Beach, Wedding, Shrimp & Grits Bar

The title pretty much sums up the highlights of my weekend in Wilmington and perhaps the most perfect reception I've ever attended. The weather could not have been more wonderful, the married couple more beautiful, and the food, the band, the beach, all just... you get the point.

At the reception. Charles has kind of a goofy smile in this. That's why he didn't make the Facebook profile pic cut.

We stayed at the Red Roof Inn which was kind of a dump, but the price was right. I bought a bunch of snacks at Trader Joe's beforehand to have in the hotel room before the bar [tab that the couple provided] that night in Wrightsville at Red Dogs. We had crackers with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and capers. I also brought two cheese, Coulommiers [soft and brie-related] that was on special and some Havarti with dill. Some cherry peppers caught by eye too, but they were not as spicy and delicious as my beloved peperoncinis. And some olive tapenade. And my cucumbers in vinegar. And a rose that I found during a wine tasting afternoon at TJ's one time. Then of course something sweet, dark chocolate and almond cookies [a whole tub of them which I have since let get stale but kept on eating anyway].

Ok, it doesn't look that fancy, but it was compared to this hotel. At least it wasn't a smoking room.

We were going to go downtown to the riverfront to see the free concert series they have all summer on Fridays [Zac Brown cover band that night], but it was getting late and the beach bars would be a long drive [cab ride] from there. I would mention our dinner at Hieronymous Seafood as I took pictures, but it really just wasn't very good. The She Crab bisque, pretty good. The crab dip and baked oysters, not so much. We just went because it was literally across the parking lot from our hotel and it's ranked by a local magazine a good place for seafood. It was fine though, because we kind of filled ourselves up before we went. The draft beers were good?

The bar that night was a really good time and we saw lots of UNC people. The next day we went on the boat with a law school friend, Taylor, and his parents. They played bocce ball and I sat in a beach chair. I also floated some too. The weather was great and it was very hot, sunny, not a cloud in the sky. A great break from indoor studying.

I just supervise.

The wedding was in a church downtown at 6:00 that evening and the reception was at Landfall Country Club and was just fabulous. No expense was spared. Cocktail hour was outside with white tents and lights; it lasted until dark. Inside was a buffet of food from a pasta bar, pulled pork sliders, some station where you chose your ingredients and had the chef choose them [I didn't want to wait, so I skipped it], and a separate shrimp and grits station- possibly some of the best shrimp and grits I've ever had. The wedding cake was glorious, but for some mysterious reason, we never had any of it. After a lot of dancing and hearing the band, the waiters passed out ice cream with something chocolate and pretzel-y. Oh, oh, oh, and there was a Scotch and cigar bar. I may have participated in some cigar smoking before hitting the dance floor. There were feather-y masks to wear and flashing rings which I thought might give me a seizure. And confetti to throw of course. It was a great time.

Yeah. Perfect. Also, on the water.

Bartenders would just make up drinks for you.
We actually met a guy that worked at Landfall out the night before in Wrightsville.
"Yeah, somethin with vodka and grenadine... and throw a cherry in there too. Thanks."

Um, heaven. Red or regular grits [I've never even had red ones!]. Creamy saucy shrimp.
Toppings included biscuits, chorizo, white cheddar, TOMATO JAM, fried jalapenos, onion straws, and probably more I can't rememeber because I was overly excited.

My masterpiece.

Orecchiette with white cheddar sauce. Gnocchi with brown butter and pesto. These people must live in my dreams.

Pulled pork sliders. Sadly, I was too full to eat these. Charlie says they were good.

My gluttonous extravaganza.

Options. Even lovely boxes of matches with the bride and groom's names. Many people were just taking cigars "for later."

 

Is this even edible? Shiny...

And then this happened... After, getting the trolley [for guests] back to the beach hotel, we called our newly found favorite cab driver Mike to take us back to the Red Roof... which happened to be located next door to a Waffle House. Which we went to. In our fancy wedding clothes. And I asked for gravy on top of my Texas toast sandwich... I'm not proud.

Happy Wedding Day, Alex and Brent! Thanks for the good times. I love the beach. Now, back to reality: Constitutional Law. Great...