Wedding Cake Table Idea: Display Engagement Photos

Mother of the Bride, want to add another aww factor to the cake table besides the cake itself? Display one or more of the happy couple’s engagement photos! It will be elegant but simple at the same time. Can’t beat that!

Featuring an engagement photo on the cake table not only adds a sweet and romantic touch to the cake table décor, it gives you one more way to use and share those special photos that you’ve already spent money on. It’s always a plus when one expense can fulfill more than one purpose, isn’t it, MOB?

If possible, match the frame to the cake or other décor on the table to help pull the whole look together. The silver frame in the photo above is the perfect complement to the white wedding cake, silver cake stand, and the silver champagne bucket and cake server set used at my daughter Kelli’s wedding. In the photo below, the brown wooden frame is a perfect match for the chocolate groom’s cake chosen by my daughter Kristin’s groom for their wedding.

If simple, elegant, and already paid for sounds like a good combination to you, MOB, see if your daughter and her beloved would like to display some of their engagement photos on their cake tables. Everyone will enjoy!

*You might also like to read Preparing to Decorate: Reception Venue Visit, Wedding Table Decor: Add Pizzazz with Confetti. and Table Decor Finishing Touch: Fresh Rose Petals.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early May. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Photo above by Flowers Photography; photo below by Chris Humphrey Creative Services

Wedding Cake with Beautiful Brooch Accents

Mother of the Bride, here’s a gorgeous wedding cake idea that uses an unusual accent—brooches! Last month I featured some dazzling examples of brooch bouquets, and that same dazzle factor works well on the wedding cake too.

Brooches could be used in a variety of ways on a wedding cake, but one simple way—as shown in the photo above—uses two beautiful matching brooches well-positioned on bows made of ribbon. What perfect accents those brooches and bows make. So elegant! Or the bride might choose brooches that are family heirlooms that will add a sentimental and meaningful touch to the cake plus help create another lasting memory of the big day.

Also think of the possible uses for the brooches after the cake is cut and the guests are served. The bride and groom might want to give them to you and the mother of the groom as a special memento of the day (fun!), or the newlyweds could use them in several different ways as decorative accents in floral arrangements or other décor in their home. Think of all the potential ideas—and they’d each one carry the treasured memory of their wedding day.

So, MOB, see what your daughter thinks of brooch accents for the cake and then have fun brainstorming all the possibilities. Whatever you decide will shine, right?!

*You might also like to read Wedding Cake Trend: Multiple Mini CakesWedding Cake Idea: The Drape Effect, and New Wedding Cake Trend: The Ombre Cake.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by the-icing-on-the-cakeCreative Commons License

Wedding Cake Pops—Pretty and Fun Too!

Mother of the Bride, if your daughter would like to add a dash of fun to her wedding reception, why not include wedding cake pops in the celebration? The very thought of cake pops puts smiles on faces and declarations of “Yum!” on lips. After all, everyone loves a cake pop, right?

Wedding cake pops can also serve several different purposes. You can wrap them in cellophane and tie a bow around them (personalized with the bride’s and groom’s names, of course) and offer them as favors. Or you can display them on trays or towers on a dessert table or they might even serve as the groom’s cake. And if the groom wants to add his own twist to it, instead of the bride and groom designs, he could select something in his area of interest—like golf ball cake pops or baseball cake pops, etc.

So, MOB, try pointing your girl toward some wedding cake pop fun. Believe me, everyone will be glad you did!

*You might also like to read Groom’s Cake Idea: Favorite Team Cake Pops, Fall Wedding Idea: Caramel Apple Favors!, and Edible Favors—Yes, Please!

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early November. One lucky subscriber will receive a $15 gift card to Starbucks and a signed copy of my book to use personally, give as a gift, or donate to a library. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by niner bakesCreative Commons License

Wedding Day Cake-Cutting Tip

Mother of the Bride, here’s an important cake-cutting tip for wedding day: After the bride and groom have cut the traditional first slice of cake, make sure that both the main cake and the groom’s cake are then cut and made available to the guests at the same time.

It’s a fact of wedding life that almost every wedding guest in the world looks forward to indulging in a piece of cake at the party. If someone wants a piece of the groom’s cake, don’t keep them waiting while the wedding cake is sliced for those who want a piece of the star-of-the-show cake. At most weddings, the guests have already been in waiting mode for the cake-cutting, so the last thing we want to do is keep them waiting longer than necessary.

Make arrangements ahead of time with your caterer for simultaneous cake-cutting. I didn’t realize I should have done this until we ran into a problem at one of our daughters’ weddings.

The on-site caterer for that wedding was busy cutting the main cake herself and had not assigned any of the servers to cut the groom’s cake. When I asked her to have someone start cutting the groom’s cake, she responded in a negative way. As a result, both cakes weren’t available to our guests until later. I’m sure some guests even had to leave before the groom’s cake was cut. On top of that, it was an unhappy wedding day experience for me as I was rebuffed by someone we were paying to serve us.

So learn from my bad experience, MOB, and arrange for simultaneous cake-cutting ahead of time. Your guests will be happy—and you will be happy as everyone joyfully savors the cake of their choice on your daughter’s big day. Now, “let them eat cake!”

*Note: If you and your friends and family are handling the catering by yourselves, be sure to assign helpers to cut both cakes at the same time.

*You might also like to read Three Tips for Working with Your Wedding DJWedding Day Tip: A List for the Photographer, and Day Before Wedding Tip: Preview Flowers.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early August. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*Flickr photo by Lars PlougmannCreative Commons License

Elegant Wedding Cake Idea: White on White

Mother of the Bride, is your daughter hoping to include touches of elegance in her wedding day celebration? If so, one of the perfect places to display elegance is in the wedding cake design. Remember, the wedding cake is quite often the centerpiece star of the show at the reception so why not let the bride’s wedding style shine here!

The “white on white” cake pictured above is a great example of one design your elegance-loving daughter might like to consider. “White on white” itself speaks of classic elegance not to mention the gorgeous white flowers with pearl centers and the inclusion of the traditional wedding tulle. What wedding, in fact, would be complete without some tulle somewhere? 

Be sure to share this idea with your sweet daughter, MOB—and have fun considering all the options out there. And just think, after she’s decided on a design, it’s time to go for taste tests. That’s where the real fun comes in! Enjoy!

*You might also like to read Wedding Cake Roundup and Elegant Mini Cakes Wedding Cake Ideas.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early August. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*Flickr photo (top) and Flickr photo (bottom) by Corey Ann; Creative Commons License