Lush from Labbancz

Now on the complete other side of the spectrum from Jenna Bush's casual soiree is this lavish wedding that Marie Labbancz had on her blog today. Even though my personal tastes learn towards the modern and subdued, it's a bit of voyeuristic fun for me to see really romantic style weddings like the one below. Hey, if you're going to go lush then you need to go all out!


^The Brides dress was a Pnina Tornai gown from Kleinfeld Bridals . I can honestly say I don't think I've ever seen a white dinner jacket and tie combination (as opposed to bow tie) but I'm liking it.


^Check out that back! Silk Roses were a theme throughout the wedding


^I've often expressed my love for long tables as opposed to round...need I say more?


^Silk roses were incorporated into the invites as well


^Normally I really hate when flowergirls are dressed up as little brides (as I'm sure you can tell by my flowergirl dress) . But this dress is just so much fun I think any little girl would feel like she was in heaven in it.


^Both of the tuxes were custom made


^And of course we can't forget the cake

For more pics check out Marie's blog.

Couture Cupcakes - Cupcake Bouquets

Today Daily Candy had a great post about DC based cupcake creators Couture Cupcakes. Not only do they design beautiful cupcakes, but they can also create cupcake bouquets! How much fun would those be as a centerpiece at a wedding? And instead of taking home the centerpieces at the end of the night, each guest could just eat their own cupcake!

This also seems like something you could try yourself if you're throwing a bridal shower.

The Most Beautiful Wedding Cake in America?

Some of you may remember when Bride's magazine featured 50 wedding cakes from bakers across the U.S. and we got to vote on our favorite (you can see 25 of the entries here on their website.)

Well America has voted (heehee) and decided that Something Sweet by Michelle in Worcester, MA. has won.

Michelle says she her goal was to make the cake look as feminine as a hand-painted silk kimono. You be the judge:

I think it's interesting that despite all the new and different designs, shapes, and colors out there today, America still goes for the classic/traditional shapes and colors. Those flowers are absolutely amazing though!

Do you agree with America's decision? Would you want this cake for your wedding ($30 a slice and serves 200)?

New Orleans Comin' To Town...and Making Budget Adjustments!

Well, FH and I bit the bullet and hired our favorite brass band from New Orleans, LA (NOLA) to come to ATL for the wedding reception entertainment!! Yes, the cost made me cringe at first---must pay for their travel expenses as well---but, I stayed up some late nights with legs folded Indian style, hair frazzled, and a handy calculator in hand crunching numbers and re-figuring our budget to allow this treat. FH's eyes lit up when I suggested we contact them. Actually, he used to go see them perform every Thursday night with his good buddy (also a GM) when we lived in NOLA. So, I just knew we had to have them. The wedding day tends to be all about the bride, I definitely wanted him to be extra excited about the plans too. Plus, I love the band too, so we're both very excited!! These guys are sooo talented! We're doing our best to keep it a secret from our guests that are connected to us from NOLA.

Pic from Nola.com (photographer: Michael Democker)

Anyhow, we had to let go of our dream reception location, The Foundry at Puritan Mill, in order to make room in the budget. The exposed brick and plenty of windows is just our style. It has a facility charge, of course, because you have to hire a caterer (from their preferred list of course). However, the fun we'll have definitely outweighs exposed brick and windows. We also changed from evening to afternoon to reduce food and bev (F&B) costs, and we're probably going with a faux cake with sheet cakes in the back---they actually make a slot in the back for a piece of real cake for the cake cutting ceremony!

Foundry at Puritan Mill (www.novarrevents.com/puritan/)

Atlanta Cake Rental (http://www.atlantacakerental.com/)

We found a great place, The Emory Conference Center Hotel, where we can pay for food and bev ONLY at a very reasonable price, and the hotel looks great---lots of stone work and dark, rich tones in the decor. It's cool! Plus, they provide a bandstand, and they have a 4 hour block of time for the actual event. And, we can now have it on a Saturday! Nips the drama from family over a Sunday wedding (It was cheaper at Puritan Mill to do it on a Sunday).

I admit to contract phobia! What if I found another rare gem???! With exposed brick???!! We did it, though. But, I scrutinized the heck out of that contract. The CM had to send me a new contract 5 times! She was making errors in numbers that could wind up in a big mess later. What if she isn't in that position a year from now? Our word against a contract wouldn't be good. She had the F&B minimum, the expected revenue--in case of cancellation, FH's last name, and the cancellation date ranges, all wrong. She'd fix one thing and mess another up. Anyway, that's all done with.

www.emoryconferencecenter.com/weddings

Ballroom (http://www.emoryconferencecenter.com/)

Thought I may have lucked up when I was referred to The Freight Room, operated by the GA Building Authority. It's a great spot too, with exposed brick, a gazebo, and track lights inside. But, there was a facility charge. Understand, these charges aren't ridiculous, it just wouldn't fit with the band! All in all, we're happy with our choice!

This pic from georgia.gov

This Is A Cake!!

^ Seriously! The two pics above are wedding cakes!! Isn't that amazing? I found these pics on the blog of Arizona based photographer Katrina Andrew of Sedona Bride Photography (check them out!) the cake is the amazing work of Arizona cake artist Andrea Blaut of Sedona Cake Couture. Look how big and real it looks!


^ Here is another one of Andrea's more traditional cakes, but look at the incredible details of the pink flowers and the leaves. Not to mention that beautiful lace work on the cake. I'm so impressed!

To see more of Andrea's work check out her website and the Sedona Bride Blog.

All photos above credited to Sedona Bride Photography.

Nobody Told Me I Had To Get A Cake...

Due to uncontrollable circumstances our reception site is no longer able to provide our cake. What I thought was a checked box and a done deal suddenly became a new line on my "to do" list. They gave us two choices a) give us a credit for the price of the cake and let us bring in an outside cake vendor or b) serve our guests a plated dessert instead of cake.

We made up and are going with choice C) serve our guests a plated dessert and have a mini cake made for Fiance and I to cut. I'm actually pretty excited about this because our guests can have something that tastes waaaay better then a slice of cake, but Fiance and I still get the pomp and circumstance of the cake cutting.

The only problem is, I haven't done any cake research. I'm a major research addict and love information of all kinds. All of my vendors were researched to the N-th degree. I hate making snap decisions without all the info, but this late in the game, I knew I had to find someone fast. Even worse, we didn't have time to go down to Charlottesville for a cake tasting. I'm not too worried about this, though, because the cake is just for Fiance and I so even it's not the best cake in the world it's o.k.

So based entirely on the advice of my wedding planner and good reviews from other C-Ville knotties I went with Teri Edwards of Cakes Unlimited. Like pretty much everything in my wedding I want something simple with clean lines. This over circulated pic from the Cake Girls is my inspiration. Of course I know that it will be hard to re-create the magazine like perfection of that cake, especially since we will be using real flowers, so I'm not expecting an exact replica, but just something with the same vibe.

At first we were just going to get a small one layer round cake, but after talking to Teri she believes the cake will look better if it is two layers and she's throwing in the extra layer for free! I love a person who doesn't sacrifice their artistic talent over money.

The cake is going to be small but I think it will be SUPER cute. We bought a tiny 8 inch round cake stand at T.J. Maxx that we can loop a green ribbon through, and the bottom layer of the cake will be 6 inches round, and the top layer 5 inches round. The flavors will be chocolate with coconut filling and Irish cream buttercream icing. Can't wait to see how cute it's going to be!

Below are shots of some of Teri's more modern and simple cakes, but the woman has mad skills and can do all the fancy curls, swirls, dots, and frills of a more traditional cake. To check out more of her beautiful work visit her Pics Album on her myspace page.




^Had to throw in some cupcake porn for all the cupcake brides out there

Showcasing the Cakes

Having numerous smaller cakes instead of one big cake has been a trend for a while now, but usually they are put on cute retro cake stands. I have to admit, though, the display below is pretty kicka** and very original.

Photo from photographer Jose Villa.

Flours

My brain has been on cake lately...probably because we're having our cake tasting in early January. We're actually going to have a very minimalist design, but I still love looking at beautiful cake creations. Flours, a San Francisco based cakery has some beautiful cakes for inspiration...I love how clean cut the lines are but how they use color and texture to really make the cakes pop.

Peggy Porschen

If you are still looking for cake inspiration take a look at the website of Peggy Porschen. Sadly, she works across the pond, but her cakes are still spectacular. If you want more pictures check out her books Pretty Party Cakes and Romantic Cakes.

Just click to enlarge if you'd like to see more detail

Have Your Cake....And Keep It Too!

We all have our priorities and for some that priority is an amazingly ornate cake. The only problem is it's made and then gone in one night. At best you might have some good pictures to remind you of your masterpiece. If you'd like to preserve those memories a little longer consider contacting Richmond native Emily Taylor. Emily is an artist who specializes in porcelain replicas of wedding cakes. She takes a photo of your cake and then painstakingly recreates it in porcelain so you can always have your cake...you just can't eat it too.

All photos below are from Emily Taylor Porcelains and none are real cake! They are all porcelain replicas.

Cupcake Wrappers

Cupcake trees in lieu of a cake have been a trend for a while but if you're looking for a way to make your cupcakes a little bit more elegant or a little bit more fun try these cupcake wrappers from Paper Orchid Stationery. At $46 for 50 they are one of those little extras that won't break the bank. They come in all types of themes...some suitable for weddings, some for a beach themed wedding, some for a winter wedding, and they also have some for baby showers, graduation, kid's birthdays, the holidays, you name it.

Amphora Bakery

On my big list of things to worry about with the wedding, the cake is honestly the thing I care about the least. This may be because I want a very simple cake with clean lines and I figured almost anyone can do it. The reception location I chose does not allow outside vendors for cakes and will be providing one so I pretty much didn't think of it any further.

When I was casually browsing cake vendors in the D.C. area, though, I didn't see a lot that I was impressed with. I'd see one or two cakes I liked in a baker's portfolio but a lot of the others were uninspiring and too traditional. I still haven't seen anyone in the area consistently doing modern designs like April Reed or Lovin Sullivan. I wasn't impressed with even some of the more famous name bakers in the area.

Of all the bakers I've seen so far, though, I'm most impressed with Amphora Bakery with locations in Herndon and Vienna. Many of the styles in their portfolio are more elaborate then I would chose for myself, but if they can do fancy cakes so well I know they would have no problem doing something more plain. Their simpler cakes start at $4.25 a slice and the more elaborate ones requiring complicated painting, decorating, sugar flowers, etc. are $5.25 and up. Though not cheap I think that's a pretty good price for the quality of work and for this area. Other places start out at $6.00 and can go can go up to $10 or even $12 a slice for the fancy stuff !

All photos below from Amphora Bakery