One unfortunate fact about our wedding is that it flew by so fast that we barely touched our food. Which means we never really got to stop and enjoy the DIY grub (perhaps our most daring feat was completely nixing the idea of a caterer in favor of taking on the entire wedding menu ourselves… well it was either daring or just plain crazy, you decide).
So when our one year anniversary approached last July, we initially thought we’d get dressed up and go out to a nice dinner (maybe I’d even wear my dyed wedding dress). Until my sweet hubs tossed out the lets-recreate-our-backyard-wedding-and-finally-enjoy-the-food-at-home idea. It seemed fitting since we got married in our backyard that we’d throw some food on the grill and pick up a few side dishes to recreate that special night a year later (we’re lucky to own our wedding venue, so it’s easier to relive the fun). First we snapped this corny little photo under the arch where we said our vows (which we moved from the middle of the yard to the entrance to the back woods after the big day):
Then we got to work enjoying a dinner that very closely resembled the one our guests enjoyed in that very spot exactly a year ago. Of the three entrees that we offered up, we chose the blue cheese angus burgers with parmesan caesar dressing and added some other wedding-day fare (lemon pepper potato chips and rotini salad) to round things out:
But what about a fitting drink to accompany our marital meal? Leading up to the wedding we saved up a bunch of wine and beverage bottles. Instead of big plastic pitchers, we wanted the chic look of glass so we asked a local wine retailer to save old bottles for us (leftover from their weekly wine tastings and totally f-r-e-e). Once at home we made sure they were squeaky clean and hand labeled ‘em with a sharpie (which never rubbed off or faded in case you’re wondering). We used all the green bottles to hold water, brown bottles for sweet tea and clear ones for homemade mint lemonade (fresh mint + lemonade= yum). Of course we also had many bottles of red and white wine on hand along with some of those cute vintage glass bottles of coca-cola. We really think making the effort to avoid cans and plastic kept things looking clean and classic…
…but in our anniversary recreation we took a shortcut and enjoyed a refreshing can of Fresca instead:
If this picture doesn’t aptly demonstrate how deeelicious it was, I don’t know what will:
And you may notice the lemon-&-lime-riddled napkin that I’m using to delicately dab my lips. Well, a year later we still had leftover napkins laying around, so that part of the recreation was easy (here they are in place on the tables 365 days earlier):
Then it was time to enjoy our wedding cupcakes. The night of our nuptials, we placed two of them in wax paper and then slipped them into a tupperware container which we stored in the freezer for the following year. And just like enjoying wedding cake on your first anniversary, those cupcakes were just as good (really, they took really well to bring frozen!).
And our one-year anniversary night wouldn’t have been complete without taking a ride to a nearby diner to recreate our wedding night photobooth experience in their booth for $3 (we like to snag a photostrip to commemorate lots of special days and store them in a cup on our open shelves in the dining room):
So that’s our little first year anniversary tradition- but what did we do to celebrate our second one on Tuesday? Well, we considered making the at-home BBQ recreation an annual tradition, but then my sweet hubby suggested that we enjoy a tasty meal at Brio, the deeelicious Italian restaurant where we had a lovely little rehearsal dinner the night before our wedding.
Here’s we are stuffed to the gills after our delicious anniversary meal:
Of course before we left we remembered to snap a few photos in the backyard (this time we posed in front of the hedges where our family portraits took place):
Then after dinner we capped things off with another photobooth pic at that diner downtown:
So that’s how we spent our last two anniversaries. What about you guys? Do you do anything fun each year when it comes to celebrating yours?
To learn more about how we DIYed our wedding food for an upscale backyard experience, check out the details in our wedding album.
p.s. We have a HUUUUUUUUGE ANNOUNCEMENT coming in just a few days so stay tuned!
ele says
you guys are toooooooooooo cute!!! I love it:)
Is the HUUUUUUUUGE ANNOUNCEMENT a BABY??????
elizabeth says
that’s my guess too!!
J says
My guess is a little BABY!! I’m crossing my fingers! :)
Jill says
I was thinking the obvious….baby….but I’m going to go with unveiling your basement redo. Either way, can’t wait!
I love how you spend your anniversaries!
Becca says
you are too darn cute! I love it! can’t wait for the BIG announcement! :)
Krysten says
Lol I don’t even know you but my first guess was a baby too. Looking forward to the announcement!
Jenny @ Words On Wendhurst says
Hehe, love your anniversary traditions. My hubs and I go back to the place where we got married every year and do a photoshoot, we’ve gotten some cute pics each year. We also go to the same Italian restaurant once a year around our anniversary, we love us some Italian!
My guess, you’re published in an even bigger mag this time!
Blair says
excited for the huge announcement!
Our anniversary tradition is that after dinner, we toast with a bottle of champagne in our flutes we toasted with on our wedding day. (We always buy the same brand that was served at the wedding for extra cuteness.) Then, we dance to our first dance song.
The hubby also gives me one long-stemmed red rose for each year of our marriage. We always joke that several years down the road, it’ll become a rather expensive tradition!
Julia says
How cute! What a sweet week of wedding posts. I love how willing ya’ll are to have your pictures taken and that you post them. I’m way too camera shy for that. Thanks so much by stopping by and leaving a comment – it made me smile! Keep the wedding week coming, it’s great!
Allison says
You two are just too cute! I love the idea of some how reliving your wedding day whether it’s revisiting the rehearsal location or having dinner based on the wedding menu. I am getting married (in less than 30 days) and I’m definitely going to keep these ideas in mind for the future.
Christa says
Be still my heart a huuuuuuuuuge announcement!!!!!!
Focipresley says
You two are a match made in heaven! I love it!
Did you have the guests bring the chairs over from the vow exchange location to the dining location? And did you just suggest they sit where they’d like? Just curious! Sorry if you’ve already explained those details.
Cheers,
Bon
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Focipresley,
We actually had little place cards on each guest’s spot (we stamped cardstock with monogram initials of each guest and held them down with river rocks) so after the ceremony a few of the “usher” type family members migrated all the chairs from the ceremony to the nearby reception while our guests milled around with some appetizers and drinks (although some DIY family members insisted on carrying their own chairs so that really speed up the transition). You can see more pics of the place cards by clicking our wedding album tab (under the header). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
sarah says
my husband and I tried to do the whole eat out at the same place tradition, but we can never remember our anniversary!!!! hahaha. we’re so bad at that!
Jen Z. says
OMG you guys are just too cute! Love your traditions. We go to the same Italian restaurant, where we had our first date on our “dating anniversary”. But our wedding anniversary we have just gone somewhere for dinner. Not that exciting I know. lol! Can’t wait to see what the big news is.
Carol says
I’m probably one of your older readers, been married 27 years. One of our celebrations is to go back to our honeymoon location every 5 years. It is amazing to see how much things have changed over these years with the location as well as with us. A friend of mine recently catered her daughters reception herself – there were 750 in attendance! Love your traditions and am looking forward to your huge announcement. Maybe a brother or sister for Burger???
OMG-TYH says
Cute traditions! Big announcement? Can’t wait!
OMG-TYH says
(I apologize for sounding like an illiterate cave-woman in my previous post. 3 2-word sentences in a row= WOW)
Hattie says
You two are so sweet together! Krispy Kreme has played a big role in my relationship with my husband. He took me there on our first date, he even wanted to pop the question there but I spoiled it by being too full from dinner (too full for Krispy Kreme – what was I thinking?), and we even had a Krispy Kreme wedding cake. We like to pop in for some hot glazed to celebrate our wedding anniversary and the anniversary of our first date. If anyone is curious about what a Krispy Kreme cake looks like, I blogged about it on our two year anniversary http://littleredroost.blogspot.com/2009/06/two-years.html
City Chic - Jamie says
All I can say is cute, cute, cute!! We do a similar thing. We make a Jamaican meal (usually grilled lobster with rice) since we were married in Jamaica. Our goal is to be able to go back to where we were married eventually. Didn’t go back the 1st year, but maybe this year. Can’t wait to hear your announcement!
Margot says
Awwww, I love the idea of photo strips to commemorate special days! :-)
Angela says
I think a baby is too obvious so I’m going with your revealing what you did in the basement or you’re going to reno the full bathroom. I can’t wait to see what it is!
Chelsea says
My guess is the basement, but I’d love to see the added affect of a Baby Petersik!
Liz says
Too cute!! For our second anniversary last month my hubby surprised me with a night at a totally fab boutique hotel downtown – the pool there is jawdropping amazing: http://itsgreattobehome.net/?s=joule&x=0&y=0
Hmm, the big announcement…with all of your (well-deserved) success, I’m guessing a TV show! Maybe not, but that would be awesome!
Krystle says
Can’t wait for the HUGE announcement! Just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much I love the blog and look forward to it daily. You’ve given me such awesome inspiration and really affirmed that I can do my own home upgrades that make a huge difference. Thanks again, you guys are awesome! And happy 2nd anniversary!
Jessica Lynn says
omg you guys are just too cute! i loooove wedding week! p.s. the teaser on the huuuuuge announcement!?!? so not cool. please announce asap.
Abby says
I hope the announcement is the basement unveil – since D of G&D announced she’s expecting, I don’t think I can take much more.
Our first anniversary is still a few months away but our cake baker provides anniversary cakes for $15 for those that used them for their wedding. We’re so excited! The cake was our big splurge and we didn’t have any left to freeze.
Jill Stigs says
How so totally cute are you guys? You should have a rock with the year painted on it in each shot so anyone can easily tell which anniversary it is. Also in your photo strip I can’t tell what you are doing with your hands Sherry….third pic??
Did I ever tell you that I suck at patience? Big time.
I am going to guess it’s the basement. But please don’t make us wait too long!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jill,
I’m actually holding up my hand with my wedding ring. And for some reason I’m making a very strange face. Weird poses happen in the photobooth that are beyond our explanation.
xo,
s
LINDZ says
YAY!! I love it! I just got married a few weeks ago and today I have officially changed my name!!! I am excited to do something special for our 1st anniversary next year! I’m excited to hear about your BIG news :)
Cheers!
LauraC says
Totally unrelated to anniversaries, but I was just sitting here reading your post and my two-in-less-than-a-month year old climbed into my lap and looked at the pictures with me. I was at the one of you, Sherry, wiping your mouth with the funny expression on your face, and she laughed out loud! Then she spotted Burger in the bottom of the previous picture and shouted, “Puppy dog!” We scrolled back and forth for a minute looking at the two pictures. I just wanted to say a quick, “Thank you!” for the fun you provide! This week really has been extra great. Thanks!
jbhat says
Your traditions are adorable. We always eat at the delicious Indian restaurant that did our wedding food on our anniversary. And a very shortlived tradition was to put on our wedding garb each year to make sure it still fit. That one has um, fallen by the wayside. : )
WHAT IS THE HUUUUUUUUUGE ANNOUNCEMENT?
mribaro says
Oh, I DO hope your huge announcement has something to do with turning your third bedroom into a nursery!
Sarah S says
I think Fanta is caffeine free, isn’t it? And it’s obviously alcohol free, so, I’m joining the baby guessing camp!
elizabeth says
love it how you are ignoring the pregnancy comments to up our suspense :)
Donna says
Gotta be a baby. The perfect ending to an anniversary week of posts.
Christie says
Well we just got married so we haven’t had any wedding anniversaries yet… but for our dating anniversaries we have done weekend cabin getaways. That’s just our favorite thing to do! Also the first year, Ian made me a video slideshow of our whole first year together. It was my gift. I said last year for our 2nd that I would love if that was a tradition, so we started making a 2nd year one together. However, it’s still not finished 6 months later :( Hopefully we will finish it as well as make one for this year, since getting married and going to Alaska are a big deal!! :)
Missy says
I know its going to sound odd, but the hubs and I celebrate at Ihop every year. The night of our first date he was so nervous he completely forgot to consider where we would go to eat. So when he came to pick me up, and I asked where we were going, he was completely empty on ideas. He asked what I wanted and I couldnt thing of anything that sounded better then pancakes. So we went to ihop and spent 3 hours talking. Exactly 3 years later, after our anniversary dinner at Ihop, he proposed :]
I am really hoping the news is either a little one on the way or the basement redo!
Melissa says
you are two are so cute! :o) I’m guessing the announcement is… you are getting your own magazine or you are going to be on HGTV design stars?!
Kristal says
Huge announcement? I’m gonna go against the flow and say it’s definitely not a baby announcement. You knew that’s what everyone would think when you posted that, and I don’t think you’d want to give it away like that. So I say it’s house related – I hope it’s got to do with the basement!
And even if it is a baby announcement…then that means we’re due around the same time and I’ll definitely enjoy seeing you pull a nursery together!
Liz says
So cute! And we had our rehearsal dinner at a place called Bravo which is owned by the same company that owns Brio. Exact same menu. It’s my fave restaurant.
Lindsay says
OOOh can’t wait for your big announcement.
Who makes the lemon pepper chips? They sound tasty!
kelly says
You two are the cutest! And I am craving one of your burgers now!! Is it just ground beef with a squirt of chunky blue cheese dressing??
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kelly, it’s actually chunky blue cheese dressing worked into the patty and marinated a while before tossing it on the grill. Deeelish!
And Lindsay, those lemon pepper chips were Archer Farms brand at Target.
xo,
s
Sara says
Huge Announcement…hm!!!….Are you guys going to host any TV show or give guest appearance in home decor channels? or pick my home to give free decor ideas :)
Jane says
Seeing all your wedding week recaps have me hoping I can move back to Richmond (from DC) so I can afford to buy a home before getting married. I love the DIY backyard wedding, especially when you have such a great space! I’ve passed this on to friends who just bought in Richmond and they’re inspired to do their own next spring too! Thanks!
patti says
we recently went to a wedding and the food was incredible. as we sat and ate the amazing spread, i looked at my husband and said – “it’s a shame the bride and groom won’t be eating any of this!” we both recalled not touching any of the food we had at our reception. everyone told us it was delicious. i do remember, however, eating a huge slice of our wedding cheesecake, (neither one of us is too keen on regular cake, so we had 1/2 sheet cheese cakes made with fresh fruit all over the top.) it was amazingly delicious!
Sara says
So fun! We do something big every five years. 5: a baby, 10: another baby, 15: diamond bracelet (more $$$ than “having” a baby, but less upkeep ;-), 20: diamond pendant (see 15), 25: grown-up bedroom furniture (bye-bye Early Graduate School junk!), 30: hmmm, that will be this Sept, but having hip replacement surgery 3 weeks prior – so…don’t know. But it will be a great week with 30th anniversary and 25th & 20th birthdays all in the same week.
Voting with the majority here: 1st thought:baby. Too obvious. Something super blog related.
Sara
Amy says
We just started the photo booth picture tradition because of one of your previous posts! it so fun!
I think the huge annoucnement is maybe you got your own tv show!!!!??!!
or maybe you have another magazine deal that you are writing for…
or maybe you are doing a bathroom makeover!!
either way cant wait to see what it is!!!!!!!
Amy says
Hi Sherry,
My husband and I just went to Brio for the first time last weekend and LOVED it!
I was wondering which downtown diner has the photo booth? We usually go to Galaxy Diner, but if I remember right it isn’t there (or we would have jumped in!).
Thanks!! Looking forward to your announcement. :)
Amy
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amy,
We always snag the photostrips at the New York Deli in Carytown. Love it!
xo,
s
Ash B says
Your traditions sound awesome – I’m a little jealous! Our 2nd anniversary is coming up in October, and for the 2nd one in a row – we’re going to someone else’s wedding! So I guess you could say our tradition is celebrating with friends for their own wedding… but I have to say, I think it’d be nice to just celebrate calmly (or not) at home instead with just the two of us. :)
Kayla says
My guess is that you are joining the ranks of pregnant bloggers.
Or it’s the basement.
Or your meeting Martha Stewart or something. lol
Caitlin says
By “a few days” I hope you mean this afternoon.