OMG Annie she is just adorable.The gown is beautiful on her.I think that is how every Mom dreams of seeing their little girl look on their wedding day, just like a princess.

june

Prince William, eat you heart out. This one is better than Kate.

She is so beautiful and happy, even that little fabric doggie can't help but turn to stare.

A smile that's worth a thousand cannelonis.

dcarch

She makes that gown look so beautiful!

She looks so beautiful, Annie, and I can see how much she loves her dress.

I hope the wedding goes exactly as planned.

Annie, What a beautiful daughter you have. She will be a beautiful bride in that dress.

Now, how much of the food are you making. This wedding is in May isn't it. That's why you can't go to see John Besh, right?

Karen

She looks beautiful and I think that's a beautiful dress!
I wore something quite similar: full tulle skirt, beaded top.

What a classic wedding dress, on such a beautiful bride.

Hey, this suggests a thread - pictures of our wedding dresses, with food comparisons optional.

Since I didn't wear one, I'll have to be an admiring spectator.

FOAS, I don't know how th eheck she's going to use the bathroom, it took me and Ashley both to hold Amanda's dress up and it wasn't half as "poofy". it should be entertaining. (grin)

Karen, Elery and I are making all the food. We're figuring 350 people and Ashley chose the menu. Lasagna, chicken alfredo and cannelloni stuffed with ricotta and spinach. Bruschetta, garlic bread, caesar salad, some vegetable yet to be determined but not green because we already have the salad and the spinach in the cannelloni and broccoli in the alfredo. Not corn either, too starchy, maybe glazed carrots.

I'm also baking the wedding cake and half a dozen sheet cakes, she wants Texas Sheet Cake because it's her favorite and the wedding cake will be white or yellow, that's the only kind the groom likes.

Actually, we're discussing having the top tier pistachio, the middle tier lemon or orange and the bottom tier plain white.

And yes, it'll be black and white. The bottom tier is striped black and white, the middle tier is scrolled black and white and the top tier is white with black polkadots. MmmmmHmmmmmm. I'm working on a big black crysanthymum with white polkadots, made of fondant. We'll see how that goes.

Jessica, The Princess has a white dress, I'll try to get a picture of it this weekend. She's also minus five front teeth, so she looks like a jack o lantern in a white dress, LOL. Bruvver is wearing black pants, black shoes, white shirt, black tie. He currently has a broken nose from dodge ball and so he has two black eyes to go with the black and white theme, LOL.

Nancy, I think every little girl in Michigan had one of those doll cakes at some point in their lives, my Grandmother knocked them out for every birthday until I was about 13. Ashley says to tell you she loves you, BTW. I'll bring the Cambro back after the wedding, it's going to be so useful keeping lasagna hot, so thank you again for the loan of that amazing piece of equipment.

Woodie, don't cry. Come to the wedding and drink vodka with me!

You're all invited, you know, I'll post an invitation. Yes, they were black and white, LOL.

John, my wedding dress was $89 at JCPenney and I did my own alterations. Life is different now...

dcarch, that smile is only worth 700 cannelloni. As of last night, I have 420 in the freezer, just a few hundred to go!

Thanks, everyone, May 21 is coming up fast. I still have to make croutons for the caesar salad too. Anyone know how far in advance I can make croutons?

Annie

Gorgeous, just gorgeous she is, and so is the dress. She radiates joy.

Annie, you are a braver person than I am.

Sally

The dress is perfect. Classic, with a touch of fairy tale thrown in for good measure.

She is beautiful.

"Happy" is definitely the first word that popped into my mind. She's radiant! And beautiful! Wow.

And Annie, you are incredibly beautiful for making food for 350 people! If I were close enough I'd be there. And I'd be helping!

Mazel Tov!

When Wedding Dresses Attack.

You know, Ashley is the epitome of a princess, in her beautiful wedding gown.
And I can only imagine the groom's reaction when she's (gently) pushed through the church door, and down the aisle.

AB,I'm mystified by how very quickly our little girls have grown up. I think I'll have a good cry.

Sol

Oh, my birthday friend is soooooooooooo pretty! There will be a lot of disappointed young men at her wedding I bet :-)
And she looks so joyful, just like someone about to be married should. Pass on my love and best wishes please Annie! (And tell the groom he better be good to Ashley, or I will get someone to point the bone at him.....)

She is absolutely beautiful and beaming. She is stunning in that dress which is perfect for her. I wouldn't change a thing about the dress! Sure hope she doesn't get lasagna on it!

Those are some great pictures Annie, and you captured the moments and feelings of the dress perfectly. I see another happy occasion on the near horizon!

Annie - I've never seen a cake like that. Perhaps my mother made stuff like that when it was just me and my sister Mari. But then 10 more kids came along and she was probably lucky to get the frosting on the cake before little hands got to it first.

Oh, I have made many of those cakes! And the cupcake-sized ones, too!

I just cannot believe this is Ashley!!! NO WAY! Wow! She is just beyond gorgeous!

And how wonderful are you? Making all that food! Good gravy, Annie, do you ever, EVER stop?

I assume Ashley will be going on a honeymoon when it's all over...but what are YOU going to do?!!! You deserve a "mother-of-the-bride, now it's MY turn to rest" vacation!! Or two, or three, or...

Lovely dress, beautiful bride!
Smiles,
Sooz

Ditto what sooz said.

:)

She will be a beautiful, beautiful bride!!! And did I read the wedding is May 21st? We celebrated 50 years last May 21st. Such a lovely time of year. You're probably doing all the flowers too.LOL

jude

Oh my, Annie, your daughter is beautiful and the dress is amazing. May 21st isn't that far away, is it?

The food that you're cooking sounds absolutely delicious! You must have a lot of freezer space to store 700 cannelloni. Do you have to thaw them before you reheat them or do you just throw them in the oven frozen? It's going to be such a memorable day for all of you!

Sally, that's not bravery, it's mental illness. (grin)

Sol, don't cry. Yes, the girls have certainly grown up, haven't they? Sigh.

Beverly, she's my girl. I can personally guarantee that she'll spill SOMETHING on the dress. Guaranteed...

Colleen, the groom is a local police officer so be careful, he's armed. Ashley is a lot more dangerous than he is, though, he's a sweetheart and spoils her even more rotten than she already is. I'll let her know that her "birthday twin" from OZ is sending lots of good wishes, though.

Claire, lots of happy occasions in my life, that's for sure!

Deb, nope, I never stop. I might not want to start again, LOL. And no vacation either, Elery's 9 year old grandson is coming from California in June to spend a week here, so we'll have our hands full. Again. Elery did mention that, since there have been 3 weddings in 12 months, if no one gets married next year maybe we can afford to go on vacation. Poor guy has had to spend the last two winters here in Michigan, and he likes to go somewhere warm each year. So, maybe next year.

50 years, Jude? Good for you, that's quite an accomplishment. Hopefully it's a good omen for Ashley and Kevin.

Lisa, I have a couple of full sized chest freezers which are usually full of grass fed and home grown beef. I didn't put beef in the freezer last fall, so I have just about enough room for the cannelloni and a couple of big trays of lasagna. Elery has a big freezer at his place too, so a couple more lasagnas will go in there.

I put a bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan, put the frozen cannelloni on top, a bit more sauce, some cheese and only about 20 minutes in the oven and they are done. The homemade pasta is delicate enough that it doesn't take long to cook. I think a bigger pan is going to naturally take more time, but it's pretty quick and easy.

Annie

What an amazing coincidence, Annie- my DH is also a police- don't tell me the groom's birthday is July 27 or that will be REALLY spooky. Our 28th anniversary is coming up this year, something must have worked (despite my mother's dire predictions :-) )

Colleen, I knew that, I just didn't know if you wanted it mentioned here. I really didn't want her to marry into law enforcement, the hours are long, the job is dangerous and officers see so many things...being an officer's wife is not easy, as you know from personal experience.

And I'm ashamed to say that I don't know when his birthday is, heck, I barely remember my own at this point!

Annie

She's just glowing !!

Doesn't seem like she can be that old already--

Ya did another good job Mom!!

Ohhhhhhhh Annie! Our little girl has grown up, hasn't she?

I'm with Sol, I'm just gonna sit right down and have a good cry.

Oh Annie, Ashley looks like dream with a twinkle in her eye! I will admit that I was concerned when her engagement came during the chaos of Amanda's wedding festivities, but with your blessing and from the look in her eye, I predict a happy outcome.

You're the glue of that family. and they are very lucky to have someone like you to do it ALL! Planning a wedding is stressful enough,let alone cooking for 350. Then again, we already knew how special you ARE!

. . . sigh . . . breathtakingly beautiful!! I remember the doll cakes you are talking about, but none of them looked this exquisite :)

Beautiful bride, beautiful dress. But she does have to stay upright, no matter what. LOL or I think so.

Oh man, she is smimply GORGEOUS Annie. Congratulations to everyone!!

Having 5 sisters I remember those Barbie Cakes back in the day.

David

Say Yes to the Dress! She looks so pretty. What a perfect bride she will be.

Great mom. Great daughter. Thank you Annie and Ashley for making me smile!

Ann

Yes, I agree she looks like a princess. She's beautiful and I love her choice of dress, it looks perfect for her.

Oh my gosh!! Your daughter is gorgeous, and her dress is a princess's dream come true! I can't believe you're doing all the food for 350~it'll be an amazing day~I'd help if I lived closer!
My daughter had a doll cake her Mimi bought for her fourth birthday~I can still see the look on her face when she saw that cake...26 years ago! Time flies when you're having fun! Good luck with everything!
Jeannie

Wow Annie, she's so very beautiful! That dress is great and the falling over pics are priceless! LOL! What a good sport she is.

Glad that food prep is marching on. Yes, just keep thinking warm next winter. Soon this will be over, and you'll have all those beautiful memories.

I love it! Absolutely beautiful!!!

Such a beautiful bride-to-be and such a beautiful wedding gown! I wish Ashley and Kevin a long and happy life together.

This wedding is certainly a step above the "red-neck wedding" from years gone by! I still laugh when I remember your posts about that one!

Teresa

She looks sooooo happy. Hope it's a wonderful day.

Annie, Is this the social event of the year for your area? I wouldn't be surprised as you can put on quite a party!
And I thought my DD's wedding was challenging (Florence, Italy) with translations, photographers, villa, horse & carriage, international documentation, food, etc.

Ashley is so lovely! She always is, and the wedding will be beautiful. I hope you aren't too tired to enjoy it!

My apologies Annie!!!! It has been pointed out to me that my response on this thread was very catty. In my mind I was thinking that I couldn't have pulled off what you are doing. My wedding plans included only 8 people and I had a wedding planner on the ground in Italy. Additionally, I was thinking the grandeur of your event must have your neighbors in awe of your ability to accomplish so much for so many.

Apologies again,
Cathy

Ha! Look at that smile!

Can't beat that!

I've been away a lot, in the past few weeks, and I'm just catching up on this thread now. Ashley is positively glowing! The dress is fairytale-gorgeous, and she'll be a beautiful bride. All good wishes to Ashley, Kevin, and the proud (but exhausted) parents!

Sue

Thanks everyone, I don't think I dare show this to Ashley, she's going to get a big head!

Cathy, don't worry about it. I know that everyone has their own way of doing things and I know you aren't malicious at all. At least I don't have to deal with a florist, a caterer, flights, accomodations or foreign languages! Ashley did hire a photographer, but that's her problem.

Social event? ROFL. We don't have "social events" here, and I've never heard anyone refer to any local wedding as a social event. It will be a heck of a good party, though, so if you want to come to Michigan, come on up, I'll have a cranberry juice and limoncello ready for you. You'll be safe, every cop and fire fighter in the county will be here!

Annie

WOW, just WOW is all I can say!! What a beautiful bride!

Annie, I've been away for a couple of weeks so I'm just getting to this. Sweat equity is a good thing! LOL! Think of all the money your saving by doing this yourself...I wish I had that kind of energy!

I'm going to lay down now because you make me tired...:-)

Karen, sweat equity IS a good thing, besides, we don't have much that resembles a caterer around here. I remember that Ben and Jeannette paid $9 per person and got turkey roll, canned green beans, just heated and nothing else, and some green salad. Oh, and stale dinner rolls. Coffee, tea and water. And that was over in Holland, a much more "big town" kind of place than I'm in.

So I'll save a lot of money, the food will be good and Ashley will be happy. A good time will be had by all, even if it does look like "march of the penguins" with all that black and white!

Annie

I love the sneak peek and am looking forward to the actual event. Ashley will be radiant and gorgeous, and the food and drink will be plentiful and delicious. You are a wonderful Mom to do all this.

I think it will be the "party of the year" even though you don't want to call it a social event. I smile every time you post more about it - I love weddings.

Lee

Gorgeous dress! Gorgeous bride! She looks like she is having a ball.

I do remember those cakes. I actually think most wedding gowns resemble wedding cakes. Future Mrs. Thing One chose a more mermaid-shaped one, but even that one looks like frosting to me. I'd show you but I'm sworn to secrecy!

I volunteer to help with all that cooking. I'm pretty near you, right?

I can't wait for the pictures.

She really does look stunningly happy and beautiful, Annie. I also can't wait for the pics and the recap.

D's Bar Mitzvah is the same day - so I'll toast you right before we do the hora!

AM

Annie, When my next daughter gets married (may not happen :0), and if i paid you, will you come to Louisiana and do the food? This is the kind of wedding she and I would want to have. I have been thinking about this all day!

Ashley is such a lucky bride!