Wedding Bells & Willow on the Wascana

How do you blog about your own wedding without sounding smug?  I have no idea so I will no doubt fail because, frankly, my wedding was the best I had ever been to.  Of course it was, because everything was just the way I wanted it.  Everyone’s own wedding should be their favorite.  I’m telling you about it here because the food was one of the major highlights but I will get to that in a moment.  To me, my friends and family that traveled so many miles to be here with me meant the world to me and took my wedding from happiness to sheer joy!  Peggy and Jessica came from Eugene OR; Amanda (who took most of the photos posted here) came from Scottsdale, AZ; Kirsten and Danielle came all the way from San Diego, CA (you’re next Danielle!), Cathy came in from Toronto and my Mom & Brother & family came in from Philadelphia, PA!  Of course my husband’s family came in from all over Canada too but that’s another post and you’re really here to talk about the food anyway.

The willow

yes, we went all out for guest transportation to and from the venue!

our grand entrance

We booked a local restaurant (Willow on Wascana) whose fare we had enjoyed on several occasions prior and knew to be focused on local fresh ingredients, which we really wanted to showcase.  So we sat down with the chef and the manager ahead of time to collaborate on a menu that would be uniquely ours for this special occasion.  As much as I’d like to take credit for the menu, I can’t.  The executive chef there; Tim Davies, listened to our ideas and comments and came up with an absolutely fantastic menu.  Dave, the manager and sommelier at the Willow, took this menu and created the perfect wine pairing for each of 7 courses – yes 7, not counting the passed hors d'oeuvres at cocktail hour! And, Tim came up with no less than three menus to please us, the vegetarians and the children!

groom, me and Chef Tim Davies

the menu

the menu

amuse bouche: pickled fennel, carrot and beet – really got the juices flowing & ready for the meal!

roasted sugar beet & goat cheese salad w/baby arugula, toasted walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette

Lamb and mint ravioli w/fresh garden peas, brown butter and grilled peach coulis (and my personal favorite of the evening!)

Sunflower satay trout w/beluga lentil pilaf, celeriac and apple pave and raspberry gastrique

Apple cider-brined wild boar and prarie cherry demi-glace w/saskatoon berry wnd vanilla whipped potato and fresh morels

 Chocolate chili mint and rhubabrb mousse (w/edible gold leaf for the groom)

Field berry tartlet w/apricot glaze

Prior to dinner there was a cocktail hour with passed hors d’vours and chocolate bacon martinis too!  Chef Tim made an amazing duck confit (for which I am still awaiting the recipe), a mushroom strudel and a white chocolate bacon toffee bar to go with the chocolate martinis!  The dinner was everything we had hoped for and more.  Each taste tantalizing course was paired with the perfect wine, too!

Oh and the view is pretty spectacular as well!

OK and being a chick – I have to include a pic of the back of my dress cause it totally rocked!

view the pic full res to see all the detail.

All in all – the wedding was perfect – the ceremony was touching and meaningful for us.  The food an the reception was incomparable – better than at any event I have ever attended and better than the most expensive restaurants!  The restaurant itself was cleared of tables & chairs (we ate ate in a tent attached to the deck) and the dancing continued late into the night with dancers from age 5 to 80!  The only downside of the dancing was that they played the Macarena.  Oh well, you can’t have everything!