I'm so glad we did a first look. It was really wonderful. Rob stood in a little clearing of trees just away from the house, our family and wedding party lined up near the door, and I passed by them on my way to see him. The whole thing was surreal.

I was so grateful for the time we had to see each other and hug and kiss and laugh and get passion eyes before the ceremony. It calmed me down so much before walking down the aisle in front of everyone, and it also gave us a chance to get a ton of group photos (I'll show you those later!), which meant we got to enjoy a lot more of the reception with our guests. It was like a win-win-win situation, and the first look was one of my favorite parts of the day (that's not saying too much, though--everything was one of my favorite parts of the day).

All of our wedding photos were taking by sweet Ashley of V.A. Photography.

In case you missed it, I shared some details and shots of us getting ready right here.

A couple of months ago, Rob and I went to Butcher and the Boar for our anniversary and had a great time. It's a wonderful place to have a fancy and delicious dinner, but it's kind of hard to spend less than around $200. I was recently very pleasantly surprised to learn of their casual and much more budget-friendly beer garden, where you can sit outside, still receive great service, and eat fantastic food (for a fraction of the price you'll pay inside at dinner).

Check out their menus here! They have a terrific bourbon list which is totally not my thing but pretty cool either way. When we went for dinner we had the mushrooms, bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin, and the double-cut smoked pork chop (as well as a couple of cocktails), but for snacks on the patio a few weeks ago, we shared some ribs and their famous red hot Brussels sprouts (seriously, get those). Everything is good! I'm going back soon for the pickled vegetables and the smoked olives.

Butcher and the Boar

1121 Hennepin Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55403

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Food 5/5

Service 5/5

Atmosphere 4/5

Prices & Specials 3/5

Paleo-Friendly 5/5

Are any of you guys fans of rosé? I had actually never had a glass until last month, when La Crema sent me some to pair with a dessert for my bridal shower in Virginia. It was delicious--and even tastier with the strawberry-filled vanilla macarons I brought along with me from Cosetta in St. Paul (that place is magical--if you're local and haven't been, you need to stop by this weekend).

I put together a list of other cookies that would pair well with La Crema's rosé on their blog last week, so if you're looking for some new recipes, check it out here!