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!

Affordable Wedding Flowers

Wedding Flowers don't have to cost a fortune anymore. Get a 36 pieces wedding flower collection from Bridesign (Proflowers) and decorate your entire wedding. Items included in the collection: 1 Bridal Bouquet, 1 Grooms Boutonniere, 11 of any combination of bridesmaid bouquets or centerpieces, 4 of any combination of bridal toss bouquet, petite hand tie bouquets or flower girl petals, and 19 of any combination of boutonnieres, corsages or pin-on corsages. Sounds too good to be true? Check out the images below. The Calla Lily 36pc collection is $1,215.00 and The Romantic Rose collection $900. Check out Bridesign for more options.

Venue, Venue, Venue...

Most of your wedding budget will be spent on your venue so plan accordingly. You can save yourself a lot of money by simply asking around. Your friends or family might just know about that special mansion or winery with a beautiful back yard, or the unique little bed & breakfast with an enclosed garden. Big or small wedding, picking a venue is the most important decision you'll have to make. Shopping around for that perfect location can be a very daunting task. However, if you just ask, you'll be surprised how much people know. Online, IntimateWeddings.com has a great venue finder for your city. You can even choose the venue type. Whether you are looking for a gallery, a farm, a museum, or a hotel, you'll be able to find it here. And remember, the best way to save money, is to have your ceremony and the reception at the same venue.

You can even have a garden wedding at a friends house, or in your own backyard. Picking the perfect location for your ceremony will save you money on decorations. Use mother nature as your decorator. Pick a botanical garden or an idyllic park next to a body of water, and voila, your wedding photos will have the perfect backdrop. Not to mention, it will be a wedding people will remember.

For outdoor wedding receptions, PartySavvy has beautiful tents you can rent, which can be decorated to your liking.

Also consider colleges and universities. Many have chapels and beautiful rooms for your reception. It'll give you a chance to add that personal touch, if you choose the university you attended. Remember to book early though.

More Venue tips to come.

Idyllic setup at a winery...

Decorated tent next to a pool...



State park wedding

The happy bridesmaid...

That sounds like the perfect oxymoron, but think about it. How many weddings have you been in where you weren't allowed to look like yourself??? Enough with this trend. Bridesmaids are supposed to feel just as good about your day as you do. You want them to smile convincingly in your photos, don't you? They don't want to be little clones, they want to enhance your wedding. Nobody likes to be an afterthought. So, be a gracious bride and allow your bridesmaids to contribute. Keep the dresses in the same color family but play with different tones, or try complimentary colors. If you choose to keep the same color throughout, play with shapes. Allow your bridesmaids to add their own touches. Different accessories never hurt anyone. A modern wedding is all about those personal touches.
Consider JCrew for some bold colors and shapes. David's Bridal even has a color coordinating tool. Check it out here. If you're planning an outdoor wedding, you can be even more creative. Mix solid colored dresses with printed dresses in the same tones. The possibilities are endless. Don't believe for a second that you have to have same old same drab bridesmaids dresses for your girls. Have fun with it.
My bridesmaid's dress was an aqua blue evening gown from Caché. (see picture in "Dani's perfect day" post) You can also find great affordable options at JCPenney. More great sites to come.

Affordable and Unique Wedding Bands

My husband and I purchased our wedding bands on WeddingBands.com. Sounded risky, but all in all we think it was the right thing to do. Rings from the jeweler are overpriced and your choices are limited. My husband wanted a titanium band with a white gold inlay and a diamond. Something that specific was impossible to find at your average jewelry store. My own rings are part of an antique style set. The wedding band matches the engagement ring perfectly. It's even curved to align beautifully with the diamond. A great feature on this site is that you can choose different styles and metals, and they even provide free engraving and free shipping. I highly recommend it.

Summer Wedding Staple

If you're planning beach or garden nuptials, parasols are the perfect accent that will protect your guests and add yet another unique element to your wedding. I purchased mine at BeauCoup. They were a hit with my guests. Every lady felt sophisticated carrying them around. Add a bow in your wedding color and you're set.

Money Saving Tips Part One

Ooh, I have so much to say about what Dani already posted!

First off, invitations:

DIY is great but printing them yourself is not for the faint-hearted. I found wonderful invites at Target. Then I returned them and bought other ones I liked even better! Then I returned THOSE and got some that matched my color scheme perfectly. (Can't beat Target! However, this is another one of my tips: don't settle just because you're trying to save a few dollars.)

They turned out fine, but I could've saved myself three afternoons, sitting on the floor next to the laser printer, feeding in sheets ten at a time.

Like she said, these days, there are a million web sites where you can get your invitations printed. The prices are reasonable and they arrive at your door ready to assemble!

For supplemental material, I used http://www.vistaprint.com/. Once you get on their mailing list, they send you FREE FREE FREE e-mails all the time. (You still pay shipping, but you can't beat free.) I used vistaprint for the rehearsal dinner invitations, the directions sheet for inside the invites, and address labels. I used the same label on the outside of the invites and to address RSVP card back to us. If you don't want to use calligraphy, this is a great way to go (of course, our wedding was somewhat casual, and the invitations reflected this).

Both my sister (maid of honor) and I got our dresses on eBay (Buy It Now, of course. I wouldn't want to lose on THE dress!!). We went to the store (Alfred Angelo) and tried them on first to get the right size, but then we found them on eBay--new, from reputable, established bridal boutiques--CHEAPER! If you have twelve women in your bridal party, this might not be an option, but for a small bridal party, you might be surprised what's available. (I added a sash that matched my sister's dress, and I finally had to call Alfred Angelo for this because I couldn't find them online anywhere.) I needed very minor alterations, and I found a local place specializing in formal wear and wedding dresses that came highly recommended that was, again, much cheaper than than having the boutique do them.

Get out on the web and start exploring your options!

The dress comes first..

At least that's how I started my wedding planning. I first looked at wedding dresses. Let's face it, even when things are going completely wrong with your wedding, the thing everyone will always remember is what you looked like. So, why not spend the longest time planning your own look???
The wedding dress is an expected big ticket item and most brides spend 5-12% of their budget on their dress. However, if you shop smart you can get away with paying way less than that. If you're looking for Vera Wang or Nicole Miller, stick around, more on those designers later. If you think your $300-600 budget for a dress is unrealistic, think again. A site like Nordstrom has gorgeous dresses for even less than that, and you won't look like every other bride. Check out their collection for the entire wedding party here.

Wedding Favors À la Courtney

After reaching the conclusion that nobody wants to be loaded with trinkets to take home after a wedding, especially ones with the bride and groom’s names on them, we decided that edible favors were the way to go. However, I was astounded by the prices of prepackaged favors, as well as by the cost of even cheap containers that one can order to fill with one’s own favors. We finally decided to make a cost-effective treat that my mom often makes for Valentine’s Day and other holidays: M&M and pretzel treats (for lack of a better name).While the process is somewhat time-consuming, these treats are not difficult to make, and many hands make light work, as the saying goes. I enlisted my mom, future father-in-law, and fiancé to make the treats; then, when they were ready, I had a packaging party with two of my bridesmaids, my fiancé, again, and another friend.

For the packaging, I purchased sets of boxes (assembly required) from Target (ClubWedd)—they were the perfect size and were an excellent value (I think they cost $12.99 for a box of 50). We lined them with a translucent vellum paper my mom found somewhere (for free!). To seal them shut, I cut ribbon (burgundy, to match the bridesmaids’ dresses)—one piece per box—and fastened the ribbon on top with stickers I had made by rubber-stamping a fancy letter H with silver ink (to match the tiny silver polka dots on the boxes) on sheets of white mailing labels.

I’m not sure of the final cost per favor, but I know that we saved a significant amount of money, not to mention shipping costs or other fees often entailed by favor orders.

Inviting in style

To give your guests a preview of your uniquely crafted wedding, you first need beautiful invitations to spark their interest. Thanks to the internet you can have that expensive look without spending a fortune. Paper, texture, elegant fonts and packaging aren't just a custom order anymore. Brides know what they want for their special day and they want it cheap. One of my favorite stationary sites, WeddingPaperDivas has so many beautiful options for the bride-to-be, that it's hard to pick a favorite.

Jodi's perfect day

Mr. T and I got married last September. After touring dozens of venues and going over menus and guest lists and expensive in-house options, and watching Steve's eyes glaze over more with each decision, he turned to me and said, "Why don't we just have the reception at the ballpark?"

It was the best decision we ever made.

Our wedding was affordable, completely unique, reflected our personalities and relationship, and was fun for our guests. As you can see, we had batting practice, the mascot, and fireworks! The number one comment we got was that people had so much fun, they want us to get married again next year.

Unlike Dani's wedding, we had several small things go wrong. But some of those things are the funniest and best memories!

No Bridezillas!

My dream for you, as you plan your wedding, is that you will never experience a single Bride-zilla moment. Hopefully this blog will help you to achieve a zen-like state that will leave you calm and glowing on your wedding day instead of sweating, red-faced, and screaming at the caterer.
With careful planning, and some tips from the people who have already been through it, you can breeze through the planning and into the honeymoon! If I could offer one piece of advice that will help you to avoid stabbing your seamstress with her own scissors, it is this:
Be realistic in your expectations of yourself and others.
Remember: the most important thing is NOT the wedding, but the fact that at the end of the day, YOU’RE MARRIED. Hopefully to the love of your life. Attitude is everything. What you want to do is create a memorable day with little details that will be meaningful to you. We’re here to help!

Dani's perfect day

Almost a year ago I tied the knot with the love of my life, on the beach, with my closest friends and family present. I envisioned and planned my own Caribbean wedding and saved money in the process. Can you tell where I penny-pinched??

Along with Mrs. T and other friends who've already had their big day, I will write about the countless websites and vendors I used and the little DIY tricks that saved my checkbook. Throughout the whole process my mantra remained "Stay positive and good things will happen". And they did. I can honestly say that nothing went wrong. It was truly the perfect wedding day.