Selecting your wedding cake toppers and accessories should reflect your personal style and taste, and of course should go well with the décor and menu of your reception. You will want to select a design for your wedding cake toppers and accessories that will fit the theme and colors for the wedding and reception.

You may incorporate things such as wedding location or wedding apparel when choosing your bridal cake designs and accessories. After you have selected your wedding dress and location then you will start thinking about your wedding cake toppers, and wedding cake accessories that will fit the overall colors and theme of your wedding and reception.

The bridal apparel can be worked into the bridal cake design. The lacy look of the dresses can be created with frosting. The colors of the flowers can be reproduced on the cake or flowers can be added right to the cake. When preparing to order your cake you will want to have a cake topper in mind to help the flow of the two go together.

Setting the emotions aside, wedding receptions are remembered for the sheer grandeur of the arrangements made in terms of food, drink, music, the wedding site, and the ambiance. No wonder people are willing to spend lavishly on wedding receptions to make it a memorable one. Wedding entertainment has an endearing importance, as the bride and the groom are interested in entertaining the guests to make the day memorable. Variety is being added to songs, dances, food and decorations. Jugglers, fire-eaters, magicians, stand up comedians and professional band have all entered the scene as a part of wedding entertainment.

Wedding entertainment mostly means music entertainment that can be live or otherwise. Wedding music bands, wedding DJs, solo wedding musicians, solo wedding singers, and wedding music ensembles all comprise the wedding entertainment schedule. Depending on the mood and atmosphere of the day, these performers can be hired to perform. While a DJ would play music as per planned, he also would ask the guests to request for songs of their choice. Music entertainment also means performance either by musicians and singers, solo or in groups. A pianist playing your favorite music while the guests enjoy the delectable food can be very soothing. If you wish, your guests to dance chose such music as Latin, Swing Band or even Rock and Roll. A Jazz or Cover band would give a more sophisticated feel. As far as live music entertainment is concerned the band selection offers choice across the spectrum that include Country, Cover, Dance, Jazz, Latin, Motown, Oldies, Reggae, Rock, Steel Drum, Swing, Top 40, and the periods like 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s band.

While live music entertainment limits the music to a particular genre once the selection is made, a DJ offers a mix of whatever you want, from any era, any musician and any song. You should make up your mind to what tune you would love your guests to enjoy and dance to, whether slow and romantic, or hip and exciting. Whether it is going to be Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a wonderful world’ or a Whitney Houston romantic song. The results are the guests would be left with an unforgettable wedding experience and treasure it forever.

Wedding Cake Parts and Shapes:

Tier: This is one level of the cake-(i.e. a 3 tier cake.)

Layer: A horizontal piece of the cake. Often the wedding cake layers are baked in separate pans and then one or more are combined to make a tier.

Round: A cylinder shaped cake. This is the most traditional shape for a wedding cake.

Square: A more modern shape for a cake-very geometrical-tiers can be placed at odd angles for an even more modern touch.

Hexagon: A six-sided wedding cake can be very trendy and fashionable.

Scalloped: The edges of the tiers are shaped much like flower petals for a very casual look.

Molded: The cake is shaped like a football or some other object-this is often used for the groom’s cake.

Frosting and Filling Terms:

Fondant: A sheet like sugar “dough” that hardens over time and is good for an outdoor wedding cake because it will not melt. It is very smooth in texture and can be made in one of three forms: rolled into sheets, poured over the top, or sculpted into shapes.

Buttercream: The traditional wedding cake favorite made of butter, cream, and eggs. It is very soft and easy to flavor with chocolate, fruit or liquor, but should only be used at indoor events.

Ganache: A chocolate, butter and cream sauce or filling that will melt in the heat.

Chocopan: This is basically a chocolate version of fondant-but better tasting.

Marzipan: This almond based substance can be used as a filling or to make colored shapes to put on the cake.

Royal Icing: A very hard icing that is used for decorations that need to be solid-such as lace.
Decorations:Basket weave: This looks like a wicker basket.

Swiss dotted: Random dots are placed all over the cake.

Piping: Lines are made on the cake with a pastry bag and tip.

Pulled or Spun Sugar: Sugar is cooked until it is liquid and then shaped into bows, ribbons or thin strands. This must be done on site because it will not transport.

By Eriani Doyel, who writes articles for and about Weddings. For more information on selecting a wedding cake visit fleckwedding.com.

This article will help give you some ideas to still throw a great shower or reception but save you tons of money. Before jumping into some of the ideas it is important to think about the them and type of your wedding. If you are having a very traditional wedding then it is often easier to cater the event. Since it is so formal the reception should reflect this and be more of a formal dinner. In that case it is always easier to pay for someone to do the catering. However if you are having a fun family and friends wedding that is more down home and not traditional then by all means many of these ideas will help you save time and money.

Pot Luck

This one is often done at wedding where the couple simply can not afford the expense of the time involved in having the event catered. They instead forgo some of the formality for a more comfortable atmosphere filled with family, friends and good times.

One easy way to save money is to simply ask people to bring a dish with them to the wedding. This was the way it was often done in the past and still a wonderful way to save time and money yet have a very nice feel for the event.

In organizing pot luck you will want to organize what people are bringing and try to provide a balance of foods among the group. You want to avoid ten people all brining the same potato salad dish. After finding out what people are bringing or even assigning them categories of food to bring then you can try and provide some of the bigger parts and fill the gaps. For example if you were to provide the main dish and then fill in with other smaller dishes that are missing then you would have a well stocked pot luck.

BBQ

A barbeque is another fun idea for a wedding that will give it a very comfortable family style feeling to the reception or even at a wedding shower. You can choose to either run the barbecue on your own or simply hire someone to come and do that part of it for you. This will allow you to enjoy the event and sit with friends. You can often find very experienced barbeque chefs that will work for far less then a caterer will.

Catering

Another easy but possible expensive alternative.

By: Sam Smith

You should have a budget for your wedding cake and stick to it. It is much better to start looking for your cake after you have set you budget. The most expensive part of a cake is the decoration. Therefore, an inexpensive cake can taste just as good as an expensive one. You don’t have to compromise taste when you opt for a lower budget wedding cake.

Many wedding cakes have different filling for each layer. The variety gives you and your guests more variety to choose from. There is no limit to the variety of different fillings available for cakes. Your cake professional should be able to offer many different flavors and textures for your cake. Fresh flowers and other exciting decorations are not at all unusual anymore.

Wedding cake price is normally charged by how many guest it will serve. If you have a wedding with 150 guests, you need a cake that will serve 150. The minimum cost per slice is about $2.00 but can go up to about $12.00 per slice and it doesn’t stop there. A standard three-tier cake will feed about 150 people. So at $2.00 per slice that’s $300.00 and at $12.00 per slice that’s $1,800.00. Now, you see how wedding cakes can get so expensive.

Don’t make a decision about who to hire before you meet at least three pastry chefs. Even if you really like the first or second professional, do yourself a favor, interview at least three. See the quality of work at their business locations, and ask to see pictures. Taste the cake varieties, and take some friends with you to make it more fun.

Ask for references, and follow up. Once you have hired the person to do your wedding cake put everything in writing. A written contract is an absolute must. It protects you and the vendor. Make sure you include all the details about date and time of delivery, flavors, serving size, etc.

By: George Meszaros

If you’ve ever attended a large event or a party, you’ve probably experienced a catering service and have seen just how helpful they can be with taking some of the stress off the party host. Catering seems pretty straightforward and simple: you cook some food and serve it, right? That is the basic idea, but there’s more to it. In this article, we’ll take you behind the scenes so you know what to expect the next time you hire a catering service. Your vision is paramount to any caterer. With these few simple tips you will be better prepared so the catering service can execute your plan and fulfill your every wish.

The Location

Before you begin anything else, you need to have the location, date, and time completely finalized. Depending on where you are hosting your event, a catering service may be available on site. This can be beneficial because they are familiar with the layout, coordinator, etc. If you have to bring in a caterer, make sure the catering staff is completely aware and comfortable with the location in advance.

The Budget

To decide your catering budget, ask yourself how important the roles of food and drink will play at your party. Are you having formal sit-down dinner with a four course meal or trays of appetizers that are merely there to nibble on? Do you have a theme or style at the event that will be reflected in the food? It is also important to know the following factors: the number of guests, the number of courses or food choices to offer, the cost of the food, the way the food is served (buffet style, seated service, or boxed lunches), and finally, the caterer’s level of expertise. The more flexible you are about these variables, the more wiggle room your caterer has to create the best menu for your budget.

The Catering Staff

Know beforehand whether the catering service will provide their own wait-staff and how many. A rule of thumb is one server for every 10 guests. You also want to make sure the dress code of the wait-staff is in accordance with the dress attire of the guests and the theme of the event.

The Decorations

Food is definitely the star of the party, but it’s only one part of the equation. Many catering services today provide full event planning. As catering services have moved toward the full-service, event-planning model, the focus has shifted. It’s not that food is no longer a focal point, but rather that it is part of a broader vision. Check with your caterer to see if they provide full event planning. If so, they will often supply you with a brochure that details their services.

If you are planning a themed event, this is a great service to make your event special and memorable. From candles to flower, lighting to linens, and dinnerware to music, catering services can make every detail complement the food to create a unified theme. The possibilities are endless but the decorations could be everything. You could have great tasting food, but if it is presented with flair, then it will become the greatest food your guests have ever tasted.

So whether you are planning a baby shower for 25 close friends or a corporate event for 500 guests, the goal is the same: deeply satisfying the guests. Let a catering service accomplish this grand task but leave you with the compliment of being a great host.

For some great information about catering services, please contact Seasons Catering today.

By: Amber Sell