Cute Cake Topper

How cute are these cake toppers. I found them on etsy. They are totally custom, so they will look just like the bride and groom. They are so adorable. a little pricey, but if you search wooden peg cake toppers lots of items pop up in all price ranges. Such a cute idea.

Wedding Cake Pops

I saw this on Bakerella.com! Such an adorable idea! I love it. She has instructions there on how to make them.

Peachy Keen

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this tablescape! Maybe because it reminds me of my wedding. It was done by Carter and Cook Event Co.

Guest Book Ideas

There are lots of different ideas for guest books out there. Here are some that I liked.

- Use small cards with envelopes for people to write messages to the bride and groom. These cards can be put into a vase, bowl, hung on a tree with clothes pins, put into a book. Best of all, the bride and groom can take them with them and read them on their honeymoon.

-. Collect or buy small river rocks and have your guests sign their name or written a short message on them. Then put them in a glass container and the couple can display them in their home. I found this idea on www.elizabethannedesigns.com




- "When you send invitations, include an insert asking guests to bring a picture of themselves with you (or both of you). Ask them to paste the photo into your guest book and describe the scene, or write about their favorite memory of you. In the end, you'll travel a whirlwind path that takes you from Cub Scouts to the office Christmas party to your first concert to last year's Fourth of July bash -- and all the delicious moments in between." www.theknot.com

- Have your videographer take video of each guest giving the couple a piece of advice or just a simple congratulations.

- Take polaroids of each guest and have them sign the photo with a short message.

- Create a scrapbook from pictures of the bride and groom with space for guests to sign their names. For ours, a friend took our engagement photos and made it into a hard cover book.

***One important thing to remember is that if you do decide to use something a little different for your guest book. Do yourself and your guests a favor and make a little note explaining it to them. Here is an example.

Napkin Bow

I saw this on Martha Stewarts wedding site. I thought it was so adorable.



Here are the directions.

Spread a dinner napkin out, lying flat. Fold opposite sides in so they meet at the center. Then fold again at the center to form a narrow, ribbonlike shape. Next, fold short ends in so they meet at the center. Cinch in the middle with a ribbon in a coordinating color, and glue at back.

Boutonnieres

I always have the hardest time spelling that word. :)

The bride always gets the beautiful bouquet and the groom usually gets stuck with a boring boutonniere.

Well, here are some different ideas for boutonnieres.

Pinecones


Pinecones and Acorns


Dried Sunflower- Using dried flowers also allows you to make them far in advance.


Sprigs of Mint


Hypernicum Berries- these are usually used to compliment a flower in boutonnieres but I like how here it is the focal point.


Caged Rose- If you still want to use a basic flower, you can "dress it up" by using long grasses as a "cage" for it.


Buttons


Sailboats- These are really whimsical. I also have seen small croquet mallets, and rope tied into a knot.


Scrolls- Using wooden or wrapped wire scrolls help to update a basic single flower boutonniere.




Leaves- Using silk leaves with beads, buttons, scrolls, and other accessories adds depth.


Leaves and Grasses- I like how they used the grasses and leaves to make this one.


Wheat and Berries


Feathers- Here the feathers are used as the focal point, but they can also be used as adornment.


Tulips- I still love the single flower boutonnieres too.

Cupcakes

I general I love cupcakes. I think they are so sweet. That is one reason I chose to have them for my wedding instead of a traditional cake.

Our cake decorator simply used a serving tower and as they were taken by our guests it was refilled, which cuts out the added expensive of a cake server.



The top of the tower was an eight inch round that was iced to match the cupcakes.



We cut the top tier for our wedding. It may be a tradition to eat that layer on your one year anniversary, but it isn't a tradition that I wanted to follow. A one year old cake... that just doesn't sound very appealing to me.

If tradition is your aim, you could always do a bottom tier and a top tier or you could cut into one of the cupcakes. Or I have seen tiered cakes decorated by cupcakes.

Having cupcakes also allowed us to have a variety of cake choices for our guests. We chose carrot, chocolate, lemon raspberry, and white for our cupcakes.

Another advantage to cupcakes is that they tend to be cheaper than wedding cakes. You just have to make sure and check pricing. Some vendors have caught on to the trend and have raised their prices.

They also allow you to decorate in many cute ways. There are tons a picks, wrappers, designs and more. Here is an example of a nice wrapper to dress up your cupcakes.



Cupcakes can also allow you to be a bit more creative and whimsical. I love these cupcakes.



Also, for the DIY bride, here is a fun way to save some money and enjoy some time with your friends. Just make sure you taste test the cakes first.

Another fun aspect of using cupcakes is in the presentation. Here are some examples of ways to present your cupcakes.