This week, after watching every episode of Cake Boss over the course of one day, the realization set in that I love cakes. The amount of creativity and resources that go into each and every cake amazes me to the point that I find myself going from page to page within Google in the pursuit of the “perfect” cake. But landing the “perfect” wedding cake involves much more than watching TLC all day or visiting the local bakery. It involves the mutual planning of both the to-be bride and groom, as well as a careful insight into how much money is available and the time required for the bakery to complete the cake to your satisfaction.

The first step to choosing a wedding cake is to:

DO YOUR RESEARCH

This is the most important, yet most overlooked step for anxious couples set on a cake before any of the logistics and numbers have been decided upon.

Pretend you are studying for “Wedding Cakes 101″

Check out wedding magazines:

1.)Already have a theme for your wedding set, at least down on paper. This will allow the cake to coordinate with other elements of the wedding and provide for an even flow of both color and style.

Take into consideration the overall color theme of the wedding, including, but not limited to:
-bridesmaid dresses
-favors
-outdoor/indoor layout
-wedding dress style
-flower choice
-table clothes & center pieces
-overall wedding budget
-number of guests expected

2.) Finding the “perfect” baker requires not only a site-down interview with the possible selections, but also an in depth understanding of their previous work, culinary experience, reputation, and price ranges. You as the customer should not be shy in asking an overly extensive amount of questions such as:
-previous work?
-can you taste some of the different type of cakes?
-whats the baker’s specialty? (quantity v. quality, fillings, design & style, custom cakes)
-pricing? and what does this pricing include, such as toppers, delivery, consultation feeds?
-ingredients they use, and if an allergy-free environment is used to prepare the cake?(ex.peanuts)

3.) Once the possible bakery list is narrowed down, now you must move onto actually choosing the style, design, and flavoring of your wedding cake.

A.)Taste – Now this is probably the most important aspect of the cake, for no matter how “pretty” the cake come out looking, the real determiner to your guests will be how the cake tastes. While you may like a specific taste or filling, you must also remember that your guests must also like the cake, because you and your finance are only two of many people who will be attending the wedding.(hopefully!)

White, Vanilla, Chocolate, Marble, or Angel food cake are the normal selections, with the choice of icing also being an important factor in how it turns out. Some icing holds it form longer than others, which is an important factor to take into consideration if the cake will be sitting in a room temperature setting before the reception kicks off. Also, if your cake uses icing to hold toppings or decorations onto the cake, make sure to use an icing that sets quick and retains its solidity.

B.)Style – Wedding cakes nowadays have an endless variety of shapes and sizes which can be deemed appropriate for any style wedding. The choices include, but aren’t limited to: round, square, mini, oval and the less common – hexagon and octagon. The shape you end up choosing will be largely influenced by the style of wedding you wish to have. Those going for a more traditional wedding theme will probably choose a round, tiered cake, while those who want a modern feel to their wedding going with a square, hexagonal or octagonal cake. As for a personalized “touch” to the cake, this can be mutually decided between you and your fiance. Anything pastime that you both share or has been a big part of your lives can be included in the cake, either in the colors, toppers, or any sort of extra decoration such as flower layout or base design.

Just remember that no matter which design you go with, pictures will be taken and scrapbooks will be made. Twenty years down the road, how do you want your wedding to be remembered? The wedding cake will play a large role in this monumental occasion.

C.)Filling – Now comes the fun part. The first bite that every guest takes of the cake will be the deal breaker, deciding whether they leave the wedding telling all their friends “that fruit filling was amazing” or “that custard filling was too overwhelming”. This is also the step in which you must take into account what you believe the “masses” will like over something that you and your fiance might only like. Some of the different fillings are:

Buttercream – is a creamy, light and tasty frosting made with eggs, sugar and butter. The classic buttercream is made with egg yolks while a meringue version is made with the egg whites. Both versions are very tasty and a perennial wedding cake favorite.

Custard and pastry cream – is a filling made with milk and eggs. This delicious filling is a good choice for winter weddings or marriages held in a temperature controlled reception hall as warm temperatures will cause the filling to melt.

Ganache – is a truly sumptuous filling made from heavy cream and rich, dark chocolate. It can be used either as a filling or an icing.

Mousses or Mousselines – generally used as an alternative to buttercream. Easily flavored with fruits or liqueurs, this dreamy filling must be served chilled for the best effect.

Fresh Fruit – is an easy and delicious way to complement any flavor or wedding cake. Not only can fruit be used in between the layers but it can also be used to decorate the cake.

D.)Icing – One of the last decisions regarding the style of the cake, choosing the right icing can also have a big impact on the end result of your cake and the overall approval level. Some different types of cake icings are:

Fondant or rolled fondant icing – Made from glucose or corn syrup and shortening, fondant not only holds up well under most conditions, but it can also be given a shimmery look that adds extra dazzle to a wedding cake. Fondant can be draped to look like yards of ribbon, twisted, folded and applied easily to the surface of a wedding cake – making it a tasty, versatile and beautiful frosting.

Marzipan – This rich and tasty treat is made with crushed almonds, eggs and sugar. It can be made to look like fondant, but it’s exorbitant cost makes it better suited to fashioning flowers, leaves, seashells and other decorative elements from its flavorful paste. However, if a cake has marzipan accents it must be sealed properly before being placed in a refrigerator as any moisture will affect the way the confections look.

Rolled chocolate(cake boss favorite!) – otherwise called chocolate fondant, chocolate plastic or plastique. Chocolate is melted with glycerine or corn syrup to create this lovely covering that is being used more and more often for wedding cakes as well as groom’s cakes.

Conclusion:

Watch Cake Boss, read bridal and wedding cake magazines, visit your local bakery’s, ask around about any local highly reputable bakers, and pretty much do everything in your power to get that “perfect” cake. Your wedding will truly gain the “wow” factor from friends and family alike depending on what style, design, flavor, and filling you end up choosing, and even more important is the childhood wedding dream that the “perfect wedding cake” can make reality. While the wedding cake will be gone by the end of the night, the experience you and your loved one, as well as your family and friends will take from the wedding, is priceless.

As you all know on July 20th 2009 our wedding site MyWeddingIsOver was featured on the live broadcast show Better Connecticut.  Recently we were asked to be part of the national syndication for that show Better TV.  On Thursday September 17th I arrived back at the studio located at News Channel 3 Connecticut WFSB, where I was very pleased to see a very familiar face.  Unfortunately Bryan King was unable to attend this filming, so I had to go at it alone. I am not sure how it will come out after they edit, but I will post the video to this once the reel is sent to me.

One down fall for Bryan and I, we will not be able to see the show since it doesn’t air in our area. So I am looking for friends and family to help spread the word so we can get great feed back on how it came out.  Like most things that come and go, on the way home I thought of so many other things that I should have mentioned in the filming.  You know what they say though, you live and you learn…so I can only hope for more appearances to make up for the ones we have already done. The more media we obtain the better our content will be when we try to relay all the intricacies of our website.

I am sure there will always be things we forget to say though, I mean lets face it… We are trying to change an entire industry Globally.

Below is a listing of the cities, stations, and times when it will air on September 29th 2009. If you are in an area it will show please tune in, if not send this list to everyone you know and ask for them to tune in.

Wedding day returns-bridal shop savings-MyWeddingIsOver is here to help with your budgeting concerns for your big day. (click)

Dothan Alabama WTVY MYTV 9:00 AM

Phoenix Arizona KPHO CBS 10:00 AM

San Diego California KSWB FOX 9:00 AM

San Francisco California KBCW CW 8:00 AM

Colorado Springs Colorado KKTV 9:00 AM

Denver Colorado KTVD MYTV 9:00 AM

Fort Myers Florida WFTX FOX 6:00 AM

Atlanta Georgia WGCL CBS 10:00 AM

Champaign Illinois WRSP FOX 9:00 AM

Indianapolis Indiana WNDY MYT 1PM

Des Moines Iowa KCWI CW 10:00 AM

Kansas City Kansas KSMO MYTV 8:00 AM

New Orleans Louisiana WUPL 2:00 AM WWL 10:00 AM

Portland Maine WPXT CW 9:00 AM

Springfield Massachusetts WSHM CBS 10:00 AM

Grand Rapids Michigan WOTV ABC 12 NOON

Saginaw Michigan WNEM CBS 9:00 AM

Jackson Mississippi WDBD FOX 11:00 AM

Kansas City Missouri KSMO MYTV 8:00 AM

Las Vegas Nevada KVVU FOX 11:00 AM

Albuquerque New Mexico KASA FOX 9:00 AM

Albany New York WXXA FOX 9:00 AM

Binghamton New York WICZ FOX 10:00 AM

Buffalo New York WNLO CW 12 NOON

Elmira New York WYDC FOX 9:00 AM

Rochester New York WBGT MYTV 9:00 AM

Cleveland Ohio WBNX CW 2PM

Dayton Ohio WDTN NBC 2PM

Toledo Ohio WUPW FOX 12 NOON

Medford Oregon KMVU FOX 10:00 AM

Portland Oregon KPTV FOX 1:00 PM

Harrisburg Pennsylvania WPMT FOX 8:00 AM

Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Pennsylvania WOLF FOX 2PM

Philadelphia Pennsylvania WPHL MYTV 8:00 AM

Providence Rhode Island WNAC FOX 12 NOON

Greenville South Carolina WHNS FOX 9:00 AM

Chattanooga Tennessee WFLI CW 12 NOON

Nashville Tennessee WSMV NBC 1PM

Tri-Cities Tennessee WKPT ABC 12 NOON

Dallas / Fort Worth Texas KTXA IND 9:00AM

Houston Texas KTBU IND 10:00 AM

Salt Lake City Utah KJZZ MYTV 11:00 AM

Charlottesville Virginia WAHU FOX 8:00 AM

Norfolk Virginia WVBT FOX 9:00 AM

Tri-Cities Virginia WKPT ABC 12 NOON

Seattle Washington KIRO CBS 9:00 AM

Spokane Washington KAYU FOX 9:00 AM

Yakima Washington KFFX KCYU 9:00 AM

Green Bay Wisconsin WGBA NBC 6:00 AM

The Global Site for all things Wedding

“Gender Blenders, Jack and Jills, Coed Bachelor-Bachelorette Parties”

Call them what you want, but including both the bride and groom in the last night of devilish behavior before settling down is becoming more popular than ever.

Introductory Coed Bachelor-Bachelorette Party Assumptions:

• Brides: You may not be able to hit up the Chicago Gentlemen Bachelorette show and drool over The Long Dong Ranger’s 6-pack, or throw a passion party and walk the isles of an adult Toys are us in a friends home.
• Grooms: You may not be able to get a lap dance from Destiny and Candy into the early hours of the morning while drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels, no matter how many singles you have, or end up in Vegas with an unknown baby and Mike Tyson’s tiger(alright, so I stole that from The Hangover)

Alright, so you’ve always wanted to meet The Long Dong Ranger, or that poster above your bed is signed “Candy with love”, but if both parties can get by missing out on these portions of their Bachelor/Bachelorette parties and want to give this hot new trend a chance, Coed Bachelor/Bachelorette parties wont let you down.

Moving past what you won’t get out of a Coed Bachelor/Bachelorette party, lets start by showcasing a couple of reasons why so many people are choosing to partake in this exciting idea.

The pro’s of a Coed Bachelor/Bachelorette party:

• Both parties can keep an eye on each other.
• No worrying for the rest of the marriage whether someone cheated or second-guessing what really happened.
• What better way for the bride’s and groom’s best friends to meet than with drinks and a wild night.
• Both parties can hang out with their friends of the opposite sex.
• A Coed Bachelor/Bachelorette party is the perfect ice breaker pre-reception.
• Best of both worlds because each party can start the night early on their own schedule and meet up later on.

Review:
No worrying – Check, the inclusion of best friends from both sexes – Check, limiting the stress over an awkward reception – Check, and still having a great night? – Double Check. This is only the beginning as to why so many couples are making the decision to have a Coed Bachelor/Bachelorette Party.

But now your wondering, if naked firemen and one-hundred singles aren’t part of the night, whats there to do?

(drum roll)….Plenty!! But it really depends on what sort of day/night you wish to have, ranging from low-key and relaxing, to all-out wildness with the probable chance of sleeping in the next day(or few). Since every couple is different, I’m going to break down the possible activities into three categories, each carrying with it a different set of places and level of sobriety.

A.) Low-Key/Relaxing – For those who wish to arrive at their wedding on time.

1.)Day at Sea – Eva Longoria and Tony Parker did it.

required:

• boat
• beer
• food
• good friends
• music / jet skis / rafts
• swimming trunks

If you want to be like Longoria and Parker, all you need is good looking tall guys, good looking women, NBA on the radio and some weekday television chatter.

2.)Co-ed Golf Outing – Winning team gets a prize!

required:

• even number of gents and gals
• golfing attire
• golf clubs
• gold cart

3.)Co-ed Camping – First couple to get caught shaking the tent buys breakfast.

required:

• camping gear
• food
• beer
• marshmallows
• ghost stories ( or crazy college stories)
• at least one pyro

B.) Kinda Wild – Might want to call work ahead of time about the possibility of being late

1.) Co-ed Dance Fever – Cause who doesn’t want to be John Travolta? The reception will be lit up with couples dancing, another fantastic ice breaker.

required:

• dance studio
• dance instructors
• music (salsa, disco, hip hop)
• disco ball
• some knowledge of slow dancing

2.) Bachelor/Bachelorette Bowling Party – Black light bowling isn’t just for kids, that’s why there’s a bar!

required:

• possibly gutter bumpers
• retro bowling shirts
• cool nicknames for the scorecard/monitor
• couple pitchers of beer and a pizza.

3.) Bachelor v. Bachelorette Olympics – Two methods:

I.) Sports Olympics – make a schedule to hit up any close mini-golf courses, arcade skeet ball, movie-theater basketball games, indoor batting cages, even paintball. The losing team is the DD for the night.

required:

• quarters
• wii golf experience
• some hand eye coordination
• couple drinks to dull the pain if you decide to play paintball.

II.) Beer Olympics – choose someones home to set up the mightiest games of them all. Everyone’s a winner in this game.

required:

• beer pong table
• lots of solo cups
• flip cup skills
• whiffle ball/bat for sloshball
• cheap wine for tour-da-franzia

3.) Real Wild – College kids got nothing on you

A.) Parachuting, Cliff diving, Bungy jumping – The “I’m scared of heights so I cant clean the gutters” killer. The to-be bride and groom can even do a coop jump to experience the real thrill of a Coed Bachelor/Bachelorette party.

required:

• pre-jump screwdriver
• call home first
• camera
• video camera
• faith in something

B.) Co-ed Bar Crawl - the classic walk till you crawl till you drop, co-ed style. While this may seem like nothing more than a normal Friday night, sharing it with your soon to-be spouse and closest friends makes it extra special. As a gift, the to-be bride and groom can drink free for the night.

required:

• shower
• tic tacs
• read a newspaper(always gotta have conversation material at a bar)
• camera (see which couple can get the best Captain Morgan pose on camera, and winning duo get a free drink)
• taxi’s phone number
• aspirin and water

Whether your planning a relaxing night with friends, or a crazy night to remember the date, a Coed Bachelor/Bachelorette party might be just what your looking for. I’ve only begin to touch upon the endless possibilities of a “gender-blender”, and with a new exciting trend such as this comes even more new exciting ways to celebrate it! With all the positive aspects these parties offer, any couple can have a thoroughly enjoyable night. If any of you wish to share a personal experience that you’ve have with Coed Bachelor/Bachelorette parties, feel free to leave a comment.

Brought to you by the global site for all things wedding.

Wedding receptions are a special day for both the bride and groom, as well as the invited guests. Marking the beginning of a beautiful relationship, the wedding reception is a time for the family and friends of the newly weds to meet each other, hit the dance floor, and take advantage of an open bar. Unfortunately, guests may not be familiar with each other, and even though booze might be flowing, getting the guests involved in wedding reception games is a great way for breaking that initial uneasiness and serve as a means for entertaining conversation and mingling.

These ten wedding reception activities will spice up the night and leave guests talking for weeks to come.

1.) Roll the Dice:

Here’s a fun twist to the familiar tapping forks against glasses to see the bride and groom kiss.
- Have people pair off at their tables, and between dances and courses, each couple must roll a pair of dice once. If they roll an even number, then the bride and groom kiss…but if they roll an odd number, the rollers must kiss!

2.) Wedding Couple Trivia:

In between music sets or down time before the meal is served, Have questions about you and your new spouse written down ahead of time on cards. (Based on the tolerance level of those invited, questions can be serious or even racy.) Each question should pertain to you, your spouse or both of you:
- Where you met, where your first kiss was, what’s your favorite ice cream flavor, etc..
- Have your DJ, master of ceremonies, or one of your parents stand at the microphone and select a guest to answer the first question. If the guest answers correctly, he or she then steps up to the microphone to call on the next guest, and so on.

2a.) Wedding Couple Trivia: BUFFET EDITION

Follow the same steps as the above activity, but those who correctly answer the questions get access to the food buffet table.
Choose the table who answers the question first to get to go up to fill their plate.

3.) Counting For Flowers:

Instead of tossing the bouquet to the bridesmaids, set up a jar of marbles in colors that match the wedding reception decor. Make an announcement during speech time that each unmarried female attendee must guess how many marbles are in the jar. The guests should write down their answers on their name placement cards. At the end of the evening, collect the answers and determine the winner, who is then presented with the bouquet.

4.) Musical Chairs:

Play this game the traditional way–the disc jockey or band plays a tune, then stops suddenly. Guests then try to quickly find a seat. Each table of guests should be short one chair. In this way, after each round, one person will be out at each table. When only one person is left at each table, he or she wins the table centerpiece.

4a.) Musical Chairs – Guys as Chairs:

Another version of musical chairs that includes all your guests involves using men as the chairs. All the men who wish to take part in the game should sort into a line and kneel on one knee. The women begin playing the game of musical chairs, but when the music stops, they must find a knee to sit on. No “chairs” are removed during the version of the game, but people are eliminated when either the man or women falls.

5.) Roman Hands and Russian Fingers:

This game is guaranteed to get the men in the audience chuckling. The bride is blindfolded while the best man places three small clips somewhere on the groom’s body. These should be in difficult-to-find places, such as the groom’s shoelaces or the back of his head. The blindfolded bride must then find each of the clips with her hands. To make this game even more interactive and fun, allow guests to call out “warmer!” or “colder!” as the bride’s fumbling hands get closer to or farther away from a clip.

6.) Scavenger Hunt:

This wedding reception game calls for one volunteer per table. Have a few items hidden in various places within the reception hall. The DJ or master of ceremonies then calls out the item, and the table volunteers rush to find the item. This can be quite hilarious as guests climb under tables or rush past one another to find the item. The guest who finds the most items wins a special prize!

7.) Wedding Garter Relay:

Here’s another wedding reception activity for the male audience. Divide the guests into two teams. Place a chair a few yards away from the participants. Have the teams flip a coin to see which will go first.

-The coin-toss winners then select one of their team members to sit on the chair. At the sound of a whistle or other signal, the first team member in line dashes to the man in the chair, with the bride’s garter in his hands. He hurries to place the garter on the calf of the seated member. The two then switch places, and the garter-wearer runs to the line, quickly removes the garter, hands it to the next man in line and goes to the back of the line.

-The new holder of the garter runs to the man in the chair and places it on the sitter’s leg, and the game continues in this fashion. When the last man has received the garter and has run back to the line, a timer goes off.

-The next team does the same. The team that performs the relay the fastest is the winner.

8.) Raffle:

The good old-fashioned raffle drawing. Give a card with a number on it to each guest when they arrive, and have a box with the same numbers for a drawing for “prizes”. The prizes don’t have to be expensive, but everyone loves winning something, and with the inclusion of items such as a mini barbeque grill, the guests will rush to take part. You could also raffle the bride’s bouquet, or a special dessert of some sort.

9.) Name Finding:

Get a 3 x 3 inch piece of paper and write one guest’s name on each. Give each guest a pen (use multiple colored pens) and randomly hand out the pieces of paper – the guest needs to find the person whose name is on the paper. This not only gets guests involved, but once the drawings are all collected they can be pasted on a big piece of cardboard and used as a personalized memorabilia for the the bride & groom.

10.) Photo Description:

Print out a collection of odd photos involving both the bride and groom on an 8X11 peice of paper. These photos should be ones where funny and witty descriptions could be thought of to describe. Eventually the DJ will collect each paper, put the photo up on the projector, and read what each table came up with for the photo. The people at the table with the best interpretation get’s a prize.

Wedding Favors and Gifts

Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson have tied the knot, and although a great entrance I am sure their parents had knots of their own once the couple explained to them what type of entrance they wanted to have.

This morning on the Today show with Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira they showcased a young couple who created a huge stir on youtube with their walk down the aisle. If this was the couples first impression on what their life will now be together, doesn’t it kind of make you feel as though you are missing out?

What great ideas will now spawn from this? was your wedding as much fun? or will it be? Creating a memorable day is something all new brides dream of.  With so many wedding shows now on television, the need to stand out is greater then in the past.  Where will your creativity go in planning your wedding? will you save it for the actual wedding ceremony? or the wedding reception? or maybe you would like it to be shared just between you and your spouse at the honeymoon?

If this video is any insight to what type of life Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson will now have with each other I’d say its safe to assume it will be one heck of a great time.

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Make your wedding one to remember