Wedding Cake - Bakery Tips

Wedding Cake - Bakery Tips
By Nina Ramonav

Below you will find list of questions you should ask the pastry chef, baker, or cake decorator at the wedding cake bakery. It is your special day you have every right to ask questions!

Questions to ask at the bakery:

1. Can pastry chef/cake decorator create custom cake from your instructions and to look like your wedding-cake picture.

2. What flavors of wedding cake and icing are available? Or if you already have an idea what you want, ask "Can you make a (type of cake) with (flavor of icing)?"

3. Ask to sample some of the bakery's cakes. If you don't care for any of the cake samples offered by the bakery, ask for additional samples or as what other choices are available. Even if you have to order a small cake to try the baker's version of what you want, it is a small price to pay for satisfaction.

4. In case you want to use fresh flowers to decorate the wedding cake, ask if the bakery can provide them or if you or a florist must deliver them.

5. Request to see pictures of wedding cakes from their photo gallery. Take a look at their album and see if you like the looks of the cakes. Ask how old the pictures are and if the person who baked and decorated these cakes is the same person who will create yours.

6. Does the bakery, baker, pastry chef, or cake decorator has the required licenses and has passed health inspections. Licensing varies from state to state, but a bakery is probably required to be licensed as a retail food establishment or as a food preparer. The health department of the city, county, or state probably issues licenses. The baker, pastry chef, and decorator may also be required to be licensed or qualified as a food handler. You can go to most states' web sites and find out just what licensing is required so that you know what to ask for. Most bakeries will gladly let you look at the kitchen to see where the cake will be mixed, baked, decorated, and stored; this is probably as satisfying as seeing the licenses. You should probably ask to take a peek at the kitchen after asking about the licenses. You can also ask to see the results of the latest health inspection.

7. If you simply don't like frozen food and don't want it served at your wedding, ask if the wedding cake will be frozen. But understand that some people believe the taste of several cakes improves after freezing.

8. Ask how long before the wedding date the cakes will be prepared and how they will be kept until time for delivery. If you think the time or the method of storage will result in the bridal cake not being as fresh as you want, express your feeling to the person you are talking with. He or she either will explain or demonstrate that this will not be a problem or will negotiate a shorter length of storage. She may let you sample some cake kept for that length of time. Some cakes keep well when frozen, and others do not. Pound cakes and some carrot cakes seem to improve with freezing. If you are not satisfied and cannot reach some agreement, you must use another bakery.

9. To find how much time and attention will be spent on your cake, ask how many orders the bakery typically has for the weekend of your order and how many of those your pastry chef might be producing. A large volume can be an indication that not a lot of time and attention can be devoted to your cake. But a very busy bakery also indicates that many people like its products and trusts its work. Wedding cake bakery that no one likes will have plenty of time to dedicate to your cake, but that alone will not guarantee good results. Neither will a very busy bakery guarantee good results all the time. For one, you may need to check with them during the week of production to make sure that things are going well. For the other, you may want to check to make sure that your order has not somehow been overlooked among so many orders. In either case verify that your cake is in the process of being prepared.

10. Ask if the decorator is experienced and good and if he or she decorated the cakes pictured in the bakery's gallery.
The point of such a question is to find out whether you will be getting the best the bakery has to offer and whether you will be served by the same personnel that did the work seen in the bakery's photo album and for the references you will contact. You may be satisfied that all decoration is supervised by a master decorator with long experience and excellent references, even though the actual work may be done by one of several less experienced decorators.

11. Ask to be introduced to each of the people who will bake, decorate, and deliver the cake. You may have questions you want to ask. If you do, ask them. For example, you might be concerned with the experience each one has. If so, you might ask how many cakes they have baked or decorated. I might be more concerned to simply ask whether they did the cakes in the bakery's album of cakes. If you have no questions, ask to meet them anyway. Introduce yourself and try to make it easy for them to remember your name and your face. Show a great pleasure at meeting the people who have created the wonderful masterpieces that have come from this bakery and tell them that you look forward to having them create your wedding cake. What you are creating is a personal relationship with these artists at the wedding cake bakery. Like all workers and artists, these people like being appreciated and will do their best work for someone who has praised them and treats them as a master of their craft. This goes as well for the person taking your order, whether it is the owner, manager, or just the order taker. I suggest that you work to make as good an impression on them as you expect them to try to make on you. Dress well when you are shopping for a bakery. You don't have to dress like you're meeting the Queen or the First Lady, but don't be dressing like you're about to be hitting the bars with your friends on your bachelorette party--not unless you dress a lot better for that than most of the young women in my neighborhood. Please try to time your visits so that the bakery is not crowded with customers. This is particularly important in smaller bakeries.

12. If you are concerned, ask whether the cake be made from scratch or from packaged mixes. Packaged mixes are so much more expensive that few busy bakeries would use them. And if they produce the wedding cake you want and it tastes good, do you care whether it's from a mix or from scratch?

13. Ask what the price will be. If the baker can give you an estimate but not the final cost, ask how much the final cost might vary from the estimate. If the baker says that they will charge by how long it takes because they charge by the hour, ask how many hours it will take and do the calculation yourself. Again, if it's an estimate of hours, ask how far the hours might vary from that estimate. If you feel uncomfortable with the bakery's commitment to giving you a number, maybe you should find another bakery.

14. Ask for customer references so that you can talk to with them. Then actually contact them and ask about their experience with the bakery. While they were probably very pleased with the bakery (otherwise you'd think the bakery would not be giving them as a reference), they may give you some pointers about how best to deal with the bakery.

15. Request a written proposal that includes the size of the cake, the flavor, the icing type and flavor, the description of the cake: Number of tiers or number of cupcakes or miniature cakes, decorations, the date and time the cake would be ready, whether it would be delivered and where and when, and the price. Some bakeries will put all of this in a proposal and some will commit to just the basic items.

Press for commitment to everything that is important to you.

Rustic, Paisley, Tulip Dreams - Wedding Decor!

By: Charish Hoover - FresnoWeddings.Net

I had a dream! And that dream came in many colors, patterns, and flowers oh my!

As always, I like to pick a stationary first, which will help me determine my overall color scheme for the wedding table decor idea.

Note my selected stationary to the left in the photo above. Although some of the colors are more suttle in this stationary, I try to focus on all of them, while playing some up more than others to add some POW! to the overall design.

I then choose some fabric to focus on some of the colors, or sometimes patterns in the stationary, and I create my own home-made table runner.

In this design, I chose to cover my basic white table linen with some copper colored tulle, and then I added my home-made table runner (paisley pattern) over the center of the table.

Next I added my dishes, and accented the overall design with some pink tulips, a clear glass vase filled with dry wild grass, tea light candles, a pink candy dish filled with hot pink dried rose petal potpourri, and some hot pink ribbon tied around the stems of my wine glasses.

I hope you like my wedding decor idea!

Unity Sand Ceremony - A Hot Wedding Trend!

If you've attended many weddings lately, or read trendy magazines or newspapers, you've undoubtedly noticed that the ceremonies are no longer just your Grandmother's and Grandfather's typical church wedding. Read More Below Photo:

The Unity Sand Ceremony, a celebration that is usually two to three minutes in length, is a meaningful joining of two lives. In this timeless ritual of marriage, the couple ceremoniously pours various colors of sand from a container, such as a seashell, into one special container symbolizing their coming together as one.

This unique celebration was recently brought into the public eye with the marriage of Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter of the TV series, "The Bachelorette." Rather than the time-honored ritual of the Unity Candle Ceremony, the famous couple chose the alternative, Unity Sand Ceremony. Their decision has sparked a craze in weddings across the country.

The ceremony has controversial origins, some believing that it began with the Native Americans and some insisting the Hawaiians were the ancestors of the legend. Whatever its origin, the Unity Sand Ceremony is fast becoming a nationwide wedding ceremony trend.

The flowing sand and blending of the colors symbolize the bringing together of two lives into one. Some couples prefer to leave a small amount of sand in their respective container to show that even though they now function as one, they remain individuals.

A staple in marriages everywhere, The Unity Candle Ceremony has long been a tradition for marriages both elaborate and simple. Usually, there is a single candle that both bride and groom light from a flame of their own single candle. Parents or other members of the wedding party often join in the candle lighting ceremony.

The Unity Sand Ceremony can also be altered in many ways to include family and friends. Besides the bride and groom, various colors of sand are given to wedding members who will add their sand to the couple's sand, all flowing into the container, creating a colorful and one-of-a kind symbol of unity.

In an age where couples are planning weddings that are unique to their beliefs and lifestyle, the sand ceremony can be personalized many different ways to fit the occasion. After the ceremony, the couple has a unique keepsake to remember their wedding day.

Hawaii has been a popular destination for weddings since airplanes became the preferred mode of travel. Its mild weather and sandy beaches create a perfect environment for the entire wedding party to be barefoot on the beach while witnessing the Unity Sand Ceremony - a tradition as old and exceptional as the islands themselves.

Not going to have a wedding on a beach? Don't worry. Sand is available online, or the couple can use sand from a destination they've visited or that has a special meaning in their lives. Distinctive containers designed to fit any religion or lifestyle can also be purchased online.

Many couples write their own vows for the ceremony, but passages from ancient Hawaiian or Native American weddings can easily be found on the Internet for the portion of your wedding relating to the Unity Sand Ceremony.

Whatever your dream wedding entails, consider incorporating the Unity Sand Ceremony into the celebration. You'll be sure to create memories that your guests will talk about for a long time to come.


Article Credit: Sharon Vaz

Wedding Trends 2009

Current Wedding Trends



By: Charish

http://www.FresnoWeddings.Net/

http://www.VisaliaWeddingsGuide.com/

http://www.WeddingLocationCalifornia.com/





In spite of our current economy situation, I have found that engaged couples are finding great ways to be able to still have the wedding of their dreams, without sacrificing quality.

In fact, I find that many couples are planning a more platinum wedding, and simply cutting down the size of their guest list to save on their overall costs.



Here are some trends I’ve observed this year so far:



1. many couples are opting for a wedding venue that accommodates both the wedding ceremony, and the reception. This is considered a “green” trend choice as it cuts down on the overall transportation needs for the couple and their guests. This option is also most likely a money saver on overall wedding costs, not to mention a huge timesaving convenience for all.



2. I am seeing a common trend in the guest counts for couples. 75 - 100 guests is quite common right now, which can save the couple a lot of money.

I find it refreshing that couples are beginning to realize, that their wedding does not have to come with an open invitation to everyone that the couple has ever known.

Keeping the guest list strict, and limiting it to only very close friends, and close relatives is perfectly acceptable.



3. Wedding cakes topped with Jewelry Cake Toppers (aka monogram cake toppers). While this is not necessarily a new trend, it appears to be more common this year than

in previous years. One reason may be that couples are choosing cakes with less floral décor, and going with more smooth fondant hand-painted designs topped with bling, as apposed to the

previously more common butter cream frosted cakes that previous generations favored.



4. Wedding Photography – Today’s couples want a wedding photographer that can and will capture the fun aspects and emotions of their wedding day. Few couples

desire a more traditional wedding photography approach that requires their undivided attention and time to be devoted to looking at the photographer’s lens. While there are still

many couples that want a few traditional family poses for their album, the trend is leaning evermore toward a more carefree, photojournalistic approach.



5. Event Designers – There are more couples leaning toward hiring an “event designer” now than ever. Event designers are not to be confused with wedding consultants however,

and I find that this is often the case. Both are two very different, but important professional services. A true event designer, should offer the majority of his/her products, and services “in house”, which means, little to no outsourcing for things such as party rentals, floral design, lighting, linens, decorating, etc. By hiring a true event designer, couples can save money on their overall costs.



6. Wedding Dresses – Yes, I said wedding dresses. More of today’s brides are choosing a more formal and designer wedding dress for their ceremony, and then changing into a less formal, and more flirtatious wedding dress for the reception and festivities. As for Bridesmaid dresses – more brides are considering dresses that their maids can re-wear to other special functions; therefore simplicity is the current trend.



7. Wedding Videography – The old fashioned wedding video that brides a few years ago were satisfied with, simply won’t do for today’s bride and groom. Couples of today are

looking for talented video cinematographers. Products from these masters of emotion, should have a movie-like feel and sound to them, that will make the couple re-live, and re-feel

their day as if it was happening all over again, , , ,and without feeling the need to push the “skip” button to get to the good parts.



8. Style – From over the top bling, bling, or as rustic as you can get, are hot trends right now. Many brides and grooms are choosing extreme themes, styles, and or colors for their

special day’s look. The goal appears to be, to wow the guests, and show them the best time of their lives. More emphasis is being placed on the personalization of the couple’s wedding day. For example: One groom who was a Dentist, decided that the party favors should be tooth brushes, with a small candy filled sash tied to each one. This was not only a personalized memento from the groom and his bride, but an expression that a Dentist can have a sense of humor too. HOT COLORS: I expect to see chocolate brown as a base color as in the past combined with bright colors. We will see a lot of silver, and royal purple. Also gray (charcoal gray) as a base color is expected to be hot this year, but combined with more lively colors to kick it up a notch. Candles, candles, and more candles! Expect to see a lot of candles at the reception. Couples are shooting for a romantic feel, and nothing says romantic better than a lot of candle light. Choose bee wax candles for a more "green", earth friendly choice!



Happy Wedding Planning!

Wedding Planning Stress Busters

Wedding Planning Stress Busters
by: Georgina Clatworthy


Finding ways to relieve the stress when all the wedding stuff begins to wear you down can be just as stressful! Here are some tips to help you put together a stress busting plan for when it all gets too much.

Weddings can seem like an endless charade of flowers, stationery and cakes and sometimes you are probably left wondering when it will all end. Act now and draw yourself up a stress busting plan to help you get through all those wedding planning nightmares.

Take time out

When the pressure is really on the best thing to do is to get away from it all for a while. Grab you hubby-to-be and get away for a weekend and have some quality time together. It will help you both focus on the time ahead and help you remember exactly why you are getting married in the first place!

Massage in a bottle

A massage is the ultimate for relaxation and unwinding. Book one when everything seems to be getting on top of you and you need time out. Make a day of it at a nearby spa & take your mom and best friend with you.

Switch off

A total switch off from everything wedding related is on the cards when you find yourself eating, sleeping and thinking weddings 24/7. By this stage you are probably super-stressed and taking a whole day out from all things wedding will be just the tonic you need.

Work it out

If you are keen on exercise and have a regular workout or exercise regime you are probably already aware of the stress relieving benefits of simply going for a run or having a workout at the gym. A good workout will not only help burn calories, but it will also stretch your tense muscles and release feel good endorphins.

Sleep it off

Although it may not be so easy, but a good sleep will leave you feeling refreshed, energized and ready to face the day. Try to get 8 hours a night and avoid all wedding talk when you snuggle down for the night. If wedding plans do float around your mind at night, write them down and tell yourself you will deal with them in the morning.

Girl talk

Get all you friends together, a bottle of wine and a strict ban on wedding talk. A bit of girly gossip will help you relax and calm down. A night in with the girls will also help you remember that there is life outside of weddings, so find out what is going on with them and their lives.

Eat properly

We are all too aware of the importance of eating a balanced diet but many of us, particularly when stressed will skip meals and take to consuming things which won’t help us in any way. Try to drink lots of water, eat plenty of fruit and vegetable and avoid caffeine and too much alcohol. You will soon feel fresher and notice a change in your everyday mood.

Go beyond green with eco-friendly beauty trends

Go beyond green with eco-friendly beauty trends

SHOP ECO-FRIENDLY BEAUTY PRODUCTS HERE

(ARA) – Green living doesn’t have to mean forgoing the latest looks, especially when eco-conscious beauty is the hottest thing going. Formulations driven by nature, practices that are kind to the earth and minimal packaging are all cool ways to celebrate the warm weather.

Here are some of the hottest eco-conscious beauty trends going:

Fresh as a Rose

The classic and perfect rose inspires some of the hottest colors and scents of the season. Cheeks blush in pretty shades of pink for day and bold fuchsia for evening while glamorous pink lips perfectly accompany spring smiles. For an all-over ethereal glow, the Roseflower Radiance Stick from The Body Shop is a soft, natural and preservative-free way to achieve a dewy spring glow. Match spring’s romantic mood and sweep the silky, sheer golden pink highlighter along the cheekbones for a subtle shimmer that enhances the complexion.

* Style Highlight

Made with rose oil from the “valley of roses” near the Atlas Mountains, The Body Shop Moroccan Rose Body Butter melts on contact with the skin for superb hydration and releases the delectable fragrance of roses harvested at dawn, at their fragrance peak. It also features rich Community Trade ingredients from Ghana and Brazil.

Pastels and Pinks

This season, eyes shimmer in paparazzi-friendly pastel greens, pinks and golds. Celebrity makeup artist Chase Aston says a soft gold eye shimmer is fresh and modern and is perfect for an allover eye, from lash to brow. For a contemporary effect, a cool mint green swept along the top lash line and underneath the lower lashes sings spring.

* Style Highlight “

To take this runway look to night and capture a perfectly imperfect smoky eye, take a black eye definer pencil and line along top lash line, then dip an eye color brush into midnight blue eye color and smudge over eye definer line,” says Aston.

Waste Not

What is on the outside of a beauty product is just as important as what’s within. Look for sustainably-harvested and fairly-traded ingredients as well as minimal packaging made from post-consumer materials. And when you’re done with a container, remember to recycle it!

Wild Accessories

Reduce, reuse and recycle are today’s hottest buzzwords. Raid your closet for vintage jewelry and accessories or hit your local thrift shop for a bold bargain that pops. When the sun is shining, remember to protect yourself from UV rays with a stylish round pair of sunglasses.

Beauty that Gives Back

Being good to the Earth also includes being kind to the people who inhabit the planet. Everyday products and practices can make a big difference, so look for beauty that gives back.

*Style Highlight

Purchasing a product like the preservative-free Tantalizing Lip Butter from The Body Shop and MTV means a donation is made to the Staying Alive Foundation -- a charity saving lives by empowering young people around the world to protect themselves and their communities against HIV and AIDS. Now that’s beautiful.

And when you’re done all your beauty shopping, you need an eco-friendly and stylish bag to carry all your goodies home in.

Try The Body Shop Bag for Life, which is a reusable, organically grown cotton bag produced without harmful pesticides.

For more information on eco-conscious beauty, visit TheBodyShop-USA.com or CLICK HERE.

The Wedding Cake: A Ceremony by Itself

The Wedding Cake: A Ceremony by Itself
by: Joy Cagil

When my son and daughter-in-law held a knife and cut the first slice out of their all traditional, butter-cream frosted, lavish, and very expensive wedding cake, I couldn't help smiling. If we had been in the early Roman times, the wedding cake would not be one huge, tasty, decorative creation, but many small, possibly cupcake-sized, salty wheat cakes. In addition, the guests wouldn't be eating the cakes but throwing them at the bride or crumbling it over her head for fertility and single women would try to catch the crumbs for the same reason they catch the bridal bouquet today.

In the olden times when children didn't make it to adulthood due to childhood illnesses, fertility was important, and that is probably the reason the wedding cake tradition was born. Later on during their empire, Romans turned their salty cakes into sweet cakes. This time, they made a slightly larger bridal cake with many smaller cakes surrounding it. The smaller cakes were brought as gifts by the guests. These cakes everyone ate, but still crumbled some of those over the bride.

After the Roman conquest of the British Isles, Roman customs influenced the natives who baked dry cakes for their weddings and drank their ale with them. In old England and Ireland, there also was, and still is, the custom of a groom's cake, dark in color and made of dried fruit.

When the English sent their pioneers into the new world, they also sent their customs with them. First European settlers in the Americas made fruitcakes for their weddings because their preservation was easier.

The fancy wedding cake with several tiers was created through the initiative of the French, and although scorned by the English at first, it was later adopted and became the norm through all Europe. The wedding cake, owing to its long history, became an individual affair for a modern wedding party, with different shapes and styles and with a rich variety of flavors, fillings, and icings.

A wedding cake, after the vows, has become a vital part of wedding ceremony in our day. It is assumed that a wedding cake reflects the style, elegance, and delicacy of the couple's upbringing, in addition to their enthusiasm for their marriage.

Not only the ingredients and the making of the cake, but the ceremony of its cutting has become another reception by itself. Traditionally, the bride and the groom cut the cake together, with groom placing his right hand over the bride's right hand to cut the first slice. Then, they feed each other that first slice while everyone applauds. Sometimes, the top tier is saved for the first anniversary or the birth of the couple's first child, whichever comes first.

In some new world weddings nowadays, smearing each other with the icing has been taking hold as a custom, adding hilarity to the reception. My favorite wedding cake anecdote is a real one that may have seemed like a disaster at the time; however in hindsight, it has become an amusing joke. Yet, since the marriage has lasted, the incident might have been a good omen.

Several years ago, we attended a large wedding reception. Over the several steep stairs to the main reception hall, the wedding cake had to be carried rather than wheeled. I don't know why nobody thought of a ramp but two waiters, one on each side, took the cake up the steps.

Suddenly, a waiter tripped and the cake fell on the floor, but with luck or heavenly intervention, the top two tiers stayed intact. A pandemonium broke out with the bride's mother fainting and maintenance people scurrying about. Since the reception hall was part of a big hotel, the management came up with their version of a wedding cake. Several small cakes were arranged as the bottom layer with the two top layers of the original cake placed over them.

Judging from that experience, I think it might be a good idea to have a just-in-case second cake. After all, cakes are loved by most anyone and they don't go to waste.