Author Archives: Liz

The Office Wedding Entrance Dance

Posted in Liz's Life by

One of my favorite shows is The Office. It’s just so awkward and innapropriate, but in a totally hilarious way. I think the best story line from the show is Jim and Pam’s relationship.

This week, they finally tied the knot on the show and the whole office basically high-jacked their entrance to do a parody of the wedding entrance dance that swept the internet a couple months ago. It was pee your pants funny!

Throughout the dance you also see glimpses of  when the two got married on a boat alone, so no one could ruin the moment. It’s really sweet. I just had to share! (sit through the 15 second ad in the beginning- it’s worth it!)

I love how Pam is so laid back about it all. I hope that’s the type of bride I’ll be! Enjoy and happy Friday!

My Best Friend’s Wedding- Part Two

Posted in Liz's Life by

A couple weeks ago I wrote this post about my best friend Julia’s wedding back in our hometown of Toledo, OH. Being the forgetful girl that I am, I totally forgot to pack my camera to capture some photos of the big day.

Well, this week Julia posted some shots her photographer Jan Hudson took and they’re too beautiful not to share! I’ve pulled out some of my favorites that I think really capture the feeling of the day.

Julia gave all her bridesmaid these super cute tote bags to carry all the essentials we’d need for the day.

bags

Her flowers were soo pretty and really popped against the black bridesmaid dresses.

flowers

Julia was a little nervous before walking down the aisle, so being the amazing bridesmaid that I am, I loosened her up a little. haha.

massage

Jake and Julia are both really laid back, fun-loving people, so it was really funny when Jake said “You Bet! errr I do!”

laugh

Their reception was at Toledo Country Club, which is a beautiful venue. It’s set right against the Maumee River and is lush with trees and flowers.

water

To kick off the cocktail hour, they had cornhole set up for their guest to play. It helped set the tone for a fun evening!

cornhole

The inside of the country club, where dinner was served, has a really cool green paneling on the walls. Julia and her mom added the white lantern balls and some amazing centerpieces.

inside

After dinner, we moved outside to where there is a dance floor and a balcony where guest can watch the action.

dance

The little touches Julia and her mom incorporated really add a level of elegance and intimacy to the reception you don’t see very often.

chandelier

Since Jake and Julia met at Ohio University and many of their guest are alumni (including me!) we gathered together to show our Bobcat pride.

ou

Luke and I had so much fun at Julia’s wedding. Everyone was in the best mood, the weather was perfect, the food was delicious and the dance floor was packed!

Thanks for letting me share your beautiful wedding on my blog Julia! You were a breath-taking bride. I’m so happy you found your prince charming!

Homemade Pepperoni and Garlic Pizza

Posted in Sunday Supper Series by

Luke and I try to eat healthy as much as possible.  Most of the time we’re pretty good about what we eat, but every one in awhile we have a major cheat meal. This past weekend, was once such occasion as I made some homemade pepperoni and garlic pizza.

I’ve made this recipe a few times and it is awesome- way better than what you can order from a delivery pizza place. It’s really easy to make, but can be on the pricey side at about $15-$20 per pie. However, it’s a great recipe for when you really want to indulge in some out-of-this world pizza.

We picked up our ingredients at Whole Foods because we knew we could get some really great pre-made pizza dough from their bakery along with slightly higher-grade toppings. Here’s everything you’ll need:

– Pre-made pizza dough (from your grocery’s bakery)
– Newmann’s Own spicy fra diavolo tomato sauce
– Thickly shredded mozzarella cheese
– Pepperoni (large circles are best)
– Garlic (chop 2-3 cloves or use pre-minced)

Once we had all the ingredients, I pre-heated the oven to 450 degrees and began stretching the pizza dough. Don’t be intimidated by this process- it literally just involves holding the dough in the air and moving your hands around the edges so it stretches out. Then once it’s stretched to fit the pan you’re using, just lay it down and continue to pull the dough to the edge of the pan.

I bake the dough for roughly 8 minutes so it has some time to cook before I add the toppings. You don’t want the crust to be undercooked in the middle while the cheese is brown. After the 8 minutes, I usually will spread some melted butter on the edges of the crust (this pizza is definitely not on a healthy diet!) before loading it with toppings.

Next, top with the pizza sauce, garlic, shredded mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. *TIP- I’ll usually mix the minced garlic into the sauce before I put it on, so it’s distributed evenly on the pizza. 

Return the pan to the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Cool the pizza for five minutes and  you’re all set.

I was so excited to dig into our pizza that I forgot to take photos of the final product until it was halfway gone, but you should be able to get the idea of the awesomeness of this pizza from these…

IMG_1014

IMG_1013

This pizza is seriously delicious. The crust is thick and and crisp on the bottom. The spicy sauce adds a flavor element you don’t normally get in pizza and the topping combination of garlic, mozzarella and pepperoni hits the mark without being overly complicated.

Luke’s response?

IMG_1016

Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions/comments on this recipe!

Adventures in Wedding Dress Shopping- Part Two (I found the dress!)

Posted in Liz's Life by

A couple weeks ago I wrote about how I had gone wedding dress shopping and found two that I loved. So many of you emailed me to see the photos of the two top dresses – thank you for your interest and opinions! You may recall that in that same post, I wrote about how I didn’t believe in “the feeling” everyone talks about when you find “the” dress. Well…that was because I hadn’t found it yet!

A week after posting about my dress shopping dillemma, I decided to keep looking on the advice of my very wise and logical thinking sister. I scheduled three more appointments: Ultimate Bride, Vwidon and Dimitras here in Chicago. I truly thought I had found the best options for my dress, so I wasn’t too excited to spend another Saturday visiting stores.

Boy am I glad I spent the time going to them! I ended up finding the most amazing gown at Dimitras. I totally got “that feeling” I had brushed aside in my previous post when I put it on. It’s everything I wanted: romantic, modern, unique, shows my figure and within my budget. My roommate was with me and couldn’t stop gushing over it as well.

The dress is completely different than the two I had originally pinned as the top options and it’s not what I thought I wanted AT ALL…which is of course what everyone told me would happen! I have to thank to Jamie and Dimitras for picking this dress out (and being awesome in general) because I never would have done so myself.

I can’t wait to rock this gown on my big day and then post pictures for you all to marvel in my beauty. Lol!

Just for fun, I’m posting the two dresses I THOUGHT were my best options. Thank you again to everyone who chimed in with their opinions on them.

First up is the “Trendy” dress…

trend front

trend back

And now the “traditional” one…trad front

trad back

Both great options, but what I found is just a little bit better. I’m just glad I found something I love!

Just for fun, which do you like better between these two? Leave some comments!