The vendors who saved our asses: Coolhaus

About 2-1/2 hours into our reception, a ripple of sorts went through the crowd. There was this buzz, almost like schoolgirl chatter, spreading from table to table, person to person. Were we the unsuspecting victims of some soon-to-be unleashed wedding prank? Or, even more plausible, were my dance moves so visually painful that our guests had resorted to small talk, collectively refusing to join us on the dance floor?

Thankfully, no.

The ripple, the buzz, the chatter, and the small talk were all a result of the happenings at the other end of our venue. Nestled in the far corner of the room was a single 6' table adorned with a simple linen, some catering equipment and a small, colorful chalkboard. Two newcomers stood behind the table with gloves and aprons, and both of them had that "California glow" about them. Yes, this was Coolhaus.

2E's and I never wanted a traditional wedding cake. We couldn't afford one; didn't care much for the taste of cake; and were rather bored of them to tell you the truth. (Granted, there are some amazing cake makers out there, but with our modest budget, that was never a realistic option.) Coolhaus' solution to the "cake-cutting" dilemma was a generous helping of their delicious red velvet ice cream sandwiched between two large black and white cookies (a true New York classic).

Overbite

Our guests could not have been more thrilled with this new take on dessert (kickass caterer Kim Pistone also supplied mini red velvet cupcakes for the ice cream "haters"). We received compliments throughout the evening (from Never seen anything like it! to I'm on my third now), and we managed to turn all of the skeptics onto the idea. Our floral and decor designer, David Beahm, a true trendsetter in the wedding field (one of Modern Bride's Top 25 Trendsetters in 2008), thought it was an absolute hit. New York, or at least the microcosm of New York that had gathered in a loft beneath the Manhattan Bridge that evening, could not get enough of Coolhaus.

Ari made all the ladies happy that night

Natasha Case, one of the co-creators of Coolhaus, asked us to choose 5 cookie varieties and 7 ice cream varieties (we chose brown butter candied bacon, dirty mint chip and baked apple among others), and on the Friday before our wedding, Natasha traveled cross-country with the ice cream. Let me just say that another way: she literally brought the ice cream from Los Angeles. It just makes it all that much more worthwhile, doesn't it?

Natasha and her staff were an absolute delight to work with--before, during and after the event. It was the little snippet of Los Angeles (by far our favorite snippet) that we had wanted to incorporate into our tiny Brooklyn wedding from the very first day, and everything about it worked beautifully. Really, anything to take the attention off my dancing.

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All photos courtesy of Noah Devereaux

Please contact Natasha about your own NYC or LA wedding at natasha@eatcoolhaus.com

And check out my previous posts featuring Coolhaus

Mitzvahs that cost 3x as much as our wedding

The other night, 2E's and I were fortunate enough to attend a bat mitzvah at a stunning private residence in Bel Air. We've been to our fair share of high profile events since we moved here at the start of 2008 -- both as guests and as photographers -- and bar and bat mitzvahs have comprised most of those events. (2E's knows all the tween socialites.) We've grown accustomed to indoor parties with DJs, straightforward catering and a chocolate bar of sorts ... but the hosts of this weekend's mitzvah raised the bar. What set them apart was not how much was spent but rather how it was spent and the people who made it happen.

First, we were thrilled to learn upon our arrival that our old friends at Coolhaus (who provided the dessert at our wedding) would be making their ass-kicking ice cream cookie sandwiches at the close of the evening. I've never seen a horde of thirteen-year-olds so willing and eager to get in line for something.

But before we got busy on dirty mint chip ice cream wedged between soft-baked goodness, the kids and I partook in some Double-Doubles c/o In-n-Out Burger's convenient Cookout Trailer.

According to one of the men who was working the truck, the average price for a 4-hour event like this (which includes a full menu with unlimited burgers, potato chips and soda) is about $1,250, which -- considering the response from the crowd -- is beyond reasonable. (As a vegetarian option, In-n-Out can do grilled cheese sandwiches.)

And all food aside -- we were introduced to a man named Karl Johnson, Master Scissor Artist Extraordinaire from a company called Cut Arts. Karl sets up a card table, empties the contents of his briefcase, invites guests to sit down and gets to work on what he calls Original Silhouette Portraits. While I was hesitant at first, watching him sculpt 2E's precise silhouette out of cardstock and a pair of scissors was both bizarre and mind-blowing.

 Eerily on-the-money

Contact Karl via his website or via email at karl@cutarts.com.

All photos by Joanna Wilson Photography

We've Stopped Showering/Ice Cream & Soda

The last Man Registry guest post was no exaggeration. And neither is the title of today's entry. We're foul. We reek.

I imagine our biggest faux pas thus far has been our countdown. We've been telling ourselves that we have n number of days left ... completely ignoring the fact that we're leaving for New York five days before our wedding date.

We don't have 8 days. We have 3.

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With the big day only days away, 2E's and I are spending this last week confirming rental orders, rushing to secure groomsmen attire (future post) and fighting the urge to run into on-coming traffic.

Oh, Madman, you're so morose!

I know, I know, but I think I'm entitled. Need I remind you? We don't have 8 days left. We have 3. Our mornings are good; our afternoons could be better; and by the evening we're shivering and strung out, verbally abusing sales reps who don't abide by estimated shipping dates (those are GUARANTEED, RIGHT?!).

But at the end of this torturous road is this beautiful event and all of the love and joy and nerves that come with it. I reread my vows and begin to feel OK again, not because I'm satisfied with them -- oh god no, they're by far the toughest thing I've ever had to write, and I'll keep revising them until the hour before, no joke -- but because the promise that I've put on paper reminds me what this whole thing is about.

"Quit thinking about yourself," Best Man Justin reminds me. "This day has so little to do with you. I'm totally bringing a cardboard cut-out of you in case of an emergency."

"OMG. How did they get Zac Efron to come to their wedding?!"
"I don't know, but he's kind of stiff."

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2E's has been jonesing for some ice cream sandwiches. She's convinced that the ones at our wedding are to taste even better than usual. Just because. And she was thrilled to learn that Natasha (one of the co-creators of Coolhaus) is going to be traveling to New York to be at our reception -- Coolhaus' first east coast wedding gig!! How friggin' cool is that? I've never been so excited to not have cake.

Click here to read about Coolhaus' wedding services.

As for the ceremony -- 2E's and I knew we needed something that would set the tone for the evening, that would (in essence) tell our guests, Loosen your tie. This is not your traditional wedding. Get onboard.

Our inspiration came from a roadside organic market in North Carolina where we stopped for smoothies and snacks before a 3-hour drive. The market featured an entire fridge full of "old fashioned pop," including a personal favorite of mine -- Black Cherry Boylan Sodas.

My no-hesitation answer to the "if you could have one thing on a deserted island" question

It comes as no surprise that Boylan uses pure cane sugar as opposed to syrup (hence, it doesn't taste like syrupy crap), and their bottles have an awesome vintage look that make them the ideal non-alcoholic option at any ceremony or reception. Loosen your tie. Have an orange soda. Get onboard, people.

While there are lots of regular and diet options to choose from (full Bottleworks flavors available on their website), 2E's and I decided to keep it simple and old-school with Black Cherry, Root Beer and the original Cane Cola. Groomsmen will be handing them out to guests as they arrive, adding an air of sophistication to the whole charade.

Yeah, we're pretty damn sophisticated if I may say so myself.

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Boylan Bottling Co. was kind enough to supply us with some complimentary sodas in exchange for this here post and the stock photo I've inserted above. Blogspot.com and its affiliates are in no way endorsing Boylan Sodas -- though, if they had them, they would immediately know that I was right all along.

Product Sampling: Coolhaus

The other night, 2E's and I took a break from serious wedding planning to do a little taste testing. We've had Coolhaus booked for the dessert portion of our wedding for a few months now ... and, believe it or not, we'd never tasted their product.

Granted, the "product" is ice cream sandwiches, so...

Like all LA food trucks, the Coolhaus party van makes stops all over the city (follow them on twitter for updates and location announcements), and we caught up with them across from CBS studios on Bev, doing some promotion for the USA Network.

(promotion = free taste test)

The verdict? The "product" is ridicu-licious. I went Southern and got the Red Velvet on a pair of fresh-made chocolate chip cookies; 2E's went out-of-the-box and got some bacon-or-something flavor on some other kind of cookie. Our sandwiches were made in, uh, seconds, and the bizarre flavors aren't at all overwhelming (only on her second-to-last bite did 2E's proclaim, "There's the bacon!"). It really is the perfect end-of-the-night treat after four hours of hardcore celebrating. 

The one thing left to consider: the mess factor. We had the good fortune of having the Beverly Boulevard sidewalk beneath us, but we may need to hook our guests up with courtesy plates to avoid a red velvet and bacon-flavored dance floor. And to prevent our guests from licking said dance floor. I think there's a surcharge for that.

For the Kid in All of Us (Grooms)

Walking home after last night's performance, I stopped by the Westside Market on Broadway and 77th to pick up some "bachelor food." After all, I am living in the city now, with 2E's on the west coast, and there's just no need for me to make my world famous shrimp dinners while I'm living life as an island.

(See About a Boy for island-living reference.)

What I found while browsing for pre-made sandwiches and plastic pasta cartons was a Lunchables pack. You remember Lunchables: the yellow, rectangular lunch boxes designed for 10-year-olds and for parents who don't have time to throw a nutritious lunch together at 7AM. And what did I do ... ? I went ahead and bought one.

Why? you ask. Why ignore the voices in your head? Why ignore the adult in you who says, Those are for kids, fool! You're 26-years-old! Those aren't healthy, even in the most lenient definition of the word. It's not even DINNER - it's LUNCH! You damn fool!

Well, I'll tell you why, readers. For one, it was $3, and every other pre-made lunch/dinner was at least $10. But more importantly, it's a thing we do. Men. Grooms. Whatever. We have these boyish impulses, impulses that go against every established notion of what is right or normal or O-K. Despite those notions, I sat down last night and took a miniature slice of ham and a miniature slice of cheese and put them squarely atop a miniature Ritz cracker and enjoyed it. Sometimes I even made a Ritz cracker sandwich, despite the fact that there are an equal number of ham slices, cheese slices and crackers. I broke the mold. I did something ridiculous. And you know what? I had completely forgotten about the fruit punch-flavored Capri Sun that came with each and every Lunchables box. It made my friggin' night.

Knowing I have this boyish side, 2E's knew she wouldn't have to work too hard to convince me that we should look into Coolhaus and having their services at our wedding. The beautiful, wonderful people at Coolhaus make ice cream sandwiches. They do God's work.

2E's and I have been planning on having an ice cream bar at our wedding as opposed to a cake; in our minds, it's a nice way to spice things up and make the close of the evening a bit more unique. We imagined we'd be doing this on our own ... providing our own toppings, etc. ... until we learned about Coolhaus.

To put it simply, Coolhaus asks you to pick a type of cookie (brioche, oatmeal raisin, sugar, etc.) and a flavor of ice cream (chai, apple pie, mango, cookies and cream, etc.), and then they make magic. They're otherworldly. They do edible logo wrappers. They'll set up a table and prepare made-to-order sandwiches, or you can reserve the truck for your wedding or event, and they'll pull up outside in true NY/LA Food Truck fashion. Even for the effect, it's totally worth it. This is Coolhaus.

Coolhaus is based in LA, but when we heard that they were planning on having a truck in the NY area in the next few months (and heard how reasonable their prices were), we were sold ... as was the 10-year-old in me ... cause he is absolutely getting a chocolate chip & dirty minty chip ice cream sandwich when he realizes -- mid-reception -- that girls still have cooties.

love,
madman

(you can awaken your inner child at eatcoolhaus.com)