestyle I now lead. The site contained hundreds of recipes containing processed food, wheat, sugar, etc. and I just didn’t want to tie myself to any of that anymore.
So now, here it is… I have redirected the cakegrrl.com traffic to this site, and I am hoping my long time readers will embrace the change. One thing I decided I would do over the weekend, is make myself available for hire again as a baker. The only catch is that the treats I make will be gluten and sugar free, as well as entirely from scratch and made from organic ingredients whenever possible.
Last year, I had high aspirations of being on the Food Network show Cupcake Wars, and my pals Ryan Donahue and Moriah Piper helped me make an audition video. Though I didn’t make it on the show, this video shows some of what I can do, why I believe in gluten/sugar free, and it still makes me smile when I watch it. 🙂
Is a cake made from almond flour Paleo? Hmm… not exactly, but the desserts I make are far more healthy and nutrient dense than a cake made with vegetable shortening, flour, and sugar (not to mention soy, soybean oil and artificial colors/flavors). Everything you see in the slideshow above is gluten and free of refined sugar. The chocolate I use for my truffles, cookies, cakes etc. is 70% cacao content or higher.
If you have a gluten allergy, or have adopted a gluten-free or Paleo lifestyle for whatever reason, and you are looking for someone to cater dessert or a cake for your event, you can contact me at misscavegrrl at gmail. I am especially interested in working with gluten free or Paleo brides-to-be! Cheers!
Picture of me was taken by Debbie Cunningham. Check out her Facebook page here!
cavegrrl.com 
