the simple cake

(Matt Bandsuch)

(Matt Bandsuch)

thecakegirls.com

Let's clear the cobwebs off this blog, and start out fresh—with some variations of simple wedding cakes. Don't be afraid of the idea. In fact, they are much more elegant, and let's not forget, more affordable. I always loved the idea of a monochromatic cake. Here are some ideas from Real Simple and thecakegirls.com

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Personalized Favors

Being that music is always a constant in our lives, my husband and I decided to give our wedding guests the gift of music. We both picked out our all-time favorite songs and then combined them into one very personal list. Due to our international backgrounds, we decided to name it "An International Affair".. It reminded us both of old movies and even the image from our Engagement Photo shoot fit perfectly. The music cd itself was an eclectic mix of alternative rock, German music, Reggae, even Gypsy music. We got so many compliments. Our guests were thrilled that extra time was spent in picking out the perfect music mix for them, and they had a chance to listen to it while being there for our destination wedding. My husband's parents even admitted dancing to the gypsy song while back at home. All in all, it was a personal favor and cheap. I purchased cd labels from a paper store, bought little envelopes and glued a paper square in our wedding color to the front. Then I tied a bow in our wedding color I had already used on my invitations. Since our wedding was a beach wedding, the cds were attached to beach mats in the same color. I purchased those at Target for $2 each.

Gifts for Parents and Attendants

From multiple conversations I've had, one of the hardest things that brides struggle with is the attendants' and parents' gifts.
I propose this solution: art.
If you can't tell, I'm big on personalization, and I love things that say my name! So when I heard Sandy Washington on the radio, I checked out her web site: www.sandywashington.com or www.abseechicago.com.
Sandy does "architechtural letters." We gave each family a plaque with their last name. They turned out great, and my parents thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Here's the money saving tip: because you're ordering multiples from an artist, make sure you negotiate price. They are probably more than willing to give you a discount.
Plus, it will be one of a kind--just like you!
Even if you decide to go a more traditional route by giving necklaces to the women, check out local artists in your area. They may be able to do customized pieces that match your dresses or theme exactly.

Wrap it up!

Another great way to achieve that custom look is to wrap up all the invitation pieces into one beautiful package. Now & Forever has these crisp Self-Mailers that are far from ordinary. They are convenient and modern, and not to mention very affordable. A true delight at $285.90 for 100.

Food

I am hungry this afternoon, so I'm going to talk about food.

The number one reason we decided to have an informal wedding was that when we were looking at reception venues, my husband said the food was all too fancy and he wouldn't eat any of it (although he IS picky). Weddings no longer have to be cookie-cutter. You don't have to serve a choice of chicken or roast beef! The menu should reflect who you are as much as the rest of the day!

Tip 1: If you have a sister (or friend or mom or even yourself) who is a fabulous baker, she can make sugar cookies. My sister makes the best sugar cookies in the world (from the Betty Crocker cookbook recipe). Mine never taste as good. She made two batches and brought them with her, which was a fabulous thing, because the bakery screwed up and didn't send the cookies we ordered. People raved about those cookies. The good thing about sugar cookies like this is that you can freeze them beforehand. She bought colored sprinkles that matched our colors (green and yellow) at Target in the baking aisle.

Tip 2: Food makes great favors. Our guests LOVED our favors and took any extras they could find. We ordered customized ketchup bottles from myheinz.com. The more you buy, the cheaper they are, so they were about $2 each. Heinz offers mustard as well, but my husband is from Cleveland, so we ordered Bertman ballpark mustard. We called the company directly, and though the mustard came in bigger containers (2 0z. versus 4.5), I think it worked out to around the same price. A friend who recently got married had her reception at the zoo and gave out customized animal crackers.

Tip 3: Cupcakes are the way to go. We still had a single-tiered cake to cut but we got chocolate and vanilla cupcakes so our guests wouldn't have to wait for dessert. I got the baseball
"placemat" (it's actually a rug for a kid's room) from Target for $1.

Tip 4: Have fun with it. When my friend Tara got married, her mother told stories about how when she was little, she used to say she was going to have macaroni and cheese and brownies at her wedding. Fifteen years later, she did, although they were fancied up for the occasion.

Make sure that you take time to eat some of the food on your big day!

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