The HOW : Cake Tasting

by admin on June 26, 2012

in food + drinks, My Day, tips + advice

So I thought I’d blog about my latest experience “cake tasting” since it has some useful tips and lessons. My fiancé left all vendor selection up to me since he knew I was going to stay within our budget. I went with Sweet and Saucy Shop! their goodies are seriously to die for and the presentation is practically perfection.

Anyway, we had our tasting and made our decision(s)! I walked rolled away joking that my biggest planning dilemma is having a tough time trying to decide on my ABSOLUTE favorite! Here’s my advice:

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Bring your fiancé.. This will be the one time he will want to participate in the planning process. Regardless of your taste in sweets, he won’t want to miss this. I promise!

Be willing to compromise. If you like the chocolate and he likes the red velvet, be willing to compromise and get both! With cakes being anything but “conventional” these days, you can have whatever flavor you want. That also relates to your budget. If you can’t afford the cake you’ve envisioned, be willing to compromise by getting a smaller version and serving a sheet cake or cupcakes instead.

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Go with an open mind. I had my mind made up on the exact flavors I wanted to serve… Carrot cake, red velvet, you know the good stuff. Well, we started the tasting and tried strawberry first… YUM! Chocolate Espresso next… YUMMM! Their cookie dough and new “candy bar” flavor… seriously to die for!

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Be prepared and take notes! I’m lucky to have a fiance who knows that he needs milk, so we called beforehand to make sure they had it on-hand.  We got so caught up in all the deliciousness that we didn’t take notes, and we just started naming all of the ones that were good.  We practically ordered a little bit of everything!

Have fun with it!  You only get married once (hopefully), and if you are lucky, you nail down your cake vendor after your first tasting. Have fun & bring your appetites!

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All about LOVE these days

by admin on June 12, 2012

in attire, cool finds, gifts, {hearts}

I’m all about love these days, especially since I saw this “Love” collection by Avanessi. Isn’t it super cute and understated at the same time? I love, love it.

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They make way cute accessories and/or bridesmaid gifts. Spread the love and check out more of Avanessi.

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When I got engaged (finally), it seemed like everyone was expecting me to have my whole day was planned. I did. Sort of. Being an event coordinator myself withy share of weddings, there was no doubt in my mind that I would be tackling as many if the planning and to-do’s myself, especially the paper.

As a “paper person” who is obsessed with Pantone color swatches and typography, I even found myself confused as to pinning down the look of my paper style. Here are my three absolute to-do’s in order to get the best paper style to suit your big day!!

[one] : GET INSPIRED!! Create a board on Pinterest strictly for paper goods. Selecting your paper style can be a nightmare and fairly overwhelming if you’re like me and like EVERYTHING! Go to a design blog, wedding blog, or paper blog. At the end of the day, check out all the stationery that caught your eye. What do they all have in common? Is there a particular tone it sets for your big day? Would your fiancé agree? What typography is being used? Ask yourself what you like about them. If that’s too difficult, ask yourself what you DON’T like about them. That can help too!

This will help you: 1) get an idea of whether you want “custom” stationery; and 2) help convey your “style” to your stationer (trust me, they’ll be so grateful).

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I knew I wanted to do my own, so I played with some of my favorite fonts (Gotham & Peoni Pro) and created something for us on an aqua-colored envelope.

[two] : GET ORGANIZED!!! I created a blueprint of my invitation suite. Yes, a blueprint. Outlining the fonts, colors, and materials I would be using. This will be useful because it will allow you to organize your ideas AND get a clearer picture if what you’re going to spend — envelopes, ribbon and other embellishments, paper, printing!

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I decided I wanted to include handwritten bellybands in my suite, so I got that out of the way.

[three] : KEEP IT SIMPLE!!! Yes, I know what you’re thinking… this coming from someone who created a blueprint for her invitations? By “simple,” I mean not to worry about it. No one will remember invitations or paper goods, unless they’re designers, they are paper-obsessed, there is a misspelling, or you create something beyond magnificent that no one has ever seen! If your budget doesn’t leave room for letterpressed or embossed stationery (I know mine doesn’t!), cut corners, DIY, and you will find a way.

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I created my own wraparound labels with my inkjet printer at home and dull-sheet labels I bought on Amazon. $10 for $100 sheets + time to design the labels + time to print the labels + time to cut them out individually by hand (with mandated help by the fiancé) = saving me $60+ and quality time with my future husband

 

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Dear Vera,

by admin on May 1, 2012

in attire, My Day

I *heart* all that you do.  Really, I do.  From the open-toe pumps with draped satin straps that will make an appearance on my big day, to the amazing bridesmaid dresses I hope my bridesmaids pick since I’m leaving it completely up to them, and all the accessories in between, I love them all!  And now, I hear you now have bridal jewelry and engagement rings at Kohl’s.  Oh dear! Love!

White by Vera at David’s Bridal left to right, from top: open-toe pumps with draped satin straps, bobbin net dress with illusion neckline, draped satin dress with grosgrain sash, v neck sleveless chiffon column dress, one shoulder organza dress with black belt.

P.S. Vera Wang’s style will make a couple of appearances in my big day!! Can’t wait!

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I’m engaged!!

by admin on April 2, 2012

in announcement, My Day

So guess what!! I started this blog in 2008 to share my passion and love for –borderline obsession with– weddings! Now it’s time for planning my own wedding. It’s funny because I’ve planned so many weddings and events without any worries or qualms, and now I get to plan my own.

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I must say… My guy, or fiancé did an AMAZING job planning the proposal! He lied, schemed, and deceived me into thinking his best friend was receiving an award from work. After a huge fight with my BFF (who happens to be the girlfriend of his BFF) over dress selection (I can go into that later), I was utterly surprised and completely overjoyed. I found myself a winner, and I am so in love.

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Excuse the grammar, but HE DID GOOD! I’m in love with my ring, and I’m truly in love with him!

I’ll keep everyone posted on the planning details!

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