There are lots of reasons to give wedding cake the finger. Some people, for example, just don’t like cake. Others have been so traumatized by eating awful, dry cakes at receptions that they’re scared to give cake a go. Then, of course, you have your mavericks, who just want to serve dessert options that fall outside the norm. And there are a handful of folks out there who just plain don’t care about all the cakey pomp and circumstance, i.e., the cutting and the feeding and the smooshing.

I think a lot more people would consider nixing the cake if it meant they could avoid having overzealous relatives yelling, “Cram it in her craw!” during what ought to be a sweet little feed à deux. While discussing cake options, I said this to The Beard: “We’re spending a lot on our clothes, and it would be a real shame to ruin anything re-wearable or donate-able with cake smears.” Lucky for me, he agreed.

That said, cake doesn’t have to be your centerpiece, even if you do want to share a public nibble. There are all manner of sweets on can share to ensure that no possible photographic opportunity is missed.

Dipped strawberries are an obvious choice, being that they’re portable and quite a lot of people enjoy them. Furthermore, they’re not nearly as messy as cake can be, and people tend to limit themselves to one or two before calling it quits.

(more…)

At my wedding reception, we had all manner of fancy beers and good champagne in addition to pop, juice, coffee, and water. We also had lots and lots and lots of alcoholic leftovers that we had to find some way to distribute. My conclusion? More people went for the dry drinks than the boozaholic ones.

In my lengthy career as a wedding attendee, I’ve been to receptions with top shelf open bars; receptions where a limited selection of beer, wine, and cocktails was served;receptions with cash bars; and receptions at which each table had been stocked with a few bottles of wine for guests to enjoy. But I have never once attended an alcohol-free reception!

If the first question that popped into your head when reading the previous sentence was “Why would you nix the booze?” consider these points. People tend to drive to and from weddings, and it’s easy to overindulge when there’s a stocked open bar staring you down. At the same time, alcohol is expensive, especially when it’s free and flowing freely. Finally, a lot of people have one or more relatives who tend to end up three sheets to the wind any time there is free firewater on tap.

So, yes, there are reasons to keep your post-nuptial celebration on the dry side, but know that popular opinion really isn’t in your court. People dig the open bar scene, and there are a lot of folks out there who can’t fathom having fun without a little social lube. On a well-known forum, a number of posters responded thusly to a bride-to-be who was considering a virgin reception:

(more…)

Faux can be fabulous, provided one has chosen either a high-quality imitator or something that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Artful artificial blooms can look stunning and, in some cases, do things Mother Nature cannot. You’ll never hear me criticize anyone who chooses moisenite, cz, or cut glass over real diamonds. Poly blends can stand in for silks wonderfully, depending on the frock. I could go on, but I think you get my point.

But faux ice? Fake carved frozen water that in some cases cost a great deal more than a traditional ice sculpture? I understand that the company behind it is marketing its product mainly to caterers and party venues who go through ice like I go through handbags, but it does suggest that friends of the general public “will be amazed at the exquisite UnReal Ice centerpieces [they] provide for each and every party.”

This reminds me of those neon ice balls you could buy in 80s-era supermarkets so that your drink wouldn’t get watered down by your cooling mechanism. I wonder if these operate on the same principle… There are some more photos behind the cut as well as a snapshot of an ice sculpture made of actual water for comparison.

(more…)

I don’t regret much where my wedding is concerned…you know, other than the fact that my dress was a smidge too big and I gave out fans as favors on the windiest possible day. Oh, and the fact that I didn’t round out my vegetarian buffet with a candy bar.

Parties by Panache put together the mouth watering candy bar you see above. it looks like it’s full of the candy I remember from my childhood: candy dots, Smarties, taffies, and butterscotch suckers. Not my favorites, but they’ll do when I’m craving a little sugar.

Being that the lack of candy at my reception is a regret of mine, I plan to make it up to myself by having the most spectacular candy bar at my book release party. If you had a candy bar at your wedding or have enjoyed a candy bar at someone else’s wedding, hit me up (and by extension, everyone else reading this) with pointers. What’s the best candy to put in a candy bar? What’s the worst candy you could encounter?

One of mt favorite party stuff shops–The Front Door–will be closing as of December 18th. *sniff* Capitalism is a fickle mistress. Anyhow, there were all sorts of little decorating and etiquette tidbits on the site, and I wanted to share one of the loveliest.

One of the things that really bummed out a friend of mine when she was planning her wedding was that she would see photographs of really spectacular tables and have no way to replicate them because she wasn’t sure what anything was. Problem solved if you like this particular table. Head over the the site (in the next 18 days) to find out about the menu cards, place cards, napkin rings, fabrics, accessories, and centerpieces used to create this look.

Pretty much everything shown is DIY friendly and easy, to boot. You could source a lot of the materials on the cheap from a discount outfit like Save-on-Crafts…one of the best go-to craft supply sites online, IMHO, though I would love to hear your craft site suggestions.* Now if only more sites that claim to offer ideas for brides- and grooms-to-be would break down tables (and other items) into their component parts, we could all have fun pretending to be Martha Stewart.

* For realz, people. I am about to embark on a serious adventure in sewing, so I’d love to hear about the fabric, materials, and tools sites that you can’t live without!

I can say definitively that I’ve never been offered a menu at a wedding reception. I have been offered a choice of meals on my RSVP card, and I have been offered a choice of meals by a bored looking waiter, but I have not yet been lucky enough to have a menu card to peruse.

The reason for this may be that menu cards are one of those seriously optional items. Almost all wedding items–excluding the bride and the groom–are optional, really. Menu cards are doubly optional because you can pre-plan using your RSVPs or have your wait staff simply ask your guests what they want. If you’re working on a tight budget, menu cards should probably be one of the first things to go.

If the money is there, menu cards can add a touch of class to your reception meal. Plus, guests will likely be grateful to know what it is they’re eating. Including the hors d’ oeuvres selection is a kindness to vegetarians, who often shy away from proffered silver trays because inexperienced wait staff can’t say for sure what’s in this or that pastry puff.

Forever Forever offers these menu-writing guidelines:

(more…)

Audrey, who hangs out on Craftster and is is mega crafty herself, pointed me toward a selection of wedding photos posted on the aforementioned boards by one Showmehelen. When I looked at the small sampling of wedding pics Showmehelen posted on Craftster, I immediately became entirely too envious and vowed to begin taking all sorts of creative classes.

See her guestbook, rings, super-fly headgear, bouquet, and decor in the post referenced above. Find advice on replicating the guestbook here. Then go check out her invitations and favors here. Once you’ve done all that, have a second look at her utterly freakin’ stunning post-morning ceremony ceremony garb:

(more…)