Miss Turtle, Central CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 21, Art Student/TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, English StudentEngagement Date: August 16, 2008Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Mr. Turtle's Grandparents' backyard, Arroyo Grande, CAAbout Me: I am a California girl who loves the beach and the mountains, but is quite satisfied living right in the middle where I can enjoy the best of both worlds. I am happiest when traveling to faraway places, wandering through museums, watching old movies, or baking up a storm. Mr. Turtle and I are high school sweethearts and fellow book nerds who both drive Mini Coopers and are most likely to be found browsing in antique stores. We're having so much fun planning our European garden wedding with a vintage twist and can't wait to share more of life's adventures together!
Miss Pencils, Washington DC/Frederick, MDAge and Occupation: 24, Program Director, Education Non ProfitFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Administrative Assistant, Ocean Conservation Non ProfitEngagement Date: July 26, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Morningside InnAbout Me: I'm a nerdy Northwestern girl who always knew she was meant to live in the East, harboring a deep love of ice cream, underwear, Diet Coke with a splash of Coca-Cola, pashminas, scrapbooking, stationery, wall calendars and books written for preteens. I think every day should include good thin crust pizza, chocolate, an obscure historical monument, lots of laughter, a dash of wedding planning and, of course, amazing Mr. Pencils! I'm loving the adventure of planning a Maryland wedding and Rocky Mountain reception, and most of all, I just love love!
So let me tell you a story, interspersed with amazing photos of cake buffets.
A long time ago (read: last November) the Pencils chose their menu and cake. We chose the cake flavors, the shape, and the design. The only problem? We absolutely, utterly and completely forgot what we chose.
Miss Jellyfish, Pleasanton, CAAge and Occupation: 26, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Air Force PilotEngagement Date: February 21, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Casa Real at Ruby Hill WineryAbout Me: In a nutshell, I’m the most optimistic worrywart you’ll ever meet. My family emigrated from Romania to San Jose, CA when I was 8, and I've been a Nor Cal girl ever since! My fiancé is also a Bay Area native, so it’s funny that we met at UCLA, as college freshmen living on the same floor (go Bruins!). Between his career as an Air Force pilot and my path to becoming a lawyer, our relationship has been anything but typical. We currently live together in Berkeley with our puppy Stinson. In addition to spending time with the loves of my life, I enjoy crafting, attempting complicated recipes, environmental law and non-law school reading (Us Weekly, anyone?). Follow along as I plan an elegant 200-person winery wedding, graduate law school, take the Bar exam, get married and get used to the always unpredictable but never boring life of a military spouse!
Ever since we got engaged, one of my favorite wedding items to browse the internets for is wedding cake toppers! I’ve found a few that I really like, and I want to see what you all think!
First up, the “bride feeding the groom” cake topper. We saw this one in a magazine before we were engaged and Mr. Jelly liked it so much he made me rip it out of the magazine and keep it for future reference. We like how it sits on the side of the cake, instead of the top.
Miss Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
So, remember when I was searching for my dream cake stand? Well, the hive came through in a BIG way. Bakerella offered to go to a store in Canada, Mrs. Ramen offered to go to a store in California, and Miss Stripes got on the phone to call several Potluck Studios retailers. Well, all of that paid off because a wonderful store called Pine Cone Hill in Massachusetts had the last flirt ruffle cake stand left. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. It was all a blur. I’m pretty sure I gave my credit card number and address, but that’s all I really remember.
Then, it arrived:
I ripped open the packaging and pulled out my cake stand. Only, there was one major problem: Read more…
Miss Hot Dog, Cheyenne, WYAge and Occupation: 23, Health Information SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Personal Trainer
Engagement Date: March 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Family Ranch outside Glenrock, WYAbout Me: I'm a city girl by birth and rural girl by choice. I'm ready to take on the world with a big heart and a big smile! I love all things crafty and DIY. I live in Cheyenne, WY with Mr. HD and our 2 fur babies, our dachshunds, Ollie and Mia. I love travel, adventure, Finding Nemo, '90s music, animals, and laughing. He is the cheese to my macaroni and together we spend more time watching movies than we probably should! I'm an old soul who is super duper excited to pull off our down home-rustic-chic-country wedding (on the cheap)!
I mentioned that neither Mr. HD nor I particularly likes cake. It’s not such a big issue, except that we had been planning on serving mass quantities of it at our wedding.
We needed another option. Something unique. Something sweet and deeelish. Something like…
PIES! Yes, you read right… yummy, delicious pies!!
Apple, cherry, lemon meringue, rhubarb, huckleberry, mixed berry, chocolate cream… MMMMM! A pie bar is perfect!!
Miss Hot Dog, Cheyenne, WYAge and Occupation: 23, Health Information SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Personal Trainer
Engagement Date: March 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Family Ranch outside Glenrock, WYAbout Me: I'm a city girl by birth and rural girl by choice. I'm ready to take on the world with a big heart and a big smile! I love all things crafty and DIY. I live in Cheyenne, WY with Mr. HD and our 2 fur babies, our dachshunds, Ollie and Mia. I love travel, adventure, Finding Nemo, '90s music, animals, and laughing. He is the cheese to my macaroni and together we spend more time watching movies than we probably should! I'm an old soul who is super duper excited to pull off our down home-rustic-chic-country wedding (on the cheap)!
Cupcakes! They are so fun and fresh and would’ve gone really well. IF we hadn’t changed our venue, theme, colors, and just about every other aspect of the wedding!
Since we’re having it on the ranch now, we wanted something a little more traditional. I started scouring for simple, rustic wedding cakes and found these beauties:
Miss French Fries, MilwaukeeAge and Occupation: 27, ParalegalFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Investments AdvisorEngagement Date: September 20, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Ceremony: Catholic Church, Reception: Hotel BallroomAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl who longs to live in a warmer climate (my feet would be happy in flip flops any day!). I love travel, impromptu napping, grilled cheese sandwiches, my iPhone, singing with reckless abandon in my car, and Mr. French Fries.
It seems like we went for our cake tastings a long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away). In reality, it was almost 6 months ago. We have narrowed down our bakery choices and made our final selection — our cake flavors will be:
Genoise cake with vanilla mousse and fresh strawberries covered with white chocolate ganache
Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse covered with white chocolate ganache
Signature cheesecake with raspberry filling, covered with chocolate ganache
Basically, the first one is like really, really good strawberry shortcake. The second is a chocolate on chocolate cake (obviously my pick). The third is the best cheesecake in our city, hands down. So! Now all we need to decide is how we want our cake decorated. A relatively simple task at first blush; I posted about how I originally wanted a super simple cake, with just one single flower or a cluster of flowers for decoration.
Miss Argyle, St. LouisAge and Occupation: 24, Project CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, PilotEngagement Date: February 15, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Jewel Box in Forest Park and Windows on WashingtonAbout Me: I'm a true Midwestern girl (born and raised), lover of red wine, reality TV and the entire J.Crew catalog. I love to dance regardless of who is watching, and enjoy a good laugh with my girls. I have a soft spot in my heart for planet Earth, my two dogs and my fiance. Fall is my favorite season (which is why we are marrying in September), but I love a warm summer day and the Colorado mountains in the winter. We are planning a modern soiree downtown, with lots of bold colors, and fun, eco-friendly elements.
The Groom’s cake is an American South tradition, intended to be a gift from the bride to the groom. It can often take the shape of just about anything, or come in the form of a cheesecake, chocolate cake or pie (amongst other things).
More recently, the idea of fun cakes that reflect a hobby or profession of the Groom have gained popularity, thanks in part to shows like Ace of Cakes.
(I had to give a nod to the Mr. Argyle’s occupation, of course). Read more…
Miss Sewing, San Mateo, CA/Honolulu, HIAge and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: June 27, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Anela Garden Chapel & Japanese Cultural Center, HonoluluAbout Me: I'm an easily entertained, compulsive idea-scheming machine who loves good art, good food, and a good engineering challenge. I'm planning a half-destination wedding on the beautiful island of Oahu - imagine a plethora of movies, art and games; savory Hawaiian food; blended Chinese and Japanese cultural details; lush, fragrant tropical flowers and all the air conditioning a NorCal native could want! And once I marry the love of my life, we'll come back to the 'mainland' to party it up all over again in my hometown of Salinas, the salad-bowl capital of the world!
Mr. Sewing and I met with a couple of bakeries before deciding on who would create our cake. But when we walked into Satura Cakes, I knew right away it was the one.
Sponge cake is amazing. Light, fluffy, and not too sweet - you can literally eat the whole cake without “feeling it”. Suffice to say, if you want a cake with a guarantee that people will like - sponge is your man.
And although the sponginess alone was enough to seal the deal with me, there were several other factors that certainly sweetened the proposal. Read more…
Miss Hot Dog, Cheyenne, WYAge and Occupation: 23, Health Information SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Personal Trainer
Engagement Date: March 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Family Ranch outside Glenrock, WYAbout Me: I'm a city girl by birth and rural girl by choice. I'm ready to take on the world with a big heart and a big smile! I love all things crafty and DIY. I live in Cheyenne, WY with Mr. HD and our 2 fur babies, our dachshunds, Ollie and Mia. I love travel, adventure, Finding Nemo, '90s music, animals, and laughing. He is the cheese to my macaroni and together we spend more time watching movies than we probably should! I'm an old soul who is super duper excited to pull off our down home-rustic-chic-country wedding (on the cheap)!
So, in case you haven’t heard me shouting joyously from the rooftops, my little sister is ENGAGED! And she made me her maid of honor! This means I got to do all the fun bridal shower planning and help out with her wedding. Good practice for mine, no?
Now, on to the goodies… I love me some food! Especially baked goods. And, OK, I may have an unnatural obsession with cupcakes. Not only are they dee-lish, but they are also aesthetically pleasing. Double whammy! Needless to say I will be including these little guys in the food choices. The spread is going to be pretty simple. Just some finger sandwiches, a cheese-meat-cracker tray, chips-and-dip, and the cuppy-cakes. NOM NOM.
Grandma is taking care of the cheesy-meaty delights, mom is making the chip dip, and I’m responsible for the cupcakes and sandwiches. I’ll probably end up just ordering a big sub from Subway. But the cupcakes… Now those need to be something special. Something like this:
Miss Argyle, St. LouisAge and Occupation: 24, Project CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, PilotEngagement Date: February 15, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Jewel Box in Forest Park and Windows on WashingtonAbout Me: I'm a true Midwestern girl (born and raised), lover of red wine, reality TV and the entire J.Crew catalog. I love to dance regardless of who is watching, and enjoy a good laugh with my girls. I have a soft spot in my heart for planet Earth, my two dogs and my fiance. Fall is my favorite season (which is why we are marrying in September), but I love a warm summer day and the Colorado mountains in the winter. We are planning a modern soiree downtown, with lots of bold colors, and fun, eco-friendly elements.
These days it seems as though brides and grooms are opting for something a little bit different for their cake. Long gone are the traditional cake toppers featuring the bride and groom in static poses.
As weddings become less and less about “old tradition” and more and more about the bride and groom, the nearlyweds are picking fun cake toppers like the ones below, most of which are great Etsy finds, as usual! Etsy never disappoints! Read more…
Miss Hot Wings, Chicago/San DiegoAge and Occupation: 28, Psych Grad StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Psych Grad StudentEngagement Date: December 20, 2008Wedding Date: August 2010Venue: Ocean View Villas/Jasmine Seafood RestaurantAbout Me: I am a psychology grad student living in Chicago and planning my wedding to a fellow psych grad student. I am a Sunny So-Cal bred gal who trudged across the country to follow her love of psychology and ended up finding a partner in the process. I am overly passionate about anything I involve myself with. I am an activist, a foodie, a reality TV watching junkie, an over-analyzer, a photography obsesser, and am utterly cheesy to the core. This is a story of what happens when a boy and a girl meet, fall in love over academic dorkiness, and a shared love for life. We (mostly I) are planning our semi-destination wedding in my hometown of San Diego. We are excited to bring our families and friends together from across our lifespans to celebrate our future in a grand 400+ person culturally blended affair!
Miss Sewing, San Mateo, CA/Honolulu, HIAge and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: June 27, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Anela Garden Chapel & Japanese Cultural Center, HonoluluAbout Me: I'm an easily entertained, compulsive idea-scheming machine who loves good art, good food, and a good engineering challenge. I'm planning a half-destination wedding on the beautiful island of Oahu - imagine a plethora of movies, art and games; savory Hawaiian food; blended Chinese and Japanese cultural details; lush, fragrant tropical flowers and all the air conditioning a NorCal native could want! And once I marry the love of my life, we'll come back to the 'mainland' to party it up all over again in my hometown of Salinas, the salad-bowl capital of the world!
This Swedish treat features delicately sweetened vanilla cake, filled with raspberry jam and fresh cream. It’s moist, yet sturdy, and shaped to perfection with a layer of marzipan frosting.
It is amazing. I suggest you all find the nearest Swedish bakery and try it out.
But the reason I bring up this mouthwatering morsel is mainly because of the frosting. There are, it seems, alternatives to the standard buttercream or fondant choices. Let’s discuss: Read more…
Miss Sewing, San Mateo, CA/Honolulu, HIAge and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: June 27, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Anela Garden Chapel & Japanese Cultural Center, HonoluluAbout Me: I'm an easily entertained, compulsive idea-scheming machine who loves good art, good food, and a good engineering challenge. I'm planning a half-destination wedding on the beautiful island of Oahu - imagine a plethora of movies, art and games; savory Hawaiian food; blended Chinese and Japanese cultural details; lush, fragrant tropical flowers and all the air conditioning a NorCal native could want! And once I marry the love of my life, we'll come back to the 'mainland' to party it up all over again in my hometown of Salinas, the salad-bowl capital of the world!
After help from a kind soul, I received these cuties in the mail:
Cake power poles!
Now, since wood poles are for sissies, I’m going to have to paint them silver for some tubular steel pole action.
I’m thinking silver edible paint? That way I won’t have to worry about poisoning anyone. Read more…
Miss Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
Can we talk about how Potluck Studios hates me? I have been lusting over this Flirt Ruffle cake stand for some time now, and since we recently switched our cake from square to round I can actually get one!! Are you ready to see the object of my desire?
