Happy Memorial Day!
The first Memorial Day (formerly known as Decoration Day) was first observed right here in little old Charleston in what is now Hampton Park, on the Peninsula. What a day to think about life, to take a deep breath and be thankful for those who have served and continue to serve our country tirelessly, preserving the freedoms we so often take for granted.
In honor of Memorial Day and the unspoken understanding that its celebration marks the real start of summer, I thought I’d ruminate on the ultimate summer picnic and all its possible trimmings. Here’s a recipe for a great one:
Pick a landing spot with great shade and inspiring roots (pun intended), like our own Boone Hall Plantation.
Grab the perfect ground cover- like a vintage quilt.
Pack a photo-worthy picnic basket, like this darling one above.
Don’t forget the staple: homemade pimiento cheeses sammies.
Watermelon wedges? Yes, please.
Wouldn’t be a picnic without sweet tea, the quintessential quencher. Don’t EVEN fight me on sweet vs. unsweet. A Southern femme won’t even hear of the latter!
Built NY teamed up with French Bull to make these puh-resh wine cooler bags. Drop in your favorite chilled white, and voilà.
Will this be you?
Or maybe this?
If you’re lucky and just stick to your Charleston front yard for your picnic, you may get a visit from Mr. Koolie, our local 1950s ice cream truck. The unmistakable vintage “ding ding ding” brings kids running barefoot from football fields away. Love it.
Happy Memorial Day!
Happy Anniversary, Laura + Chris!
Happy first anniversary to Laura and Chris, one of our incredible local couples whose gorgeous wedding feels like it was yesterday, and was shot by David Edwards Photography. Featured on Style Me Pretty, their affair felt like something out of Gatsby’s time . . . elegant and sweet and very much “them”. Congratulations, you two!
Toasting Etiquette 101
People: wedding toasts don’t have to be so hard.
A little history:
Why is it called a “toast”? The word toast comes from the Latin “tostus”, meaning “roasted” or “parched”. Apparently, Roman law and custom required one to add a piece of burnt bread to cheap wine to absorb unpleasant contaminants before drinking banquet wines and making offerings to the emperor as proof that the table wine wasn’t poisoned and all could follow the lead and drink after the “toast” without perishing. A bit of a stretch . . . a more likely reason was that the toast chunk was deployed to remove bad flavors from inexpensive wines, as burnt bread acts like “activated charcoal” or a filter.
The habit of drinking wines with a chunk of toast at the bottom persisted and spread to England. By the 16th century, drinking a “toast” became the same as saying you’re drinking a “glass of wine with a chunk of toast at the bottom”. The term “toast” then stretched to the act of drinking itself and then to the entire ceremony and even the person being honored by the ceremony. Interesting, no?
So let’s cover some basic rules:
1.) Don’t talk about yourself. It’s not your big day.
2.) Don’t tell inside jokes or roast the bride or the groom. Their wedding evening (or rehearsal dinner) is not the occasion for airing someone’s questionable laundry or weakest moments.
3.) Short and sweet is the key. Your brevity and sincerity will be appreciated, trust me. Aim for under two minutes.
4.) Prepare, and make eye contact. Have a few notes on hand if you must, and look at the person/couple you are toasting; it establishes that connection you’re seeking.
5.) Stand up straight, speak clearly, speak slowly. If you think you’re speaking too slowly, you probably sound perfectly fine to the rest of us.
6.) When finished, raise your glass and ask everyone else to do as well. Then close with something simple and elegant like: “Cheers, to the happy couple!”
Great books on toasts:
Town & Country Toasts for Every Occasion
Toasts: Over 1,500 of the Best Toasts, Sentiments, Blessings, and Graces
