Great Ideas For Your Wedding Table Decorations

Part of your wedding reception are dining tables, which also need to be decorated to look good. Little details such table decorations can make a big difference to the overall appearance your wedding reception, thus it is important to choose accordingly. There are so many great ideas for your wedding table decorations that are available today, here are some you may consider to choose from.

Clear Diamond Shaped Wedding Table Decoration Jewels. Set the stage for a luxurious dream wedding with this gorgeous Clear Diamond Shaped Wedding Table Decoration Jewels. These diminutive faux diamonds will glisten and gleam on your wedding reception tables, adding a touch of lavish style to an evening of dinner and dancing. You and your guests will love the look of tables adorned with diamonds at your elegant wedding reception!

"Recipe for Love" Wooden Rolling Pin Place Card Holder. These whimsical wooden rolling pins are charming place card holders for a kitchen-themed bridal shower, setting the stage for a culinary event extraordinaire! These wooden mini rolling pins are also wonderful bridal shower favors, offering your guests a chic place to prop up recipes while they’re cooking in their kitchens. Complete with recipe cards, these rolling pin place card holders are a charming addition to any gourmet soiree!

Wedding Channel, Wedding Planning - Ideas, Tips & Pictures

Congratulations! are you having your wedding in Japan, China, Europe, India or any other parts of the world? These helpful tips will get you through your wedding planning much easier. Here are some articles -

Wedding Cakes
Wedding cake design should be such that it should make a statement about your style and taste.

Wedding Cakes - Tips on Choosing a Wedding Cake Design

A wedding cake is much more than a cake. A wedding cake is as much a traditional part of the wedding as the wedding couple themselves. Wedding cake design should be such that it should make a statement about your style and taste. This is the reason why you need to do a lot of homework before you come up with the perfect wedding cake idea. These days, when it comes to wedding cake toppers, you have plenty of choices. Some of the popular wedding cake toppers include fudge, nuts, or in some instances even spice. Since wedding cakes are very personal, it is always preferable that you have a good idea about the design and style that you want before you contact wedding cake suppliers.

Selecting a Perfectly Design Wedding Cake

You will need to consider several aspects such the size, design, shape, and flavor, while ordering wedding cakes. The actual size of the wedding cake is determined by the number of guests. There is a wide variety of flavors that you can choose from these days. The most common flavors are rum, chocolate, carrot, and white and lemon. You swill also need to decide on the filling to your cake. Some of the popular fillings include chocolate, strawberry, and custard. You also have the choice of having different tiers in the cake with different flavors. You can always talk to your wedding cake supplier and custom flavor it to your liking. You can also give them inputs on the design of the cake. Chocolate cones as wedding cake toppers with ribbons around the side for example is a design idea that is used widely nowadays during weddings.

Chocolate wedding cakes as a popular option have been gradually gaining acceptance in the recent past. They too come in a wide range from chocolate-truffle to chocolate cheesecake adorned wedding cakes; they are both sophisticated and

tasty. Similarly, you can find many types of wedding cakes. You should always check out the various possibilities before you make a final decision. Yo

u can always take advantage of the internet, not only for scouting bakeries but also for finding out the latest in wedding cake design too.

You can find many different places from where you can get your wedding cake. Bakeries are the first choice when it comes to wedding cakes. Then there

may be someone whom you know among your family members or friends who makes delightful wedding cakes. You can also find wedding cakes in several grocery stores also. If a catering company is taking care of the food arrangements in your wedding, they also may have a wedding cake selection. Before you settle for any of these options

a little bit of testing is required. In most of the cases, bakers would offer samples of wedding cakes for you to choose from. You should always insist on tasting both cake as well as frosting. This way you can make sure that you find exactly what you

want. Remember it takes some time and planning to arrive at the perfect wedding cake idea. With a host of options available, you are sure to

find that perfect wedding cake.

Wedding Invitation

Wedding Invitations Card Selection

Everything from the wedding invitation wording to the guest list that you would be sending them to should be well planned.

Any wedding guest forms an idea about a particular weddin

g's style or wedding's theme based on the wedding invitation sent to him. It is therefore important that a wedding invitation should reflect your sense of style. Many of us tend to ignore this important aspect while meticulously planning other aspects of a wedding. This should not be so and equal importance should be given to wedding invitations. Care should be taken to make the card invitation just about perfect and also unique. Everything from the wedding invitation wording to the guest list that you would be sending them to should be well planned. Wedding invitations are inseparable from wedding etiquette and it always helps when everything is planned, well in advance.

Unique Wedding Card Invitations

There are various different styles, textures and colors that are available for designing wedding invitations. Once you take into account some considerations, finding the right type of wedding invitation that would reflect your personality t

he best can be a fairly easy process. The first thing that you need to consider is the actual setting of your wedding. It would all depend on whether you will be a having a formal wedding or a bit more casual wedding. A card invitation should reflect that particular setting. If your choice is that of a casual wedding, then you should always go in for a casual wedding invitation style. Similarly a formal wedding would need you to have a formal wedding card invitation.

Choosing the right color for your wedding invitation is another thing that should be given a lot of weightage. Matching the colors to the actual theme of your wedding is the key to great looking wedding invitations. For instance you can try out Christmas colors for a Christmas wedding or choose from bright and sunny colors if it is a summer wedding. The theme of the wedding is therefore an important factor that dict

ates the design of a wedding invitation to a large extent. For instance you can find several wedding invitations that have got lots of pictures of the beach perfectly complementing a beach wedding. Similarly wedding card invitations with flowers on them will perfectly reflect a garden theme and so on and so forth.

A traditional invitation card for wedding must consists of the following wording: place of wedding with date, time, address, host names and all contact details for the bride/groom. You can also custom design your wedding invitation.

Such invitations would perfectly reflect your personal taste and overall personality. There are many free printable wedding invitations that you can find online too nowadays. There are many online sources from where you can even print them absolutely free of cost too. You can also find wedding invitations that feature your style at many of the local department stores also.

Couples can also consider the use of photos on their wedding invitations. In fact such unique wedding invitations are known to be treasured by both family members and friends. Perhaps the biggest consideration that you need to look at when choosing your wedding invitations would be your budget. With increasing competition you can easily find choices that are budget friendly.

The possibilities are literally endless when it comes to wedding invitations. A careful consideration of all these factors will enable you to choose the right wedding invitation.

Wedding Dresses

A wedding dress would be the central figure during your wedding and it would be part of the wonderful memories that you would treasure forever in your life.

Wedding Dress

Although we keep purchasing various types of dresses almost day in and day out, a wedding dress is always special for any woman. This is so because it would be the most important single garment that woman would have ever bought. A wedding dress is also in most cases the most expensive dress that a woman buys in her life. A wedding dress would be the central figure during your wedding and it would be part of the wonderful memories that you would treasure forever in your life. It is therefore important that you choose a wedding dress with care.

Planning well in advance is the key to choosing the right wedding dress. The first and foremost thing that you need to do is to plan your budget. If you are someone who is willing to splurge a lot on a wedding dress then it would be relatively easy to find a wedding dress of your dreams. For those who have more modest budgets, prior planning becomes important. You will need to shop around after working out your exact

budget. Giving ample time is the key to choosing the right wedding gown. Ideally you need to order your wedding dress at least six months before the day you tie the knot.

Choosing a Wedding Dress

While choosing a wedding dress, it is important that you do not ignore the 'comfort' factor. Most often we tend to go for just the looks and ignore this important aspect in a wedding dress. After all you should be able to feel comfortable on your wedding day, apart from looking great. You need to feel comfortable since you will be doing a lot of things with the wedding dress on. Some of the things that you would need to do would be to dance or pose for pictures. This is one of the reasons why you should be choosing your wedding dress with care. The exact location of your wedding too would dictate your choice to a large extent. For example, if you are looking at a beach wedding then you can consider going in for a shorter tea-length dress. If you are someone who loves dancing then you could go in for a strapless dress, since it would help in the easy movements of the hand.

Wedding dresses can be made up of various types of fabrics including, chiffon, satin and taffeta. There would be differences in the drape, luster and shine among all these different fabrics and anyone particular fabric cannot be termed the best among the lot. The major difference between all these types would be in the price and this is what would

dictate your purchase decision. For a long time now wedding gowns have been traditionally made from woven fabrics. Knitted garments too are being widely used for making wedding gowns these days. All these factors need to be considered before you choose the right wedding dress.

These days there are many places from where you can purchase a wedding dress. Typically these sources include wedding designers, dress makers, and department stores. With the advent of the internet, you can also find many online stores that deal with wedding dresses. In fact a lot of people these days prefer shopping online for wedding dresses because of the wide range of variety available at competitive prices.

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4. One Coat Nourishing Mascara by Almay


5. Tarte -- Lights, Camera, Splashes! by Tarte Cosmetics

Centerpieces

Purple

How To Have A Cheap but Wonderful Wedding

In an ideal world, we would all like to have fancy cars, expensive flowers, an exclusive venue, and a top band at our wedding. However, with the average cost of of wedding in the UK in 2009 being anywhere from £11,000 - £20,000 many people are finding it very difficult to even contemplate a traditional wedding.

One of the most expensive parts of any wedding is the meal. Even in a modest Hotel in Scotland, this can cost about £50 per head. So, if you have one hundred guests attending, that means the meal is going to cost £5000.

Therefore, if we can find ways of dispensing with the meal, that would bring down the overall cost considerably.

With that in mind, let's look at some ideas for cutting costs, generally, and eliminating the meal, in particular.

Hire Your Wedding Dress
Thousands of brides are hiring instead of buying. With the average cost of a wedding dress being £700, this can make good sense. Where else would you get a Vera Wang, Armani, or Carolina Herrera dress for a few hundred pounds?

Hire the Groom's and the Best Man's Outfits
In the UK, men have been doing this for years and it has become normal practice. Yes, girls, it's a "Man" thing!

Don't Buy Expensive Wedding Shoes
Instead of buying wedding shoes that you will only wear once, buy a pair that you will have fun wearing again - or a cheap pair that you will never have to wear again...ouch!

Get A Friend To Drive You To The Ceremony Venue
If you have a friend or relative with a big, fancy car, then get him to drive you to the ceremony venue. It's a shame to waste that big BMW or Mercedes. Also, think of the fun you will have getting to wear a chauffeur's hat...

Walk To the Ceremony Venue
If stay close to the venue, then you could always walk. If you live in a small village, this could be lovely way to go to the Church, as people line the streets to cheer and wish you well. This is what brides used to do it in the old days.
Only Have Close Family At The Wedding Meal
Instead of inviting one hundred people for the meal, just invite your close family. All your other relatives and friends can be invited to the evening reception. They will not be insulted and they will still love you as much.

Have The Wedding Reception In Your House
You could get married on one day and then invite people to your house (or your parents house) on another day for a finger buffet. You could invite people at different times. The older relatives in the afternoon and younger friends (who want to party) in the evening. This would dispense with having to hire an expensive wedding venue.

Have The Wedding Reception In A Hall
You could hire a local hall and decorate it yourself. If you wished to have a formal meal, then you could hire caterers to do it for you. They could also provide a bar. The meal would be a fraction of the cost that you would pay at a Hotel or Reception venue.

Have A Wedding Party Instead
This is becoming more and more common. After you get married (local or abroad), you can have a wedding party in a local hall. Decorate the hall yourself. Hire a band or DJ and supply a finger buffet.

Run Away To Gretna Green or Las Vegas
Traditionally when couples wanted to get married quickly, cheaply, and with the minimum of fuss, they ran away to places like Gretna in the UK and Las Vegas in the USA. So, find somewhere romantic and just go and get married. You can then put all the money you save towards your house.

These are just some ideas to get you started and you will probably thinks of lots more.

Have a cheap - but very happy wedding!

What’s up Your (Wedding Gown) Sleeve?

Sleeves are back! OK, it’s not necessarily wedding fashion news that one shouts from the rooftops, but it’s true nonetheless. More and more high-fashion wedding dresses are going down the aisles and catwalks with a little something extra at the shoulder.

Here’s a quick rundown so you’ll know what to ask for:

Bell – Bell sleeves are a lot like the legs of bell-bottom pants. Only better than that sounds. There sleeve is fitted, with nice flare at the wrist.

Bishop – These sleeves are puffed at the forearm, especially the lower half, and usually have a broad cuff. Have these tailored carefully or done in very soft fabrics to keep your guests from thinking about Popeye.

Capelet – These will give you a nice princessy look – they fit fairly close until the elbow, then drop into an elegant flare.

Capped – Cap or capped sleeves are the shortest you can get – they’re just a short curve of fabric right at the shoulder. They’re a nice way to have bare arms but still have a touch of modesty.

Dolmen – These are good for a dramatic effect. They drop wide from the shoulder, giving you almost the same sweep as a cape. They’ll be fitted to the wrist to keep you from getting tangled.

Illusion – These long sleeves give you a lovely effect. They’re either made from a sheer fabric to give you the feel of being covered with the illusion of bare arms, or they’re encrusted with beads for a layer of sparkle.

Juliet – Have your balcony scene while walking down the aisle! This is a long, fitted sleeve with a puff of fabric at the shoulder.

Leg-of-Mutton – An unfortunate name for an attractive look. These sleeves are full from shoulder to elbow, then fitted from the elbow to the wrist.

Melon – Just like they sound – wide, round sleeves from the shoulder to the elbow.

Off-the-Shoulder – These are a terrific look that flatter most shapes. The upper shoulders are bare and the neckline is usually low, but the look is still demure. Off the-shoulder sleeves may be long or short.

Peek-a-Boo – Two sleeves in one! A fitted sleeve in an opaque fabric is contained by a fuller, sheer sleeve.

Petal – These are a bit longer than Capped sleeves, with graceful overlaps of fabric.

Pointed – These will also give you an elegant, royal look. Pointed sleeves are long and fitted, coming to a graceful points at the base of your hand.

Puff – These are cousins to Juliet sleeves. They’re just little bursts of fabric at the shoulder.

Tapered – Just like they sound, these are full at the shoulder, perhaps with pleats or gathers, and then they gradually narrow and are closely fitted at the wrist.

Enjoy your wedding dress search – and don’t be afraid to wear your heart on your sleeve!

Wedding invitations and ideas for a hot and cool August wedding

August can be a beautiful time of year to get married. The hubbub of the June and July brides has passed and you can enjoy a nice quiet ceremony and reception. August is also getting closer to fall so you can take advantage of the summer weather and some of the influences of fall as well.

Invitations
While summer colors are bold and bright, your August invitations can also hint at some rich fall tones. Pick jewel tones with an earthy brown for an elegant look. You might want to pick designs in florals and leaf patterns for your August wedding. Your wedding invitations will be delivered to your guests in June and July, skip the summer look and opt for something different to make your invitations stand out.

There are no major holidays in the month of August, so you don’t have to worry about planning around a holiday. However, many families plan vacations for the month of August, while the kids are still on summer vacation. Get your save the dates and wedding invitations in the mail early before your guests make other plans.

Ceremony and reception
August is still a great time for an outdoor ceremony and reception. Just keep in mind that the mid-day sun can be a little too warm for some guests. Have umbrellas and stands handy for shade. And some indoor space is never wasted as some will want to get out of the elements all together. Make sure you take advantage of the warm weather that lasts well past sundown. Your August reception can last well into the evening as the nights can stay warm well into the later part of the month. Don’t forget to note your outdoor plans in your wedding invitation so guests can come prepared.
Your August wedding can include elements from summer and from fall. Add poached pears to the salad for a warm autumn feeling. Choose one chilled entrée and one hot to satisfy both summer and fall palates. Your caterer will know what is fresh and seasonal for your wedding date.

Keep your bar stocked with both red and white wines and plenty of water. For your signature cocktail look to fall fruits for inspiration – a cranberry martini or apple martini can be a perfect compliment to your late summer menu.

Flowers
Since it is still summer, you have many choices when it comes to flowers for your bouquet, centerpieces and ceremony and reception décor. Specific flowers in bloom in August include many colorful choices like Daisy Mums, Gerbera Daisies, Roses and Calla Lilies. Pick your favorite looks and colors to make your flowers like you’ve dreamed of. There may be some flowers that are more readily available in your area. You can save yourself some money by choosing local blooms. Check with your florist for the best advice.

Make the most of your August wedding with the freshest seasonal foods, blooms and colors. August is the prefect time to combine the best of summer and of autumn and make your ceremony and reception unique.

Wedding Planning

Your wedding is one of the moments in your life that you will never forget so planning it carefully should be a top priority.

Further you will find the most important things that you should consider when you are planning your wedding.

Wedding Planning - Photographers

First you should hire a photographer who is specialized in wedding photography, because they are experienced in wedding procedure and make sure they are familiar with your reception sites and ceremony. This will allow him/her to capture all the special moments by anticipating your next move and being at the right time in the proper place.

Wedding Planning - Cakes and Bakers

A caterer or a bakery is the right places to order your cake, but some restaurants and hotels may also provide a wedding cake. The best idea is to order it from a bakery that is specialized in wedding cakes. In this case you should ask to see photographs of the wedding cakes they offer and don't forget: ask for a tasting!

Wedding Planning - Caterers

For hors d'oeuvres there are many options depending on your reception formality and the type of food that are served at the meal. Hors d'oeuvres will be offered to your guests during the first reception hours if you will serve a full meal during the reception. However, at a cocktail reception or a tea the "mail course" will be hors d'oeuvres.

Wedding Planning - Flowers and Florists

Wedding flowers will add beauty, color and fragrance to every aspect of your wedding, and like everything else they should fit your color scheme and style. Five Star Floral Design and Events, Ingela's Floral Design, Nancy Liu Chin Design, Las Vegas Florists, Fleurs de France, Suzanne M. Smith Design, Pacific Event Productions, Twice Touched Treasures Floral Preservation, Bouquets of Del Mar and Leilani Creations are some of the specialist that could help you plan the event.

Wedding Planning - Music

This is one of the most important elements for a successfully wedding planning. Music sets the tone for a lavish wild party or for an elegant and romantic affair. One of the newest books that could help you in the process of selecting your wedding music is The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Music from Wedding Solutions Publishing, Inc.

Reception Site Fee

There are two types of reception sites. One may charge a per person fee which includes food, tables, silverware, china, facility and so forth, and another may charge a room rental fee and you will have to provide the food, linens, possibly tables and chairs and beverages.

Good luck with your wedding planning and make this event the most happiest of your life!

Unique Wedding Tips and Ideas for a Beautiful Wedding

wedding.beauty-cosmetic-guide.com offers ideas of the wedding, advice and masters on the ceremony of the wedding, the cake of the wedding, the flowers, the gifts, music, the photos, the videos, the responsibilities etc. The unique ideas of the wedding will help him to glide for the wedding of their dreams.

Marriage as its veterans know well, is the continuous process of getting used to things you hadn’t expected. (by Tom Mullen).

As per the different sources of language and culture, wedding is defined as the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed. Wedding is the act of marrying and its nuptial ceremony. As per another culture, a wedding is a religious or civil ceremony which is marked by the celebration of the beginning of a marriage.

Now you can transform your wedding inspirations into reality with our helpful ideas and articles. Planning a wedding is essential and needs to be done well in advance of the wedding day. If you have been planning a wedding for any length of time, or if you have seen someone else planning theirs, you will agree that a smooth wedding isn't easy to happen.

There are so many details to think about and so many arrangements to make. All this can be done by effective planning and celebration preprations. Modern weddings force ordinary people to become professional event planners.

Here are some tips to make your wedding day memorable:

• Comfort should be your top priority while considering any type of accessory or hair do when you are going to be getting married.
• An important thing about your wedding day is that you want to accent your natural beauty, not change your looks dramatically.
• Don’t lose sleep over raised eyebrows.
• Move every deadline up by a week. Bridal magazines say this will give you more time to relax and visit as friends arrive in town.
• Plot a wedding-day schedule.
• Provide icebreakers. Give your guests something to do besides watching you.
• Give yourselves a day or two to regroup before leaving on your honeymoon.
  

Saving Money on Your Rehearsal Dinner Decorations and Favors

Your wedding is going to be one of the most exciting times of your life, but also one of the most expensive. So, don't be ashamed of trying to save some money while you plan for it.

The best way to save is to cut your costs in just one area of the wedding rather than trying to shave a few cents off of each decoration and favor. That will simply be too difficult.

Many people who do this usually pick the rehearsal dinner to cut costs. It's not as memorable as the ceremony and it is sometimes easier to find deals on rehearsal dinner decorations and favors.

If you really want to save try the discount wedding outlets and other stores that sell a lot of wedding items. If you are lucky you could catch them when they are having a sale. They sometimes give discounts on larger purchases too, so think bulk. Buy one or two favors and get them for every one of your guests.

You can even buy rehearsal dinner favors that are really cheap like candies and mints and just put them in a favor box (you can also buy favor boxes in bulk and use them for the wedding, rehearsal and bridal shower).

There's many ways to save and cutting costs on your decorations and favors might be the best way to go.

Wedding Dresses

Wedding Cakes: Our Top Tips

Do you know everything there is to know about wedding cakes? The more informed you are, the better the decisions you will make. We've got you covered with our top tips.

Taste the Cake

As you start setting up appointments, find out when each baker's next tasting is scheduled. At tastings, clients are invited into the bakery to sample exemplary cakes, ask questions, and review portfolios. This is an excellent opportunity to meet bakers and fully understand the range of their abilities.

Select a Style

Deal with the cake after all decisions about dress style and reception decor have been made. These elements can serve as a blueprint for the design and structure of your wedding cake. Choose a cake that's compatible with the style of the venue, the season, your gown, the flower arrangements, or the menu. If you want colorful accents (such as sugar flowers or icing ribbons), give your baker fabric swatches. The cake should be part of the wedding, not a glaring sideshow.

Size

It Up

Generally, three tiers will serve 50 to 100 guests; you'll likely need five layers for 200 guests or more. If the reception is in a grand room with high ceilings, consider increasing the cake's stature with columns between the tiers. (A "stacked" cake is one with its layers stacked directly atop each other, with no separators.)

Price It Out

Wedding cake often is priced by the slice -- the cost varies, but generally ranges from $1.50 to $15 per slice (though this is a very general and loose estimate). The more complicated the cake (based on intricate decorations or hard-to-find fillings), the higher the price tag. Fondant icing is more expensive than buttercream, and if you want elaborate molded shapes , vibrant colors, or handmade sugar-flower detailing, you'll pay for the cake designer's labor.

Find Ways to Save

Order a small cake that's decorated to perfection but can only feed a handful (or even a fake cake made of Styrofoam, but one that's decorated in real sugar) plus several sheet cakes of the same flavor to actually feed the guests. Stay away from tiers, handmade sugar flowers, and specially molded

shapes. Garnish with seasonal flowers and fruit for an elegant (but less expensive) effect. If you'll have a dessert table (or another sweet) in addition to the cake, consider a cake sized for half your guests. Servings will be smaller, but the fee will shrink too.

Get the Facts on Frosting

Buttercream or fondant? That's the main question. Buttercream is often much more delicious. But if you love the smooth, almost surreal-like look of fondant as much as we do, consider frosting the cake in buttercream first and then adding a layer of fondant over the entire confection.

Consider the Weather

If you're having an outdoor wedding in a hot climate, stay away from whipped cream, meringue, and buttercream: They melt. Ask your baker about summer icing options; You might want to go for a fondant-covered cake -- it doesn't even need to be refrigerated.

Mind Your Magazines

Keep in mind, magazines (like ours) have food stylists, editors, and assistants working nonstop to keep the cakes looking perfect. These people spend hours fixing the sweating, dripping, leaning, or sagging that can happen to a cake after it's been sitting for a while. And if what they do doesn't work, they can fix it with Photoshop. They also have the luxury of creating cakes from stuff that isn't edible -- most cakes in magazines are iced pieces of Styrofoam, which certainly doesn't taste very good. So don't expect your cake designer to be able to replicate exactly what you see in print.

Take Note: It's All in the Details

When it comes to decoration, adornment costs run the gamut. The most inexpensive option is fresh fruits or flowers that, in some instances, can be applied by your florist for a minimal fee. On the high end are delicate gum paste or sugar paste flowers, which are constructed by hand, one petal at a time. But here's the bottom line: All add-ons -- including marzipan fruits, chocolate-molded flowers, and lace points -- will raise the rate. (For the record, we think it's worth the cost!)

Encourage Cake Collaboration

If you want to garnish your cake with fresh flowers, find out if the cake designer will work with your florist, or if you are responsible for the blooms. If the florist is running the show, will she have time to adorn the cake? Be wary of elaborate floral accents if your reception space decor is labor-intensive.

Get Him Involved!

The popularity of the groom's cake, traditionally a Southern custom, is on the rise. The bride's cake -- the one cut by the couple at the reception -- is traditionally eaten as dessert. The groom's cake is usually darker and richer (often chocolate) and nowadays crafted to show off the groom's passions and obsessions. Give slices to guests as a take-home memento or cut and serve both for dessert.

Go Mini?

Many bakers agree that the idea of a mini cake (where each guest gets his or her own) is a great idea -- in theory but not always in practice. Not only does each cake require its own decoration (often as intricate, if not more, than one that's four times its size), each will require its own box. Unfortunately, boxes don't come in mini-cake sizes. Often the bakery must construct individual boxes in which to transport these cakes. Multiply by however many guests you'll be having, and you'll see what a costly, time-consuming feat this actually is. That said, if you can swing it, they look amazing being passed around by waiters on sleek silver trays (and of course, they taste just as great too).

Get It On Display

Your cake will likely be on display before it's cut and consumed. Make sure there is a designated cake table that allows the most elegant presentation possible. A round table is perfect for round cakes, but a linear cake design may call for a rectangular table. Figure out your options. Once you have a cake table, have fun dressing it up: Drape it with sumptuous fabrics and decorate it with motifs, colors, and flowers to match the cake (your florist can help).

Top It Off

There are many beautiful and unique ways to top off your cake, so you can avoid plastic figurines (unless you're going for cool-kitsch). If you have an heirloom piece -- especially a fine porcelain antique -- work with your baker to integrate it into an appropriate design. A pair of sugar or gingerbread cookies can look charming atop a country wedding cake. Finely sculpted maple sugar or marzipan figurines are quaint. Other alternatives: a bouquet of sugar flowers, a cascade of icing ribbons, or even a sugar block carved out to reveal your new monogram.

Lock Down Delivery Details

Cake delivery takes coordination. Complex cakes may not necessarily be delivered in final form. Allow time and space for assembly, if needed. Refrigeration may also be required. For more on last-minute details, review our Points for the Contract.

After the Wedding...

Avoid freezer burn! Even if you take the most painstaking packaging measures, eating the top tier of your cake on your first anniversary sounds far better than it tastes. Think about indulging on your two-week or one-month anniversary, and treat yourself to a fresh cake in the same flavor when you've survived the first year. If you must adhere to tradition, wrap the cake in plastic wrap, then bag it in an airtight baggie. Stay away from aluminum foil -- it might not protect against freezer burn as well as plastic wrap because it's not an airtight material.