You & Your Wedding

The wedding cake has long been the focus of attention at the reception and for many years now it has been customary to have a three tiered white wedding cake which is elaborately decorated and which includes one of a number of traditional wedding cake toppers such as statue depicting the bride and groom, a pair of doves, a pair of gold rings or a horseshoe.

In medieval times guests would each bring a small piece of cake to a wedding and these would be stacked together to form a tower or pyramid. The newly married couple would then kiss over the top of the cake if they could to bring good luck to their marriage or, more often than not, would end up falling into the stack of cake much to the amusement of everyone present.

Over time the tower or pyramid formed from individual pieces of cake evolved into a single cake and the tiered design is thought to have been based upon the unusual tiered spire of the medieval church of St Bride’s in London.

It was also customary for cakes to be made from fruit which was readily available and to be covered in a layer of fat and sugar to preserve the cake in the days before refrigeration.

Nowadays it is traditional for the bride and groom to cut their wedding cake together and often to feed each other with the first bites of the cake as a symbol of the establishment of their new family unit. A section of the wedding cake (typically the top tier) is then often removed and stored so that it can be used at the christening of the couple’s first child.

While many people today still follow the well established pattern when it comes to planning their wedding, a growing number of couples are choosing to depart from tradition and, in particular, to look for ways in which they can make their wedding day truly unique and memorable for their guests.

As a result it is common today to not only see wedding cakes in a variety of different shapes, sizes, colors and flavors but also for couples to use wedding cake toppers as a central focal point for their cake.

Today wedding cake toppers come in all shapes and sizes and can range from exquisite and unique works of art which are specially commissioned by the bride and groom to statues depicting the couple in various hilarious poses which can be purchased quite cheaply from any one of a large number of suppliers.

As couples strive more and more to make their wedding day stand apart from the crowd we will continue to see attention focused upon the design of wedding cakes and, in particular, upon the development of increasingly unique wedding cake toppers.

Wedding cake is a central element of most wedding receptions. A beautiful wedding cake can make a huge impact on the overall elegance of the reception. Unfortunately, wedding cakes can be among the most important accessories of your wedding reception.

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.

Flowers, herbs and spices have long been used as a symbol to unite and protect a new union. Garlic and onions were thought to protect newlyweds from evil and were often included as an integral part of the ceremony. White garlands were worn to show innocence and chastity but the language of flowers didn’t arrive to Europe until the early 1700s.

The universal flower for weddings is most definitely the rose. White or red are the most common. It was proclaimed by Venus, the Roman goddess of love, that the red rose was the most beautiful of all flowers. So it came to be that the red rose represented true love.

When you are choosing the flowers for your wedding there are several things to take into account.

1) First of all, it is your wedding and should emulate your personality and be the theme for the ceremony and reception. It shouldn’t be what your mother always wanted or your bridesmaid’s favorite flowers. It’s about what you want.

2) Look at a lot of photographs of wedding flowers and bouquets. You need to get familiar with flowers, styles and colors. The internet is an awesome tool for that. It used to be that you’d have to go to a florist to do this and you may still want to but fortunately there are a lot more options.

3) As you browse through the pages, start with style first. Do you like the bouquets that are long with ivy and ribbons, maybe compact and round, exotic, possibly long flowers that you carry on your arm almost like carrying a baby? The reason I suggest style first is because certain flowers are suited to each style.

4) Remember, large bouquets can be very heavy and if you have a small frame then you may want to reconsider a large bouquet. I have done bridal bouquets that have weighed as much as 30 to 40 pounds.

5) Once you have decided on a style then it can be determined what flowers and colors you would like. Sometimes you get lucky and see a bouquet and that is exactly the one you want. But don’t be afraid to get creative. I once did a wedding where the bride (who married on Valentines Day) chose a round red bouquet for herself and the bridesmaid’s wore white and red dresses so we made half the bouquet red and the other half white roses. At the reception the bouquets were then placed in red vases and served as flowers for the head table. It was very effective. You can be as creative as you want.

6) You can also choose flowers for their meanings. Here are some of the more common flowers used in weddings:

Red rose – True love

White rose – innocence and purity, I am worthy of you.

White carnation – fascination, love of a woman

White lily – purity, heavenly

Cala lily – beauty

Red tulips – declaration of love

Babies breath – pure of heart

Blue violet – faithfulness

Hyacinth – loveliness

Iris- warmth and affection

Daisy – innocence

Ivy – eternal love and fidelity

7) If you want fragrant flowers then I would go with white casa blanca or star- gazer lilies, hyacinth, tuber roses, and gardenias. The fragrance would be heavenly.

If you are on a severe budget then you may want to consider doing simple bouquets on your own. It is not that difficult to do. Example; take a dozen or more tulips and stagger them slightly so that the heads are not all together. Take the first tulip in your hand, place the next one so that the tulip head is now about 2 or 3 inches lower and so on. Take the ribbon of your choice and tie them together. Make a simple bow and there you have it. You can also do this style effectively with calla lilies, gladiolas and blue delphinium. If you want to save a lot of money then this can be an alternative for you.

Regardless of the size and budget of your wedding, just remember, this is your day. Do it the way you want to and have fun doing it.

Flowers add color and fragrance to any occasion. Throughout history of human kind, flowers have been associated with love, purity, freshness and other emotions. Flowers are used in birth ceremonies, romance, marriages, death etc. The flowers of different colours symbolize different emotions. Red roses are symbols of love beauty and passion. Red poppies are worn to commemorate deaths of soldiers. Lilies are used in burials for symbolizing resurrection after death. Daisies represent innocence.

The usage of flowers in weddings date back to the ancient ages. Flowers and herbs adorned the veils of brides in Rome. Ivies were used in Greek weddings to symbolize eternal love. The Saracens used orange blossoms as wedding flowers. Wedding flowers enhance the ambience of the wedding, and are the right carriers to convey the emotions of the ceremony.

Types of Flowers. The usual flowers used for wedding are lilies, roses, orchids, and other flowers.

• Roses include, Jacaranda, Bridal Pink, Delores, Candia, Sterling Silver, Sonia, Lady Diana, Jacqueline Kennedy etc.

• Lilies include, Lily Of The Valley, Zephyr Lily, Rubrium Day Lilies, Calla etc.

• Orchids include Japhet, Phalenopsis, Spray Orchids, Dendrobium, Cymbidium, Catlaya etc

• Other flowers that are used in weddings are Violets, Amaryllis, Daffodils, Asters, Anemones, Chrysanthemums, Daisies, Forget Me Not, Gardenia, Gladiolus, Lilac and Iris etc.

Budgeting for Wedding flowers. Budgeting is very important for obtaining flowers economically. The best way to reduce the cost is to opt for in season flowers. The flowers out of season will be costly. It is prudent to contact a florist well in advance, since flowers ordered in haste will neither be to taste and will nor be economical.

Florists. Weddings are hectic and demanding as many decisions like, venue, ceremonial style, guests, food and other arrangements are to be taken into account. So it is better to leave the arrangements of flowers to florists. A photograph of wedding gown and a sample cloth piece of wedding gown should be shown to the florist for him to decide the best flowers to suit the dress.

Floral Arrangements. Floral arrangements are required for bridal bouquet, headdress, wedding table, wedding cake etc. Florists usually do floral arrangements. Some headdresses contain flowers so care must be taken that the bridal bouquet and the headdress match.

Wedding flowers Color And Shape. Traditionally the color of flowers is white, as white symbolises purity and virginity. However sometimes the colors of wedding flowers are changed to match the wedding gown and the general scheme of wedding. Various shapes of bouquets are available like round posy, cascade, waterfall etc. The shape of bouquet should be chosen considering the height, skin tone, shape etc of the bride.

Silk flowers. Scented silk flowers are also being used nowadays as they have longevity and can be kept as a memory of the wedding day. There is no fear of the flowers wilting of the flowers due to heat during the wedding. However they do not feel like real flowers.

Wedding flowers add color and aroma to a wedding. Wedding flowers increase the attractiveness of the bride to a higher level. Hence the choice of wedding flowers should be done with thought and care