Brooklyn by the Numbers

I attended a very lovely wedding over the weekend for my very lovely friends (and neighbors) Lucia and Matt. The wedding was held in downtown Manhattan, but since the couple is living in Brooklyn, they wanted to make sure that elements of their favorite borough were incorporated into the celebration.

For their reception, they asked me to take photos of numbers around our neighborhood to act as place cards for the dinner tables (so flattering...). Here's just a selection of some of my favorites, in no particular order. (Although, they are in reverse numerical order, so I guess that is particular.) (Whatever! Math is hard. Just enjoy.)

Congrats, L + M!

Four friends, two weddings, and a Rachael Ray

You know how grandmas proudly cart around pictures of their grandkids in a brag book? I feel like the May issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine might be mine. Except instead of boasting about grandkids, I'm showing off some of my dearest girlfriends. (So just indulge me, won't you?) (They're really cute, I promise.)

The weddings of not one, but two friends of mine are featured in the issue. The ceremony of my girl Karen (whose baby shower I wrote about back in January) and her husband Eddie were the example of a lovely second wedding; my friend Lin and her husband Brett's nuptials served as the glamorous "multicultural" feature. My friend Sonal, the Executive Lifestyle Editor for the mag, directed the piece, and my friend Elizabeth wrote it.

And me? All I had to do was get gussied up, attend a couple of fabulous parties, and stuff my face with cake. Nice work, ladies!

P.S. Ten points if you spot me in a couple of the pics from Karen's wedding. Hint: I'm holding a camera (which I am sure is a shocker).

Taking a Shower

Bite-size grilled cheese sandwiches with shots of tomato soup. Chunky chicken salad on baked mini-pitas. Nutella-infused ravioli. And goodness gracious, homemade lollipops so pretty you almost don't want to eat them (my new obsession!).

If baby showers could receive awards, the one I just attended in North Carolina would be polishing its gold medal right about now. It was in honor of one of my best friends--a woman who is near and dear to my heart for a thousand reasons. And after this weekend, I am counting among those reasons the fact that she has other best friends who can throw a mean--and I mean MEAN--party for a lovely lady who's about to have a baby.

Now, this was a chic shower that meant serious SERIOUS business. But want to know the most gorgeous part of the whole shebang? Every morsel of the food, every inch of the decor--every ribbon on every gift--was prepared with love. And that made this shower one that surrounded my friend with reminders that she really does have everything she needs to raise a little one: family who will travel any distance to support her, friends ready and excited to lend a hand, access to people who've been there before, and a not one, but two, brand-spankin'-new diaper genies.