Author: Mary P Karnes

I am a wife, author, teacher, and MOTHER OF FOUR DAUGHTERS! Weddings are a large force in our lives these days. One daughter married in June of 2014, another will in July 2015. Please join me on my blog and enjoy the wedding ride! It's full of ups…and downs.

New Wedding Cake Trend

Posted on by Mary P Karnes

 

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There’s a new wedding cake trend …the bride uses her bouquet as her cake topper!  The photo above, shows how this new cake style is designed.  There is actually a bowl type opening for the bouquet handle to rest in.  Some cakes even offer a shallow vessel within the opening to hold water — keeping the flowers fresh.  This creates other issues…What does the bride use to”Throw Her Bouquet”?  I imagine the florist could provide an additional bouquet – but everyone would KNOW it was not the original…  Another drawback, the bride’s cake topper, (i.e. her wedding bouquet), could NOT become an heirloom.  Both my daughters plan to save their own cake toppers and offer them to THEIR children when they marry.  I think it’s a lovely tradition.  Remember moms out there, though…your vision of the perfect wedding may not be your daughter’s…or even more sensitive, your future daughter-in-law’s.

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The photo below is Kathleen’s cake topper.  Her future mother-in-law gifted her with it at KK’s engagement party.  Maggie’s mother-in-law also presented her with a cake topper at HER engagement party.  I think we have a new tradition…  I would have loved for the girls to use ours…but I did not choose well.  Our cake topper was an adorable fabric bride and groom – but it did not hold up well through countless corporate moves, and plain old age.  A crystal or china piece is a much better selection  – provided you pack it for storage well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think, readers…do you like the concept?  Or will you opt for the more traditional?  You really can’t go wrong…but keep in mind what may look best in photos.

 

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How To Preserve Your Wedding Cake

Posted on by Mary P Karnes

 

Do you know how to preserve your wedding cake? The tradition of eating the top layer of your wedding cake on your first anniversary is at least as old as my great-grandparents.  Some bakers now offer a “free” separate top layer to save.  You must store it the right way, however, or it will NOT be a delicious experience.  We must have done a decent  job of storing our top layer, as I know my husband and I ate it, and I don’t remember it being awful…  Luck must have been involved as much as expertise.

It was very easy to preserve the top layer of daughter and son-in-law’s wedding cake – we’ll have to wait a year to see if my system worked, however!  The only thing you should do in advance is make sure you have a very large Tupperware-type round bowl – about 18″ across and 6″ deep, a board to set the cake on, plastic wrap, foil —- and this is the most important part — room in your freezer!

The above photo is my own daughter’s wedding cake

Step #1 – Choose someone reliable to commit to preserving your top layer.

Step #2 – Safely wrap and preserve any cake topper you may have used.  Hopefully, the future generations would like to use it.  I love how the groom’s mother chose a porcelain ornament so it can be handed down.

Step #3 – The experts say to freeze the cake 30 minutes to 2 hours ahead of the process.  I think this was recommend because some cakes are frosted in butter cream and thus the frosting is not firm.  I did freeze the cake for about an hour, but as Maggie’s was covered in fondant, and I don’t think I needed to.

Step #4 – Whatever you choose to set the cake on, whether it be a plastic cutting board, a piece of wood, or cardboard, wrap it in foil to protect the cake from tasting like the platform.

Step #5 – Cover the cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap.

Step # 6 – Then cover the cake in 2 layers of foil.

Step #7 – Store the whole think in the Tupperware Bowl and freeze.  Don’t forget to “burp” the Tupperware to get the air out!  This will preserved your cake for up to a year.

Initial info was gleaned from: Susannah Chen – www.yumsugar.com, although I tweaked it as I went along with my own supplies

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Image credits:  #1 Lisa Thibodeaux

                             #2 Patty Cloherty

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Fake Wedding Cakes

Posted on by Mary P Karnes

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Would you consider a “fake wedding cake” for your big day?  What are “fake wedding cakes”?  you ask.  It’s simple, although as a mother of a recent bride, I had been unaware of this option until I watched the TV program, “Shark Tank” the other night.  It’s simple.  The cake is formed of styrofoam rounds decorated in fondant, (edible icing), or “perm-icing” (non-edible icing).  http://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/weddings/planning/wedding-cakes/fake-wedding-cake.htm  gives a great explanation on how it’s done.

The plan is to “Display the ‘fake cake’ ” at the reception, but serve other desserts to the guests.

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The  American TV show, “Shark Tank” gives ‘wanna be’ entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their products to venture capitalists. The bakers on this particular episode presented the “fake wedding cake” option, but with a twist.  Their cakes had a secret compartment which would face the bride and groom.  They would “pretend” to cut the cake.  The secret compartment would be filled with any type of white cake and icing, enough for two, enough for the bride and groom to feed each other.  Then the cake would be wheeled to the “kitchen” where servers would then cut sheet cake and serve the guests.  The rental, “fake cake” would then be shipped to back to the company.

I maintain this is not a real money saver. By the time the “fake wedding cake” rental fee and sheet cake are factored in, it could cost almost as much as a real wedding cake.  And really…do you think you’re going to fool your guests?  And on top of that, the bride and groom would not have the “top” layer of their cake to preserve and enjoy for their first anniversary.  If you’d like tips on how to preserve the top layer of YOUR wedding cake, check back soon  and read “how to” on my next blog post!

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All images: www.ultimatefakecakes.com
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Men’s Tuxedo Shoes!

Posted on by Mary P Karnes

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My husband of going on 32 years, mentioned the other day that I had not posted much on the attire for the men in the wedding party. He is right. While it is more fun to discuss women’s dresses, the men’s ensemble is vital for a “pulled together” wedding look.

This post will discuss one of the most basic accessories…Men’s tuxedo shoes! Most formal weddings are black tie (i.e. tuxedo with a black tie and no tails). According to “The Fine Young Gentleman” a wonderful blog on gentlemen’s attire, black tie allows men many options on their shoes, as long as they are black. The blogger says that there are three shoes most commonly worn with a tux. They are: patent leather, velvet, or leather, either smooth calf or cow leather and matching the right shoes with a suit from a rent a tuxedo service can prove to be quite difficult!

His opinion is that patent leather is the most ‘appropriate’. The choice of the word ‘opinion’ tells us that is really is a matter of choice. As long as your shoes are black, the men are in good shape. That being said… some shoes are better choices that others. Below, you see a very traditional leather oxford and a patent leather. I like the oxford, as once the wedding is over, the gentlemen have the option of wearing the shoes again with a formal black business suit…patent leather shoes…not so much. I never liked patent leather, even on women. And really…the velvet shoes below…I just can’t see anyone wearing them again except maybe as bedroom slippers! “The Fine Young Gentleman” says, “Velvet is not as formal as patent leather, but significantly more stylish and elegant when paired with a tux…. It is worth noting that velvet only works in slipper form; commonly known as prince Albert Slippers… The only catch is that in the most traditional sense they are worn only by a host or a gentleman at his club.” Sounds too complicated for me…

Our expert at “TheFine Young Gentleman” thinks loafers and slip-ons should be avoided – a lace-up/oxford is his choice. Or as he defines it, a “…well polished black oxford.”

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Below you see the father of the groom, and the father of the bride in all the glory of their wedding attire…
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