Wine – Page 2 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

ASP Wedding September 16, 2013

Our Wedding Stationery: Papellerie

As I’ve mentioned many times before, we worked with Papellerie on our entire stationery suite (save the dates, invitations, programs, custom napkins, etc.). I loved working with Riley and Amy so much – they were incredibly good at understanding exactly what we (probably more I) wanted. Every single piece of our stationery was better than I could have ever imagined. The only missing photos were all of the goodies they made for our guest boxes! I’m upset that I didn’t think to have Ryan to take any pictures of the final product (my very unprofessional iPhone pictures below). The only faux-pas we had was that our seating assignment board – a corkboard with pins and personalized wine tags for guest’s glass with their name and table number – was setup vertically instead of horizontally (as planned), which made the tags fall kind of… off? You’ll see below. It’s definitely not a big deal though. As an FYI, the calligrapher that Papellerie uses is Meant To Be Calligraphy and the map artist was Katie Gastley. Everyone was amazing.

Our Save-the-Dates

Our Invitation Set

Our Programs

Our Placemats and Menus

Our Table Numbers

Our Reserved Signs

Our Table Assignments – a slight deviation from plan, as it was set up vertically instead of horizontally so the personalized wine tags don’t hang quite right! You win some, you lose some!

Our Custom Drink Bar Sign

Our Cupcake Flavor Labels

Our “Write your favorite memory” Postcards (A + S were gifted by my sweet little cousin!)

#ASPWedding Instagram Sign and Taxi Vouchers

Grand Exit Sign (Noisemakers here)

My iPhone Pictures of Guest Box Assembly + Seating Assignments

City Guide August 23, 2013

Paris City Guide

There is definitely no city in the world I love more than Paris. Growing up, it was always my dream to move there and spend my time strolling the bustling streets, speaking French with strangers, sipping coffee at a bijoux-cafe and wine on the Seine. In 2010, I got an internship in the City of Lights, and after a two week stint at the Cannes Film Festival, I made my way up north to Paris, where I spent the next three months adventuring (and blogging every day). I was fortunate enough to have one of my best friends, Andrew, also working there – by complete chance. We made a pact to adventure every single night – never to waste a moment in the most exciting city in the world. I honestly did not want to leave, so in 2010, after I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, I went back with my family. Again, in 2012, Sasha and I made our way to Paris, at the end of our vacation to Turkey and Greece. I genuinely think that being a tour guide in that city, which was once my home, is my favorite thing in the world. If you haven’t gone, you must. And when you go, I suggest you try some of my favorite things to do.

Food

Best Falafel: L’As du Fallafel (Le Marais)

Best Mediterranean: Chez Marianne (Le Marais) and Beytouti (Hôtel-de-Ville)

Best Romantic Dinner: Le Cafe de l’Homme (Trocadéro)

Best Casual Dinner: Le Pause Cafe (Bastille)

Best Lunch Cafe: Cafe Le Buci (Saint–Germain–des–Prés) and Le Restaurant (Luxembourg)

Best Dinner with Views: Restaurant Georges (Hôtel-de-Ville)

Best Dinner for People Watching: Le Bonaparte (Saint–Germain–des–Prés)

Best Frozen Yogurt: MyBerry (Le Marais)

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Drinks

Best Coffee + People Watching: Les Deux Magots

Best Peaceful Coffee: Telescope Cafe

Best Smoothies: Le Paradis du Fruit

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Sightseeing

Best Neighborhood to Get Lost In: Le Marais

Best Walking Tours: Paris Walks

Best Boat Tours: Bateaux Mouches

Most Extravagent Gardens: Le Palace de Versaille

Best Peaceful Park: Les Jardins de Luxembourg

Best Views of the City: Sacre Coeur

Most Iconic: Eiffel Tower (obviously)

Most Gorgeous “Square”: Les Places des Vosges

Best Way to Get Around Town: Velib

Best Church: Eglise Saint Germain des Pres

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Museums

Best Indoor Museum: L’Orangerie

Best (Mainly) Outdoor Museum: Rodin Museum

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Shopping

Best Boutiques: Le Comptoir de Cotonniers and Kookai

Best Department Shopping: BHV

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Accomodation

Best Hotel: Hotel Bel-Ami

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Nightlife

Best People Watching Bar: Le Petit Fer du Cheval

Favorite Night Activity: Drinking Wine on the Seine

Other Favorite Night Activity: Sitting on the Champs de Mars, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle

Favorite Bridge To Sit on at Night: Pont des Arts

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Some of my favorite pictures below from 2009, 2010 and 2012… time for another trip soon, especially as I’m reading The Paris Wife and am so nostalgic!

L’Arc de Triomphe, 2009

Le Petit Fer au Cheval (favorite bar!), 2009

Sacre-Coeur, 2009

Versailles Gardens, 2009

Le Louvre, 2009

Cars Rouges, 2009

Chez Francis, 2009

Le Jardin de Luxembourg, 2009

Paris Plages, 2009

Notre-Dame, 2009

Le Creperie Suzette (love this wine bar), 2010

Eiffel Tower, 2010

La Duree, 2010

Le Paradis du Fruit, 2010

Montmartre, 2010

Hotel Bel-Ami, 2010

L’As du Fallafel, 2012

Notre-Dame, 2012

Le Louvre, 2012

Arc de Triomphe, 2012

Eiffel Tower, 2012

PS What a difference a camera makes! Glad I finally got my DSLR.

PPS Illustrated map of Paris via Rifle Paper Co (love it)

Snapshots August 12, 2013

Tour de Texas

Sasha was in Austin all last week for class, so I drove to meet him on Thursday. We spent Friday eating breakfast at Kerbey Lane, working from the AT&T Conference Center (where we were staying), then getting lunch at the flagship Whole Foods, going paddle boarding on Town Lake (so much fun!!!), getting drinks at Abel’s on the Lake, then cleaning up and meeting some of my favorite people for dinner at G’Raj Mahal (amazing). After dinner, Sasha and I walked back to Town Lake to watch the sunset on a dock, then trekked across downtown Austin to go back to the hotel (via the Capitol and TCBY, naturally).

On Saturday, we were back at Kerbey Lane for breakfast (it’s that good), then headed to San Marcos to visit one of Sasha’s fraternity brothers. They live on this amazing 100 acre ranch with the most gorgeous Restoration Hardware inspired house. They have two gorgeous blonde girls of their own and have adopted three beautiful kids from Africa. I honestly did not want to leave.

Afterward, we went to Gruene for lunch at the famous Gristmill restaurant, next to Gruene Hall (Texas’ oldest dance hall). We walked around this quaint Texas town after, then got in the car and drove to San Antonio (hence, the Tour de Texas post name). I met two of Sasha’s high school friends and their precious three kids – a newborn who I didn’t want to put down. We went to eat at Scenic Loop Cafe and Bar, which was delicious – great outdoor dining spot with live music and gorgeous strung lights.

We woke up early on Sunday and headed back to Houston. We arrived home to the West Elm storage bench we ordered ages ago. Hoorah! Not many more pieces to go until The Manor is complete. The busy weekend ended with family dinner at Indika (one of my favorites, as expressed in my ‘Best of Houston: Restaurants and Coffee‘ post). It’s Houston Restaurant Weeks – my favorite time of the year.

Happy Monday!

Uncategorized July 29, 2013

Our Rehearsal Dinner

Our Rehearsal Dinner was on Thursday, July 18 at Gundlach Bundschu – we invited our bridal party and family to the dinner, then opened the event up to all guests for drinks at the end of the night. I honestly couldn’t have envisioned a better way to start the wedding festivities. I got to meet some of Sasha’s extended family for the first time and saw some of our Scottish friends whom I haven’t seen in years. A very relaxed evening and a perfect segue to the Big Day.

Location: Gundlach Bundschu

Florals: Julie Stevens

Catering: Marks the Spot

Dress and Belt: BHDLN (as discussed on S&MT here)

Wedding July 16, 2013

And We’re Off!

We’re flying to San Francisco today for our wedding on Friday. We are excited beyond belief – I cannot believe it’s finally here. I’ll be taking a break from the blog for awhile… and will come back Mrs. Petrovic. I cannot wait. Love y’all!