How to Choose Your Wedding Cake

Made by Rhian Crusher of

http://www.celebrate-countrycakedesign.co.uk/

When it comes to choosing your Wedding Cake can often seem like quite a daunting task. With your cake being one of the main focuses at your reception, you want to make sure that you choose a cake that not only tastes good but that makes and impression on your guests.

Made by Lindsay Baines

http://www.fairycakesnorthyorkshire.co.uk/

There are a few things that you should consider when choosing your cake, 

 here are my top tips to help

1. Budget - Always make sure that you have a budget set aside for your cake

2. What Size? - Think about the size of cake you want and need - take into account the size of your venue, the amount of guests and if you are choosing a tiered cake how many will you really need.

3. Style - With so many beautiful cakes around try seeking some inspiration from wedding magazines, cut out clippings of cakes you like. Take them with you to the bakery to show them what elements you like from each. Don't forget to also ask to see their portfolio for ideas of cakes they have previously made.

4. Extras - Remember custom designed cakes, hand painted flowers & intricate piping, all take extra time to perfect, so be prepared to factor in extra money into your cake budget.

5. Taste - Fillings, whilst a fruit cake may be a tradition, nowadays there are so many different fillings and flavour cakes to choose from. Don't forget to take into account guests with allergies

6. Tastings - Always visit your baker first and taste the quality of the cakes, it may also help when making your decision on flavours,

7. On a budget - Whilst some supermarkets sell basic iced wedding cakes, don't be afraid to approach a baker and ask what they can do for the amount you have in your budget, you may be surprised!

Made by Claire Taylor

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002105547750

Blues & Yellows

Ethnic Inspiration

Stunning Venue Decor by Jeyahendran Krishnan

Jubilee - Red, White & Blue Inspiration

Red, White & Blue Inspiration

With the Jubilee around the corner we have been looking at how you can incorporate the tradional British colours into your wedding theme.

                        

http://www.lindyscakes.co.uk/2011/03/11/royal-wedding-sugar-inspirations-squires/

Competition time!

Exclusively for Yorkshire Brides - A chance to win one of our 3 planning packages for half price! your chance to have a qualified Wedding Planner by your side to assist you & save you time and money. Simply email us your Name, location, Contact details and tell us why you should win our fabulous competition.... closing date for entries 24th July

entries to White Rose Weddings

All entrants will recieve a 10% discount on any package.

Our new Pick n Mix Plan

Please check out our exciting new *Pick n Mix*  plan, perfect for those brides who just need a little extra help on some of the smaller and more daunting tasks


Everything from helping mail out invitataions and track RSVPs, to being your PA for a day, chasing things up, collecting items from the shops, running errands.

So not sure what to do next or how to go about it? contact Jules at

whiteroseweddings

Mark Zuckerburg Gets Married

Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg updated his status to "married".

Zuckerberg and 27-year-old Priscilla Chan tied the knot at a small ceremony at his Palo Alto, California

And Ms Chan graduated from medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, on Monday, the same day Zuckerberg turned 28.

The couple met at Harvard and have been together for more than nine years.

The ceremony took place in Zuckerberg's backyard before fewer than 100 guests, who all thought they were there to celebrate Ms Chan's graduation.

Zuckerberg founded Facebook at Harvard in 2004 and was named as Time's Person of the Year in 2010, aged 26.

Real Bride Feature

Real Bride Feature - Wedding of Hilary & Jeff

Background

Jeff proposed to me soon after I got back from a 3 week trip to Australia for my cousins wedding.  He must have really missed me!  As soon as I said yes I started looking into planning our day.  The first thing I realised was that you mention wedding and people add on the pounds, however if you have the time it is good to look around and the internet is great for that.

Venue

We wanted somewhere that had character but was accessible for my cousin who is in a wheelchair (you would not believe the conversations we had with venues about their accessible toilet being up 4 steps or he would have to go through the kitchen to get to the reception rooms). We finally found Parklands and it ticked all of the boxes and the people were very helpful and friendly.

Theme

Not sure we had a theme as such other than my bridesmaids were in purple as were the flowers on the tables and the table plan and table numbers.  Because I wanted to make life slightly more stressful for myself I asked my cousins to be bridesmaids 1 lives in America and the other lives in Australia and my chief Bridesmaid was down in Kent, so we looked at Alfred Angelo dresses because they were available in the 3 countries, they chose their own dresses and they were all quite similar.

The Ceremony

The ceremony was outside under their gazebo which is surrounded by roses, It was very beautify and the whole day was brilliant.

Things that made it special

We spent a day making our wedding rings at the wedding ring workshop in Hatton Garden and we would recommend this to anyone.  It was a really good day and they really looked after us.

All our family and close friends stayed at Parklands the night of the wedding and we had breakfast the next morning, it made the day last a little bit longer.

Our photographers did a great job of our photos and they did a pre-wedding shoot so we got to know them and we were much more relaxed on the day.

Our cake came from a local lady who did us a top tier of chocolate and then individual cakes of traditional fruit cake and lemon sponge so there was something for everyone.

Our Florists did a great job and were able to source the flowers I wanted for my table decorations.

Something we were unsure about was the first dance and so I found a company who had a local dance teacher who helped us with the dance, it defiantly made it less stressful.

My Chief Bridesmaid made our place pebbles which were the finishing touches to the table and everyone took their pebble home and several people have them on display at their homes.

Live music by     http://www.essenceduo.com/

Flowers by         http://www.wflowers.co.uk/

Cake by             http://www.cakesbyshelly.co.uk/

Venue                http://www.quendonpark.co.uk/

Personal wedding ring making http://www.weddingringworkshop.co.uk/

 I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to Hilary & Jeff for letting me take part in their special day

If you would like to share your special day with us here on our blog, please contact me at whiteroseweddings@live.co.uk

Enchanted Forest Wedding Inspiration

If you are thinking of having a Woodland Wedding here are some Inspiration boards to give you some ideas

The main thing is to keep the rustic and natural touches flowing through 

all aspects of your wedding

 perfect place settings

 Moss is great for using when decorating a venue, 

Friday Feature .... On A Tight Budget?

On a tight budget? Looking for ways to save on some of your costs?

Here are my top tips and ideas

Be Creative and put together your own Centrepieces

Cover Tin cans with decorative paper - perfect for a vintage theme

If you are the creative type why not try putting together your own centrpeices, it can be a great way to incorporate your own personal touch. Why not ask your friends, family or wedding planner to help you out with putting them together on the day.

 Skip the favours

Favours are nice but are they something that guests really want? you could be saving hundreds of pounds by going with a more original option such as a Candy Table instead, you can do your own and save money.

 Forget the floral centrepieces and use cupcake stands instead

Centerpieces using cupcakes decorated to coordinate with the colours and theme of the wedding can be less expensive than flowers and are a fun way to serve dessert. Make sure that your venue are happy for you to do this as some do not allow you to take extra food other than the main wedding cake.
You may still want to provide a cake and have a traditional cake cutting ceremony, maybe you could downsize your wedding cake which guest may like to take home later.

 Give the bridesmaids something to carry besides bouquets

Parasols or a clutch bag is a great idea. These can both be decorated with silk or fresh flowers to match you theme.

 Use full-bodied flowers with fewer stems

A few large blooms or multiple stems of one kind of flower can create a bold look.
Where possible try to select flowers in season to save money.

 Downsize the bar

Alcohol is one of the trickiest things to estimate when it comes to your big day, it is not hard to end up spending too much money on drink that is not really needed.

Firstly think about the guests you have coming to your wedding, is it really necessary to provide a free bar? no, one suggestion could be that you have a set amount behind the bar and offer guests a bar token so that they may have their first drink free.

When looking at the wine for your wedding, think about what is necessary? do you really need champagne for toasts on top of a bottle of red and white on each table? what about just having a nice sparkling rose or white wine and ask the staff to top up the glasses for the speeches and toasts. Doing this not only keeps costs down but keeps wastage down too!

Some brides like to supply their own alcohol but before you do, check the corkage fees. Some venues and caterers charge high fees when clients provide their own drinks so it ends up working out cheaper to purchase them from the venue.

In reality your guests are at your wedding to celebrate your marriage and enjoy the day, not necessarily to get drunk. Dont forget to consider that some of your guests may be driving so will not be drinking at all.

 Select a venue that is “all-inclusive”

Rather than choosing a site that requires you to do all the work, look at all inclusive venues. They can often do some really good deals, especially if you are getting married out of season or on a weekday. Everything you need is supplied. One thing to bear in mind though some venues may restrict some of your choices and by booking with them they will only let you use their chosen suppliers - for example their DJ or their photographer. This is fine but be aware as where you may originally make savings it could end up costing you more.

 Have a Wedding breakfast, or lunchtime ceremony instead of a dinner

Why not consider an alternative time of day. These meals are usually less expensive and not all guests will want to drink a lot of alcohol during the day. Also if you are looking for something more low key or informal then by doing this you do not have extra expense of an evening reception.

 Expensive flowers should only be used in the bridal bouquet

If you are considering using expensive flowers in your bouquet,  then why not choose something equally stunning but less costly for the bridesmaids. By only having the most expensive flowers in your own posy this will keep your costs down whilst allowing you to still have the flowers you really want.

Venue Decor

Sometimes less is more - it is very easy for brides to get carried away, with so many lovely things from centrepieces, floral decorations, candy carts, balloons, birdcages, lanterns, to the organza swags draped around tables, the list goes on and on. Try and think logically, cost everything up and work out what really works. If you have an old venue thats perhaps a little tired in places then maybe it will need extra drapes to cover up the walls, but if you have a modern venue then keep it simple.

If you have any money saving tips that you would like to share, please let me know

In the meantime to all our lovely brides out there happy saving!

Ideas to Transform your Church or Chapel ....

If you are looking for ways to transform your church or chapel for your wedding here are a few simple inspirational ideas.

By adding some simple touches to pews or chairs along the aisle can really set the atmosphere for the ceremony.

Single flowers or small posies attached with a satin ribbon can transform any pew

Draping Ribbon along the edge of the pews 

I really like this idea of silver pails with posies of flowers hung with ribbon

You really cannot go wrong with organza sashes along the aisle, finished with elegant white flowers always gives a clean and classic look

Perfect for a country themed wedding 

Lanterns hung along the aisle on organza with strategically placed blooms looks beautiful

These arrangements placed on the floor look so elegant

Why not add some Ivy or greenery? I love the way the ivy trails to the floor, it really 

compliments the posies