Wedding Blog

They are colorful and fun and now they are a hot color and texture trend for 2010. The really great news is, they aren’t very expensive. See photos below for ideas to incorporate peacock feathers into your wedding decor.

This wedding gown made entirely of peacock feathers may be a bit of reach for most brides. It’s price tag is $1.5 million. Check it out at luxurylaunches.com.

You can use this palette to find linens, bridesmaids dresses, lighting gels and other accessories.

Here is a beautiful bouquet incorporating peacock feathers from flickr.com

If you aren’t into the colors of the peacock feather, you can still incorporate the feminine, flowing shape in your design like this cake from cakethat.com.

If you have questions or comments on this post or any other wedding-related ideas, please post a message for me here or send me an email at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan

I am settled into the Pelican Bay Hotel in Freeport for my wonderful clients’ (Andrea and John) wedding. It is going to be a great few days!

I have spent the last couple of days in Minneapolis promoting The Perfect Wedding Show (www.perfectweddingshow.com). It is going to be a great bridal show. Couples can register to win a $60,000 wedding package including a brand new Nissan Rogue! Not a bad way to start a marriage.

While I was there, the topic came up about couples who due to the current economy, can no longer afford the wedding they had initially planned. I spoke with a few of Minneapolis’ best wedding vendors to hear what they are doing to help couples afford their weddings.

My first vendor was pastry chef extraordinaire, Marie Porter from Celebration Generation. Here is what she had to say:

Susan: Are you seeing a lot of concern over price these days?
Marie: I have been getting a lot of calls from brides whose first question is, how much does a wedding cake cost.
 

Susan: What do you suggest they do to protect themselves from sticker shock?
Marie: I am very upfront with what we charge. We have a minimum that they have to spend. The cost is a bit higher than some other bakeries, but we include so much. Brides have to find out whether or not there will be a delivery fee, does the bakery charge for stand rentals, and any other fees not immediately discussed. We include delivery within 40 miles of the shop, we don’t charge for stand rentals and we include a six inch groom’s cake and anniversary cake with every wedding cake purchase.
 
Susan: Have you had any brides who need to back out of their contracts due to a sudden loss of income?
Marie: I haven’t had that happen yet, but if it does, I will honor deposits for a new wedding date when the couple is able to move forward with the wedding.
 
Susan: What is the best way a couple can stick to their budget and get the cake they have always dreamed about?
Marie: I suggest that when the couple goes shopping for cake, they are upfront about what they can spend. If a bride shows me what she likes and then tells me what she can spend, I can work with her to figure out the best look for the money she has.
 

Below are some of Marie’s beautiful cakes. They really are spectacular! Tomorrow, I will share the sage advice from a Minneapolis photographer. If you have any comments on wedding cakes or any wedding related topic, please post here or email me at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

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I’ve been writing for months about the importance of budgeting and reasonable spending while planning your wedding. Although I love the extravagant, over-the-top wedding, it just isn’t possible for everyone; nor is it necessary to have a joyous celebration.

We predicted that 2008 would be the year of the do-it-yourself bride, and it certainly was. Some brides choose to do things themselves because they want to be a more active participant in the wedding-planning process, others do it to save money. Whichever category you fit, I am dedicating the final two weeks of the year to you; the DIY Bride.

There are positive and negative aspects to doing things for yourself on your wedding day. Much of the outcome depends on how you handle stress, how organized you are and how reliable your friends and family are when it comes to executing your plans.

I remember several years ago, one of my brides “hired” her close friend to do the wedding cake. She put in writing everything that she wanted for the cake; the flavor, the design, the date of delivery; she even invited the friend to attend. Two weeks prior to the wedding I called the friend to confirm all the details and all was fine. The wedding day rolled around and all the vendors were scurrying around to setup. The time for the cake delivery came, and no cake. We still had plenty of time so I waited a half hour. Still no cake. I tried calling the friend, there was no answer. The friend finally called the bride about an hour prior to the ceremony to tell her that her son had been sick and she forgot about the wedding. She didn’t make the cake and she wouldn’t be attending the wedding.

Wow! That was an unpleasant surprise. My team ran to a local grocery store to pickup a last minute cake. Obviously it wasn’t exactly like the cake the couple had wanted, but at least there was a cake. The bride was devastated. It changed her relationship with her friend as well.

Does every DIY situation turn out like this? Of course not. Is there a risk? Absolutely. Anytime you are dealing with a situation that is as important and as stressful as a wedding day, you run the risk of ending or changing friendships. If the bride hired a professional pastry chef, that situation would most likely not have happened, but if it had, the bride would have screamed and yelled, gotten her money back and have been done with it. Since it was her good-friend who left her hanging on her wedding day, she lost a long-standing friendship.

This is just one of the things to consider when relying on family and friends to provide services for your wedding. Tomorrow, I will post a quiz to see what kind of a Do It Yourself Bride you are. Do you have the fortitude to do everything yourself, from hiring vendors, to making invitations and favors, or are you more of a part-time DIY who wants to add some personal touches while still having professional guidance along the way?

Over the next two weeks you will see interviews with some of my favorite wedding vendors with recommendations on doing things for your wedding yourself versus using a professional. I will also include money saving tips for you if you decide to work with a professional.

For those of you who are celebrating… Happy Hanukkah!

I had the very good fortune of attending a seminar yesterday where Sylvia Weinstock was was one of the speakers. For those of you who are not familiar with Sylvia, she is an endearing, engaging lady (her advice to us yesterday was insist on a cake as delicious as it is beautiful, after all, if you find a handsome man who sounds like a jerk when he opens his mouth, you would toss him in the trash. Same thing for cake it should be good inside and out!) who happens to make the most spectacular wedding cakes. You cannot begin to describe with words her confectionery masterpieces.

Well for those of us who love wedding cake (and who of us doesn’t?) you will soon be able to read Sylvia’s advice, see her sketches and her finished wedding cakes when her new book is released “Sylvia Weinstock’s Sensational Cakes.” I am the proud owner of an advanced autographed copy. It is beautiful.

We were treated to another sweet surprise. Sylvia teamed up with Godiva Chocolates to create a beautiful chocolate wedding cake favor. (Please excuse the blurry photograph. I am definitely not a photographer!)

I ate one after I took the picture. Yummy!

I am a huge desert lover, so I have been thrilled at the revival of the Viennese dessert presentation at weddings. For those of you not familiar with the Viennese dessert presentation, it is essentially a buffet of different deserts — sometimes they are petite pastries like this photo from Karla Fountain Photography.

Sometimes they are full-sized cakes and pies. (Heaven!)

Some of my clients have elected to minimize their wedding cakes in favor of these desert presentations. As much as I love deserts, I think that the wedding cake is a traditional wedding symbol that shouldn’t be overlooked, especially since now there are so many varieties of flavors and styles. Wedding cakes are a true work of art and can even be used as a focal point in a room.

When choosing a wedding cake, it is important to consider two things first… How many people do you need to serve and where will the wedding cake be displayed? (Hint: If you are going to be in an area that is really hot and humid, stay away from chocolate shavings and spun sugar).

Other than that, make sure to go through a thorough interview process of your pastry chef. Don’t worry, this isn’t too much of a hardship, you get to look at beautiful cakes and taste some samples. Here are my recommendations on how to shop.

• As always, start with your budget. Make sure you know how much you want to spend.
   
• Look through magazines and on the Internet for styles that attract you. Keep in mind that some of those designs can be really expensive. The more intricate the design, the more expensive it will be. Don’t set yourself up to be disappointed.
   
• Set an appointment with a couple of pastry shops. Make sure they know you want to try samples of the cake.
   
• Take your handy Just Marry! Color Wheel, a swatch fabric from your bridesmaids dresses and some lace from your gown (lace can be a wonderful starting point for designing your cake).
   
• During the interview, make sure you have good communication with the pastry chef. He or she should be able to advise you on ways to spend your money wisely and still get a fabulous design.

On my recent trip to Jacksonville, I had the opportunity to visit Edgewood Bakery Sandy, the owner, is an amazing designer. The shop was filled with beautiful faux cakes that showed off her work. I asked her to send me some photos to share with you. I only wish you could taste the cake. It was amazing.

I hope you enjoy the photos and that they inspire you to find a creative design that reflects your style AND that you find a cake that tastes as good as it looks… Sandy’s sure do!