The Fake Cake

I’m not sure what way I am going to go with this blog…basically because, let’s be honest…I really like cake (okay, being even more honest…I really like all food). So, when a bride came to me last year and explained to me that she was having a “fake cake” at her wedding, I had feelings of concern, confusion, interest and curiosity. After further investigation, these fake cakes are actually quite intricate and amazing. They have a little “trap door” on the side of them that you an insert a Twinkie or a small piece of cake in there to use in the cake cutting ceremony. The point then is to have sheet cake in the back for the caterers to serve.

 So…why a fake cake, what are the pros and cons:

Pros:

• BUDGET! If you are on a budget and want a luxurious and elaborate cake for a quarter of the price…this would be a good option
• The cake doesn’t melt….Fake Cakes are used with fondant on Styrofoam which gives it very good support, this way it will stay intact in all elements of the weather.
• You can rent it…yup…just put a deposit down and they will ship it to you..it’s that easy.
• There are many different styles to choose from and if you don’t find one that you like you can always have one made.
• No wasted money on left over cake that will not be eaten.

Cons:

• You can’t eat it.  
• You can rent it…someone else had a cake just like yours.
• You may have to book well in advance to get the fake cake you want particularly if it is a popular wedding cake design
• You have to pay for any damage to the cake for repairs, or if beyond repair pay for the full cost to replace the cake.

 

There are a lot more pros and cons out there, but, for the budget conscience bride, this is definitely an option to look into!

 

Check out these pictures below…they are all fake cakes!

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Two in one dresses

Katie here!

With Spring approaching and everyone getting excited about wedding season, I have noticed recently the ads on tv for David’s Bridal’s $99 gown sale. I have in the past never really paid any attention to this annual sale, but this year as I am always looking for post ideas, I took notice and decided to do some research. I wanted to know what sorts of dresses are a part of this sale (answer: it’s really “save $50 to $300 off select dresses”), and if there was an abundance of dresses to choose from or only a few that actually only cost $99 (answer: many dresses are under $500 anyway, but not many were actually only $99 according to their online store.)


Anyway, I personally feel that their pricing is very reasonable to begin with, so any sort of a sale is an added bonus. But what caught my attention more than the sale, in little red letters on the left hand side of the website was an announcement pointing out a new style of dress in which part of the dress is removable to make it into two dresses. “Two in one gowns” they are called. Thus far they don’t have a large selection, and they are basically what you would imagine with a removable skirt portion to reveal a sleeker, more comfortable, smaller dress in which you would be able to move freely and dance the night away without worry about your large skirt getting in the way.

I think this is genius! It is the perfect blend of practicality and spontaneity. It’s like you have two dresses without the actual financial burden of buying two dresses! It is the perfect solution for brides who are interested in a very traditional, ballroom type gown to walk down the aisle in, but who also want to dance and have a good, comfortable time at their reception.

Am I out of the loop here? Perhaps this is not a very new idea and I am completely clueless. Either way, I think it is a cool idea, and find it funny that while I originally looked to the David’s Bridal website to see about their $99 gown sale, I was distracted by something just as interesting. Because really, what is more interesting than a wedding dress that costs less then $100?!

Groom's Corner ?!?!



Think of it as being an equal opportunity employer…this phrase is what should be included when a man is debating with his fiancé on whether to have or not to have a “groom’s corner.”


According to the Knot, the man’s corner is one of the hot trends of 2011. To clarify, this is an area that has been left aside in the reception hall where all things “men” are allowed. There could be a playstation, a Wii, poker table, cigars, and other stereotypical “man” things. Maybe even a little golfing will makes it’s way in there.

So is this a good idea? Many people will over think this question and come up with an over analytical hypothesis on how it is bias and stereotypical, and how it will separate the crowd. Let’s be real, it’s FUN!!! In fact, I bet the females will love it just as much, if not more than the guys will. If the fiance’s are competitive, maybe there should be a “brides corner” with massages (maybe a male masseuse), cosmo’s, gossip magazines, and mani and pedi’s. Two can play this game

What are your thoughts?

The Wedding of the Century

Hi All, Katie here!



I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I tend to keep up with entertainment news because I find it interesting and mind-numbing. Now that that is out of the way, I am still slightly embarrassed to admit that I spent more than a little time over the weekend searching the internet about the details of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding. I, like so many others in the world, am slightly obsessed fascinated by their story. But there is a lot more about their story that I find intriguing and relatable than just their massive wedding and the fact that they are royalty. Indeed their wedding will no doubt be watched by possibly more than a billion people. (When Diana married Charles in 1981, over a billion people supposedly tuned in from all over the world. In fact, thirty years ago, my mom was among the people who got up early to watch.) Can we talk about nerves? Yeesh.


William and Kate have been dating for more than eight years, since they met in college. Over the years, the media has gotten impatient about when they would get engaged, even dubbing Kate “Waity Katie”, which I think is really sad. I love that they took the time to get to know themselves and each other and establish themselves as people, strengthening their relationship and their chances for a successful marriage, rather than cave to the public scrutiny and get married before they were ready. I think the course of their relationship not only defies past traditions in the royal family for the better, but also provides our generation with a very public and realistic example of two people who took their time in making a very important decision, while enjoying each other and building their successful relationship.

Their story also intrigues me because it is so relatable to my own situation, having met my boyfriend in college and been with him for several years since (and probably will be for a few more before we decide we are ready to get engaged.) Amidst many of my friends who are getting married and engaged before we do, we are decidedly NOT in a race to “beat” everyone else to the altar for the sake of being amongst the first.  My boyfriend always says we are working to end up happy in the long run, not the first to have done this or that.

As I scoured the internet for information about the upcoming Royal Wedding, I came across an interview in which a reporter asked William what took him so long, and with a chuckle he responded “I wasn’t aware it was a race.” I almost fell out of my chair, and at that moment, though we are leagues apart, I felt an understanding and a respect for their lives together that makes me really want to tune in on April 29, 2011 when they commit their lives to one another. Though they are England’s future king and queen, they simply love each other and want to spend their lives together, like so many of us “commoners.” Continuing on with the tradition my mom started a generation ago, I will mostly likely set my alarm that day and take part in their special day. I am sure it will be magical and I wish them all the happiness in the world as they continue their lives together.

And of course, I am sure I’ll blog about all the details too!

Haute Hair!

After recently getting my first haircut in 10 months (ridiculous I know) I have been thinking alot about hair. The wedding season is upon us and one of my favorite things is to see how the brides updo their hair!  It has been said that big trend for 2011 is for more of a polished ballerina look for hair, but I did some searching and here are some other haute trends for hair for 2011.

This is from the Pricilla of Boston runway show and the sleek ballerina style is definately shown here.

A boho-chic style from Angel Sanchez and Junko Yoshioka

Accessories such as the headband above are HUGE this year!

Flowers are a classic and timeless accessory to be put in your hair

Or you can really emphasize your theme with your hair

What are your thoughts on how hair should be done?

Photo Books

Katie again!

A very good friend of mine got married last September and went to Ireland for a ten day honeymoon. Moving right along, she is also expecting her first baby this summer!! (Can’t wait for this little one, you have no idea.) She lives back in Minnesota, so I don’t get to see her very often and when I was home a few weekends ago, we got together for coffee. I brought her a baby gift, and she pulled out of her bag the most gorgeous matching photo books of her wedding and honeymoon. I thought for sure they were done by her photographers…for half a second I actually considered how it was possible that her photographer was on her honeymoon??...

It turns out that SHE MADE THEM HERSELF!! I was so ridiculously impressed I had to find out more about this, and then of course share it with you all!! She made them on Shutterfly, and the best part is they have matching spines and are amazing quality, so she plans to keep making them as she moves forward in life, including BABY, anniversaries, vacations, etc.

Shutterfly.com seems to be very user friendly, and provides you with lots of options. You can choose the size, number of pages and type of binding you want, and you can choose whether you want Shutterfly to arrange each page, or arrange them yourself. Their pricing also seems very reasonable!

In the digital age, photo albums are becoming a thing of the past, but to me this is a revival of the “photo album”, the end product of which is more like a gorgeous coffee table book than an actual photo album. I’m loving all of the options, and am dying to put one together myself. I also think this would be a fantastic gift idea for any occasion!

I hope you all have as much fun day dreaming about this as I did. Enjoy!

The First Dance

The first dance in a wedding can be such a spectacular moment. This is when you are able to show off your wife or husband on the dancefloor and be admired by your friends and family.
Yes, that is what it is suppose to be...however, for a lot of your guest, the first dance is the time when they will choose to refill their drink or "powder their nose." This is escpecially true in the younger generations. While the first dance is suppose to be a remarkable and beautiful tradition, it has seemed to become lost a little. Lots of peopel still do it, but I love how people are adhering to the A.D.D. generation and starting to give theri first dance a WOW factor and add entertianment value to it.

Some people decide to entertain their firends and family with a fun, outrageous dance:



Others will practice their ballroom or salsa



OR others will start the dance party off early and dance down the aisle!



Whatever you do for your first dance, it will be spectaclar as it will be between you and your new spouce!

Enjoy!

Yellow vs White Gold?

Katie here!

I gave a few tours of our facility over the weekend to perspective couples looking to plan their wedding with us. More often than not, when I speak with couples, I can’t help but notice the engagement ring. I mean come on, I AM a girl! And they are just so darn pretty! No two are ever alike. One of the brides this weekend had the most gorgeous solitaire diamond ring, with a yellow gold band, and I realized I almost NEVER see yellow gold anymore! Not even for grooms. They are more often than not choosing white gold, titanium, or something of the sort as well.


I simply had to investigate this more and spent some time perusing engagement rings online. (A perk of the job, what can I say.) And let me tell you gold rings are hard to come by! Especially in engagement rings. However, my mom’s engagement ring and wedding band are gold, and more often than not parents of the brides and grooms I talk to seem to have gold bands too.

This got me to thinking about trends. Because it sure seems that white gold or platinum is by far the style these days, but once upon a time that wasn’t the case. Say yellow gold makes a come back? Does that make the platinum rings of today out-of-date? Does it matter if it’s what you always wanted anyway, or are we skewed by thinking what is on the market today is the most beautiful, and our perspective changes with the market?

I have a friend who got married a few years ago and she went with a yellow gold engagement ring and wedding band. And while it’s really pretty, at the time I remember thinking it seemed “old”. Heck, Katy Perry’s engagement ring was yellow gold! I even broached this with my boyfriend who stated that he would prefer to wear a very traditional yellow gold wedding band but feels pressure to wear something more modern like his friends. Personally, with my everyday jewelry, I have reintroduced yellow gold as a staple and I love the color, so that makes me think perhaps yellow gold would suit me too, just like my mom’s ring set (which I love).

In the end, it’s all a matter of preference and probably a little about what is available on the market. But you can be assured that I will have my eye on the market in the next few years to see if yellow gold starts to make a comeback or if white gold/platinum are here to stay!