Abbie had last minute complications with her plans on getting a wedding cake. She called me and needed one for her wedding in 8 days. Thankfully I had an open spot and I was able to create this lovely cake for her.
Wedding Favors
Additional meanings have become attached to the wedding favor as time has passed. In total, the wedding favor is a symbol of well wishing for the five most important ingredients of a marriage bond: Health, Wealth, Happiness, Fertility and Long Life.
Essentially, the wedding favor is a symbol of love and respect from the bride and the groom, and a token of well wishing for their deliriously happy future together. In addition, they add to the décor and overall theme of the wedding itself.
Wedding favors have become increasingly popular over the years as more and more people want small keepsakes to remember special occasions by. The actual monetary ‘value’ of the gifts is relatively small now in comparison to our ancient Ancestors. Common favor include ribbons, candies, picture frames, personalized book marks, laminated plaques, candy, seed packets, pillows, balloons and potpourri.
Wedding Favors
The tradition of giving wedding favors is rooted in ancient European history. It was a ritual of common practice for wealthy aristocrats who were celebrating marriages, christenings, births and birthdays. The bride and groom would give small presents, now known as favors, to their guests and well-wishers to thank them for sharing the momentous occasion. Initially the favors were of great value, being made of expensive materials such as gold, silver, precious gems, porcelain or crystal with contents great value, most notably sugar. At that time, sugar was a very rare substance, prized for its suppose medicinal qualities.
Ivy symbolizes eternal fidelity & wedded bliss. A popular Victorian tradition was for a bride to plant the ivy in her bouquet after the wedding and watch it grow through the years, passing down sprigs from the same plant for her daughters & granddaughters to use in their weddings.
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe:
This saying dates back to Victorian time.
Something Old:
Represents the link with the bride’s family and the past. A common solution many bride’s choose is to wear a piece of family jewelry or their mother’s or grandmother’s wedding dress.
Something New:
Represents good fortune and success in the bride’s new life. The wedding dress is often chosen as the new item.
Something Borrowed:
To remind the bride that friends and family will be there for her when help is needed. The borrowed object might be something such as a lace handkerchief or an item of jewelry.
Something Blue:
Symbolizes faithfulness and loyalty and dates back to biblical times when blue represented purity. Frequently the bride’s garter is the blue item.
A Silver Sixpence in her Shoe is to wish the bride wealth, both financial and happiness.
Rainy Wedding Day Bride
Rain is considered to be a good wedding omen in Germany, Sweden, and France. This is possibly because rain is associated with a bountiful harvest, and thus, fertility. Some believe that the rainier the wedding day, the more children the marriage will produce. (So if you get married during a downpour, I guess that you can expects to have triplets!)
Whether you consider rain to be a lucky sign or not, there is always a chance that it will fall on your wedding day.
To make wet weather less of an issue for a outdoor wedding:
Personal Postage Stamps
How about fancy postage? You can have your picture, monogram, names, etc. on “real” US postage stamps. This would be make you invitations, thank yous, etc. so much more personal. You can find customized stamps at http://www.perfectpostage.com
Bridesmaids at play
This is a personal choice. The average number of bridesmaids is about 3-5, plus the Maid of Honor. This gives the altar a nice, full look without it looking over crowded.
Usually you match bridesmaids with groomsmen, so consider how many groomsmen your groom would like when choosing your bridesmaids.
Remember, no matter how many you choose, it is your (and you grooms) decision. After all it is your wedding day.
I received a request to make a cake for the Knights of the Road MC Detroit. They wanted it to match the patch on their vests exactly and be the same size. Well, I took the challenge and this picture shows I did it. And it was butter-cream not fondant.
Johanna & Andrew's wedding cake
The Bride and Groom chose a stacked wedding cake with black and fuschia ribbons. They had butter-white and chocolate cakes. In lieu of a traditional top they choose a fuschia ribbon with streamers.