today is the fifth and final post on our wedding- and it’s time for the good stuff: food! food was probably one of the first and main things about which aaron and i agreed. we both wanted southern comfort food- something relaxed, typical of the region and delicious. and when it came to the cake? homemade comfort. we wanted something that looked and tasted delicious- no fondant, no edible sugar flowers- something that looked like a loving grandmother had made and that you couldn’t wait to eat. [all images by belathee unless otherwise noted]

i’ll dive into our food pictures (and now i’m hungry for cake, argh) cake-first. mainly because the second we agreed savannah would be our wedding location, the first person i emailed was cheryl at back in the day bakery. cheryl was one of the first people i met in savannah and has remained a friend ever since. she’s someone i can always count on for great taste both in and out of the kitchen. after having a tasting (in cupcake form!) with my parents, aaron was able to fly down with me to taste things and pick flavors. we settled on a rich chocolate cake and cheryl’s delicious italian buttercream icing. but for me, the best part of the cake was letting cheryl have free reign over the decoration. i had my hands in almost every other part of the wedding so i wanted the cake to be a surprise. all we did was tell her our colors (shades of green) and that i liked things that looked like stitching. and then i let her have at it. luckily, i was also able to include one of my favorite southern artists, katie runnels, in the project as well. i’m a huge fan of katie’s work (and got to meet her for the first time the week before our wedding when we both spoke at scad!) and was so excited to have her work on our topper. she found a seriously gorgeous pair of vintage paper wedding figures on ebay and then turned them into a sweet topper- complete with our named embroidered in green thread underneath. when i finally got to see the cake the day before the wedding (the martha team shot a few things early) i was blown away- it was such a perfect little slice of heaven. tasty, adorable and perched atop a weathered cake stand made by paul, liz demos‘ husband. a big big thank you to all of them for making our wedding cake such a special treat. [image above left by tara donne for martha stewart weddings]

the one vendor that was entirely new to me was chef nick mueller. our planner tricia suggested his food and after speaking with him i was sold. we shared a love of local, seasonal ingredients and nick’s family-run catering business was just the sort of local business we wanted to support. rather than meeting us at a hotel or a cold kitchen location, nick invited us to his home to taste a wide variety of options for the wedding menu (which is listed in full after the jump)- it was such a great way to get to know nick and the delicious food he cooks. there’s more of nick’s amazing food below, but if you’re in the georgia area and need a great caterer, i really suggest nick- he was so sweet (and very patient with my requests to NOT have chafing dishes and wires on tables) and now has a seriously cool restaurant on the second floor of his home. more below…. [image above left by tara donne for martha stewart weddings]

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post (including our wedding menu, betsy dunlap’s signs, and more tasty food pictures) after the jump!

our menu was all about delicious (and slightly updated) southern comfort food. below is nick’s full menu for us (stay tuned later today for a recipe from the wedding!)

• crab cakes with lemon dill aioli
• petite sugarcane cured bacon “BLT” w/ roasted tomato confit & ginger aioli (RECIPE HERE!)
• miniature fried oyster po’ boys on french bread from back in the day bakery
• fresh mozzarella and sweet grape tomatoes with aged balsamic
• smoked barbecued pulled pork with house made vidalia onion barbecue sauce on yeast rolls
• tangy buttermilk cole slaw with apple slices
• sauteed sweet potato and silver corn cakes (made on the spot with whipped butter and locally made cane syrup
• roasted corn and baby spinach salad with red pepper, caramelized onion and goat cheese
• marinated and grilled skirt steak with watermelon and red onion relish with bulls blood micro greens (adapted from a frank stitt recipe)
• buttermilk grits bar with poached shrimp, red eye gravy, bacon, white cheddar, peppers and roasted corn
• georgia peach cobbler with whipped cream
• sweetened and unsweetened ice tea with fresh mint sprigs

i was so thrilled to have betsy dunlap write the food descriptions (and other signs around the reception) for our buffet stations. combined with the vintage serving utensils borrowed from the paris market and brocante, it made for a really relaxed, but elegant, setting.

the delicious sweet potato and corn cakes were a huge hit. who can resist something freshly sauteed and topped with whipped butter and sweet cane syrup?

i have a real hatred of silver chafing dishes. i know, super annoying and picky. but thankfully nick accommodated my desire to serve everything in oversized vintage or simple cream-colored bowls. luckily the garden had a carriage house that the caterers could use to keep food warm. hooray for no chafing dishes with sterno! i worked at a country club as a waitress for too many summers- the smell of sterno just brings back horrible first-job memories.

a delicious spinach salad from nick and our table settings. image above left by tara donne for martha stewart weddings

just in case there were guests who weren’t into chocolate cake (what? crazy!) nick made a seriously amazing georgia peach cobbler. this was the dish i probably heard the most about- it was a big hit. and after a few bites i tasted why.

*thanks so much to everyone for their kind comments this week- it’s been so much fun to share our wedding details and relive that special day all over again. xo, grace*