Cinco de Mayo was extra special this year because my brother got married! His now-wife Meg has been part of our family for years and it was so much fun to celebrate at their wedding!
SMS and I made a weekend getaway out of it and started in Baltimore. Our hotel was near the Mt Vernon District and we went on a really nice walk Friday morning. We saw a small street fair. Then I saw a sign for a Fabergé exhibit at the Walters Museum, which is free to the public! After grabbing breakfast sandwiches at Jack and Zach food (which were delicious!), we went to the exbitit. There beautiful pieces from the Faberge workshop. The highlight of the collection were two Fabergé eggs of the approximately 50 ever made. One egg, the Rose Trellis Egg, was given to Alexandra by Nicholas II on the birth of their son. It was a love egg, green with garlands of patterned pink roses, 49 in all. The other had a miniature of Gatchina castle. Both eggs had exceptional fine-detail and I felt lucky to stumble across this treasure of an exhibit.
Then, we were off to Annapolis and a blue crab experience. We went to Cantler’s Riverside Inn. I had never been but it was the real deal- picnic tables with brown paper covers for those who ordered crabs. We ordered two to have the crab-cracking experience, in addition to a crab pretzel and crab cakes for SMS. It was on Mill Creek, a little outside Annapolis and I recommend! Afterwards, we walked through downtown Annapolis.
Then, it was off to Alexandria and the rehearsal dinner. My parents hosted it at Blackwell Hitch. It was a fantastic party. I saw my aunts and uncles, whom I really only see at family weddings. Everyone seemed to be doing really well in life and it was great to catch up. The food and drink were excellent. It was a gorgeous venue and I definitely wouldn’t mind going to another event there!
The next day, SMS and I grabbed breakfast at the Farmer’s Market. Ed and Meg had an afternoon wedding so it was time to get ready before I knew it. I ordered a yellow dress from Rent the Runway, which worked out really well. Brady wore another dress I had ordered so I felt I had done well for myself on the order. Plus, I feel that the company is quite ethical after reading this editorial in the Times just a few days later.
SMS and I had been tasked pre-wedding to pick up the taco catering bar. We were excited to help, especially since food is so important. Booze is more important but food is a close second! I don’t know what I was thinking though. For some reason, I thought we were picking up a few bags of tacos and then we’d come into the party like heroes, “Hey everyone, we brought the tacos.” Instead, it was a huge order that included frames, sternos, pans and sides. Our car was full. I don’t think I’ve ever had a more awesome car- it was a true taco mobile!
Then it was time for the wedding. The ceremony was really sweet. Before I knew it, Ed and Meg said I do/I will and they were husband and wife! Family pictures weren’t too painful and then it was time to party. It was a lot of mingling, talking, drinking, eating and a little dancing.
The after-party was in Old Town. The next day, we went to a small family brunch at Mom and Dad’s. Then it was time for SMS to head out. I spent the rest of the day with my folks, followed by dinner with Ed, Meg and friends in downtown DC. We hung out for the rest of the night at his friends’ suite, which was really a lot of fun. They know a really awesome group of people. I reluctantly left shortly after midnight since I had to get up at 4 the next morning. Yuck. After a fun weekend, it was pretty rough to end on such a sleep-deprived note but it was totally worth it!