Wedding Cake...With Birthday Candles?

It's been a festive -- and hectic! -- past few months for the Bruschettas.

My birthday follows closely on the heels of Mother's Day. May ended with a bang, as we celebrated Mr. Bruschetta's graduation. Next came our eight-year dating anniversary. Sister and BIL Bruschettas' birthdays are in late June, and Mama Bruschetta's is coming up in mid-July.*

And then there's our wedding at the end of August. Phew!

(source)

We selected our date knowing full well that the months leading up to it would be packed with these festive gatherings -- most involving dinner out and ending in cake. And that's not the most wedding-friendly schedule or diet, you know? But it's been great to have these breaks from the stress and planning. We've enjoyed the quality family time, and tried at each function to keep wedding-related chatter to a minimum. (And the cake my mother insists on sending home with me is waiting patiently in the freezer; I'll dig in come September, I promise!)

While I'm sorta relieved no birthdays are in too close proximity to our wedding, my imagination also goes wild when I think of the cute ways to integrate the two celebrations. Elaborate birthday candle cake topper? Bride and groom entering the reception to "Birthday" by the Beatles? Balloons in your wedding colors adorning the bride's and groom's chairs?

Next year, we'll happily add another occasion -- our one-year anniversary -- to our family's the list of summer celebrations. Enough about the Bruschettas, though!

Do any birthdays coincide with your wedding? Who is the birthday boy/girl? And did you do anything special to honor this person?

*Funnily enough, several other significant days -- including Mr. Bruschetta's birthday, Daddy Bruschetta's birthday and Sister & BIL Bruschettas' anniversary -- are "chunked" together in the fall. What is it with our family?

When-a the Moon Hits-a Your Eye...

Mr. Bruschetta and I are continuing to chip away at tasks on our to-do list, but we recently took a break from the planning -- and the stressing -- to celebrate the hundred-day mark from our wedding.

We decided to throw a small party, and invited a few guests: homemade pizza dough, eggplant, fontina, tomatoes and gin & tonics. My mister -- who normally shuns recipes and definitely doesn't consider himself a baker -- has nonetheless mastered the most delicious pizza dough; he used the recipe below.

We opted for a bruschetta-like pizza, and followed this recipe to prepare the toppings. My mister had gotten a head start on the prep by the time I got home from work, and had all the ingredients on hand -- as well as a tasty appetizer course. (Our faves were the cheeses -- manchego and Asiago -- and the edamame.)

We chopped, mixed and had a great time preparing two delicious pizzas. And, although we did try to avoid discussing wedding-related topics as our dinner baked, after we sliced the pizzas -- but before digging in -- we toasted 100 days until we'll be married.

Pizza Dough (courtesy of Mario Batali)

Ingredients

1/4 cup red or white wine
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 ounces fresh yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups flour

Preparation

Place wine, water and yeast in a large bowl and stir until dissolved. Add the honey, salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix well to combine. Add 1 cup of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until it becomes a loose batter. Add 2 more cups of the flour and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, incorporating as much flour as you can with the wooden spoon.

Bring the dough together by hand and turn out onto a floured board or marble surface. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until dough is smooth and firm. Place in a clean, lightly-oiled bowl, using remaining tablespoon of oil and cover with a towel. Let rise in the warmest part of the kitchen for 45 minutes.

For individual pizzas or calzones, cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and knead into rounds. For one large pizza, knead into 1 large round. For either, let rest for 15 minutes.

Did you (or will you) do anything special 100 days before your big day?