No Ordinary Color

These days wedding cakes can be any color, and sometimes wedding cakes aren't even cakes at all! Cupcakes, pies and really any dessert imaginable can take the place of the traditional wedding cake. With all the options out there, sometimes we forget how beautiful a pure white wedding cake really can be. Below are some of my favorites.











Image Credit
1. Cheryl Kleinman Cakes via Brides.com, Ron Ben-Israel via Brides.com
2. Confetti Cakes via Brides.com, Cake Crumbs via Brides.com
3. The Cake Girls
4-7. All via Martha Stewart
8. I Dream Of Cake, The Cake Girls
9. April Reed

Whodidily

In the world of weddings, cupcakes are becoming a permanent fixture in dessert bars and as wedding cake replacements. Its no wonder cupcake bakery boutiques are popping up everywhere. Whodidily Cupcakes in Montecito, California is just one of the special cupcake bakeries gracing the market today. But what makes this one so special is the absolutely amazing array of flavors offered.



Take for instance the Peanut Butter Yumptious cupcake: Chocolate cupcake with peanut butter cup center topped with peanut butter cream frosting. Another mouth watering flavor is the Waffleicious Cupcake: Buttery cinnamon cupcake with maple syrup butter cream frosting. Their website is full of pictures of their wonderful creations.



Looking for a fun activity for a birthday or bachelorette party? Whodidily Cupcakes will help you host a cupcake decorating party and supply all the essential items.
Having a gala or vintage style wedding? Consider hiring one of the Whodidily Cupcake girls. Dressed in cute pink Whodidily attire and reminiscent of the cigarette girls of an era past, the cupcake girls will walk around and serve your guests delicious Whodidily cupcakes.



Whodidily is your one stop shop for everything for wedding desserts, wedding favors and fun activities. Be sure and check them out.

Planning a Wedding With Etsy...Cake Toppers

While people many people still opt for the traditional bride and groom cake topper, there are so many other options now days. Flowers, birds, bows, monograms; cake toppers can be anything! Below are some great picks, all from etsy and as always, let me know your favorite etsy shop for cake accessories!


Chapeau de Gateau


Red Light Studio


Cotton Bird Designs


Elle F Designs


Brass Paperclip


Bobbi Jordan

Dessert Bars

Sweet and irresistible, dessert bars are as popular as ever at weddings and special events. Use these tasty stops as favors for your guests by having them fill a bag with goodies to enjoy on the way home. Chocolate fountains are sometimes a fun addition to dessert bars. Dip fresh fruit and all kinds of yummy things in chocolate!


Image via Brides.com

There are countless options of sweet treats to have at your dessert bar. Here are just a few ideas:
- your favorite candy, of course
- miniature snickers, or other popular candy bar
- caramel apples
- cookies
- marshmallows dipped in chocolate or plain marshmallows
- graham crackers in chocolate
- lollipops
- caramel corn or popcorn
- rock candy
- licorice
- any type of hard candy is nice
- gummy bears
- chocolate covered almonds

My all time favorite dessert bar has to be this one by Lisa Vorce, via Style Me Pretty. I could stare at it for days its just SO beautiful!




Image via Rebecca Thuss.

Another take on the dessert bar:
Since cold weather is upon us, consider having a fire pit outside and have a smore bar. Stock it with graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate and any other sweet treat you think would compliment a smore. Your guests will love making something yummy while keeping warm!












Images 1-3 via Style Me Pretty, 4-6 via Brides.com and 7-11 via Rebecca Thuss.

Going Green With Style: Catering and Food

What you eat is really important to your health as well as the environment, so going green on this aspect should be fairly simple, especially if you want to eat healthy! Many caterers are now offering organic foods in their menus, and I think its wonderful. When hiring a caterer, check and see if they offer organic foods. You can also do a search online for organic caterers in your area. Wolfgang Puck Catering has a wonderful program they call WELL. Here is what they have to say on their website: "What we’ve come to realize is that we can live, love and eat WELL™ without causing unnecessary harm to other living things and to our ecosystem." They are so correct!! I am so excited that caterers out there are realizing that people want to eat healthier and help their environment. TheOrganicPages.com has some great resources for caterers and restaurants that serve organic foods. The Knot also has a great article on how to create an earth friendly menu. Here are some other ways you can start eating healthy and eco-friendly at home AND at your wedding:

Free range meats. So many meats these days are pumped with hormones, that in turn, get absorbed into our body's. We certainly don't need any extra hormones so why not eat free range? Free range meats are also cruelty free, meaning they have nice grassy pastures to graze in as opposed to being cooped up in feed lots. When eating or buying fish, make sure its wild caught rather than farm raised. Farm raised fish is much the same as eating feed lot meats.

Go organic on vegetables and fruits. Non organic fruits and vegetables are laden with chemicals and pesticides. There seems to be an abundance of chemicals on some products more than others such as apples and bell peppers. There is a healthy way to wash fruits and vegetables that are not organic, and that's with Bio-Kleen Produce Wash or Dr. Bronner's unscented castile soap.

Buy local. The whole point of organic to begin with was to support local trade. Farmer's markets are a great place to support local farmers and buy organic. Plus, farmer's markets are a fun place to visit, and remind me somewhat of French outdoor markets. Check online for local farmer's market times and places.

All in all eating organic is not only good for you and the environment, it tastes better than chemical and hormone laden food anyway! Some great places to shop for organic foods are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market. Lazy Acre's in Santa Barbara is a great natural marketplace, and supports local farmers by carrying their produce. Check online for a natural marketplace near you and good luck with supporting mother earth and eating healthy!