I mentioned before that August was the month of weddings for us this year. A couple weeks ago, we headed to San Diego for the second of three weddings this month. I have known the bride since childhood, and met the groom freshman year of college. Their wedding was the perfect reason to head to my hometown for the weekend.

After spending the morning soaking up some sun, we threw on our wedding clothes.

The ceremony was held at the church the bride grew up in. The interior has wood, stone, and copper accents and is flooded with natural light. Palm trees dot the perimeter of the grounds, and the sun was out, in true Southern California form.

As University of Washington alum, and some of the biggest Husky fans you might meet, it was fitting that the wedding colors were varying shades of purple. The bridesmaids wore gorgeous dark purple floor length dresses, with the maid of honor and matron of honor wearing a few shades of purple lighter. The groom and his groomsmen wore grey suits and purple ties, which they all loosened when they hit the dance floor. The reception took place on the San Diego harbor, with a view of the skyline in the distance, a purple ombré cake, and purple bouquets surrounded by twinkling candles.

We had such a blast celebrating A & J. Congrats!

After a night of drinks and dancing, we woke up with a hankering for a good brunch. Tucked in the corner of Hillcrest and University Heights sits Great Maple, which completely fit the bill for a post wedding brunch. The A-frame building, standing under a nostalgic diner sign, is filled with desert-city retro decor.

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The tagline is “libations, seasonal plates, pie” so its no surprise that the menu starts with a hefty list of mimosas, brunch cocktails, and bloody marys to fit whatever mood you’re in.

If you’d let me offer a suggestion before you dive into the extensive menu, put in an order for the maple-bacon donuts and the powdered sugar beignets with lemon curd. Yes, both. Just do it.

The beignets are brought to the table side in a brown paper bag, where they are given a good shake and tossed into the bowl piping hot. Go ahead, grab one, dunk it in the tart lemon curd, and let all the flavors melt together in your mouth.

Then turn to the donuts.

The fresh made donuts are coated with Great Maple’s signature maple-bacon glaze, then topped with chopped bacon and powdered sugar. The dough is perfectly light but doesn’t go mushy with the gooey sweet maple glaze, which is perfectly balanced by the slight saltiness of the bacon. There have been a few recent mornings that I’ve woken up sorely disappointed, having dreamt that a warm batch of these treats was waiting for me in my kitchen.

I hope you’ve saved some room, because we’re on to the main course. The rest of the menu provides options for just about everyone. Some of our favorites were the fried squash blossom and goat cheese popover, the house smoked beef brisket hash, and the vegan hash with two poached eggs added.

Being completely honest, we came no where close to finishing our meals. With bellies full to bursting and content smiles on our faces, we rolled out of the restaurant with leftover bags in hand. We strolled through the Hillcrest Farmers Market (open on Sundays from 9am-2pm), then headed home to pack up after a wonderful weekend in San Diego.