Wed Recap: All the deets! (photo heavy post)

I'm not gonna say much in today's post.  Honestly, I have had some major stressful things happening at work lately.  I don't want to go into all of it but we're talking about my boss losing millions of dollars due to an issue with a lender.  :(  This means I haven't been able to spend much time on the net browsing through all of your lovely blogs I follow.  Don't dismay - I am totally still here!  Those of you who have noticed I haven't been commenting much lately, please know that I will be back over there to more thoroughly digest archived posts and catch up as soon as things are resolved here in the office :)

Thankfully, I schedule most of my posts months in advance so I have still been going regularly over here.  And I can honestly say that the wedding recaps will finally be ending this month!  Five months after the wedding, I will be wrapping it up with a few more pics and videos to share with all of you as I finalize my memories of our big day.  Thanks for hangin' in there with me.

Today, I wanted to share this cool little recap video that our videographer included in our wedding video (note that the song is not the song used in our wedding video, I had to change it due to YouTube copyrights).  It is a recap of the cocktail hour but I love it because it shows a few of the little details of our event, specifically the reception tables.  So after the video, I'll share a bunch of photos as well:

One of the two door hangers that my sister made for our day:

Our Flip Flop basket covered in red silk fabric holding 72 pairs of multi-colored flip flops:

Reserved seat signs designed by Serendipity Design

Red chinese take out Favor Boxes containing little red or turquoise key chains with a 5 ' tape measure inside:




Place cards were tucked into the napkins with each guest's name sticking out at the top.  The card was not a menu card but rather a list of activities and favors that we had available for the guests:

Personal photo

Cake table:  Our cake was made by a family friend and if you remember, Mr Fix It tried to recreate the stand from a professional picture we found.  It didn't turn out the way we envisioned it but it was amazingly good!

Our Gift Card box was the one thing I did NOT want to sell but Mr Fix It said we didn't have room for it in the house :(  So I took it to a wedding swap meet where other girls fought over it :)

A photo of my friend's guitar which he played during his solo at our ceremony

I loved this simple poster board of our room layout which made it easy for guests to locate their tables when they picked up their escort cards.

Cocktail tables (without the pen holder and votives that were also on them):

I absolutely adored the way that my coordinators tied the linen around the high standing cocktail tables!  I had shown them a picture of what I wanted and they recreated it perfectly!!!

By Amber Marquez

These Parasols were part of my gift to my BM's...loved them in a few photos.

By Yan Freedline

5 page Fan Programs designed by Serendipity Design

Gobo light

Kleenex tissue packs:  A last minute ceremony favor idea that I quickly threw together on the cheap:

Personalized water bottle labels that I designed and placed over bottles for our wedding party (unfortunately the photographer did not get a better shot of just how adorable these were...they had a custom ingredient chart on the back, too):

Our Unity Cross:

Each younger child (and some younger teens) place settings had a personalized menu under their napkin which had a word search, maze and even a scavenger hunt for the reception:

They also had a circus favor box full of goodies with a little thank you message label on it:

 The label reads:  A basket full of treats and fun, especially for the younger one.  Color, draw or play a game...just have some fun, so glad you came!

I won a free print via blog giveaway months before the wedding and had this engagement photo printed on a canvas which we displayed on an easel next to our gift table:

Some of the many little signs that we place around the event for the guests' convenience:

Photobooth table signs and baskets:

Our super cool and unique toasting flutes which I can't wait to use on future anniversaries!

Share Time:  What was your most favorite detail, DIY item or decor item from your big day?

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Robert Mullins Photography

What happens when a cake maker and a construction worker try to communicate?

Before I begin, let me just say that it is APRIL!!!   Hellooooo wedding month!

So you can read all about our cake saga here.  We gave up on our hopes of getting our dream cake:

And instead decided we'd still keep it 'different' by having an 'offset layered' cake something like this:

But with each layer decorated similar to this style:

Then when our baker told us that it was going to be an additional $1,000 to build that upside down cake we basically said 'No thanks' and decided to give the money to a family friend who has made all of our wedding, birthday and shower cakes for many, many years now.  She's not a pro - she works out of her house, but she would listen to exactly what we want and only charge us $1.00 per slice for 200 people, so how could we beat that?

So we met with her about the design and the flavors and she made us a sample of the red velvet with cream cheese frosting which was just yummylicious!  The only thing was that she didn't have a stand that would offset those round layers like the pic above.  Well, Mr Fix It to the rescue!  He offered to construct the stand for her.  They talked about the sizes they would need and the height of the dowels that would go through each cake layer to secure the cake on the stand.  They talked about how he was going to 'countersink' the dowels so that the stand would be more sturdy and all that jazz.  I didn't understand what they were saying but they seemed to get each other.

So we left and last Sunday Mr Fix It built the stand.  Sorry I didn't get any pics of it but it ended up being a bit of a fiasco.  Because...when a cake maker and a construction worker swap instructions and details, it's like the blind leading the blind.  It's like a deaf dog talking to a mute bird.  (Does that make sense?)

The point is...Mr Fix It wasn't thinking like a cake maker.  And he obviously doesn't ever watch Amazing Wedding Cakes or the Cake Boss because he constructed a stand that wasn't very helpful to a cake maker.

Basically, he used screws, color coded dowels, lines, numbers and all that jazz to build a 'puzzle tower.'  That's what I would refer to it as.  I tried to be patient and understanding and very appreciative but he was getting obviously irritated with me when I tried to explain to him how the cake stand wasn't going to work.

He built it in such a way that you put the one stand down and set the dowels into the little holes he drilled.  Then he expected our friendor to 'PUSH' the cake onto the dowels.  That's what you would need to do because he then built the bottom of the next layer to have holes in it that would go into the dowels below.  Then you actually SCREW the one stand onto the top of the other into the dowels.

So I tried to explain to him that bakers don't push cakes onto dowels.  They set the cake on the stand, decorate it, and then they push or hammer the dowels INTO the cake.  Then they set the next layer (stand) on top of those dowels.  Well, he wasn't getting it. 

Then I tried to explain that if the baker 'screwed' each layer into the one below it, how was the caterer supposed to get the layers apart in order to cut the cake.  To which my lovely intelligent Mr Fix It responded:  "They don't take the cake apart to cut it.  They cut around the layers and around the dowels." 

Really, honey?  Is that how they do it?  That doesn't waste half of the cake trying to cut 'around' the dowel rods?  Oh sweet baby, how naive you are!

After a bit of frustration and some stupid comments Mr Fix It made, I finally just told him I'd give it to her and see if she would be able to work with it.  So I drove straight to her house, showed her what he created, and asked her what she thought.  We both couldn't seem to figure our why Mr Fix It 'color coded' the dowels to fit in specific holes...they're all just basic dowels that are the same length so there's no reason for that really...other than the fact that he drilled holes in the top of some of them for the screws but that was obvious by looking at them. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Mr Fix It set the very top layer WAY too far off to the side which I specifically had told him NOT to do because it would make the cake unsturdy.  But he insisted that the screws would hold it all together and that he tested it with weights from his weight bench.  Whatever.  I was trying to get him to see that the screws were useless!

But in the end, me and our friendor talked through some options and realized that there was a way she could actually make it work - and even using the screws!  Which meant that the stand should in fact be pretty sturdy (hopefully).  And the caterer will be able to slide each layer off to cut it and then when he takes the stand out of each layer, the screwed in dowels will be pulled out of the layer below.  Does all this make sense?  Because it was a nightmare trying to figure out.  But it looks like it will hopefully work.

We'll see in just 15 days whether or not the cake falls over!  I am honestly over the cake and I only care if it tastes good!  :)  Cuz as my dad used to say: "Who cares what it looks like?  It all ends up in the same place anyway!"

Oh, how sweet it is! But what the hell is that crease?!? (Seriously Saturdays)

You may remember reading about my least favorite part of the entire wedding here.  I am not super excited about our cake.  Originally, I wanted a cupcake tower - which I would, in fact, have been super excited about.  At one point, Mr Fix It even gave in to the idea...briefly.  Because then he ripped the carpet out from under me and insisted we have a cake.  Not traditional mind you - just a cake.

So we had come up with some ideas for different and unique cakes.  To which our caterer then shocked us by trying to charge an *extra* $1,000 for the one cake we really wanted.  (Remember our cake was supposed to have been included in our catering package.)

Well, that wasn't gonna fly and while she made decent cakes, they kept deterring us from our desires to have fondant on the cake we wanted and from trying our own fondant recipe we wanted to have them use.  They kept going over and over again about how buttercream is the way to go but we are anti-buttercream. 

Mr Fix It had had enough (so had I), so he said, screw it!  Let's just give the money to your mom's friend that makes cakes for all your other family functions.  Fine with me because I am seriously over the cake.  I don't care if it's falling over as long as it tastes good (that's not true actually). 

Well, we met with our friendor who is only charging us $1.00 a slice for our cake.  Mr Fix It is going to build the stand for her because we want offset round layers.  We discussed cake flavors and are happy with having two layers in red velvet with a real cream cheese frosting and another layer with white cake and raspberry filling with a whip cream frosting and then the 4th layer will be lemon with lemon filling and whip cream frosting.  Apparently the whip cream frosting is not as sweet as buttercream and our friend really encouraged us to use it. 

Well, we told her that we'd love to have her try this marshmallow fondant recipe we found.  It is supposed to be the same consistency as regular fondant but actually tastes good instead of bland or dry.  She was on board and made a small test cake for us to see and taste.

Here's what we got:

Now please understand that apparently the cake was perfectly smooth and flat when she first made it.  She gave it to my mom who transported it and stored it in a fridge until I could get it the next day.  My mom insisted it did not look this way when she was finished with it and handed it off to her.  I did notice yesterday as I was reviewing the recipes I had emailed her that one of the web sites said you should not refrigerate marshmallow fondant, so I don't know if the refrigerator did something to it or if time itself had it's way with gravity or what.  I am going to ask her about the refrigeration part and if that is all that the problem is, that would be amazing!  Perhaps the proportions of the ingredients need to be adjusted, too?  But this creasing and melting look that is not perfectly smooth is unacceptable! 

The good news?  It actually tastes phenomenal!  The cake was super moist and yummy...I'm still eating it almost 5 days after it's been sitting in the fridge, too and it's still moist and good!  The frosting (cream cheese) was not too sweet at all and you could not even taste the fondant!  The fondant tasted good (or rather let the cream cheese overpower it).  But now we are stuck trying to figure out what to do because our friend does not think the marshmallow fondant is going to work and we really don't want to have to go with gross tasting fondant!

Mr Fix It insists we must use the regular disgusting fondant if this is what we are going to get because it is more important to him that the cake looks good rather than tastes good.  (sigh)

So now I need to call her next week and follow up on what our new options are.  This cake thing sucks!  Seriously!

P.S.  If you'd like the recipe for the marshmallow fondant, you can find it here or another one here.  It's actually super yummy.  She's never worked with it before so like I said, it could just be that something needs to be adjusted.  ???

Seriously Saturdays: The cake saga continues!

So in last week's post, I shared about how frustrated I was when our hopes for our dream cake came tumbling down around us.  The caterer was going to charge us an additional $1,000 for the cake we wanted...*and* we were concerned that his 'baker' would not be able to replicate it without it looking like a disaster.

While searching the net for replicas of the cake we wanted to recreate:

We came across these images which were obvious attempts at a knock off of the above cake, but not even close!

 

 

Source:  Picasa and Google Images

I mean, we really wanted that cake, but God forbid if what we ended up with looked like one of those...I would have been devastated at the least and totally embarassed!

So, instead, I browsed the net again and saw several blogs and sites with cupcake towers at weddings.  Um, hello?  I'll take this any day and twice on Sunday, please!  I fell in love with the idea.  A tower of wonderfully frosted little cakes in differing flavors but still unified in our colors with a small cake at the top of the tower for us to still cut into - perfect! 

 

Source:  Google Images unless otherwise noted on photo

And what's so cool about this idea?  The guests don't have to wait to be served.  As soon as we 'cut the cake' they can walk right up and just grab whatever they'd like.  And if they don't feel like cake at the reception - which a lot of people sometimes don't - then they can simply grab one and place it in a little takeout box to carry home with them for the next day.  Bonus!

I shared the idea with my mom and sis who absolutely loved it.  Mr Fix It - not so much.  Once again, the little bugger shot down my great idea saying it was 'ghetto' and cheap looking.  Even when I showed him pictures like this:

Source:  Jasmine Star Photography

Um, there is absolutely nothing cheap or ghetto looking about that!  Thankfully, we went to dinner with a good guy friend a few weeks ago and shared our cake dilemma with him.  When I mentioned the possibility of cupcakes, he said "Oh, that's a great idea."  Thanks, Danny!  Cuz now Mr Fix It has the approval of a cool younger dude and he came around saying "Ok, if they can't make our upside down cake for us, then we can do the cupcake tower."  Woo-hoo!

I e-mailed the caterer and showed him some of the above pics and asked what they'd charge to do 200 cupcakes and he said it'd only cost us an extra $200, then he even suggested they'd make it only $100 to help us out.  Great!  In our budget and I love the idea.  Until....

this is what he sent me as a sample that they just did for a wedding in Malibu last month:

Seriously?  THAT is your idea of a cupcake tower similar to all those gorgeous photos I just sent you?!  Are you kidding me?!  Look at it!  There are Oreo cookies stuck in the top of the cupcakes!  And silver tin foil cupcake holders are not cutting it at my wedding.  And hello, do you not know how to frost a stupid cupcake?  There is frosting all over the cupcake holders.  I zoomed in on the image on my computer and thought "I'd be so embarassed to send this out as a sample of our company's work!"  Good Lord!

I immediately showed it to Mr Fix It and told him "There is no way in hell I am having them make our cupcakes!  So either we're getting them somewhere else or we'll just have them make us a basic cake and try to find ways to spruce it up and make it more unique."  He agreed whole-heartedly and also pointed out that with our budget as high as it is, we really shouldn't worry about extra charges for a cake.  As much as it's a big deal, we need to keep the funds to a minimum where we can...and splurging on an extravagant cake is not an acceptable expense to us right now.  (sigh)

And thus, my cake saga continues with another let down.  This is the one thing in my entire wedding planning process that I am really not excited about and actually bummed about.  I am not looking forward to the cake at our wedding because I know it is not going to be what I envisioned.  Oh well.

So, next week I'll hopefully have some updated info on our plans to revamp the whole cake design yet again!  What are your plans for your cake ladies?  Keeping it traditional?  And what are some areas of your wedding that maybe you're not excited about because you feel like you had to compromise on your hopes and dreams?

Seriously Saturdays: Freaking out about the cake!

I am really on top of things when it comes to my wedding planning.  For the most part, I either have a perfect example of what I want for something or I have a great idea and vision with a good way to communicate my thoughts to my vendors. 

I knew that I am not a huge fan of your typical traditional white tiered wedding cake.  I mean, they're real pretty and all but my thought is, you've seen one wedding cake, you've seen them all.  UGH!  I seriously did not want your typical wedding cake at my event. 

For a friends very low key super tight budget wedding, she had planned on just buying a sheet cake from Costco.  But I suggested we buy several cheesecakes instead and cover them with freshly cut fruit of varying kinds...strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.  The caterer tiered them at varying levels on a niceley covered table and she had a unique and presentable wedding cake option.  Me and my future sis-in-laws cut up the fruit and placed them on the cakes and Mr Fix It even served the cake to the guests at the wedding. 

  

Source:  Personal photos

So when I decided to show Mr. Fix It some samples of some 'whimsical' cakes I was hoping we could try to replicate at our wedding, I was super excited when he jumped on board and fell in love with a few of them! 

Source:  Rancho Las Lomas web site

Source:  Sorry, didn't save it from years ago :(

But these were still not quite what we felt was the 'over the top' feeling we wanted to shock our guests with.  Now mind you, we still wanted something classy looking.  It couldn't be a cake wreck (as much as I love that site, I don't want to become a future sad image over there).

We were over the moon when our caterer informed us that our cake was included in the package price he quoted us.  Seriously!  Who gets a cake included in an already phenomenal catering deal?  Mind you, I was a bit concerned when I found out that the 'baker' they use is a girl who works out of her home and makes cakes as a side job for our caterer and a few other companies.  I started to see my dreams of an amazing cake dissapear.  But then I found these images that she had created for some of the caterer's other weddings:

Source:  La Finestra Catering

At least, I felt like she was somewhat capable now.  So one day, while browsing through some web sites, I came across two unbelievable cakes that were seriously exactly what I was looking for.  And when I showed them to the fiance, he flipped out!  Here's what we sent our caterer asking him to see what additional charges the baker would charge us to make a cake like this with a 'good' tasting marshmallow fondant:

 Our absolute favorite!

 

A much simpler looking possibility but still very cool:

                      

Never gonna happen unless we're millionaires:

I mean, yes, these are some serious cakes, but they aren't horribly impossible.  It's just a matter of figuring out how to shape them correctly and then concocting a stand that can support them...which my Mr. Fix It even offered to do for the caterer!

So when he came back telling me that it would be an additional $1,000 for us to have that first cake for our 200 guests, I almost fell off my chair!  I could seriously make that cake myself if I took a few weeks to practice.  Seriously!?!  Is he kidding me?

Now we're spending a pretty penny on our wedding but we never planned to spend more than maybe $300.00 for the upgrades to our cake since it is included in our catering package.

Now, we are totally rethinking our entire idea for the cake.  This is the one part of my wedding that I am absolutely not excited about and getting more and more frustrated with as it seems to be turning into a huge nightmare and let down over and over again.  Stay tuned next week for the follow up to our cake nightmare.