“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”

George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright (1856-1950)

I only somewhat agree with George Bernard Shaw. When you’re hungry especially, there is no love affair sincerer than the one between you and food – no one can argue with that! But there is one little problem… food love is not reciprocal! Haha. That’s where marriage comes in. Just kidding. I wholeheartedly believe that there is no love sincerer than that between two lovers (who are also best friends) on their wedding day. Yes – I’m a “hopeful” romantic as I like to say: I believe in the hope that love brings into any relationship. Without love, our souls wilt and can slowly cease to hope (which is the worst thing that can happen to a person). Weddings are literally the antithesis of this : they are celebrations of love and of hope, and that’s why I love ‘em!

For the past two weekends in a row, Sherif and I attended weddings in Chicago, and then in New York. The first was the wedding of a good friend of ours, and the second was for Sherif’s cousin. The newlywed couples at both weddings had a recognizable passion for each other that I found really touching! Looking at them dancing joyously and glancing at each other with love reminded me of our wedding last year (can’t believe it’s been almost a whole year – wow!)…

Both weddings were very elegant and a lot of fun. I loved the decor – especially all the lovely details (I never miss those!). I was really happy about the fact that both receptions were especially lively when it came to music and dancing! This is huge for me Personally, I love weddings that are emphatically festive, and a little loud, but still classy

Of course, I love good food (not a surprise, haha), and both weddings had fantastic displays during the cocktail hour, and great dinner entrées. Sherif and I brought our camera and made sure to get some detail shots of the food and decor (a few of which I’m sharing today). Of course, we took a ton of shots of the couples and of the event, but I’m not sure if they want them posted on the internet :-p … So, here are a few select shots that I thought were à propos for this blog

Wedding I on May 8, 2010 in Chicago

Invitation and crystal swan wedding favor:

Place cards were creatively made out of rolled and wrapped papyrus, and beautifully arranged amidst small candles:

Hors d’œuvres and cocktail:

Ancient-Egyptian-themed menu with reception card and papyrus:

The main dish was butter filet mignon and lightly crusted chicken breast with a Marsala mushroom sauce:

Wedding cake:

The dessert was Peaches Emilio (Georgia peaches over vanilla ice cream with warm butter rum sauce and fresh basil – you’d be surprised how well the basil augmented this dessert!):

Wedding II on May 16, 2010 in New York

Wedding favor:

What’s the best thing about attending a wedding, in your opinion? Can you recall your favorite wedding dining experience?

Here’s a photo from our wedding last year – we made sure we had authentic Middle Eastern food at our reception – go figure! :-p