Fay and David's Wedding and CCC Copycat Salad

This weekend one of my best friends got married! And even better, Fay and David tied the knot at my very favorite place--UCLA. (If you remember, Terry and I visited Fay and David in D.C. this year before they moved to Oakland.)

Terry and I drove up with Marshall on Saturday afternoon and met Terry's parents on campus. They're UCLA alumni, too, and we were grateful that they were willing to hang out with Marshall during the wedding--our first time "away" from the little guy. (He did great!) Truth be told, being on campus with Terry and Marshall made me pitifully nostalgic, and I couldn't help wishing we hadn't moved so far away.

The wedding was absolutely perfect. A close friend of Fay and David's officiated the wedding, and his words were incredible. They were the talk of the reception--everyone sent tons of compliments his way. He talked a lot about how different places take on special meanings. Specifically, he emphasized that UCLA (the actual spot of the ceremony!) was where Fay and David met, and now it's where they got married. They also lived on the East Coast (Baltimore and D.C.), so those places now have special meanings, too. The ceremony was touching and beautiful and perfect for the couple.

I think my favorite part was that Fay arrived in a car! After the processional, the car pulled up at the end of the aisle and Fay got out. It reminded me of the Royal wedding. The couple asked that we refrain from photos during the ceremony, so I don't have any to share, but I loved the details of the day (feel free to stop over to my friend Divya's blog for some photos, though!). Terry and I both commented on the fact that it was such a perfect day that they didn't even need much decor. They kept it tastefully understated, and it really highlighted the beauty of campus (and the beauty of the bride!).

Terry and I sneaked away after the ceremony to check on the little guy and take a few family photos on campus (we couldn't resist), and then we headed in for happy hour. One of the best aspects of the wedding was that Fay and David essentially reunited a TON of mutual college friends. Terry and I had a blast catching up with lots of people we hadn't seen in years. I even chatted for a while with one of my English major friends, with whom I took my very first AND my very last class at UCLA!

The reception was awesome, too, although Terry and I headed home fairly early. We enjoyed catching up with more people, toasting the newlyweds, devouring the delicious meal, even squeezing in a dance or two. The speeches from the best man, maid of honor, and father of the bride were awesome, too. They focused on how kind Fay and David are, which is absolutely true. In fact, I don't remember who said it, but one of the speeches said:

Be as kind to each other as you are to others.

I think that's a terrific reminder. It can be easy, once you're so comfortable with someone, to forget about kindness. But of all the people we interact with, shouldn't we be kindest to the one we've chosen to marry? After all, they have seen us at our worst, stood by us through the tough stuff, and loved us even in the hard times. It was a great piece of advice.

Congratulations to the amazing couple!

And switching subjects...

If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you likely recognize that I'm not a salad person. It's strange, because I enjoy quite a few different types of salads, and I even have several salad recipes on this blog. But when I eat out, I almost never order salads. I assume I won't feel full enough, which is also almost never the case.

(Source)

Anyway, the other day, after my doctor appointment, Marshall and I met up with a good friend for lunch at California Chicken Cafe. I had never been but had wanted to try it out. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the menu was pretty well rounded: wraps, chicken pieces, salads, sides. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of vegetable options!

So it's strange, then, that despite all the options I wound up choosing a salad. The California Chicken Salad looked pretty loaded, and if I'm going to get a salad it needs to have more "stuff" than lettuce. The description said:

California Chicken Salad
lettuce with white meat chicken, feta cheese, avocado, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, croutons, and plain pasta with your choice of dressing mixed in

I thought the combination was fantastic and ended up eating nearly the entire (giant) salad. If I wasn't breastfeeding, I likely would have saved half for later. It was so good that I told Terry about it later and decided to make a copycat salad at home. We already had a few of the ingredients, so it made for an easy Sunday night meal.

CCC Copycat Salad
Serves 2

• 3-4 cups greens
• 1 head of broccoli (raw), chopped
• 1 carrot (or, in my case, about 5 baby carrots), finely chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3 ounces feta, crumbled
• 1 avocado, cubed
• Dressing of choice (optional)

It's a salad, so you pretty much just toss everything together. I whipped up a little lemon vinaigrette, but Terry and I agreed that the salad didn't need it. The avocado was perfectly ripe and did the trick. 

Enjoy!

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