These AMAZING cake creations definitely take the castle theme to the fantasy level!  Many of these cakes likely were constructed over a few days as fondant was rolled and faux bricks were made with a rolling tool. Castle towers can be sculpted from things like rice krispie treats wrapped around pipes or they can be made from non-edible components that are just wrapped in fondant.  Prince charming and princess figurines can be constructed from marzipan, fondant or even modeling chocolate.  

The intricate details of these cakes can make them quite expensive.  That said, a more affordable option would be for the designer to create an elegant tiered cake fit for a princess and then use a beautiful fairytale castle cake topper like the one shown to the right from Wedding Favors Unlimited.  The glazed porcelain castle makes a great wedding day keepsake and it says “And They Lived Happily Ever After” along the base.

And don’t forget to use a castle themed cake serving set and guest book.  You can get a fully coordinated fairytale castle bridal set that includes the toasting flutes, cake server, guest book and pen set from Wedding Favors Unlimited as well.

My fiancé and I wanted a romantic summer wedding and are trying to pull it off with just six months of planning. It shouldn’t be exceptionally challenging, but we’re both media professionals with erratic work hours. We do have an arsenal of family members to help us along, but last night, as our band cancelled, our menu changed (for the sixteenth time) and our guest list threatened to expand even more, we realised that sometimes even help in numbers isn’t necessarily a good thing. In an unexpected gesture of good faith, and hoping the resulting karma will bring us a swing band in time for the big day, I’ve decided to list the ten great ways this wedding has come together. Perhaps it will help a bride tomorrow, and hopefully by the time I finish, the menu will have finally been fixed.

As you can see from all the photos above, I generally prefer a white fondant or buttercream base for the cake color.  That way, the designer can easily incorporate a wide range of blue hues into the color scheme.  I especially like a navy and red or navy and light blue striped pattern around at least one of the layers.   The middle cake is also one of my very favorites as I love the nautical roping that encircles the cake tiers.  For the wedding cake topper, I prefer either a lovely sailboat or even a pair of white Adirondack chairs.

As always, I recommend finding some photos online of nautical themed cakes that you like and bring those to the bakery with you to show the designer.  Don’t forget to interview a few bakers and taste lots of cake because you deserve only the best on your big day!

Beautiful and elegant are words often used to describe an Indian wedding, but understated is not a word that comes to mind for the function.  The red and gold traditional color palette is often complimented by other hues such as orange, purple, yellow and more.  The above photo montage is based on the Pantone color swatches in Claret, Sunrise, and Merlot.  If you want to use this color scheme for your wedding, you should consider picking up the Pantone color or fabric swatches at Dessy.com.  That way you can carry them with you when you are on the hunt for matching bridal party attire, reception decor, and wedding accessories.  Finally, for detailed ideas on cakes and decorations for an Indian wedding, visit our Indian themed wedding ideas page.

Indian Summer photos courtesy of mmm384

Some fun decorations for a Vegas themed cake are the classic “Welcome To Las Vegas” sign, dice made from red or black fondant with white dots, playing cards (spade, heart, club, and diamond shapes), roulette wheels, and slot machines with lucky number 7’s displayed or coins spilling down the side of the cake.  Another really fun idea for a Vegas themed cake is to use round tiers with each layer decorated as a different colored casino chip.  You can customize the “chips” with the bride and groom’s names in place of the normal Casino name usually written on real gaming chips. 

I always recommend finding a great local baker to make your wedding cake so if you are getting married in Vegas, but don’t live in that area, contact a few popular Vegas bakeries like Freed’s Bakery or do a search on google for other cake bakers in Las Vegas.  In any case, you should ask them to send you cake samples.  You should ALWAYS taste your wedding cake flavor before you purchase it so that you don’t end up disappointed on your big day.  There is nothing more dissappointing than having a cake that looks great, but tastes terrible.  If you are planning the reception for your own town, you should follow the same advice.  Take photos of some Vegas cake designs that you like along to your cake bakery appointment so that the designer has a good idea about your preferences.  And be sure to set up a cake tasting appointment to so that you can find the perfect cake for you and your guests.

Every country boy knows that you can’t leave home without a pair of Wrangler blue jeans so having the groom in a pair of these jeans with his cowboy boots and hat is a no brainer.  Many country brides choose to wear their boots and hat as well (although some also go for a casual hair-do for the ceremony and switch to the hat for the reception).  If you are having your wedding in an open meadow, then the groom arriving on a horse like Prince Charming is a fun addition to the ceremony.  Denim dresses and corduroy blazers are casual options for the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Create a casual inviting atmosphere at your reception by utilizing hand-made quilts like the one shown in the upper left to cover the benches or haybales (you can do this at the ceremony as well).  White-washed picnic tables set in a long rows are a great way to set-up a casual reception area.  Utilizing glass canning jars for the table centerpieces can also be fun….just fill them with a small simple arrangement of local wildflowers.  Big jars of iced tea (sugar and no sugar) are always a big hit with Southerners.  Finally, although this isn’t shown in the board, I love the idea of using a “Wishing Tree” constructed from twigs with leaf-shaped wish cards rather than a traditional guest book at country style weddings. 

Photo Credit: Big Sky Wedding by Angelise07

It was the first wedding that I had attended where golfing was a prevalent component in the reception decor.  Of course, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to poke around online to find interesting wedding cake designs that feature a golf theme.  You can see some of my favorite designs in the photo collage below:

What I found was an interesting combination of both cupcakes and cakes that utilized a green and blue color scheme.  Clever bakers incorporate a grass like green along with sand traps fashioned from brown sugar and water hazards.  A bride and groom in golf outfits with club in hand (made from marzipan or modeling chocolate) always look great atop these creations. 

For a more upscale looking golf cake, consider using a blue, green and white argyle pattern around the cake tiers with a simple golf themed cake topper.  I love the cake topper shown to the right….the exasperated bride with her arms crossed standing next to her golf obsessed groom who has golf clubs in hand and golf shoes on his feet.  What a cute addition to any golf themed wedding!

Photo Credits: 
Golf Wedding Cake Collagefrom DessertLover2010 at Flickr
Exasperated Bride & Golfer Groom Cake Topper from Wedding Favors Unlimited

Planning the perfect wedding is like trying to make dreams come true – very difficult to pull off or just plain impossible. For many couples, the ideal wedding is in an exotic location – perhaps it’s somewhere you’ve been hankering to visit for ages and at last you have the excuse, or maybe it’s somewhere that played a key role in your relationship.  The pressure on this once-in-a-lifetime occasion coupled with the distant location can make the process of planning it very stressful.

Here are some handy hints to take the stress out of planning a long-distance wedding:

1. Research is the key: you think you finished hitting the books in school? Far from it! The key to a successful long-distance wedding is in the preparation. Start your search by asking around for referrals. These can be from local family or family members, the Chamber of Commerce, the phonebook or online references. You won’t have easy access to potential wedding vendors, so it’s essential to make the most of your time and use an appointment system.
2. Take care of the logistical details as early as possible. This includes choosing the location and date, local caterers, the reception venue, salons and a hotel for your out-of-town guests. An inexpensive (or free) hotel shuttle service is also a big advantage. It’s essential to check with the city about local marriage requirements – there’s no greater dampener on wedding plans than delayed residency requirements and waiting periods.
3. Accept any offers of a helping hand. If it is at all possible, hire a wedding planner in your chosen destination. Their knowledge of the city will be invaluable, and they will be an indispensable resource for sourcing venues and vendors. When meeting local wedding planners for the first time, it’s important to ascertain if they share your vision for the wedding. It’s also helpful if you’re able to get in contact with any of their previous long-distance clients.
4. Try and make at least two visits to your wedding destination in the lead up to the big day. Compile a schedule of wedding vendors, venues and planners to visit – as you won’t have a minute to spare! Visiting the destination in advance will help keep the stress levels under control, and will also help make sure you’re getting exactly what you want for your wedding.
5. Choose a place that is special for you and your partner. Don’t plan a long-distance wedding to make friends or family happy! It’s your big day, and yourchoice of dream location, whether it’s the other side of the world or in your home town. With more and more couples meeting over the internet through online dating, picking a location for the wedding day can be even trickier, but ultimately it’s a decision you will have to make together. There is always the option of having a second, informal reception on your return, which allows a compromise between cities or even countries.

So, whether you’ve been dating in your home town and wish to sample more exotic climates for your special occasion, or you’ve maintained a long-distance relationship where you’ve been separated by borders and just want to simplify the whole thing by finally getting hitched to start your life together, or if you’re an international couple that have met and been dating in Bristol, Boston, Berlin and want to take it that one step further – a long-distance wedding could be on the cards. Just get planning soon!

Cake bakers can do amazing things on cakes these days.  Feast your eyes on some of the stunning cake creations in the montage below that incorporate butterflies.  From handmade gum paste butterflies that seem to float up the cake to silk butterflies that are paired with flowers to hand-sculpted butterflies decorated with pearls, the options are endless.  I personally love these types of cakes for spring and summer weddings as well as garden parties or events.  Butterflies are almost always paired with beautiful flowers on the cake design.

Prefer to have butterfly themed cupcakes instead of a large tiered wedding cake?  Then check out my previous butterfly cupcake post where I show some of my favorite cupcake displays.

Once you’ve decided cupcakes are for you, then choosing the theme is the first step.  As you can see in the montage of photos below, you can incorporate silk butterflies on flowers or gum paste and royal icing butterflies in various colors that will fit in perfectly with your wedding or bridal shower color scheme….blues, purples, pinks, yellows….they all look great!

Presentation is everything (besides taste of course)!  When it comes to using cupcakes at a wedding, present them on a tiered cupcake stand to create an elegant effect.  As you can see in the above photos, many brides incorporate a small cake on the top tier that can be used for the cake cutting ceremony or frozen to eat on the 1st wedding anniversary.  The other great thing about having a top tier is that you can use a wedding cake topper. Prior to the wedding, be sure to spend some time planning out exactly how you will display your butterfly cupcakes on your big day.  Even expertly decorated cupcakes can end up looking cheap if they are not presented properly.  Of course, this is less important for a bridal shower, but even in a casual environment, I suggest using a tiered cupcake stand.

Photos are courtesy of Flickr.