We’ve been slacking on the posts lately because, frankly, we’ve been busy little bees here at Always a Bridesmaid over the last couple of weeks.  We had a wedding on Long Island last week, a wedding at the Pratt Mansion and this weekend we are up at Caramoor, for a wedding whose details I absolutely CANNOT wait to share.

Recently, (and I mean recently, my client for this weekend was only engaged for about 15 weeks!) we were at Ron Ben Israel’s studio exploring cake options for our client’s wedding at Caramoor.  The bride loved this relatively simple cake of Ron’s featured  on the cover of Elegant Bride Magazine:

Ron explained to her though,that while this cake, designed expressly for this cover, works well on this small scale setting, this same kind of cake would vanish in the oversize tent it would be displayed on at her wedding.

His point to her made a bigger point to me that I thought I would share with you.  Sometimes Inspiration can lead to Frustration.  The same way that we always know that what we see on “reality” TV isn’t real, is the same way that not everything in a photo shoot is actually real.  What works on camera and in a photo studio is totally different than what works in real life.  And the same can be said for a lot of nuances and details in a wedding.

This is more food for thought than it is anything else.  When you see a photo shoot that makes you drool, remember that it was produced.  By that I mean it was designed to be created in close quarters, for examination under a microscope and not replicated 10, 15 or 20 times under time constraints.  By the same token, photo shoots are often designed to make an impact to a camera, which is an intimate eye, and may not be the kind of thing that in a large room, or a tent or ballroom that actually translate well to the human eye that is actually there.

Photoshoots are inspiration points, not replication points, so keep that in mind when you start working on the design and details of your event. If you  are working with a designer or a florist, trust them to interpret your inspiration points on a scale and with a degree of originality will show off you and your location.

I was really excited when I got the “Get Married” Top 10 Trends of 2010, which included non-linear aisles (something I saw a lot of this year and also at the ABC conference), cobalt blue (a personal favorite) and glam for guys- think Old Hollywood, not Glambert. Anyway, one thing that I saw this year that I think would be an amazing trend is multiple cakes instead of just one wedding cake.  For us this started out as a solution to a practical problem, that evolved into an expression of both design and tastebuds.

Rachel and Noah’s good friend from Canada really wanted to bake their wedding cake. Problem is, she would never be able to transport a cake of quite the size that they would need to feed the guestlist of nearly 140.  So, we had a thought… why not have one smaller wedding cake surrounded by a display of other mini-cakes.  We knew we would use different cake stands to create an artistic display and this gave the guests a chance to have many, many flavors of cake, including some of those things that just don’t work as well when you need to construct a more elaborate wedding cake, like the strawberry shortcake.  The clients worked with Cheryl Kleinman to design a series of mini-cakes to reflect the homey, ecclectic look of their wedding (pics of which I will eventually have to share with you!) and this was the result.(pardon my horrible photography skills)

Weren’t they adorable?  One had a blue toile, which was printed on rolled fondant, then there was the pumpkin cake, the cake with the birds next, the strawberry cake and my personal favorite, the cake with the marzipan figs on top.. it was stunning.  While the look of this wedding was autumnal and eclectic, I could see this concept working well for weddings using graphic prints and bold color on the fondant.  Additionally, by going this route, the couple spent a bit less than they might have on one more elaborate cake, but it contributed to the overall look and feel of the room.

What do you think of multiple cakes???

A few weeks ago I stopped by  Cake Fiction in South Orange, NJ. From the moment I walked in and met Paula Tosonotti I knew I was going to love her! I was greeted by an array of sample cakes which wowed me right off the bat. I had seen some of her work on-line but was in no way prepared for what I encountered. Paula was so welcoming and when I rounded the corner past the display, I realized she had prepped the prettiest spread for me to do a little tasting. I took a seat in front of the bite sized samples and listened intently as Paula gave me the low down on the delectables and the how/why she does what she does. I always love to hear the back story on how people ended up doing whatever it is that they do. In my past life (pre-bridal/AAB) I had the pleasure of meeting and working with some truly amazing individuals, but never have I encountered anyone with the passion of those that work in THIS industry. Paula is one of these people. She loves what she does and the best part is, she does it so very well. There are SOOOOO many beautiful cakes, but here is just a little taste…

Ok, so these are obvi not wedding cakes (well, you never know) but I thought they were so cute! There is also a groom’s cake or 2 in here – hint, it’s not the LV.

By the way Paula, I’m digging the name big time ;-)

xx

Salome

The Q:  I am on a pretty tight budget and I just can’t see myself spending all this money on a fondant cake…. I don’t even like fondant. That said, I love a lot of the detail on fondant cakes….. Any ideas on how I can have a pretty cake, without breaking the bank?

The A: While rolled fondant wedding cakes can get to prices between $10 and $20 per slice, there are some awesome ways that you can upgrade your cake with just a little TLC and a small investment.  One of the cutest and cheapest ways to upgrade your cake is with a cake stand.  Spend some time on Ebay or Feather Your Nest, and pick out an awesome cake stand that reflects your decor.  These are via Chow.com and I pulled out two of my favorites.

Another great way to personalize any plain buttercream cake is with a ribbon adornment.  It’s a simple thing to do that will add color and pattern to a very simple cake is with a ribbon trim! This cake is sweet and simple with a little bow.

Do any of you have some cute, but simple ideas to spruce up a great cake?

I’m in a great mood this morning and thought I’d post some pictures of pretty, sweet things.  I’d mentioned in my post last week about how the baker at  Bridgewaters does some of the most gorgeous cakes.  I pulled these pics off of the NY Mag website.

If you are REALLY, REALLY into pretty, sweet things,(are there people out there who ARE against pretty, sweet things?)  you will love these pics from Amy Atlas Events.  Amy is a dessert table artist.

And, if you are like me, and enjoy petite sweets, you’ll love our neighbor to the south, Tribeca Treats.  They have the cutest little chocolates and cookies and cupcakes.

Today, I went for a run and it was verging on Triple H (Hazy, Hot and Humid). I’m not a winter girl, but it did make me long for a gust of cool air and so I thought I’d share Irene & Marty’s beautiful winter wedding from this past January, shot by Karen Wise. The couple was married at Bridgewaters, which is such a great venue down by the Seaport here in New York. The food is fantastic, the view is great and it’s got a strong look of a “loft” like space, but with all the amenities of a full catering facility. Plus, their baker is insanely talented. Anyway, one of the main things I loved about their wedding was the color scheme- they used the red so well, but toned it down a lot by pairing it with Purple. It didn’t read “holiday” at all, despite having happened just after the new year. The couple worked with a great graphic designer to add some awesome details to their day. All the info and some more pics can be found here.

I loved that she had her bridesmaids in two colors. It looked super sophisticated… I wonder if her shoes were the inspiration for her palette?

One of the best features of Bridgewaters are their awesome “lantern” chandeliers… and, here is a cake from the aforementioned baker there!

Congratulations to Irene & Marty!

We had a blast and are just sort of getting the day started here after a ROUGH start this morning!  This was such a event….and, after our 5th time participating in this event, just as exciting as before… I’ll have a behind the scenes post a little later. For now, us and our favorite, moustached Cake Artist, Ron Ben-Israel (he’s just so cute!), the most amazing short dress from Gabriella New York and a fabulous destination wedding invite from Cheree Berry!

More to come!!!