bellevue gets engaged

on saturday, craig and i attended bellevue gets engaged with our parents, my sister (the maid-of-honor) and my cousin (and bridesmaid).  craig and i were so excited to attend, since it was hosted at our wedding venue (hyatt at the bellevue in philadelphia).  it was completely fabulous - and completely unlike the other wedding expo craig and i attended a few months back.

champagne on ice @ xix's bar

the majority of the festivities were on the 19th floor - where our ceremony room (the cliveden room) and reception space (xix restaurant) are both located.  we started in the cliveden room, a.k.a. the cake room.  omg.  amazing.  there were several cake vendors all with gorgeous displays and lots and lots of sweets to sample.  yay!  we even got to try some cake from our cake maker - classic cake - which was a real treat.  along one wall, coffee, tea and hot chocolate were available for anyone who so desired with an array of toppings - whipped cream, dark chocolate shavings, white chocolate curls and more!  and gourmet truffles galore from teuscher chocolates were available for the taking : )

mini cake samples from classic cake

after the cake room, we ventured into the promenade space where we were greeted with tons of hors d'oeuvres, appetizers as well as champagne and cocktails.  wow.  the food was phenomenal - and it was all the more fun because they will be catering the food for our wedding.  one of our favorites was the mediterranean food station with gourmet cheeses, breads and this outrageous roasted tomato tapenade.  it was heaven.

chandelier in lobby of the hyatt

nicole miller bridal fashion show

another highlight?  the chambord vodka cocktails.  pale pink and garnished with a rock candy sugar stick.  very fun.  after our visit to the promenade, we headed over to xix (our reception room).  there were vendors from tiffany's, theknot.com and also williams sonoma.  and they had on display a special signature wedding cake - the xix cake.  designed exclusively for the xix restaurant.  it was gorgeous.  classically elegant with a subtle shimmer and pearl design.  just lovely.  (perhaps, we'll request they recreate it for our wedding in november...)

signature xix cake!

me & craig on xix's balcony

after we had our fill of food and drinks (and more food and drinks), we previewed some hyatt guest rooms, visited our after-party venue (tavern on broad), scoped out a potential rehearsal dinner restaurant and did some research about a potential day-after brunch spot.  then...we went to el vez for dinner. 

cheers!  margaritas at el vez

el vez is a mexican extravaganza!  the decor is over-the-top, and the food is delicious.  we had a blast enjoying lots of guacamole (you have to try the one with goat cheese!), a huge platter of nacho mamma and a (large) pitcher of margaritas.  it was the perfect conclusion to a wonderful day.  yay for wedding fun!

city hall at night

question: do you believe in luck? what is your lucky charm??

 
 

and a big congratulations to katherine from buckhead betty...on a budget for winning the fabulous spiral style earring giveaway!!!