The Obama's Sent Us A Letter!

Hola,

How are you? Good we hope!

This post will be short and sweet for 2 reasons;
1) It is so amazing there is very little to be said
2) We are mid building flat pack furniture

So here's what's so amazing.......remember way back in 2011 Laura wrote to President Obama about repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and he sent a very nice reply? Well if not check it out here: http://sarahpluslaura.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/lauras-letter-from-president-obama.html

Our love of the Obama's has continued through various posts over the years, there was the one about how much we loved Michelle when we did our 'What We Love Wednesdays', it's here: http://sarahpluslaura.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/what-we-love-wednesdays-michelle-obama.html

Oh and we did a 'What we Love Wednesday' on Obama's support of Gay Marriage: http://sarahpluslaura.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/what-we-love-wednesday-president-obama.html

And then a week before the wedding we sent the Obama's a wedding invite and thank you letter for all they have done in support of Equal Marriage. We thought nothing of it and then yesterday, while on Skype to Laura's parents they mentioned that we had a letter from the White House......sorry the WHITE HOUSE!!!!!!

This is a screenshot of the letter:

Laura's Mum thinks it might actually have been signed by them as the ink has gone through the paper! Either way it is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! We were so excited last night we were on cloud 9! How amazing that they took the time to reply and that it was so sweet! Love the Obama's!

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S FINAL CALL-OUT FOR COUPLES TO MARRY IN BIG WEDDING WEEKEND!

Possibly our most random post to date but we were contacted by the Southbank centre about a unique opportunity!

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S FINAL CALL-OUT FOR COUPLES TO MARRY IN BIG WEDDING WEEKEND – A WEEK TO GO BEFORE DEADLINE

MORE THAN 75 COUPLES CONFIRMED TO MARRY OR RENEW THEIR VOWS IN ALTERNATIVE AND AFFORDABLE TAKE ON THE ‘BIG DAY’

Southbank Centre makes its final call-out to all couples who would like to take part in the Big Wedding Weekend, a week before the deadline. The last day couples can sign up is Tuesday 12 August to allow for the legal formalities to be processed. To date more than 75 couples are confirmed to get married or renew their vows on the stage of the iconic Royal Festival Hall.

The Big Wedding Weekend, on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 August, is the finale to Southbank Centre’s summer-long Festival of Love, which explores seven of the most powerful variations of love identified by the Ancient Greeks. This weekend is inspired by Agape, the love of humanity, and up to 20 couples at a time will marry or renew their vows in up to six ceremonies over two days.

Jude Kelly, Artistic Director of Southbank Centre, said: “We decided to hold the Big Wedding Weekend, the finale to our Festival of Love, to celebrate the historic change in the law that all couples now have the right to marry. Couples who would like to take part have just one week left to sign up to the event, which is set to be a truly memorable occasion.”

Southbank Centre is working closely with Lambeth Council, who are providing all their registrars in the borough for this special occasion. Cllr Jane Edbrooke, Lambeth Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “The Big Wedding Weekend is going to be a really fun and celebratory occasion and I’m proud that Lambeth is a part of it. I hope as many couples as possible take this opportunity to be part of such a unique event. The Festival of Love is all about accepting love in every form and is a great way to celebrate the fact that everyone in our society can now marry their partner of choice.”

Everyone can enjoy music and singing in the Royal Festival Hall and outside terraces over the weekend to mark this communal celebration with choirs including Southbank Centre’s Voicelab, led by Lea Cornthwaite; The Fourth Choir; London Gay Men's Chorus; Diversity Choir; Pink Singers and Chantage. During the ceremonies, the choirs will sing, Total Brass will perform, the recently refurbished organ will be played, and all guests will be invited to sing-along to the congregational song It Must Be Love by Labi Siffre, and covered by Madness. Southbank Centre’s Voicelab, a choir of 30 performing together for the first time, will sing Going To The Chapel by The Dixie Cups during the Wedding Breakfasts.

Couples will also be able to ‘marry’ in an inflatable church over the weekend and will receive a specially-designed ‘wedding’ certificate. Outside celebrations include ballroom dancing with Nicky Miles, a mass singing moment at 3pm on both days when everyone will join together to perform It Must Be Love in a mass singing moment; and the Wedding Olympics, hosted by Lost & Found – wedding-themed games including Champagne Dash, and Bridesmaids’ and Ushers’ Kiss Chase. Evening entertainment includes live music by The London Gay Big Band and DJing by Anna Greenwood in The Clore Ballroom plus love-themed party rooms in the Royal Festival Hall spaces.

Southbank Centre’s Festival of Love marks the historic change in legislation in March this year enabling everyone to marry their partner of choice. It also commemorates Nelson Mandela, who along with other political activists including Martin Luther King Jr, Aung San Suu Kyi and Mahatma Gandhi declared that love was the most fundamental way to bring about change.

www.southbankcentre.co.uk/love

#southbankforlove

For more information and images please contact Patricia O’Connor, Head of Press, at patricia.oconnor@southbankcentre.co.uk / 020 7921 0632 or Hannah Freeman, Social Media Assistant, hannah.freeman@southbankcentre.co.uk / 020 7921 0722.

Notes to editors

Tuesday 12 August deadline In order for a ceremony to go ahead, the legal formalities must be completed at least 15 clear days prior to the date of the ceremony. 

The Big Wedding Weekend, 30 and 31 August Up to 20 couples at a time are able to get married or renew their vows in up to six ceremonies (four on Saturday, two on Sunday) on the iconic Royal Festival Hall stage, accompanied by music and performances including the historic organ, in front of an auditorium packed with their wedding guests. The package, which costs £1,000, includes the registrar, ceremony, photography, entertainment throughout the day including a disco on The Clore Ballroom and other events around the building. The wedding parties can also join in a communal feast (an additional £1,000 for up to 40 guests).

The site has been transformed for the Festival of Love with love-themed exhibitions and installations including Sliding Gate, play slides by Sean Griffiths of Modern Architect, which symbolise the ups and downs of family life; Love Flags by Turner Prize nominee Mark Titchner using the seven colours of the rainbow, signifying the peace and gay pride movements, which fly from the Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall roofs, and the Jubilee Gardens flagpole; the Tunnel of Love by disability arts organisation Heart n Soul, a multi-media, sensory installation with vibrating floors, mirrors, love-songs soundtrack; and The Temple of Agape, by Morag Myerscough and Luke Morgan, made up of bright, hand-painted signs about love.

Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre, occupying a 21-acre site that sits in the midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames. The site has an extraordinary creative and architectural history stretching back to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Southbank Centre is home to the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and the Hayward Gallery as well as The Saison Poetry Library and the Arts Council Collection. www.southbankcentre.co.uk

We'll be there, milling around and congratulating all the couples! Yay weddings!!

The Name Change! Life after saying 'I Do'!

Weddings are funny. You spend all this time, effort, thought and money on this one event and then it’s over but your life is changed in ways you never considered. It is the bit after the wedding that I am just now realising really changes things.

Let me get to the point. I am no longer who I was. That makes sense right?

Part of this relates to the fact that I changed my name, I took Laura’s surname. There are a number of reasons for this but the outcome was a joint decision. We didn’t want to hyphen, no real reason we just didn’t think out names worked together. We didn’t want to make up a name because we both hold stock in our family names and we didn’t want to combine because Smutley or Nith just don’t work.

In fact, my name is still my name - I just added on a new surname, making my original surname a middle name. As one of two sisters I didn't want my family name lost, and having it as part of my name means it won’t be. It also saves any future offspring from terrible nicknames!

Anyway I digress, so while my name of 30 years still exists in some format, to the outside world I am someone new. I am Sarah Smith, wife of Laura Smith. If you met you 6 weeks ago you would know me as Sarah Nutley - if you met me today, I am Sarah Smith – how weird is that? I am the same yet different.

The reason I am bringing this up is because at lunch today I went to the bank, marriage certificate in hand, and changed my name. It was a lengthy process with a lot of photocopying and signing, thankfully I had a pre-practise session with my new signature, but it’s done. As I walked out the assistant said ‘Have a good day Mrs Smith’ I had to look around to see who he was talking to. I walked in Miss Nutley and out Mrs Smith – just weird!

Then there is work. I hand out business cards with Sarah Smith, new customers ask for Sarah Smith and my email address says Sarah Smith but when I walk into receptions I sound like a fool as I go between ‘they know me as Sarah Nutley, but I am now Sarah Smith’ I'm sure they are just like - pick a name, it doesn't matter– I look weird!

Facebook, Linked In and all other things that feature my maiden name all needed updating, I felt like I was replacing myself. It is just a strange feeling. Not bad, don’t get me wrong - this is not a negative thing, I'm really excited to be Laura's wife, it’s just an adjustment I didn’t think about. The banks cards, the mortgages, the student loan – everything legal, everywhere Sarah Nutley put her name I need to track it down and replace it.

If you want the full list check out: http://www.prepareformarriage.org.uk/index.php/wedding-tips/featured-articles/8-wedding-tips-practical/18-legal-stuff-changing-your-name

Essentially, if you google Sarah Nutley I will end as a 30 year old, there will be no further photos past 30. Sarah Nutley went out in her prime and Sarah Smith is now starting a new, married journey! This Sarah Smith will never have been single (hopefully never will be) she will have a life happily entwined with the ever wonderful Laura Smith!

The moment we get a bill to Mrs & Mrs Smith I know we will be bouncing around excited, I can’t wait for our new joint bank account cards and I love making bookings as Mrs and Mrs Smith. I just never thought about how changing your name really is changing who you are to the outside world.

For me it is a true declaration of love, of unity and of our marriage. A way of saying to the rest of the world that we are a married couple and that’s exactly how we want to be seen.

Delicious Pull Apart Bread

This delicious recipe for pull apart bread has been tried and tested by us twice now and it worked perfectly each time! (And it's always gone within 1 day!) There are plenty of similar recipes and depending on your herb collection you can add whatever you would like.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 + 1/3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:Using a stand mixer add yeast and water and mix using a dough hook.

Mix until the yeast mixture becomes foamy then let it stand for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil, salt, and flour, and mix on low speed until everything is combined.

Increase the mixing speed to medium and knead dough for 5-6 minutes, or until it is elastic or slightly sticky. 

If you’re not using a stand mixer- poor you J, we got lucky with the wedding presents, you can mix the ingredients in a large bowl, then knead the dough by hand. You will want to lightly flour the surface you are using until the mixture is elastic to touch it should take no longer than 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough, however you made it, into a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with or a kitchen towel or a tea towel, then let it rise in a warm place for 1 1/2-2 hours, until doubled in size. 

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, rosemary, and garlic.

Lightly oil your hands and make small balls out of the dough. Dip the balls in the butter mixture, and place on them in a circle round the edge of the bottom of the cake tin (we put a small ceramic dish in the middle to make it a bundt tin). 

Once you have placed one layer of dough balls in the cake tin sprinkle on 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Continue layering the dough balls and cheese until you have used the mixture. Cover the cake tin and allow the dough to rise again until doubled in size; this will take around 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C then bake the bread for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. 

We added marinara sauce for this, but at different times have also dipped in the leftover butter/garlic mixture, olive oil with vinaigrette, and a nice chutney.