Wedding Cake Ideas

Photo Courtesy of:  Simply Devine Catering

You can order the wedding cake from a caterer or a bakery. Some hotels and restaurants may also be able to provide a wedding cake. But ordering it from a bakery who specializes in wedding cakes will probably be better. When ordering the cake you have to choose the flavor, size, design and shape. Size is determined by the number of guests. Choose the flavor you want. The most common flavors are carrot, chocolate, rum, white and lemon. You can also add a filling to your cake like custard, strawberry and chocolate. You can always consider having tiers with different flavors. If you're planning to use a cake top other than flowers, be sure to discuss it with your baker.   Some porcelains and heavier cake tops need to be anchored down into the cake. Your cake knife and toasting glass should complement your overall setting; these items will bring happy memories of you wedding.

The bride usually cuts the first two slices with the grooms hand placed over her. The groom feed the bride first and the bride feeds the groom. Toasting glasses are use to toast each other after you cut the cake. It's usually decorated with ribbons or flower and placed near the
cake. This makes a beautiful wedding photographs.

To save money compare the taste, type and quality. Some bakers don't have set-up and delivery fees, others do. In order to save money for the fee, have a friend or a family member to get a quick lesson on how to set up your cake. You can also check for individuals who bake from their home.

It's less expensive that ordering it in the bakery. Some bakeries require a deposit for columns and plates but some use disposable ones. It saves you the rental fee and the hassle of returning the items. To save money for the cake top, cake knife and toasting glass, you can borrow from a
friend or family members, as "something borrowed" is an age old wedding tradition.

Wedding Gifts

BRIDE'S GIFT:

The brides gift is traditionally given by the groom to the bride. It is typically a personal gift such as a piece of jewelry. A string of pearl, pearl earrings, a watch or a gold chain with a heart-shaped pendant holding the photos of the two of you.

GROOM'S GIFT:

The groom's gift is traditionally given by the bride to the groom. It could be a nice watch, a photo of
the bride framed in a silver or crystal or and elegant pen set.

MAID OF HONOR & BRIDESMAID'S GIFT:

A bridesmaid and maid of honor gift are given by the bride as a permanent keepsake
of their wedding. For the gift, consider items of jewelry, silver or crystal frame, handbags filled with wedding day essentials like lipstick, nail polish, jewelry and panty hose. The gift for the maid of honor maybe similar but should be a bit more expensive. The gifts are usually presented at the bridesmaid luncheon or dinner rehearsal.

To save money you can ask your photographer to make a special photo of each bridesmaid and her escort.

Select a beautiful frame that will remind your bridesmaid of the occasion and put the photo in the frame. This a nice gift yet inexpensive.

BESTMAN & USHER'S GIFT

Bestman & usher's gift are given by the groom to his ushers as a permanent keepsake of the
wedding. For the gifts consider fancy pen set, wallets, leather belts, silver frames. watches and desk clock. The bestman's gift maybe similar but more expensive. The gifts are given during the bachelor's party or rehearsal dinner.

To save money you can ask your photographer to make a special photo of each ushers and her escort. Select a beautiful frame that will remind your usher of the occasion and put the photo in the frame. This a nice gift yet inexpensive.

Wedding Receptions

RECEPTION

There are two types of reception sites. The first type charges a person fee which includes the facility, food, tables, silverwares and plates. Examples are hotels, restaurant and catered yachts.

The advantage of this is that they will do everything for you but the disadvantage is that choices of food, china and linen are limited. Usually you are not permitted to bring in an outside food/beverages and must choose from their own menu. In either case, if they allow you, be prepared to pay a corkage fee.

Beware because some the hotels are known for double booking. Also be careful of hotels that book events too close together. You don't want to your guest to wait outside while the room is being set-up for the reception. Get your rental hours and the name of the room in writing.

The second type charges a room or rental fee and you are responsible for providing the food, beverages, linen and possibly tables and chairs. Examples of this are clubs, halls, parks, museums and private homes. The site should complement the formality of your ceremony. The selection of the site depends on it's availability, price, proximity to the ceremony site and the number of people it will accommodate.

When comparing the cost of the different locations, consider the rental fee, food, beverages, parking, gratuity, set-up charges and the cost of the rental equipment such as the tables, chairs and canopies. If you're planning an outdoor reception be sure to have a backup site in the case of rain.

Approximately 35% of the total cost of your wedding is the reception. You can save money by limiting the number of your guest list. You can give 85 to 95% of you final guest count your caterer or facility manager, depending on how certain you are that all of your guests who have responded will come. Chances are that several, or not many of your guest will not show up but if they do be sure that your caterer should have enough food for all of them. This is especially true with a buffet style receptions, in which case the caterer will charge extra for each additional guest.

However if you have a complete count of your guests to your caterer and some of them don't show up you still have to pay for their plate. In offering a buffet meal have the catering staffs serve the food onto guests plate rather than allowing guest to serve themselves. This will help regulate the food consumption.

Wedding Dresses

Wedding dresses can have a variety of styles and materials.

Your wedding dress should be ordered at least four to six months before your wedding. Different styles of wedding dresses can help create a perfect look for you.

* For short and heavy figure: In order to look taller and slimmer do not buy knit fabrics. Princess or A-line style is perfect.  Chiffon is the best fabric because it produce a floating effect and camouflages your weight.

* For short and thin figure: A natural waist or shirtwaist style with bouffant skirt will make you taller and gives you rounded figure. The best fabric choices are chiffon, velvet, and lace.

* For tall and heavy figure: The best dress style to achieve a slimming figure are princess or A-line style. Satin, Chiffon and lace fabrics are all good.

* For tall and think figure: Tiers or flounces will reduce the impression of height. Natural waist or shirtwaist with full skirt are ideal choices. The best fabric to use are satin and lace.

When choosing the wedding dress, it is a good idea to look at wedding magazines to compare the various styles and colors. When ordering it, make sure you order the correct size. You can have also your dress tailored down to fit you exactly.

The dress should be ready at least six weeks before your wedding so you can select the appropriate accessories to complement it.

To save money you can always consider buying a secondhand wedding dress or renting it. This is a good option if you don't have plans of preserving the wedding dress. However, the options are more limited when renting and usually they do not fit as well as customized tailored dresses.

Wedding Favors

Wedding Favors By Joanne Elliott

History and traditions of wedding favors

The tradition of giving wedding favors, or ‘bomboniere’ is rooted in ancient European history. It was a ritual of common practice for wealthy aristocrats who were celebrating marriages, christenings, births and birthdays.

The bride and groom give small presents, or favors, to their guests and well-wishers to thank them for sharing the momentous occasion.

Initially the ‘bomboniere’ were of great value, and were made of expensive materials such as gold, silver, precious gems, porcelain or crystal.

The contents of the ‘bombonaiere’ were also of great value, most notably sugar.

At the time, sugar was a very rare substance, prized for its supposed medicinal qualities.

Additional meanings have become attached to the wedding favor tradition as time has passed. In total, the wedding favor is a symbol of well wishing for the five most important ingredients of a marriage bond:

• Wealth

• Health

• Happiness

• Fertility

• Long Life

Essentially, the wedding favor is a symbol of love and respect from the bride and the groom, and a token of well wishing for their deliriously happy future together. In addition, they add to the décor and overall theme of the wedding itself.

Wedding favors have become increasingly popular over the years as more and more people want small keepsakes to remember special occasions by. The actual monetary ‘value’ of the gifts is relatively small now in comparison to our ancient Ancestors. Common favors include ribbons, candles, picture frames, personalized book marks, laminated plaques, candy, seed packets, pillows, balloons and potpourri, amongst others.

Many couples prefer to give the gests something edible rather than an expensive crystal ornament. Candy, sugared almonds, mints and truffles are always a pleasing favor to give. These can be exquisitely gift wrapped in presentation boxes, or personalized by a professional cake decorator, for a relatively small sum of money. The overall effect, however, can be completely sublime!

Wedding Favor Themes

Because wedding favors can very much enhance the overall theme of a wedding it is a nice idea to try to get a balance. And don’t forget, any favor can be personalized with a unique thank you note or a short poem on an elegant card.

Seasons

Seasonal wedding favors are a fairly obvious theme. In winter you could give floating poinsettia candles or mini cherub ornaments. In fall you could wrap tulip bulbs in tulle and tie it with a ribbon to create a kind of home made sentimental potpourri. Spring could bring tiny glass ornaments or a personalized seed packet. And in Summer you could give elegant candles or brightly colored ribbons.

Overall wedding plan and color scheme

It makes very good sense to try to tie in your wedding favors with the overall
theme of your wedding. Think about what the favors represent initially, and then consider things like color scheme. For example, if you have decided on a traditional white wedding, you could package the personalized candy wedding favors in a box that coordinates with the bridal dress, or give ribbons that match the color of your bouquet exactly.

The best way to select a perfect wedding favor is to determine your budget, number of guests, and to think about what your friends and family might like to receive themselves. There are many website on the Internet which are dedicated to the supply of beautiful wedding favors. Many of these sites have very interesting innovative ideas for gifts and themes, so if you don’t know quite what to get, you soon will…!