Alternatives to a Wedding Cake

If you don’t love wedding cakes, why serve one at your reception? Nowadays, wedding desserts be anything, take a look at these ideas:

– Push up cake pops. These are the latest in desserts and very popular in the States. They can be filled with cake, cream, fruit and ice cream and they look and taste amazing!

– Ice cream bar. Include alcoholic flavours as well so there is something for each guest, young or old! Consider hiring an ice cream bartender to whip up spectacular creations.

– Cupcake Tower. A tower of cupcakes is right on trend right now, it´s cute, modern and makes no mess!

– Candy Bar. The options are virtually limitless! Everyone enjoys traditional favorites like M&Ms, chocolate-covered raisins, Gummy Bears, Red Hots, Sweet Tarts and rainbow-colored lollipops, all of which are obtainable in bulk. Or, you can provide candies in colors that match your wedding hues.

– Wedding Pie. Pick pies to represent the season, peach, blueberry and key lime pies are great for summer weddings, and apple, chocolate or pecan pies are best for winter ones. Provide whipped cream and ice cream too.

– Cookie bar. A selection of your favourite biscuits is bound to be a success!

– Croquembouche Tower. The name croquembouche, which means “crunch in the mouth,” refers to the hard caramel that coats delicate puffs of pate a choux filled with vanilla cream. It is typical of France and you can serve madeleines, macaroons, and raspberry verrines around it to add even more oh la lá to your day.

– Strawberry shortcake. Need I say more? This is a great pudding, and a favourite with most.

– Donuts. Both adults and children will love this, but if you just want it for the little ones, replace the centerpiece at kids’ tables with an enticing display of these sugary treats.

– Dessert Buffet. A slice of wedding cake concludes your special day on a deliciously festive note. But if you love desserts, why stop there? Indulge your fantasies and have a dessert buffet with all of your favourites!

– Chocolate Bar. A selection of diminutive chocolate desserts can be served alone or alongside a chocolate wedding cake or fondue.

– Fruits Towers. Think truffles, marzipan fruits, chocolate-dipped apricots, cherries and strawberries and almond cookies.

(Images by Martha Stewart, Piece-a-cake & Wedding Window)

Wacky Wedding Cakes!

A wedding cake can be lots of things; elegant, simple, classical, traditional, striking… But some couples like to try something totally different and much more personal, just take a look at these wacky and wonderful creations!

I think these cakes are really cute, it´s nice to see something different once in a while and I´m sure the newlyweds were very happy with their cakes (just look at the couple-holding-the-burger-cake´s faces!) 🙂

Halloween Weddings…

Fancy throwing a wedding with a twist? Looking for something non-traditional and still incredibly beautiful? Look beyond the carved pumpkins and cobwebs, a Halloween wedding is very versatile and can be so stylish! You can go for a dark, goth-inspired event or go for a brighter look with orange or red settings and little bags of treats.. Incorporate elegance with pure holiday fun!

Antique dress details: A slim fitting dress in the Mortica (Addams Family) style would work nicely, go for ivory silk for a more modern look or red or black (think Vera Wang) for a more gothic one. Try touches of color and antique embellishments, think a dark-hued sash cinched at the waist on the ivory dress, or lace gloves and an embellished brooch for the dark one.

Different up-dos: Try a mussed-up, Victorian style up-do or long, flowing curls pulled back with a bejewelled hair accessory.

Bouquets with a flair: Bouquets of dark red flowers with plumes of black feathers to add drama, day lilies in light shades of orange or orange-hued roses mixed with autumn leaves and other flowers will complete your look.

The bridesmaids: Slim fitting black, red, purple or orange dresses with high necklines will look great!

The man of the hour: Have the groom wear a black tuxedo with a red cummberband or try a swallow-tail coat with a top hat. Red and black stripey socks can add fun to this look.

Beautiful table settings: You can either go for thick dark materials such as velvet in plum tones for the tablecloths with black charivari chairs with padded seats and old-looking candelabras that hold different sized candles as centerpieces, or keep the tables cream or ivory with orange sashes on the chairs and fill apothecary jars with black and orange Halloween candy for a more light-hearted look.

Apple appetizers: Serve your guests apple martinis, rum apple cider topped with whipped cream or apple (or pumpkin) margaritas while they wait for you to arrive at the reception.

Pumpkin-ize your menu: Try mini pumpkin tarts as appetizers or pumpkin cheesecake bites for dessert. Serve with red wine or punch to keep in with the Halloween look.

Spooky wedding favours: You have a very wide range to choose from here. Try little bags of sweets such as black M & Ms, mints and eyeball/finger/pumpkin shaped candy, packets of pumpkin seeds to plant, scented caramel, apple or orange candles or, my personal favorite, cookie cutters in Halloween shapes, because we are “cut out for each other” 🙂

Dancing the night away: You can go for all the old favourites such as Thriller, Ghostbusters, and the song from The Addams Family to be played on the dance floor, but I would also suggest having an organist play at your ceremony and a pianist play solo during the dinner.

The cake: You could choose to serve a red velvet, carrot or pumpkin spice cake along with the more traditional vanilla and chocolate flavors. Have it frosted with decadent cream cheese frosting decorated with black or red ribbon bands to coordinate with the rest of your wedding day details. The topper could include pumpkins or autumn leaves alongside the bride and groom.

Those little extras: For the reception, you could hire a magician to entertain the kids or a fortune-teller to set up in one corner and give readings to your guests. Hire a photographer to take pictures of your guests on a spooky photo set. Use a velvety curtain for the backdrop and deck out the set with old furniture and fake spider webs. Include easy-to-wear props for your guests like hats, gloves, and boas.

Remember, if you want your Halloween wedding to be chic, the most important rule is that of simplicity.. adding too many Halloween elements may leave your wedding looking more like a costume party and less like an elegant event. If you want to go full on however, glowing candles, grinning pumpkins and a moonlit night are a great beginning for a Halloween wedding theme 🙂

The perfect Halloween wedding may take a bit of planning but it will be worth it as it will be on everybodys lips for years to come!