Four weeks before your wedding, schedule two massages and two manicure/pedicure sessions. The first of the two scheduled sessions should be right at four weeks before the wedding. You will begin to feel a lot of stress at this time and one of the most wonderful things you can do is take care of yourself. By indulging in a deep tissues or any other type of massage you will be putting yourself first and forcing your body to slow down and completely relax.

If you live on the Central Coast of California you will find a wide array of massage therapists available. The Madonna Inn has recently hired a friend's sister who is so dedicated to the art of making you relaxed you will literally melt away any anxiety. Schedule your second massage for one week before the wedding along with your second manicure and pedicure. By pampering yourself a little to look and feel beautiful you will ignite the inner strength and security that make you so attractive.

If you have access to your honeymoon suite before your wedding night sneak in and pull back the blankets. Lightly spray some lavender scented linen spray on the sheets. Bring in several bottles of sparking mineral water for the bedside table and a small bag of almonds and a small box of the best chocolate truffles you can afford. You can always order champagne from the kitchen to have sent up.

When the reception is finally over and you two slip away, take a shower with your favorite smelling shower gel and rub some scented essential oils into your skin so you will be soft all over. Slip into that perfect lacy little teddy. Your feet and fingernails will be clean and beautiful. Your body is relaxed yet excited and you are perfectly prepared for the first night of the rest of your life. Enjoy this moment with the one you love and cherish the memories you create together.

Valentine's Day is not just an important day for long term lovers, it is a day that begins a journey for many new couples.

What a wonderful day for a wedding proposal! But how do you ask, what do you say, what will be your reply?

We'd like to share some romantic ideas for wedding proposals. These come from real life experiences and stories we've heard over the years. Please feel free to add your story at the bottom.

With Red Roses behind your back you pull up to your sweethearts home. When you reach the door she greets you dressed in a gorgeous off the shoulder red dress and heels.

You grab her neck and nibble teasingly while bringing forth the deep red roses. Your white, very clean, SUV is parked outside ready to sweep her off to a special destination. She has no idea what you're up to. You help her into your carriage and drive off to a private hillside where you two are completely alone. You're in luck, the moon is full and there's a warm breeze blowing in the pines.

You lift her outside, where you have several large and comfortable cushions and blankets set up. You have the best Champagne you could afford on ice, a C.D. player with your romantic songs ready to play, and a basket full of delicious treats you can share together. There are 4 large strawberries which have been dipped in chocolate, two beautiful crystal champagne glasses (you can use at your wedding), you have pre-arranged with your favorite deli to prepare you a special antipasto platter, which should include some crackers or brochettes, olives, cheeses, and thin sliced deli meats, grapes or fruits and additional wine or spring waters.

You share your romantic feast with your sweetie, as you pour her glass of champagne for her, she hears something tinkling on the glass….oh my is that a diamond ring? We recommend you tie the ring to the stem with a cloth ribbon, you wouldn't want her to swallow the ring before she sees it.

That is when you take her hand look deep into the luscious pools that are her eyes and ask her to spend the rest of her life with you. She accepts…you kiss, snack, dance in the wilderness and celebrate your new life together..

You can change this scene to fit your location and style of course .. Like a drive to the ocean in your old mustang, your new corvette, or whatever you might be driving these days. You can put a blanket on the beach and watch the waves in the moonlight and pop the question. You can drive out to the desert or down by the river or lake .. Wherever place is memorable and special to you. Be creative and different, that is what she likes about you anyway, isn't it? No woman could refuse a proposal like this, she will be amazed !

Auntie M.

It's great to dream about the Cinderella wedding ceremony, but that doesn't mean you have to sell your future for it. A sane plan for a wedding starts with setting a budget and staying at least close to it. Once you've set the budget, you can split the money between different areas, then try and get the best for your budget after that. And we'll try and help you in that effort as we add in tips here. We want you to have a great, beautiful, elegant wedding. Auntie M just doesn't want you to risk the future for one day. You can be beautiful and impress your guests without mortgaging the farm.

Start by making a list of everyone you just have to invite. This will be your family, his (or her) family, family you have to invite for your parents, and those friends that have shared everything else in your life.

We'll plan for them first. Then, when we're finished, if there's money left over we can think about inviting more people.

There are fixed costs and variable costs. On top of that plan for a flexible budget that covers unexpected costs.

Fixed costs are those items that will stay the same, no matter how many people you invite. You want to start by budgeting for these costs first. Here are some of the fixed costs.

• The bridal gown
• Bouquets
• Limousines
• Wedding Cake (Bride and groom, wedding party, and a layer to freeze)
• Officiate
• DJ
• Band
• Reception Location (though this may jump depending on guests. 50 - 70, 80 -150, 200 - 300)
• Photographer
• Videographer
• Wedding party gifts
• Hotels
• Cleaning costs
• Guest book and pen

Then there are the variable costs. We'll start with a price per guest for the required guests, then you can add in more guests if you feel it's within your budget.

• Meals
• Hors d'oeuvres
• Champagne for toasts
• Bar
• Table decorations
• Table cameras
• Tables
• Chairs
• Tablecloths
• Ice

You can prioritize these areas even more by breaking them into fleeting and permanent. Don't skimp too much on the photographer by asking Uncle Joe to take photos. The photographs go in to wallets, hang on walls, sit on your coffee table, and are mailed to special guests to say thank you. We'll talk more about this later.

Flowers are beautiful and add that extra dimension to your wedding. But they are fleeting and will be carried out to be forgotten before the dancing is over.

Be sure and leave 10% - 20% of your budget for unexpected costs.

We've talked about some cost savings like purchasing your bridal gown and special stores in San Francisco . We'll talk about other areas in the future. Like going to downtown Los Angeles to get flowers.

I'd also like to say that I really respect the way that the Jehovah's Witness church pitches in to help wedding parties. They bring food, serve dinners, clean up, and do everything to help the new couple. More of us should do that to help.

This isn't fun. But being firm here is one of the most important steps in starting your new life. There will be lots of unexpected costs in the future, and by starting out on the right foot you'll set a foundation you can always use.

Today more than 99% of all Portuguese are Roman Catholic and most weddings over the past 30 years or so have been patterned after the modern religious ceremonies in the United States and Western Europe .

In traditional Portuguese wedding ceremonies, brides wear a white Chinese tunic covered with colorful jewels. The groom wears a dark suit, white shirt, and a stylish dark top hat. At the conclusion of the ceremony, as the bride and groom are placing their wedding bands on each other's hand, the priest covers the couple with his stole.

Then, as the happy couple exit the church, their friends and family throw flowers and candies in the same way that other cultures toss rice or wheat. Following the ceremony the couple parades through the streets, where friends, family and even complete strangers wish them happiness in their new life together. The couple then have a quiet time together, where they traditionally drink tea and eat small cakes.

The following day the couple visit all of their wedding guests and personally thank each one for attending their wedding.

It is also still customary, as it was in ancient times, for friends and neighbors to lend a hand wherever they can to help with the celebration and with the wedding itself. Also, the ancient custom of passing around the bride's shoe during the reception and stuffing it with money to help the young couple with their honeymoon and to help them start their new life together is still very much alive. Today the young couple is more likely to go to a wedding reception following the marriage ceremony. The reception is held either at a home or, more commonly today, in a restaurant. During the reception there is much traditional music, dancing, plenty of sea food and other delicacies, and much wine. Portugal is known for its wine and wedding guests are known for their frequent toasts to the happy couple.

At the reception there is much dancing and laughing and the telling of stories about the bride and the groom. There is also, traditionally, a money dance, during which young men pay for the privilege of dancing with the bride or during which the bride's shoe is passed around the dance floor and is filled with money to help the new couple get a start in life and to have a long and happy honeymoon.

It is becoming more and more common for weddings to incorporate some of the fun and old-fashioned values of tradition. There are few places in the world more steeped in tradition or more romantic in which to marry than Portugal .

Some ideas on destination weddings in Portugal are at this web-site:

http://www.weddingsinportugal.com/

Filipino Wedding

With the number of Filipino families immigrating to the United States and especially California , weddings are big business!

Because our country is so ethnically diverse, we are providing some valuable resources for various cultural weddings. These websites hold valuable information that may give you some new ideas and keep in the theme of your culture.

In early Filipino custom, the groom-to-be threw his spear at the front steps of his intended's home, a sign that she has been spoken for. These days, a ring suffices as the symbol of engagement.

The Engagement

After the couple has decided to marry, the first order of business is the pamanhikan, where the groom and his parents visit the bride's family to ask for her hand in marriage. Wedding plans are often made at this time, including a discussion of the budget and guest list. Don't be surprised if the groom-to-be is expected to run some errands or help out around the bride's house. This tradition is called paninilbihan, where the suitor renders service to his future wife's family to gain their approval.

The Wedding Outfits

The white wedding dress has become popular in the last hundred years or so with America 's influence in the Philippines . Before that, brides wore their best dress, in a festive color or even stylish black, to celebrate a wedding. Orange blossom bouquets and adornments were a must during the turn of the last century. For men, the barong tagalog is the traditional Filipino formal wear. It is a cool, almost transparent, embroidered shirt, made from silky pina or jusi, two native ecru fabrics. It is worn tucked out, over black pants, with a white t-shirt underneath. These days, a Filipino American groom might wear the conventional black tux, but Filipino male wedding guests will usually show up in their finest barongs.

Ba ..]]> /blog/wedding_blog.php?id=198 Wed, 25 Jan 2006 14:53:26 +0000 General /blog/wedding_blog.php?id=198#cmt Culturally Diverse Weddings

Because our country is so ethnically diverse, we are providing some valuable resources for various cultural weddings. These websites hold valuable information that may give you some new ideas and keep in the theme of your culture.

This is a great web-site all about Jewish Weddings:

This husband and wife team has a free newsletter and much of the information you will ever need.

The Chinese Wedding

is steeped tradition and historical rituals from setting the wedding date (which is to be determined by a Fung sui expert, fortune teller or members of both families) to choosing the proper foods to be eaten at the reception. Check out this factual and historical Chinese wedding site for some ideas of your own.

In Chinese legend, the fatherly God-in-the-moonlight ties a red string around the ankles of the man and woman who are supposed to be husband and wife someday.  Thus, no matter how far apart they are, they will eventually get married...

This site has some more interesting ideas for your tradition or contemporary Chinese wedding and also offers some resources for beautiful red wedding dresses, invitation, and other items.

____________________________________________________________

East Indian Weddings

These are complex and here is just an overview of some of the traditions which a modern day bride can pick and choose from as she and her family wishes:

Mendhi and Peethi

A day before the wedding the palm and feet of the bride are decorated with "Mendhi". A canopy or mandap decorated with flowers is erected at the place of wedding. On the wedding morning, various ablutionary rituals are performed on both the bride and the groom in their own homes. Their bodies are anointed with turmeric, sandalwood paste and oils, which cleanse the body, soften the skin, and make it aromatic. They are then bathed to the chanting of Vedic mantras

Laya (Laja) Homa : The Oblation of Parched Grain

Here the bride offers sacrifice of food (poured into her hands by her brother or someone acting in her brother's behalf) to the Gods for their blessings. "This grain I spill. May it bring to me wellbeing and unite you to me. May Agni hear us." He then asks the bride to spill the grain into the fire, saying: "This woman scattering grain into the fire, prays: Blessings on my husband. May my relatives be prosperous".

Baarat (Wedding Procession)

The Bridegroom arrives for the wedding along with his family and friends in a procession. They are then received by the bride's family and friends.

Commencement of Marriage

The priest commences the marriage under a canopy that is specially decorated for the ceremony. The priest invokes blessings of God for the couple to be married. The bride offers yogurt and honey to the groom as a token of purity and sweetness. The bride greets the groom by placing a garland around his neck and the groom reciprocates. Both are congratulated by guests. The priest invokes the memory and blessings of forefathers of the bride and the groom for this auspicious occasion.

Kanya Danam (Giving Away of the Daughter)

The bride accepts her change of status from an unmarried woman to a wife by spreading turmeric powder on her hands. Kanya Danam is performed by the father (or uncle of guardian) of the bride in presence of a large gathering that is invited to witness the wedding. The father pours out a libation of sacred water symbolizing the giving away of the daughter to the bridegroom. The groom recites Vedic hymns to Kama, the God of love, for pure love and blessings. As a condition for offering his daughter for marriage, the father of the bride requests a promise from the groom for assisting the bride in realizing the three ends : dharma, artha, and kama . The groom makes the promise by repeating three times that he will not fail the bride in realizing dharma, artha and kama .

Paanigrahana or Hasta Milap (Holding the Hand)

The bridegroo ..]]> /blog/wedding_blog.php?id=190 Tue, 17 Jan 2006 20:23:48 +0000 General /blog/wedding_blog.php?id=190#cmt Worlds Largest Bridal Gown Sale

Gowns starting at just
$99

Over 3000 gowns available for sale
at the show

All gowns are new and ready for sale.
No waiting for delivery.

Come compare more gowns in a day than most salons stock in a year!
Don't pay outrageous bridal salon prices!

Pasadena Convention Center
300 E Green Street
Sunday, January 29, 2006
11am to 4pm

Also Bridesmaid,
Flower Girl & Mother of the Bride

During the California Bridal Show

Sales Assistants will be on hand
Private dressing rooms available

Bring your friends and make a day of it!

Save on tickets to the show at www.bridesclub.com

Register online for show and receive a $2 Discount  

www.bridesclub.com

For info call 805-552-0025

“Divinely sincere words that become music to the Heart”

There have been many words written that could be used as “Wedding Vows”. Maybe you would like the minister or officiate to read one of the following poems or blessings. You may prefer to write your own. If you write your own, a good rule of thumb would be to keep it short, four or five lines and keep it sincere, as this is the most serious of moments.

Most traditional vows are found in the Bible or Holy Book of your faith. Most Officiates have a selection of verse that can be chosen if you are at a loss. Some couples prefer to write their own verse and either read to one another or select someone else to read it. In any case “practicing the lines” is highly advised.

From Kahil Gibran's "The Prophet"

"Love one another, but make not a bond of that love. Let it rather be like a moving sea between the shores of your souls. And stand together, and yet not too near together. For even the pillars of the temple must stand apart; and the oak tree and the cypress will not grow in each other's shadow. Remember that love gives nothing but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love. And think not that you can direct the course of love. For love, if it finds you worthy, will direct your course."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never ends.

Cherokee Prayer

God in heaven above please protect the ones we love.
We honor all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together.

We honor mother-earth and ask for our marriage to be abundant
and grow stronger through the seasons;

We honor fire-and ask we sail through life
safe and calm as in our father's arms;

We honor water-to clean and soothe our relationship
-that it may never thirst for love;

With all the forces of the universe that you created,
we pray for harmony and true happiness as we forever grow young together.
Amen.

Apache Blessing

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before. Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your life together. And may your days be good and long upon the earth. Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship - as they threaten all relationships at one time or another - remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives - remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

Traditional Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand. May God be with you and bless you: May you see your children's children. May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward. May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back. May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home. And may the hand of a friend always be near. May green be the grass you walk on, May blue be the skies above you, May pure be the joys that surround you, May true be the hearts that love you.

The elder brother signed a contract with the young lady releasing her from her marriage in two years so she can marry his 19 year old brother. The elder brother agreed to treat the young woman as his sister-in-law until the union can be formalized between his brother and the college girl.

In the wake of the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina, Michaella Boyd and fiancé Thomas Sullivan lost everything, including hopes for a wedding ceremony in the coming year in their native New Orleans .

The couple, who have lived in New Orleans all their lives, had recently become engaged and were saving money to marry next year.
When they arrived in Houston they were taken in by Marvin and Jessica Steptoe, members of the Church at Bethel 's Family, who were acquainted with one of Boyd's family members.
After taking almost a week to get to Houston after the storm, the couple, determined to seal their commitment to one another, obtained a marriage license and were planning to be married by a justice of the peace.
Those plans changed when they met Sugar Creek Senior Adult Pastor Frank Minton while seeking transportation assistance at the Fort Bend Disaster Relief Command Center in Sugar Land .
After meeting the young couple and hearing their story, Minton with the help of his pastor, Sugar Creek Senior Pastor Mark Hartman and church staff and members, arranged a wedding ceremony complete with wedding attire, flowers, a groom's ring, cake, and a honeymoon stay in Kemah donated by several local businesses.
The chance meeting allowed Boyd and Sullivan to celebrate the one thing they have left, each other. The couple's impromptu wedding ceremony was officiated by Sugar Creek Senior Pastor Mark Hartman and the bride was escorted down the aisle by Minton, exchanging vows with her groom as a few family members and a host of church members, media professionals and photographers looked on.
"Going through the storm helped me to realize that tomorrow is not promised, and that God has blessed us so much and not to put material things before anything, before anybody. I realized a lot seeing people sleeping on the interstate and watching people crawl through water just to get to dry land. A lot of things I saw just opened my eyes," shared the new bride.
When asked her thoughts on the wedding, Boyd responded, "I can't explain, all I can say is it is a blessing from on high, because this is beautiful, all the things they have done, it is just beautiful."
The bride's mother passed away when she was 15, but her mother's oldest sister, Diane Pointdexter, and her grandmother, Audrey Cloud, as well as the groom's best friend, Dejon Hardges, were present at the ceremony, along with the Steptoes, the family who graciously took them in.
The groom graced his bride with a song, before Pastor Hartman conducted a brief, but poignant wedding ceremony.
After the ceremony, Hartman shared his thoughts on the occasion, "This wedding ceremony is an example of a couple that has lost so much but decided that there is a future, that the disaster is not the end of it all, that there is something beyond this. And they have said they are going to put their heart on the future. It is an act of courage and an example of hope for other people. I am so proud of them because I believe they will be an influence to others to say I've got a future too."
The brides aunt, who attends Second Baptist Church in Houston , says she is so glad that Sugar Creek Baptist Church has adopted her niece and her new husband into their church family. Sullivan says she was in the middle of her internship in Medical Coding when she left New Orleans , and is now attending Remington College and will be finished with her studies in a month. She is looking for a job in the hospital field, and her new husband is in construction dealing with drywall and houses. Sugar Creek Baptist is assisting them in their job church.
The couple plans to make Houston their permanent home. Sullivan said, "I have always said Texas would be my home years ago, and I've been trying to get here, and somehow the storm just pushed me here, but I am thankful."
The generosity of various local businesses aided ..]]> /blog/wedding_blog.php?id=159 Mon, 19 Sep 2005 18:52:52 +0000 General /blog/wedding_blog.php?id=159#cmt /blog/wedding_blog.php?id=156 Sat, 17 Sep 2005 15:34:10 +0000 General /blog/wedding_blog.php?id=156#cmt Deciding what to serve at your reception and rehearsal dinner can be a real trick and not what you want if you're not careful.

Reception:

There are several choices from which to choose when deciding on the food you want to serve at your reception.

1. Full sit-down dinner with formal table settings.
2. Mid-afternoon hor d'oeuvres and cake only
3. BBQ and buffet line style dinner with paper plates
4. Any combination of the above

Catering is one of the most expensive things in your budget, so make sure you get great references when picking this one. I have found you can pay a lot of money and get awful food or you can pay the same for a really great meal.

The Tips-

1. Communicate with your food service provider. They all provide different things. Some will furnish and set up all the tables with linen and china and even centerpieces. There will be an extra fee for that service, but it will save you a lot of time and stress verses renting items yourself. If you can't afford the extra charges for the caterer, consider assigning your maids of honor to help out in this area. They will have to set up the tables early, before the wedding. Make sure your food provider is flexible and will work with you on the foods you want. Some brides want special dishes for traditional or family reasons. Good caterers should be able to accommodate your requests within reason. Wedding Fairs can be excellent places to sample foods from various caterers. If you can get a great deal on wine or Champaign and want the caterer to open it all and serve it to your guests, they can do that but usually for a small fee. If you want your cake cut and served on plates, make sure you communicate this to the caterer.

2. Provide a list of guests for your food service team, such as your elderly relatives, that may need to be served even if you have a buffet. Many elderly guests seem to get lost in the midst of a crowd and can feel intimidated. They will sincerely appreciate your thoughtfulness during the dinner portion of your reception if you show them a little extra consideration.

3. Have options on your menu for vegetarians and guests with allergies.

Most caterers are accustom to providing various foods for those with dietary restrictions. When mailing invitations to the reception, give your guests a food choice and have them mark the return card. This saves you when trying to guess how many people want beef and how many chicken etc.

4. Pass the Hor d'oeuvres and wine please !

Some very pleasant and less costly affairs can be had by having an array of trays filled with fancy cheeses, fresh fruits, crackers and relishes. This goes good with a wine bar and cake can be served later with coffee.

Your friends and family can help make trays up which can be placed in the center of the room on a special table with an heirloom tablecloth. A great way to present food attractively is to use different heights on the table, such as boxes set under the table cloth. This allows the food to be on different visual levels and makes for a more appetizing effect. Whole clean fruits, vegetables, leaves and flowers can be added to the table for beauty around the various trays.

Friends are doing the Barbeque? If your friends are helping out with the barbeque, check with them often and make sure they have everything they need to make your day come off as you have planned. Coffee Carafes or urns, extra ice, cake knife and server, water pitchers and extra knives and forks, even toasting glasses are often forgotten when friends pitch in. Keep a list of these items and check it twice.

Lastly …the clean up

Incorporate additional friends just for the clean up, so you will not lose that $500 clean up deposit. Otherwise make sure the caterer is going to clean the kitchen and leave the place as it was when they walked in.

Another TIP- make a clean up box (roll of paper towels, spray bottle of 409, dish soap, scrubber, pot holders, dish towels) and bring it to the site of the reception. Keep it in the kitchen with a list of the people who have volunteered to help out. You can assign them all a particular job and it will go smoothly.

If you have a small wedding budget you can still have a lovely day. Serve a cake or your favorite pies and coffee and your guests will be pleased.

And lastly my greatest Tip - Go out to a restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. It will be more enjoyable and you can talk to all your friends and relatives and not stress on that last night before the wedding!! Bon Appetite!

Everyone usually wants a Special wedding cake. Did you know that the first wedding cakes were made of wheat to symbolize fertility? They were wheat bread loaves that the groom broke over the brides head. The guests than picked up the scattered wheat crumbs in hopes of securing their own chances of marriage. Later wedding cakes were made of wheat buns secured into a small tree formation and stuck together with sugary syrup. This was also to insure fertility in the marriage.

Today's Traditions

Most people don't associate the wedding cake with fertility and having children anymore, instead the wedding cake has become kind of a first meal for the bride and groom. Today's couples cut a slice before anyone else and feed it to each other, symbolizing the support they'll provide through their many years together. In addition, the confections themselves have become a showpiece instead of a symbol. You can have cakes made that appear like a present or a hat or other inanimate object.

When I work with brides who have a smaller budget I usually suggest these money saving tips.

1. Order the most beautiful two layered bridal cake you can afford. The bottom layer can be cut formally for photos and eaten traditionally by the bride and grown at the reception. You can save the smaller top tier for your freezer to be eaten by the bride and grown on their first anniversary. Money can be saved by ordering a sheet cake or two for your guests. Most caters will be glad to cut up the sheet cakes in the kitchen for you and will serve it on small plates or put the plates with cake on them out on a table along with the coffee service. Your guests will never notice the difference.
   
2. By decorating the smaller bridal cakes with luscious fresh fruits and flowers on and around the cake it can be made to look quite elaborate. Locally, the Madonna Inn , in San Luis Obispo , is known for making fantastic sheet cakes at minimal fees. They can also make the top layer cakes or that can be done at other bakeries. One brides Mother actually made her daughters cake on the East coast and had it flown to the west coast the next day for the wedding. Grocery stores also make quite delicious sheet cakes for much less than you would be charged at a regular bakery. Sometimes weddings are non-traditional and even have bakeries prepare a variety of small trays of sweets including lemon bars, brownies, petit fours and cookies, leaving the smaller cake for the bride and groom.
   
3. Different cultures have different wedding cake traditions. Italian wedding cake is white and creamy, while traditional Greek wedding cake is a fruit cake. By using your family heritage you can create an international delight that will thrill all in attendance.
   
4. Fondant Icing makes a glass-smooth surface that is simple and elegant verses the standard butter cream frosting. Choose your favorite flavored cake, traditional white cakes are becoming a thing of the past and most cakes can have berry, chocolate or lemon fillings which add extra pizzazz for your guests.
   
5. Use a cake topper that is significant to you, for instance your parent's old cake topper or perhaps the first gift the grown ever gave the bride. You can have fun with this and be original.
   
6. Last tip on the wedding cake- Order early and taste test the cake you order. Reputable bakeries allow for tasting. If you choose an el    elaborate many tiered cake you will need it set up on a table prior to the reception. Some bakeries provide this service some don't. C   Check this out well in advance of your reception.

Happy Taste Testing and hunting for that perfect cake topper!

        Auntie M.