Storing Your Top Tier for Your First Anniversary

Tres Belle Cakes

• Remove decorations or anything that could break • Don’t let it rest on cardboard because it will then taste like cardboard

Tres Belle Cakes

• Put cake in freezer as is for 20 minutes so that it won’t stick to the plastic wrap then take it out and completely cover it in plastic wrap (airtight) • Wrap in 2 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil to protect from freezer burn

Tres Belle Cakes

• Defrost the cake 1 day before serving in your fridge • After 2 hours remove the wrapping and continue to defrost

Tres Belle Cakes

• Let it rest at room temperature before serving • You can have a new layer of icing added to make it look pretty again

Tres Belle Cakes

All photos courtesy of Tres Belle Cakes - an awesome wedding and speciality cake baker in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Your Wedding Cake (and non-cake) Options

Why not be different and veer away from the traditional by offering your guests a non cake dessert option at your wedding such as: • Cupcakes

Sweet by Holly

• Chocolate mousse • Petit fours • Dessert buffet

Clo by Clau

• Chocolate fountain • Chocolate bar- hot chocolate, chocolate covered coffee beans, chocolate sticks, everything chocolate • Crocumbroche- traditional French pastry formed into a ball and structured into a cone with spun sugar over top • Individual mini cakes for each person Who Will Eat Your Cake? • Serve at desert • Midnight buffet • Boxes to take home

How to Save Money When Purchasing Your Wedding Cake

• You can opt for a smaller wedding cake and purchase a sheet cake as a less expensive option to serve all your wedding guests. • Your cake doesn’t have to be real, just one slice does. If you’re not serving your wedding cake to your guests then have a Styrofoam cake decorated and have one piece be real or a cake behind the fake cake to do the traditional cake cutting. • If you’re not serving your wedding cake for dessert you do not need to order one slice per person because if you’re serving it at the end of the night, not everyone will eat it • Most venues do charge a cake cutting fee/ plating fee to serve a cake not made by their catering staff • Use cardboard circles stacked together to give your cake the desired height you want, or you can purchase a cake stand from companies such as Raise the Cake. www.raisethecake.com

Raise the Cake

• Decorate the dummy cake just like a real cake • Want more servings then make your base larger or add mini wedding cakes which makes the cake table look extravagant

Free Wedding Website

I highly recommend that Brides create a wedding website. This allows for you to be able to keep your guests informed on the happenings for your wedding weekend. Create your website prior to sending out your Save the Dates so you can include the web address on the Save the Date. You can upload pictures of you and your sweetie and give tell the story of your relationship, how you knew that he was the one, and the engagement. This is also a great place to display some of your fantastic engagement shots! Additionally, there are features that allow your guests to RSVP and to see your bridal registry (as that information is to never be included in your wedding invites). And the best thing about it...It's free. Go to http://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-websites.html to see over a 100 beautiful layouts.

Bridesmaids Dresses for Under $100 at JCPenny

The financial responsibility of being a bridesmaid is not a cheap one, that is why it is so important to consider your bridesmaids wallets when choosing their attire for your big day. The always affordable JCPenny has fabulous dresses all less than $50 that serve as great Bridesmaids dresses. This first look with dress and necklace comes in a variety of sizes and will work perfectly for an evening wedding. This entire look came in less than $100. This little number again is less than $50 and comes in a variety of colors and sizes to accommodate your bridesmaids. Additionally, your girls can go online to order their dresses. Last but not least is this Jones Wear teal wrap dress. Perfect for a variety of sizes and can you believe the necklace and dress together are less than $100.

Sweet! By Good Golly Miss Holly | Orlando Desserts | Custom Cupcakes | Tart Frozen Yogurt

One afternoon back in July of 2008 while surfing through FACEBOOK, I noticed there was a new bakery, Sweet!, specializing in cupcakes opening in Waterford Lakes Shopping Center. Now I had heard of the cupcake craze spreading in LA and New York and have always been jealous of Bridgette from the “Girls Next Door” whenever she got a cupcake from her local bakery, but now it was my chance to jump into the cupcake craze. So on July 4th during the grand opening of SWEET! By Good Golly Miss Holly, I had a chance to try out these delicious bits of heaven, and let me tell you, I have been hooked ever since. My favorite is the Boston Cream, I cannot even make it out of the parking lot without taking a bite of my take home treat. These cupcakes are a big hit for parties and weddings and are competitive in price with the per person costs of a wedding cake. The Sweet! website offers a myriad of pictures showcasing the variety of set-ups that can be done with cupcakes, and their cupcake towers create an awesome focal point for any event! This place is an absolute delight and I cannot wait to see owner, Hollis, open up shop throughout the state of Florida…so I can have a cupcake wherever I go!

Orlando Knot Party

This past Tuesday I had the honor of attending the Knot annual party for Orlando held at the beautiful Waldorf Astoria of Orlando.

I had the chance to mix and mingle with some of my colleagues in the wedding industry and we had a blast! The first half of the event was in one of the stunning ballrooms of the hotel. Flourish Productions and Raining Roses provided fabulous floral arrangements that brought life to the space as well as the mood setting lighting provided by Kaleidoscope Event Lighting. We were treated to acrobatic dancers who hang from the gorgeous ceilings, a live band, and plenty of yummy cocktails. There was living art throughthout the party which was tons of fun. I look forward to the opportunity to design and coordinate an event at this stunning venue! Thanks 'The Knot' for such an exciting evening!