Travel
Though the entire day was gray and rainy, the clouds parted and the sun almost started to shine in the hours just before the wedding.
Rain on your wedding day is supposed to be good luck, but the wind settling and the sun shining through the clouds just as vows are exchanged has got to be a sign of more than just good luck.
I’ve never been to a wedding where I didn’t know both the bride and groom.Though they’ve been together a long time and I’ve heard plenty about him, I hadn’t yet met this groom in person.
But there was no mistaking that he was the right guy for her, as pure love and adoration oozed from the expression on his face as he said his vows to his bride.
The ceremony was held in the beautiful rose garden of the Cleveland Botanical Gardens; it was stunningly gorgeous and romantic- perfect for a wedding ceremony. The reception was going to be held on a nearby terrace, but since the weather was windy, chilly, and a bit uncertain of itself, the reception was moved indoors to a beautiful window-filled room.
During the cocktail hour, while the wedding party took photographs, we explored the indoor gardens. The bartender pointed us in the direction of the glasshouse- an expansive greenhouse with a jungle and butterfly garden. It was a little more than impressive.
Soon it was time for the rest of the wedding festivities: bridal party introductions, first dances, cake cutting, and bouquet tossing. Though there was a cake to cut, the bride and groom chose to serve crepes filled with caramelized peaches, Nutella, or blueberries, an homage to the groom’s French heritage.
Before long, the festivities were over, and the celebration came to a close.
To Kirsten and Nico- You guys were made for each other, and I wish you both the best on your new cross-country adventure!
Restaurants
This weekend was spent road tripping to Ohio with my best friend and college roommate, Amber, to see a wonderful friend get married. {Don’t tell them, but I’m secretly glad the husbands didn’t come – this was our first boys-free trip in 6 years.}
After 8+ hours of driving, we were greeted by the most wonderful of wonderful sights:
Uber comfy hotel beds, stacked with luxurious piles of pillows.
We were also greeted by care package of chocolate, water, and mixed nuts from the bride.
I’m not sure what I was more excited about: the fabulous tub and shower, or the fact that our hotel was smack dab in the middle of the Cleveland Clinic. Probably the latter. 
Our hotel from the outside- our room’s the one with the open window in the rounded section.
And our view from said window:
Much more impressive than the last dingy hotel I stayed at!
Before it was wedding time, we did a quick tour of the Cleveland essentials: food & Lake Erie.
We started by chowing down on fancy pizzas at Bricco, an Italian-inspired restaurant.
Bread with whipped chipotle butter held us over until our giant pizzas arrived.
I chose the veggie pizza, loaded with artichokes, roasted red peppers, wild mushrooms, and goat cheese.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as it looked.
The architecture in downtown {and most of} Cleveland is beautiful; too bad there wasn’t more time to explore.
In the morning we hit up Big Al’s Diner. Though not a diner fan, this was one of my favorite breakfasts in a long time.
The French toast was crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and was fantastically flavored.
The home fries lived up to their name; home made fried potatoes with sautéed onions.
Apparently Cleveland loves it’s trees so much it wraps them up in sweaters.
We couldn’t be this close to a landmark lake without laying eyes on it, so we headed over to Lakewood Park to catch a glimpse of Lake Erie.
The park itself was beautiful, as was the view of the lake.
Although it was gray, dreary, and overcast, it was obvious this lake was enormous and beautiful.
The downtown Cleveland skyline was barely visible through the haze, but it was still impressive.
It wasn’t long before the ominous fog and clouds turned into a outright downpour- not what anyone wants on their wedding day, let alone for an outdoor wedding…
… to be continued…
