Thursday, February 21, 2013
At Sunday's Perfect Wedding Guide bridal show, cakes were certainly the show stopper. There were so many to love, including the brooch cake below, designed by Signature Cakes by Vicki. So what's hot in Nashville wedding cakes? I reached out to Vicki for the scoop. White cakes are still very popular but brides are working with their cake designers to take the basic white cake in a number of different directions, from lace to bling. Here are a few cakes by Vicki that showcase what's hot...
Bling Brides
White cakes are big! This brooch cake, by Vicki, was my favorite of her 2013 designs. If you are drawn to shiny things, this one sure dazzles!
Lovely Lace
Brides are loving lace. Again, many are opting to keep the cake white, resulting in a classic white on white look.
Burlap, Birch and Lace
Unless you've been under a rock, you've at least seen the burlap and lace wedding theme. It's all over Pinterest and is uber-popular. Rustic-style brides are all about burlap and lace and many are also opting for birch, another fun option, as designed below by Vicki.
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Modern Matrimony
Modern girls, like me, are the minority in Nashville. I'm drawn to the bold colors and geo shapes on this blue and green cake. It's ultra modern, not for all but certainly a style perfect for me and other mod brides!
Opulent, Vintage Details
Are you "gone with the wind fabulous" like Kenya Moore on The Real Housewives of Atlanta? If you are the queen of luxury, here are a few cakes with ornate details fit for a queen. They also are two of Vicki's personal favorite cakes. And, it's not wonder that these cakes have been chosen by dozens of Nashville brides who have taken the styles and modified them to fit their personal taste. Vicki says that the cakes can be tweaked, changing the color, the flowers.
All wonderful cakes designed by Signature Cakes by Vicki!! Contact Signature Cakes at 615-513-2266 or via email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Cakes & Food, Inspiration & Trends
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
There are many talented wedding designers in Nashville who have successfully created dream wedding brands for their couples. Usually bridal branding stops at paper goods, gobos, and decor, but Photo Booth Nashville recently wrapped one of their retro photo booths for Country Weekly Magazine, which got me thinking.... How cool would a branded booth be for your luxury wedding? Why not take your carefully crafted theme to the next level? Photo Booths are always a popular treat for wedding guests, but I'm sure they've never seen a custom wrapped booth. And of course your wedding logo would print on each guest photo too.
The wrapped booth option is clearly not in every bride's budget. But, if you are looking for an innovative, A-list way to brand your wedding, contact Amy of Photo Booth Nashville for more details.
The wrapped booth above was located backstage at the 2012 Country Music Association Awards and right next to the swag gift table. The custom designed booth further branded the event and attracted celebrities and their entourages all night long.
The booth was featured in print by Country Weekly Magazine
A booth that was wrapped for a wedding. For your booth, you would work with your wedding designer to create a design to complement your wedding brand.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Inspiration & Trends, Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds, Photo Booth
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Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Cakes have gotten more elaborate, detailed, and colorful. But all-white cakes are classic and still preferred by many brides. Are all-white cakes boring? Can they be as expressive as cakes with color? Apparently so! If you are leaning toward an all-white cake, you are not alone. According to my interview below with Vicki of Signature Cakes, they are just as fabulous as their hued cousins.
Traditionally, haven't wedding cakes been all-white?
Signature Cakes: During King Henry VIII’s time there were no wedding cakes, because the cake tin/pan had not been invented. They did, however, have elaborately sculpted sugar pieces that were then painted in bright colors and trimmed in 24 karat gold which were edible. Later, heavy cakes with nuts and dried fruits became the dessert of choice for all celebrations including weddings.
The origin of the traditional tiered wedding cake is said to date back to 18th Century London. The story began with Thomas Rich, a baker’s apprentice who fell in love with his boss’s daughter. He surprised his new bride with a wedding cake that took its inspiration from the steeple of St Bride’s Church. That cake is credited for the traditional tiered wedding cake used across the world today.
It was actually Queen Victoria’s wedding cake that made the white tower wedding cake famous. Within one day of her wedding, pictures of the cake were published in newspapers all over the world. It was the beginning of the towering white wedding cake.
How recently was color added - do you know?
Signature Cakes: From Queen Victoria’s time through the early part of the 20th Century, most all wedding cakes were white. In the 1950's, John and Jackie Kennedy, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and Princess Grace of Monaco, all had white wedding cakes. It was tradition.
Toward the end of the 1950's and into the 60's pastels began to appear in the buttercream flowers on the cakes. You might see pink or blue piped roses and light green leaves. In 1967, Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding cake had red roses on it. By the 1970's, the Wilton Cake Company made colorful wedding cakes the current trend. The more complicated and colorful the design, the more the brides wanted the cakes. Of course, fondant was not in use as it is today. These colorful cakes were “old school” all hand piped buttercream flowers, borders, and embellishments.
How many of your brides opt for all white/ivory vs color?
Signature Cakes: I’ve noticed over the last couple of years that the trend to monochromatic white/ivory with touches of gold, silver, pearl has increased. Some of the cakes are very simple buttercream iced cakes. However, many of the modern white cakes are very detailed, making layers of edible texture, lace, fabric, sashes, ribbons and finishes worthy of a runway. They are often breathtaking in their complex simplicity - there is an oxymoron for you which serves to emphasis the point.
Why is an all white cake appealing to certain brides?
Signature Cakes: Remember the old adage, “All things old are new again”? Just like we see in fashion, things come around again, but with some new twists. Very few vintage designs are exactly the same as the older versions. No matter what the taste or theme of a wedding, most brides want some form of elegance, glamor, or romance. Even a rustic wedding cake with white birchbark fondant has it’s romance. White has a way of making even the rather ordinary stunning.
Can you still have a fun, intricate cake even though it's white? How is detail or whimsy added?
Signature Cakes: A white wedding cake can certainly be very intricate. Adding textured icing fabrics, laces from art deco to rococo moldings, and custom, original piping turns a white cake into a masterpiece. However, whimsy is most often defined by color. White tends to be more sophisticated and those two elements fight each other. When I design a whimsy cake, I’m looking for bold and color as well as texture. The white cake is sophisticated, classic, elegant, original, and couture.
Do these cakes usually remain all-white or do brides add color through flowers, ribbons, etc?
Signature Cakes: If a cake is called an all-white wedding cake, the only “color” that is added would be very neutral such as ivory, pearl, perhaps a very minimal touch of metallic gold or silver. Occasionally green floral leaves are added to a white sugar bouquet, but once you begin to add colors, it is no longer a white wedding cake. Of course there is nothing wrong with adding color to personalize your cake to the colors of your wedding. That is predominately the trend today. The design, the color, and the possibilities are endless.
All cakes creatively designed by Signature Cakes.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Cakes & Food, Inspiration & Trends
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Thursday, December 13, 2012
Brides and grooms across the country are turning their bridal events into a fun filled way to connect with their friends and celebrate. Grooms are no longer just along for the ride. They are creating man caves at their engagement dinners and cigar bars at their receptions. But aside from bars, there are very few venues that are willing or able to accommodate smoking.
Luckily, Cellar One has a beautiful, outdoor courtyard that allows guests to smoke and not interfere with the guests inside. This is a rare find and also the reason they have hosted a number of cigar bars. For one client, Cellar One designed a Bourbon and Cigar Bar and guests were able to learn about the cigars, then sample from a variety of cigars and four different bourbons. What fun!
Inspiration photo sources (clockwise): whiskey bar; Cellar One courtyard; men with bourbon sign
Inspiration photo sources (clockwise): men with cigars; chalk cigar table & cigars in boxes
Inspiration photo sources (clockwise): whiskey table; cigar station; woman with cigar
Cellar One's courtyard is ideal for spring and fall bridal events and would be an great addition to an engagement party, bachelor party, rehearsal dinner, or wedding cocktail hour. Contact Laurie at 615-662-3539 to learn more about hosting your bridal event at Cellar One.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Grooms, Groomsmen & Tuxedos , Inspiration & Trends, Wedding Venues and Locations
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Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Spicy...sweet...chocolatey...beer flavored wedding cake? With custom cake flavors, Crumb de la Crumb takes wedding cakes to a new level. I've always been impressed with the design skills of Nashville cake artists but now, you can partner with Crumb to design your cake AND your cake flavor. And, we're not talking strawberries and cream, chocolate pound cake or new twists on tradtional flavors, we're talking - sit down, tell us what you like to eat and get a cake with notes from your favorite flavors. Unreal.
Lorie of Crumb de la Crumb happened to mention their custom cake flavors in passing and it raised my eyebrows. If you are a foodie and wants a cake with a distinct flavor that your guests will remember, here's how it usually works:
~Lorie meets with the bride and groom to get to know them.
~The couple tastes a variety of their most popular flavors, textures from their bakery.
~Once the couple has hired Crumb de la Crumb, the team starts working on the custom look and the taste.
~Lorie digs deeper into the couple's loves - from their favorite desserts to food and drinks - anything that might give her an idea of your taste palette. Some couples bring in samples of what they love.
~Lorie designs cake flavors based on what she learns and the couple chooses their custom flavor or they modify until the taste is perfect for them.
One groom was a beer connisseur. He likes premium beer and brews his own. He brought Lorie 3-4 of his favorite beers and she designed a flavor based on those beers. Lorie created infusions and buttercream all laced with beer. For the groom this experience was more enjoyable and very different than going to a bakery and getting a traditional caramel cake. Everything is tailored to the bride and groom, from design to flavor. Crumb de la Crumb wants it to taste as good it looks and believes the taste should also reflect them. After going through the experience of creating a custom flavor, Lorie says most Crumb clients opt for the custom flavor.
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Below: a typical Crumb de la Crumb cake tasting; photos by Kristyn Hogan
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Cakes & Food, Inspiration & Trends
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