Wedding Cakes: The Cup Cake Wedding Tower
By ABridalTouch
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My father was a master baker and so I gravitated towards the various options for today’s wedding cake. The traditional wedding cake that my father baked and decorated in the 1950s and 1960s was a yellow batter cake close to a pound cake texture, filled and iced with white buttercream icing and roses. I could watch him for hours making those roses. Then taking his creation to where the reception was being held and putting it all together(I remember one time when it was a seven layer one-we were all holding our breaths on that one!)
A bridal couple can still decide to get a traditional cake like my father used to make or they can elect to choose something completely different.
One wedding cake option available is the Cupcake Wedding Cake. What is great about the cupcake wedding cake idea is that not only is it trendy but it is also easier on your budget. If you have dietary contraints/choices such as vegan, gluten free, diabetic, etc., making cupcakes is very doable and makes everyone happy.
Just looking online you can find the recipes, various ideas for the stands(many have a small cake on top with the topper and the other tiers are the cupcakes. The option of the small cake on top means that you can still have the traditional “cutting of the cake” photographs).
There are cupcake decorations, cupcake boxes for the guests to take the cupcakes home, real flowers, photographs…wide open choices here. So many options for the towers and they can be rented, bought, or made.
A fun option for today’s wedding!
WedEclectic Q&A
We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!
Please reply with your own answer! : )
Bridesmaids dresses ~ should you let them pick their own? Or choose the dress for them?
Jennifer from ClayBouquetShop
I am all for letting the bridal party wear what they want…whether it be formalwear in variations of style or informal dresses that match the theme.
I wanted non-formal gowns, but was shouted down by everyone, so I picked a color (under duress), and we found gowns in David’s Bridal apple red to fit everyone’s style and budget. One found hers in the shop on the clearance rack, one was bought used from craigslist, and the last was given to me by a local person on Freecycle for my sister. : )
Karen from BlingForTheTable
With some boundaries, I think it is nice to let the bridesmaids pick their dress, trusting they will know what looks best on them. You want them to feel comfortable in what they are wearing. It is so easy now to get dresses in different styles and use color to uniform the look. Places like David’s Bridal is a great place to try on. Make a day of it, if possible.
Dalynda from SteampunkWedding
The answer to this depends on how formal the wedding. Most friends don’t mind the expense, especially if it is a dress they can use again.
I’ve been in a few weddings and the bride gave us choices! One wedding we could pick the color, but the style was set.
In a different wedding the dresses were all the same color, but we could pick the style!! This worked best, since we were all VERY different body types.
I picked my dresses, but I found a place in Denver that rented them! They saved the size needed for each woman and tailored them the day before the wedding. We paid for the rentals.
Kristin from BagSecrets
I had two Bridesmaids, one being my sister. Since they lived in the Bay Area and I was in Las Vegas I decided to let them shop for their own dresses. I showed them the color I wanted and let them shop on their free time. My sister ended up finding a dress after prom season that was on super sale. They both felt comfortable in the dress and it didn’t bust their budget. It was a win win all around!
Recipe of the Week
From Brenda’s kitchen of SweetJonesin
Garlic Chicken Puffs
via TidyMom
Yields 32 puffs (I made a double batch)
4 ounces cream cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup cooked shredded chicken*
2 cans refrigerator crescent rolls
- Mix cream cheese, garlic and chicken until well blended.
- Unroll crescent rolls and cut each triangle into 2 triangles (when you unroll the crescent rolls, 2 triangles are attached making a big square, I just cut from there following the perforation for one cut and made another cut from the other corners = giving you 4 little triangles)
- Place 1 tsp of chicken mixture on the center of each triangle and fold the corners in over the creamy mixture.
- Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 12-14 mins.
I used 2 cookie sheets at a time, and had to bake 3 batches to get all of mine baked (so allow for that time if you’re making a lot)
Also, mine were ready in about 11 mins, so watch for how your oven cooks.
*For cooked chicken, I buy those big bags of frozen chicken tenderloins; I just threw 6 of them on a cookie sheet and baked for about 25 mins.
http://www.tipjunkie.com/holiday-crafts/christmas/appetizer-orderves/
Vintage Simplicity
Brides and grooms are busy! Careers, families, and schedules! How can a couple plan a wedding that’s fun and relaxing?
Try a vintage wedding in classic grey with Victorian flair! A steampunk theme is easy to do and fun for guests of all ages. In fact, the pictures of the guests at this steampunk wedding are fantastic. I wish my wedding was captured this well, especially the kids and the grandparents, see more below!
The place to start with industrial chic style is with a wonderful set of vintage silver lace stationery! These keepsakes will set the tone and mood for all the special days ahead. Rustic notes highlight Victorian lace, but also are reminiscent of a time gone by. This is how the bride and groom can inspire their guests to dress in steampunk style!
Next! A beautiful location! Pick something with options for good and bad weather. The featured couple chose a Victorian era home serving as a fine restaurant with a large gorgeous wooden gazebo. Top priority for a fun wedding is a great location! A train museum or a historic train station is ideal. However, most outdoor locations put visitors at ease. This boat dock sits aside a small pond in a country setting.
Gifts and inspired trinkets for the bridesmaids and groomsmen will help them with costs. Starting with the beaus, they can all wear comfortable shoes or boots – they’ll LOVE this! In their ‘dress’ clothes they can select a vest and a family heirloom pocket watch. A vintage hat or goggles are also nice. Regular flowers won’t last long outdoors, so I recommend metal creations instead!
For the bride and her entourage, we’ve found beautiful hair extensions in to recreate turn-of-the-century braids. The glamour from past makes all the sci-fi or western touches to the steampunk fashion more feminine. Fascinators crown your ladies perfectly! I know opt hats are all the rage, but they are very hot for summer weddings. So, choose a mini- top hat or a feather fascinator for your bridesmaids, they’ll thank you for it!
Gifts for the bridesmaids and of course, the maid of honor can also follow a this vintage Victorian theme. Choose a necklace, like this one-of-a-kind cameo for any special lady. In fact, this one is resin and reasonably priced, so your flower girl could wear it!
This grey satin clutch with ivory lace is a gift your bridesmaid and maid of honor can carry for many other occasions. I really like the dark grey lining! This will forgive an ink pen or other spills and still look fabulous!
Saving the best for last, we recommend handcrafted rings in hammered silver with conflict-free diamonds in three different colors: champagne, white, and black. This eclectic alternative for traditional wedding bands is easy on the budget, leaving lots for the honeymoon!
Acknowledgements:
All photos are used with permission of photographer: Ian Danziger http://www.ibd-designs.com/
WedEclectic Team Members:
Other Etsy sellers:
WedEclectic Team Treasury
In honor of Memorial Day check out this red, white and blue team treasury by BagSecrets
WedEclectic Q&A
We ask the WedEclectic team a question, and post their answers each week…providing some advice, inspiration and insight into the person behind our shops. We hope you enjoy them!
Please reply with your own answer! : )
Breaking wedding traditions ~ were there any wedding traditions that you decided not to include in your wedding? (i.e. garter toss, bouquet toss, first dance, etc)
Jennifer from ClayBouquetShop
We “tossed” the garter/bouquet toss…and the “dollar dance with the bride” tradition as well.
I didn’t want fresh flowers, so I created clay bouquets and bouts. (Which kicked off my Etsy shop. : )
Not sure if it breaks a tradition, but I bought a used wedding dress, had it fitted, and resold it to a (smaller) bride to be. (I like the idea of a wedding gown having memories of many brides. : )
And we had a dark chocolate wedding cake…with raspberry filling (fresh fruit/jam concoction, not cream) and dark chocolate ganache icing. (It created a debacle, as the cake was not made like formal wedding cakes (more like a birthday cake) but it was oh-so-yummy! : )
Karen from BlingForTheTable
Today’s bride is inundated with rituals and traditions. Sometimes pulling it all off can be overwhelming. I suggest sticking to those traditions that mean the most and don’t get caught up thinking you have to do them all. Like accessorizing, stand back, take a look and remove one!
Dalynda from SteampunkWedding
Traditions can be eclectic!
We followed a family tradition of using the wedding bands and stones from family members’ passed, but my husband took them to a jeweler and had them re-made into original wedding bands for us! They were white and yellow gold with small diamonds set in the bands – just perfect!
We did the garter toss and the bouquet toss, which are traditional. However, we were married in a large botanical garden at sunset at the Denver Zoo! Just have fun with it!
Kristin from BagSecrets
My husband and I had one goal for our wedding and that was to make it as much fun as possible. We opted to take our photos before the wedding so we could enjoy our party, we had mini cupcakes instead of a traditional wedding cake, our first dance was to Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream with our entire bridal party and we asked our DJ not to play any slow songs. All in all we only broke a few traditions but two years later I still have people telling me it was one of the most fun weddings they have been to. Mission accomplished!
Recipe of the Week
From Julie’s kitchen of OddLotEmporium
Pistachio and White Chocolate Mousse Tartlets
BY BETTY CROCKER
I love this recipe and make them around here as appetizers for birthdays or celebrations. We are going to make them for my friends upcoming baby shower that I am co-hosting.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup whipping cream
4 oz white chocolate baking bars, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur
2 packages (2.1 oz each) frozen mini fillo shells (30 shells total), thawed
1/4 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts 30 fresh raspberries (about 6 oz)
DIRECTIONS
In 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream just to boiling. Place white chocolate in small metal bowl. Pour hot cream over chocolate; stir until smooth. Stir in liqueur. Refrigerate about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until very cold.
2. In large bowl, beat cold chocolate mixture with electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until mixture begins to thicken, then on high speed until stiff peaks form. (If mixture will not beat into stiff peaks, it is not cold enough.) Continue with recipe, or store in refrigerator up to 4 hours before making tartlets.
3. Just before serving, spoon mousse into gallon-size food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut 1/2-inch tip off bottom corner of bag; evenly pipe mousse into each fillo shell. Sprinkle each tartlet with nuts and garnish with 1 raspberry. Store covered in refrigerator.
Featured Team Shop
We like to feature one of our team member’s shops each month…
Here is an interview with Natalie, owner/designer at PaperFlora. She won the February WedEclectic Treasury Challenge. : )
How did you start your shop?
During the months of planning my own daughters wedding, I redesigned my mothers wedding cake topper and replaced all the 60 year old paper flowers with handcrafted new flowers. I loved doing it so much I decided to design more and it all grew from there.
How did you come up with your shop name?
I began making flowers out of paper. So after a brainstorming session with my daughter she thought of PaperFlora. Paper from the material and Flora from one of my favorite aunts.
What has the response been like from the (local/online) community since you opened?
My shop quickly evolved into more than just cake toppers. There was a lot of interest in wedding accessories that matched brides wedding palettes. I have been blessed to have felt very welcome in the online community.
Tell us about some of your favourite items in the shop.
Some of my favorite items are the one of a kind ring pillows that are in the shop. I love creating a keepsake and encourage each bride to keep the pillow out in their new home. Tucked away on a chair of a shelf as a thoughtful reminder.
What inspires you?
I’m always inspired by all the beautiful fabrics and colors that are available. When I see a wonderful print collection I immediately start thinking of what I could design from it.
What is your favorite wedding trend (now or past)?
I love the trend of handmade touches. Whatever a brides style from Formal to Rustic Chic, brides are adding their own personalities and handmade touches throughout their special day.
What do you think the future holds for you / your shop?
I hope to continue to create beautiful keepsakes and useful gifts that each bride would be proud to give or receive.
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