You’ll be wearing these rings every day for the rest of your marriage, so find ones you really love. Remember, rings don’t have to match. Due to its durability, hypoallergenic qualities and white silver color, platinum has made a big comeback. It’s expensive, though, so white and yellow gold are still the ” go to” golds. Bands can have a shiny, matte or sandblasted finish. Many families pass wedding rings down through the generations. If you get a family heirloom, you can change the setting or update the style. Care for your rings by taking them off when bathing or working with harsh cleaners. The chemicals in a hot tub, for instance, will eat away at the prongs on your diamond ring. It’s also suggested that you sure them in a soft pouch apart from your other jewelry.

Our wedding bands were given to use from my husband’s grandmother. They had been her grandmother’s. My engagement ring was designed to be sturdy and durable. I choose my birthstone to be placed on either side of my diamond. I’ll show you when you come in for a consultation!

Five alternative ideas to shower you with happiness before the big day.

1. Meet your girlfriends at a local spa or pool. Bathing rituals are part of the pre-wedding events in many cultures.

2. Have a coed shower-bachelor party. See a show, go dancing, or hit a club together.

3. Throw a henna party. In some cultures, the bride’s hands and feet are elaborately decorated with natural dyes.

4. Have a coed themed cocktail party. Think martinis, sock hop or fondue flashback!

5. Do something outdoors. Get the girls together and go on a hike, or arrange a whitewater rafting or ski trip.

A wedding cake is the traditional cake served to the guests at a wedding reception (or in parts of England, at a wedding breakfast) after a wedding. In modern Western culture, it is usually a large cake, multi-layered or tiered, and heavily decoratedwith icing, usually over a layer of marzipan or fondant. Achieving a dense, strong cake that can support the decorations while remaining edible can be considered the epitome of the baker’s art and skill. The average cost of a professionally made wedding cake in the U.S. in 2005 was $543.^[1]

The wedding cake is a tradition that began back in the Roman Empire. At the time, it was a loaf of bread that the groom broke over the bride’s head as a symbol of his dominance in the marriage and over her.^{[dubious – discuss]} The color of the cake is typically white to symbolize purity. The action of the bride and groom cutting the cake is meant to symbolize their first joint task in married life. The gesture of feeding cake to one another is a symbol of the commitment the bride and groom are making.

[edit]Symbolism

One of the earliest forms of the wedding cake is the French Croquembouche. The legend of this cake says that a pastry chef, visiting medieval England, witnessed their tradition of piling sweet rolls between the bride and groom which they would attempt to kiss over without knocking them all down. The pastry chef then went back to France and piled sweet rolls up into a tower to make the first Croquembouche.^[2]

[edit]History of the modern cake

the modern wedding cake was inspired by this church steeple in London

Far from being a historic institution, the modern wedding cake was a creation of the 20th century. The sugar paste frosting used on many wedding cakes was invented in 1888.^[3] The pillars, used to support tiers of layer cake, were developed in 1902.^[3]

[edit]Modern adaptations

A contemporary wedding cake.

Wedding cake toppers are small models that sit on top of the cake, normally a representation of a bride and groom in formal wedding attire. This custom was dominant in US weddings in the 1950s where it represented the concept of togetherness.^[4]Wedding toppers today are often figures that indicate shared hobbies or other passions, if they are used at all.^[4]

In the United Kingdom, the traditional wedding cake is made from a rich fruitcake, although many modern cakes now consist of either vanilla sponge, chocolate sponge or carrot cake. Most cakes are between three and five tiers in height. Among some more elaborate cakes the United Kingdom see are those prepared for the Royal Weddings. These cakes are actually decorated boxes with the fruit cake cut into portions on the inside, allowing them to be easily served to hundreds of guests.^{[dubious – discuss]}

Another trend is for wedding cupcakes. To imitate the tiers of a wedding cake, the cupcakes are placed on a stand and decorated in the wedding colors.

Wedding cakes can also be decorated with flowers.

Here are some suggestions in keeping your invitation costs down:

1. Use standard regular size

2. Order name brand invitations directly from the catalog.

3. Look for superstores on the web such as OurBeginning.com

4. Order early and leave time for  delays and errors.

5. Proof read and double check invitations before they are sent to the printer.

6. Order extra invitations and envelopes- especially envelopes!

7.  Buy and embossed with your return address

8. Skip the extras- envelope linings, response envelopes, reception cards

9. Choose thermographed invitations instead of engraved

10. Print them yourself on a high end desktop printer.

Use the money you have saved on your wedding cake!

What to Find out from your Wedding Cake Baker or Designer

Create a wedding cake that will be as talked about as your reception!

Not many of us interview bakers for a living, so it is only natural that we might feel stumped as to what to ask potential bakers and cake designers when we are interviewing them for our wedding cake. Here are a few questions that will help you find out what you need to know before you make your decision.

• Can we see your portfolio of your previous work?
• Is it possible to have a tasting of various wedding cake flavors and fillings?
• Do you have at least three references whom we can contact?
• Are you comfortable creating a custom wedding cake or are there a set number of designs and styles from which we can choose?
• What is your pricing like and how flexible is it? Is there a price list that I can consult?
• Do your prices include such items as caketoppers, stands, tiers, fountains, and cutters or are they charged as extras? If I change flavors or fillings will it change the price?
• If my cake requires fresh flowers, will you contact my florist, do you have one or your own or must I provide you with the flowers myself?
• What ingredients do you typically use? What kind of icing do you use? (Better ingredients will cost more, but will make the cake taste better)
• Can you make peanut-free or other allergen-free (eggs, milk, gluten, etc…) cakes?
• Will the cake be prepared the day of the wedding or before hand? If so, how long before the wedding will it be prepared and how will it affect the taste? Ideally the cake should be prepared as close to the wedding day as possible as it will taste freshest, but be wary of anyone who says that they bake the wedding cake on the wedding day. Wedding cakesare so intricate that they require several days of preparation and anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying or inexperienced. Most cakes take anywhere between three to five days to prepare.
• Can you give me a written proposal to take home?
• How much for delivery? Will the delivery person be able to make emergency frosting or decoration repairs and arrange the cake table? Remember that it is always best to have the baker deliver the cake as then they are responsible for any accidents that might happen along the way.

By asking the right questions and knowing all the answers it is possible to have the perfect cake and eat it too!

If you want to relive your wedding and share the experience with those who couldn’t attend, add a videographer to your budget. To find one who will be right for you, ask recently married friends and wedding photographers or wedding venue coordinators. When you find someone you like, watch an edited and unedited version of a tape. Check for both close-ups and distance shots and watch form ways the videographer segues from one moment to the next.

A good natured friend may offer to shoot the wedding. Though you should keep that option in mind, you may be disappointed- and your friend will miss most of the wedding. Home equipment may not  measure up to professional and most amateurs don’t have the camera skills to adequately preserve the memories.

Do your Research Before Visiting the Wedding Cake Designer

Guidelines to guarantee that your get the wedding cake you want

Chances are you have been imagining your wedding day since you were a little girl and dreaming about your dress, the hall and – yes, even the cake. You have probably even seen those fabulous and tantalizing cakes in the wedding magazines that not only accent the marriage party and hall but add a chic glamour to the setting as well. If that is the kind of gorgeous cake you want

for your wedding then all you have to do is a little bit of homework before meeting with the cake designer or baker.

1. Research: If you have not already started looking through wedding magazines for wedding cake examples then now is a good time to do so! Narrow down your selection as much as possible before meeting with any baker or designer so that you know ahead of time what you want.

2. Consult with your fiancé: Since the cake should be a reflection of your couple, find out if you both want the same thing. If not, then find a style, flavor and design with which you are both happy. Also determine what you are willing to spend on your cake.

3. Have a theme: Most people want their cake to coordinate with elements of the wedding so you should have a good idea of:

• The overall color scheme for the wedding from bridesmaid dresses to the table cloths
• The flowers you will likely be using
• What the budget is for your wedding cake
• Approximately how many guests you expect
• The overall style, theme and formality of your wedding

Knowing these things before you meet with your baker or cake designer will help you select a cake that will not only coordinate beautifully with your wedding but will give the festivities an added layer of style and sophistication.

Ease your juggling act by making a list of all the wedding related tasks that other people can do. Then delegate them to close friends and family. Great items to pass off include finding accommodations for out-of-towners, acting as photographer’s liaison for family portraits and co-ordinating transportation. If you have creative friends you can even ask them to design invitation or arrange flowers. The key to successful delegation is to be clear about which items you can relinquish. Be sure to over communicate using things such as pictures to help your friends help you!

As cute as this looks- and there are those of you who are thinking “4th of July Wedding ideas”, move on! What you don’t see is the whole table cloth catching on fire from the sparklers and the cloud of acrid smoke that resinates into the room after the sparkers go out. Great for this one photo op but downhill from there. How do I know? Could say I’ve “been there, done that” and learned the hard way! LOL

Happy New Year!

Monday, December 26, 2011

My disclaimer: Most brides are totally normal. Not everyone is, though, and although encountering a bridezilla-type can be frightening at first it can be funny in retrospect. I hope that this amuses you.

Let me preface this by saying that I’m not the only person who got this letter. Several other wedding businesses that I know of also received it. One business said that they keep a file full of letters like this and when they need a laugh they get them out and read them.

This also came with a supplement, pictured at right, of the ad rates for buying advertising in the wedding program.

The abridged letter reads:

Dear Sir or Madam:

It is my pleasure to invite you to become an esteemed sponsor of our wedding. I hope that this remarkable event in my life will be more beautiful with your cooperation by providing financial assistance and other wedding services.

…On the wedding day, many influential people in the communities of ———- will be present to participate in the celebration and for wishing me a happy married life. For this reason, I want to make this celebration in a grand style that will be remembered as a great example of a beautiful life. I believe that you will have a great opportunity to advertise your company products and services during the wedding.

The wedding celebration will be at ——– in the presence of approximately 500 guests. I have started my wedding website on which I will write about the wedding celebration details. This publication will keep updated all my relatives, guests, and friends about my wedding. Along with the aforementioned positive aspects of becoming a sponsor, the following are other aspects that could definitely help your company to expand your clientele in the ever growing, billion dollar wedding industry.

-Your generous sponsorship would be highlighted on announcements and programs which would be sent out to our entire guest list regionally and nationally that will reach 500+ guests.
-Your generosity will be highlighted during the introduction at the reception by the speaker.
-Signage placed on a specific table recognizing contribution at the reception.
-Advertisement from your company to be placed in our newsletter afterward.
-Recognition on our facebook page and website
-A representative of your company would be welcome to attend so that we could thank you personally for your support.
-Photos would be released which will also provide great scope to show people how your company helped manage our wedding in a beautiful style.
-Last but not least, a potentially tax-deductible donation.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Well, you can’t lose anything by asking, but really? I have nothing else to add. Until Wednesday, when I have an awesome overreaction to show you.

Kara Buntin owns A Cake To Remember LLC, custom wedding cakes in Richmond VA