That has to be one of the lamest titles Iāve ever come up with (I wonāt put that to a vote). But at least I have a delicious breakfast to back it up If youāve ever read Caroline or Kās yummy blogs, you know that they are the parfait queens. Other than the occasional McDonaldās (gasp!) fruit + yogurts, Iāve never really taken on the challenge of perfecting the layers of yogurt, cereal, fruit, yogurt, cereal, fruit, etc. That all changed today ā cue the dramatic music!
I suppose I should start with a little background. Lately Iāve been waking up at 5:35 am (yes, those five extra minutes make all the difference in the world) and heading straight to the coffee maker to brew up a steaming cup of Coffee Cocoa.
I spend some time reading blogs and catching up on email (both of which I am still way behind on) and, more importantly, waking-the-heck up. By the time 6:15 rolls around, I am ready to roll and get my workout in. A couple of girls at work convinced me to run in a 10k for Susan G. Komen on September 26, so Iāve been following an easy training plan from Runnerās World that doesnāt require me to run more than three days a week. Bobby agreed to run it with me, and since itās for a cause that is very near and dear to me, I am really looking forward to it.
When I got back from my workout today, I couldnāt wait to try out my parfait-making skills. I decided to go with the following combination:
- 1 cup plain Stonyfield yogurt + cinnamon
- 3/4 cup Kashi Go Lean
- 3/4 cup blueberries
- 1 tbsp. raw almond butter
I layered it as carefully as I could, and it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself!
I completely devoured this breakfast! I loved the fact that there were so many layers ā it made every bite different. I also have to give big props to Caroline and K for the idea of combining plain yogurt with cinnamon. Itās awesome.
And so starts my day!
October 16, 2010
I promised you some talk of wedding details, so here goes We are still in the very early planning stages, but the date (above) is 99% set and the official location is Scottsdale, AZ. I could not be more excited about getting married in Arizona in October. The air is warm and dry, the sunsets are gorgeous and the mountains are picturesque. I decided last year that fall is officially my favorite season, and combined with the fact that the number 16 is very special for us ā our official anniversary is November 16, 2003 ā it just makes sense.
As you may have noted in my flower post, I am leaning toward a deep purple color for my bridesmaids. This dress from Eden Bridals is by far my favorite as of right now:
What do you think? I love the fact that I can get your opinions, so feel free to chime in! My MOH really seemed to like it, so hopefully we can find it in a store soon and try it out. I also really like the ālapisā color from Davidās Bridal.
Iām actually going home for Labor Day Weekend, and am looking forward to trying on dresses, narrowing down the church and reception venue, and chatting with my mom about plans. Bobby is coming, too, so we can make sure we both like everything š Iām really excited!
I canāt wait to share more with you in the next year and two months! Since Iām very new at this (oldest in my family with no sisters = no experience), I would love to have input from any and everyone, so I may start asking questions here and there.
First question: Did you/do you want a big or small wedding? Why or why not?
Abrazos,
So exciting! That dress is gorgeous! We had a teeny tiny wedding in Palos Verdes, California. We were definitely trying to do it on the cheap, plus I just wanted to do what I wanted and not worry about pleasing anyone else. š Have fun with the planning!!
I LOVE that dress! I think it could be very flattering to many figures š
Good job on waking up so early! I think the world is different at that time of the morning.
Loving your details so far!! š We had about a medium sized wedding – about 85-90 people (actually a lot less than what we invited because a lot of out of town family couldn’t afford to come). And honestly? If I were to get married again, I’d do it a lot smaller. We invited a good amount of college friends, and our parents were particular about inviting a few of their personal friends. In all honesty, I’ve come to really appreciate simple, intimate weddings with your closest of family and friends.
At the same time, big awesome receptions that are full of life and party can be pretty fun, too. š Although I don’t know your budget and the reception is where the number of people really matters and where costs really begin to rise.
I’m about to debut my “new and improved” blog and one of the new pages I’m working on is a “wedding” page. We did our whole wedding for under $5,000 and so I’ll be putting lots of tips up there. Plus I do event planning in “real life” lol. š
If you have any questions, please never hesitate to shoot me a facebook message or anything! Love ya!
Parfaits are delicious!! Yours looks great. Yay, a wedding date! October is a great month (we got married on the 27th) and Scottsdale is where I’m from, so it’s obviously a fabulous choice! š How exciting.
Glad you liked the cinnamon yogurt combo! Parfaits will change your life…well, at least your breakfast time:)
Purple is the perfect color for a fall wedding. That dress is so elegant too! I am loving the wedding updates!
Yum, I love parfaits! They are so fun to make!
That dress is so pretty! Good choice!
How exciting about all the other wedding details!
Hooray for fall weddings!!! Ours is relatively small… inviting 140 with about 30 “courtesy” invites to people we know can’t come. No matchy bridesmaids dresses, mostly for selfish reasons.
Can’t wait to hear more!!
I am sooo excited for your wedding, and have to admit you have great taste – I also adore fall (got married in late October), and always wanted deep purple dresses as well.
Congrats on signing up for the race! Are you a AM or PM runner? Let me know if you want to get together for a run one of these days! š
Your parfait looks lovely, especially for a first effort. I am definitely a cinnamon buff too.
A fall wedding sounds lovely (we were married in October too, just after my birthday!), and two thumbs up on the dress!
I think the purple is very pretty, and not overdone. It won’t matter, though, everyone will be looking at the gorgeous bride!
Our wedding was about 200 give or take. It didn’t seem too big to me, until we ran out of food. Booo! I was STARVING!
I can’t wait to read all about your planning!
Yay for October 16–that’s my birthday š I love Scottsdale; grew up going to my aunt’s house at the base of Camelback. Love the purple. I chose purple for my bridesmaids…can’t even remember the dress maker or exact color. I agree with Sarah–the guests will be looking at the beautiful bride! My wedding was 100 people, but I was a bad bride and didn’t make my way around to every last person to say hi. I’m divorced now, and with a man I want to marry. We’ll end up doing a very small wedding–like the two of us on the beach. I would still want a reception of about 50 people, though.
MMMM Parfaits are the best! yours looked amazing.
That Deep color of purple is sooo stunning! I LOVE IT! š congrats!
http://saladdiva.wordpress.com
I had a small-ish wedding of about 75 people, which was a pretty perfect size for what we wanted. Everyone there was important to one or both of us, which was important to us. Having a small wedding also meant that we were able to hold our reception in the hall of the church where we had our ceremony, which really cut down on costs and hassle.
I am up for wedding advice giving any time at all!
Yay for wedding talk! The purple will be so perfect for October! I always said if I had a big wedding, I would get married in October. It panned out a little different though š We semi-eloped and had a summer wedding in London. Either way you cut it, it will be a fabulous day!
I really love the purple color!
I haven’t really tried the parfaits either, but yours looks absolutely delicious! I might need to try the cinnamon infused yogurt- I love all things cinnamon.
Congrats on signing up the 10K Jenn!! Is this your first 10K?
And, hooray for wedding planning – the bridesmaid dress that you have picked out thus far is really pretty and deep purple is the perfect color for a fall wedding.
I’m not certain whether I would want a big or small wedding, I’d probably go with medium sized haha.
yuuuummmm!!! I am totally craving Coffee Cocoa now!! and that parfait does look perfect! Combining plain yogurt and cinnamon is a must. I do it every time I eat it, but I mainly eat greek yogurt. Love the bloobs and the kashi golean too!!! Great eats girl! Hope you have a great day!!!
I def wanna have a big wedding. I mean it’s really only supposed to happen once, so why not go big or go home.
Love the purple & the time of year you chose! Our anniversary is in October, but December seemed the best for us given all the cousins and relatives we have in college. Can’t wait to hear more details! š
Oh I really like that dress, a LOT!! I think your bridesmaids would look amazing in that dress. As for my own wedding (I’m not engaged, but hope to to be within a year!) I think I want a small destination wedding. Nick wants to get married in South Carolina on the beach, near a golf course, haha. Great idea getting blogger input!!
i’m SO excited to hear more about your wedding plans- it’s going to be beautiful
i love those deep purple dresses.. perfect for fall and the cut is so cute!
i wanted a smaller wedding but we ended up having about 400 people- the more the merrier though, right? š
have a great day <3
Yay for wedding details! I lvoe the deep purple color for bridesmaid dresses. I think it will be perfect for fall.
Jenn that dress is gorg and so is the color! š Scott and I eloped actually. Can’t wait to hear all your details!
After I got around to “perfecting” parfaits, I was totally sold on them too! Yum yum š
LOVE the dress, the style and the color are beautiful! I look forward to hearing more about your exciting plans.
I think I’d like a moderately sized wedding, mainly because I want to have a really fun, party-like reception to celebrate afterwards!
Love the dress. I’m getting married on April 10, 2010 so if you want to talk weddings, I’m here!
That dress is gorgeous!!! I couldn’t decide what type of wedding I wanted. We ended up having a larger one so all of our family and friends could be part of it, but I wish I would’ve gone with small. š
LOVE the bridesmaid dress color! BEAUTIFUL! 1 piece of info I thought I would share since I saw you mention it (feel free to take it for what its worth – I remember hearing so much different crap around my wedding from everyoen – I was finally like – I DONT CARE!) – I’ve heard some pretty bad stuff about David’s Bridal and how reliable they are. So if they are the only ones who carry the exact color you want – GO FOR THEM! š But if you can find something comparable at a more reputible store – GO WITH THEM! I’ve had 2 girlfriends have nightmares with their ACTUAL wedding gowns from them, and a whole slew of friends have bridesmaid dress issues (not coming in on time, colors not matching, not being altered right, stains, etc etc etc). Just sharing. Sorry if that was TMI š
I love the purple color! We did a VERY small wedding, no attendants, I just showed up with a dress in Italy and it was us and a few friends. It was what worked for us, family was a little upset at first but they understood it was what we wanted.
We did have a BBQ near home for a few people to celebrate with us! It worked really well.
I always thought I wanted a smallish wedding. I ended up with a fairly large wedding (298 guests) and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world!
I love that bridesmaids dress! Deep dark colors like that are so pretty for a fall wedding! I loved wedding planning and love all of the little details that go into a wedding. I can’t wait to see everything that you choose for yours!
I love that dress! Purple is my favorite color so I definitely think I want either dark or light purple bridesmaid dresses whenever I get married. I want a small wedding because it would feel more intimate, but I come from a huge extended family so sadly I don’t think that is possible.
LOVE the dress. And it is simple enough (and tea length!) that I bet your bridesmaids will love it too, because they could wear it for other things.
When I was planning my wedding (especially near the end of it), I kept wishing we had kept it smaller. There is a lot of stress with inviting and having more people come to your wedding (we had about 160). Buuuut, it was so, so nice to have everyone there in the day before and day of. One of my bridesmaids put it best in a post she wrote:
“But when two people get married, it means that one family of countless siblings and their husbands and wives, all their children, the parents and the aunts and uncles, that entire family decides to extend their love, care and concern to a whole other family of countless relatives and relations, no matter what. People are connected. And it just makes me realize, and I’m sure it gives everyone involved a kind of feeling; we are not alone in this world. It is no wonder we spend six or so months planning these ceremonies, making them into the most special and beautiful occasions a person could ever arrange. And even if there were no flowers and bouquets, no bubbles and no fancy clothes, even if we sat down to chew on cabbage stew instead of steak, even if we were only gathered in a humble home somewhere out in the countryside, the celebration of marriage would be the most lovely occasion of all because it’s about the love and the people.”
(Wow this is a monster comment, sorry about that.) š
Mmmm, I’m sitting here happily munching on my parfait as I drool over yours! Looks delicious – glad you liked it š
Congrats on picking a date!! I ADORE that dress – especially the color, it will look great!
beautiful parfait! I still haven’t made one!
and congrats on you two signing up for the 10K – that will be fun to run together.
I LOVE the dresses – the style and color. Our wedding was about 150 people, I think? we had it outside, with only a row or two of seats for the older family members.
i’m so excited for you two and can’t wait to hear more about the planning!
That parfait looks delicious!! The weather IS so nice here in October, it’s that turning point before it starts getting a little chilly. How exciting!! š
Your parfait glass looks like a bigger version of the P.F. Chang’s dessert shot š Nice work on the early AM trainings- if I can actually get up early and make it outside I just love how crisp and peaceful it is!
That dress is lovely! Deep purple seems like a good fall choice!
Love, love, love the dress Jenn! So beautiful. It’s a gorgeous style and color that will never go out of style. So it’ll always look good in your pictures–although I know you’ll be the star in those in a dress that is 10 times more gorgeous š
I’ve never been in-deep enough in a relationship to consider how big I want my wedding to be. I’d probably want something in between huge and tiny, but we’ll see when I get there, right?
Have a FABULOUS day!
PS: I think it’s totally OK that you get a parfait from McDonald’s every so often. I got a couple apple packs at McDonald’s in O’Hare when I was on my way home from NYC and they’re ice cream cones are tasty and not too bad for you š
Mmm the breakfast parfait, looks delicious! I’ve dabbled in parfaits in the past but not really since Caroline and K’s frequent parfait perfection and consumption. I really want to try the yogurt/cinnamon combo!
I’m also super excited to hear some of the small wedding details you have come up with so far. The time of year and location sounds completely perfect. Fall is SUCH a gorgeous season and it sounds like it will be completely lovely in October! And I’m a HUGE fan of the idea of deep purple bridesmaids dresses. You’re a kind bride, no tacky brights for the poor girls haha. Seriously though, deep purple would be gorgeous and I love the dress you’re looking at. I can’t wait to see some dress ideas for your OWN dress in the near future!
Love that bridesmaid dress – I think it will be flattering to whoever you’ve got wearing it!
I’ve tried my hand at the parfait-making a few times recently and loved it (especially the yogurt + Vitatops + choc. chips combo, haha), although I found that making it was deceptively time-consuming! Maybe I’m too meticulous, but somehow it took me just as long to layer the stuff into my bowl as it might have taken to make a more complicated/cooked breakfast! Sounds like I should just stick to fruit, haha…
Wedding plans!! You must be SO excited Jenn!!!!! Keep us informed, it’s so much fun hearing about it!
I’ve always thought I’d have a medium sized wedding…not just my immediate family, but not hundreds of people either! š
I don’t have many female friends, my brothers ended up being ushers instead of groomsmen. Guest size-wise I got the best of both worlds! We made the ceremony family (and close close friend) only because the space was very small but invited many more people to the reception to come party with us!
Love the wedding details. I just got married š so I still have wedding on the brain! We did about 80 people and it was perfect – not too big, not too small. We did it in Central California’s wine country. It was AMAZING.
love the bridesmaid dress!
i want a medium wedding. all the flowers, friends, reception, and eats … great dress … but i want to do it on a good budget and it won’t be huge attendance! probably no more than 50 people.
-muffy
AHHHHH
congrats on setting a date! SO exciting! I love the color you’ve chosen, perfect for fall — can’t wait to hear more planning details!
Miss you, girlfriend!
xo
I love hearing your wedding plans as I’m currently planning my own š It was neat to see your “numbers” correlation since I also have one with my wedding. Our date is Feb 27, 2010 which is my parents anniversary & Mom’s birthday. We are having a small Vegas wedding then a large reception back here at home. My fiance wanted a small wedding & since my Mom is no longer with us, it seemed fitting to honor her memory with something small & special for the ceremony. It’ll be emotional enough without having to stand in front of 200 people.
But our reception is 200 invited guests. My family is just too big!
Keep the details coming & have fun dress shopping. Believe people when they say you’ll “know” when you find that perfect dress. I thought it was bunk but had that feeling when I found mine š
ah that color is absolutely GORGEOUSSSSSSSSS š beautiful my dear!
Love that color!!! And I’m kind of partial to that length of dress as well.
We had a fairly large wedding (275+) guests. We just couldn’t leave anyone out and there were so many from our home town.
Yay for Scottsdale! It’ll be here before you know it.
I always thought lapis was blue.
Love the parfait. One of my favorite treats.
Your parfait looks lovely š Well done Mrs. Diesel!
What a beautiful color! I love it š
I wanted a small wedding, but it grew, as weddings tend to š
yeeeeeeeeppppp!!! i lurvvvve that dress and can’t wait to see what you choose. i obvi have no experience in the wedding dept but i’m here to help always!!!
we’ll chat soon. chow!
I love your bridesmaid dresses! I got my dress and bridesmaids dresses from David’s Bridal as well. Loved them! I also see you are from Eden Prarie, MN. I’m from Cottage Grove, so nice to see other Minnesotas on here and defintely good choice on Arizona because MN in October could be iffy! Look forward to more wedding details. Oh and my wedding was pretty large and I loved every second of it. Enjoy the planning!
Love the dress! I am a small wedding girl. I prefer private and intimate.
I love the bridesmaids dresses. So classy.
I had a medium-sized wedding (175 guests) and if I had to do it over again, I probably would have made it a bit smaller, but we were generally happy with it.
What a stunning deep purple color! I’ve only been to Scottsdale once…it was beautiful. Congrats on setting the date!
That’s a great, simple, clean looking dress. Should be flattering on most people as well, as long as they can pull off the purple š
I am totally stoked for Bender-Bobby wedding talk! Deep purple will be beautiful in fall.
I want a small wedding, but there is no way mine is NOT going to be a massive explosion of 500 people.
That’s great that you’re running in that 10K…good for you! š
Your parfait looks delicious!
i adore that color — though i may be bias **says the girl who lives in the room with a purple rug, purple bed spread, and yes – purple lights across her ceiling**
hi there! this is my first time to your blog, so … congrats on the engagement! woo woo, must be an exciting time for you
that parfait looks like a PARFAIT way to start the day
ooo .. i got to use some something from high school french class
Looks 10 X better than a McD’s parfait!!! Homemade usually is better! I want a small wedding, the smaller it is the less chance for mishaps-either way I am sure yours will be stunning š
I like that dress and I love the color. My sister is getting married next month and we are wearing that deep purple. So pretty! My wedding was about 200 people and I loved it. I wanted the whole thing including a tiara…so girly! š
[…] 2009 August 21 by Jenn (eating bender) Thank you all for your kind comments and feedback on my early wedding plans. Iām really glad that you all like the deep purple color! It was also interesting to hear […]
Pretty parfait! They really do make the perfect breakfast.
I LOVE those dresses. They’re chic, beautiful, and can definitely be worn again!
baby girl!! your parfaits look amazing!!!!!!!
and coffee cocoa!! it really does give me that warm fuzzy feeling……since I’ve seen it on your blog for SO LONG. love that bender stylin.
ALSO, love the purple dresses. very pretty, and that strapless one is gorgeous!!! AZ will be perfect for the wedding! i cant wait for pictures!!!!!!!
That parfait looks great!
Congrats on the wedding planning. Those bridesmaids dresses are gorgeous. I love the color. I’m getting married 12/5/09, and I think fall/winter weddings are so pretty; there are so many options for color. I’m going w/ claret, which is a deep red, sort of like your deep purple.
As for size, we’ll probably end up with 100-150, not too big, but not really small either. I think it just depends on your finances, how many people you’re comfortable with, and if you have a ton of close family and friends.
omg gorgeous!
i’m sooooo flipping excited for you… my bestie just got married on Sunday and I helped her plan and it was so fun… (well except the Bridezilla moments eek!).
Ohhhh wedding plans! SO exciting!!! š I’m so happy for you girlie.
RE: Wedding size- ours was 110, which was a nice number, but it totally depends on how much family you have! One size does NOT fit all for weddings. Eric and I wished during the wedding planning at times that we would have just done the destination wedding…because the wedding planning was all consuming! lol. My mom and stepdad went away just the two of them and all my mom had to pick was the bouquet and cake I think! lol. She loved it.
Hope you are having a wonderful Monday (just wrote money! hahaha) SHOW ME THE MONEY! š
If you are looking for a Scottsdale location. I got an email from a golf course in Scottsdale that is offering a special rate. I hope this helps http://sccweddings.com/
Sorry I know I am a random person. I doing research for my blog, and ran across yours. I swear I am no stalker. If you ever want some wedding advice read my blog it all about Arizona Weddings.