Everyone NEEDS Five Pieces of Cake! - Part 10,000 of the Wedding Chronicles

Half of the title is an exaggeration.
I will let you figure you which half.


On to the reception..........
After the wedding, the motor coaches drove us up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu.
About 45 minutes into this little adventure,
we were starting to wonder WHY?


Couldn't they find a reception place closer?
Then we arrive at Church Estate Vineyards.
Breathtaking! Unbelievable!


The estate includes a chateau, gardens with streams and a lake with a boathouse.
(Evidently, Fergie and Josh whoever got married here too and so did Natasha Bedingfield).

You walk through the Chateau to the back.  The grass was covered with tables.  We could wander through the gardens and down to the lake. There were bars and h'ordouvres on flagstone patios throughout the gardens.

We mixed and mingled.

I've never met a friendlier group.

You could easily turn to people at the bar or standing around talking and strike up a conversation.

"Are you friends with the bride or the groom?"

And everyone would chat away.

We had plenty of time to chat before dinner too,

Town and Country magazine was there to do a photo shoot of the newlyweds

and they delayed the dinner.

The boathouse down by the lake, where we would go for dancing after the dinner.

Where the band would play.

The "new" dance floor.  There wasn't a dance floor here before.  So the bride and groom had one built.

One of the 40 dinner tables.

My dinner table

Yes, that is an engraved menu with my name in calligraphy at the top.  Each of the 350 guests had one.  I guess that cuts out last minute menu changes!

My niece and Ryan Tedder (the One Republic guy)

I told you EVERYONE was nice!

The meal was delicious.  The toasts flowed. 

Armie being goofy!

 The sun set.  The band started to play.  We all followed the flagstone path down to the boathouse on the lake.  There were security guys all along the way, shining flashlights on the path so that no one would stumble.  Oh, I forgot to say that we all were offered new flip flops to wear, in case we didn't want to wear our heels anymore.

The wedding cake - one layer was a special princess cake, another was coconut.

The grooms cake - with a Hammer - get it?

They also had a whole separate dessert station with what were called "Sentimental Selections."

There were desserts from the all over the country or basically, the bride and groom's favorites:

Caramel Cake from Mississippi,

individual cups of Blue Bell Ice Cream from Texas,

Macaroons,

Petit Fours,

Chocolate Mud Pie Cookies........

well, you get the idea.

And I HAD to try everything!  We danced and ate and danced and ate until it was time to leave for the after party.

Oh but I won't leave you hanging -

I met so many people, I can't remember who I met.  I should have written it all down.

I met

Joe Manganiello - He's the werewolf on HBO's True Blood. Nope. Never seen it.

Kristoffer Polaha - main character of Life Unexpected on the CW - Nope. Never seen it.

A bunch of people who worked on "Billy" the film Armie starred in about Billy Graham.

Giles Netter - the producer of Blind Side - Nope, still haven't seen it.

See, all these famous people are a complete waste on me!

I met more talent agents, screenwriters, producers, and various actresses and actors - none of whom I knew.

But EVERYONE was nice, nice, nice.

I have never seen a more gracious bride and groom - who actually spent time with every guest.

I have never been to wedding like it and I will never go to another one like it.