What cake designs are couples choosing?
Here’s what we’ve spotted.
- Square, layered, ribbon-banded cake with floral detail.
- Slipper in sand initialled cake for beach or cruise wedding.
- Lace designed cupcakes. Lace detail is the new trend for 2013, with cupcakes or cake pops remaining popular choices.
- Soft coral and green are ideal colour choices for 2013.
- Floral adornment in coral for modern and stunning effect.
- Dress inspired, pleated design.
- Elegant five-layered fruit cake with pearl and floral detail.
- Published in Cakes, Tips and Tools
Beach Wedding
Diana and Ron said “I Do” in Nassau, Bahamas.
The Bride answers your most pressing questions:
CB: Why did you choose a destination wedding? What were your main considerations?
Diana: We wanted a non-fuss, simple, intimate ceremony, especially since we wrote our own vows; the thought of a crowd of people staring at us at such a sacred moment didn’t seem very romantic.
A beach setting was also high on the agenda (sand between our toes) and since we were honeymooning in the Bahamas, we thought why not have a wedding-moon; after all the Bahamas does have some of the most amazing beaches.
CB: Why did you choose Sandals?
Diana: All-inclusive and no children allowed – what could be better? Sandals took the worry and hassle out of planning the wedding. We merely informed them of our preferences for the day. Everything you could possibly need for a wedding can be provided: the bouquet, groom’s boutonniere, cake, champagne, minister, photography and even the DJ. You can also access a glamour team to help you look extra special.
We’d considered both St Lucia and the Bahamas, but decided on the Bahamas mainly because the resort had an offshore island also equipped with a pool, restaurant and bar – which was great for the honeymoon! You had access to the offshore resort plus the main resort.
CB: Where did you get your dress?
Diana: The resort also supplies a collection of wedding dresses. However, I found my dress at Megans in Trincity Mall, Trinidad.
CB: Can you describe the sequence of events on the day?
Diana: We had a morning ceremony on the beach (several locations are available), after which we had our first dance on the sand (which was magical; there were no piercing eyes staring at us to make things awkward), followed by an elaborate photo-shoot throughout the compound, with the sticking of the cake as the finale.
CB: Would you do anything differently?
Diana: The weather was a little too cold for my liking (we got there on March 22nd) – if I had to do anything differently I would have planned it one month later.
CB: What were the highlights of the honeymoon?
Diana: We’re an outgoing and adventurous couple so relaxation alone would never satisfy us, though we did a lot of that. We needed an adrenaline fix, which we got with parasailing. Every time we travel we try to do something we never did before.
- Published in Ask the Bride, Tips and Tools
Questions to ask when choosing a venue
- Can the venue accommodate all my guests? Be sure to ask about the largest wedding held at the venue and if there are any pictures of previous weddings hosted.
- Are there rooms for the bride and groom and guests to freshen up?
- Are any other events or weddings booked for the same day? Some venues may only book one wedding a day while other reception locations may book two weddings back to back. You need to know exactly what time you have for décor set-up, and when you’re expected to clear out after the wedding.
- Would you accommodate us should we run late and exceed the given lime limit? This is important to check as some venues can go so far as to turn off the lights when your time is up.
- How many hours prior to the event are the air conditioners switched on?
- The cost: how much is required to reserve the date, and is it a deposit or a retainer? There is a difference! A deposit is a down payment, and in most cases is fully refundable. A retainer, on the other hand, cannot legally be refunded to you upon cancellation of your event; it’s just the vendors’ way of protecting themselves from cancellations.
- When is the full balance due, and what forms of payment do you accept? Sometimes putting everything on a credit card that earns points or miles (and paying card’s balance in full as you go along, if possible) is a great way to earn free tickets for your honeymoon, or at least a 1st class upgrade.
- What are the hidden costs? Are linen and glassware included? What is the corkage fee? (When you purchase your own alcohol for the reception, a corkage fee is sometimes charged for each bottle of liquor opened and served).
- Is parking readily available? Would you need to hire additional parking attendants? Are there other major events or activities in the vicinity on that day that could lead to parking or traffic issues?
- Would we have a venue contact on site or easily reachable on the day? Try to meet this person before you sign the contract.
- What’s your cancellation policy? Most places will refund the deposit if you cancel well in advance. Remember, it’s not unheard of for them to cancel on you either, so ask about that too.
- Published in Checklists, Tips and Tools
What can I spend?
Once you’ve been faced with the reality of planning your wedding getting down to the details can be daunting. A good place to start is to envision the event—decide whether you’re going to have an intimate celebration or a grand affair. Then, figure out what you can afford to spend to realize your vision. That’s right, you need to determine your budget.
It’s important to sit with all the people who will financially support your wedding and discuss what type of wedding you envision and how you and/or them would share the costs. Your families may look at your budget and offer to pay for the catering and drinks, for example, or they may set an amount they can contribute. If they can’t afford to contribute or can only contribute a small amount, say ‘thank you’ and revise the budget accordingly or find more creative ways to finance your wedding. Remember that some people don’t like discussing financial details in a group setting, so consider meeting with your families separately.
TIP: Open a separate account for your wedding expenses. This way you can both keep a close eye on the numbers and make sure you don’t go over your budget.
- Published in Checklists, Tips and Tools
How to Create an Enchanted Garden
by Francis Pollonais-La Foucade
Nature-based and eco-friendly themes are particularly suited to DIY brides. I’ve recently worked on a no fuss, no “bling”, but rather a simple and natural “enchanted garden” affair. Here are some DIY friendly elements from weddings that were impactful and super affordable.
TIP: All you’d need to replicate them is some spray paint, glitter, glue sticks, a glue gun,
good time management and a patient groom.
Table scape
This area comprises most of your décor real estate, so it’s vital that you nail your theme here. For this type wedding linens should be natural in texture and/or colour. I used ivory damask linens with chocolate napkins and burlap/crocus bag runners on the head table.
TIP: Burlap is particularly nice to use as the edges fray nicely to create a fringe (no sewing required). Burlap can also be used to create overlays if desired.
Centerpiece
The floral arrangement centerpiece comprised chrysanthemums and local anthuriums. The flowers were set in a tall glass vase, the top and bottom of which was wrapped in raw rope. The vase was filled with inexpensive sand under the roped portion and white deco stones in the exposed portion.
TIPS: Local flowers are cheaper and more easily accessible than foreign flowers; glass vases are now rentable from a number of design and accessory rental companies; and deco stone is sold by the bag at almost any garden shop, for less than TT$60.00 a bag (one bag was able to fill nine vases).
If you’re not a florist you can still create relevant drama by using flowers that lend themselves to spray type arrangements (see photo next page), which are very easy to put together. Orchids and calla lilies are good examples of this type of flower. There are a number of tasteful looking silk orchids and calla lilies on the local market that are quite reasonably priced (you can especially take advantage of wholesale prices). Silk arrangements work particularly well for the DIY bride as arrangements can be made well in advance of the wedding.
Ikebana styled arrangements or the common bromeliad (the plants that grow on trees and telephone wires) sprayed gold and lightly glittered arranged on natural stone tiles would also be quite workable with this theme.
Favor
The wedding theme was “LOVE GROWS”, so for keepsakes, each guest was given a small potted plant. In this case rosemary, lavender and balleria. These were also placed on the tables to add to the garden look and feel. To embellish these, each plant was placed into a 2lb brown paper bag with the top rolled down to just cover the pot and tied off with two shades of ribbon. The tag, depicting the theme to the front and care instructions to the back, was attached to a craft stick or as we say in Trinidad, a palette stick (available in almost any colour at local craft stores).
Note: the front and back were printed on two separate tags and stuck on the front and back of the stick to ensure that the back was readable.
TIPS: The potted plant was sourced locally for TT$5.00. Another option for an inexpensive keepsake is customized flower seed packets.
Room décor
The ceiling treatment consisted of dried branches embellished with tasteful silk flowers, handmade silk flower garlands and artificial, flickering votive candles. For a touch of “bling”, faux Swarovski crystal beads can be added.
TIP: Use whites, pastels or brightly coloured flowers for an evening wedding, as the human eye loses its ability to differentiate colour with the reduction of light.
For warm intimacy with that touch of glitz use white or amber string lights, votives and votive holders, metallic and/or crystal finishes (glitter, spray paint, metallic chargers, metallic or crystal beads).
Foyer & Guest Book
In the foyer, where the guest book table was located, I changed the wall texture of the existing wall by printing a large format stone texture on to a substrate, which was easily mountable in the space.
TIP: This may be financially out of reach for some brides but an alternative texture can be created using crumpled brown paper with a gold distressed finish applied to it, or dried leaf overlay gilded in gold.
Note: You should check with your venue regarding decorating parameters, especially as they pertain to points of attachments for props, and get the relevant approvals. The worst thing that can happen is to have your plans and props arrive only to be told that all decor items must be free standing—that is, you cannot attach anything to ceilings, walls, etc. If such rules apply, a support system would have to be incorporated as part of your plan.
- Published in Décor, Tips and Tools
What’s in a favor?
A true favour is a thoughtful act of kindness. It is a deed done for another without need of recognition. Here are 8 favor ideas that are both memorable and useful.
(See full article in Newsday, Mentality, April 21st).
- Flip-flops. These can be used both during the wedding (on the dance floor) and afterwards. Ideal token for a destination or beach wedding.
- Olive oil. This can be gifted either as miniature bottles or handmade soaps, and would be a welcomed addition to any kitchen or bath respectively.
- Donations. In lieu of favors, place a card at every table explaining that you chose to donate money to a special charity or cause on behalf of your guest. Be sure to choose a reputable non-profit.
- Pashminas. Attach a note saying, “To keep you warm, always.”
- Tea or coffee: Shower guests with packets of tea and/or coffee. Consider a Caribbean blend such as Jamaica’s Blue Mountain Coffee.
- Honey or jam. Attach a note saying, “Spread the Love.”
- Herbs and spices. Consider Grenadian spices or nutmeg, or even potted basil or rosemary.
- Wedding dress cookies. These are the ideal “girly-girl” sweet treats.
- Published in Favors, Tips and Tools
Gasper Grande
Belle’s Editor-in-Chief, Unplanned Rendezvous
Photographed at Gasparee Caves: a natural limestone cave system on Gasper Grande island with a crystal clear pool at the base.
Photography by: Depictions Beyond Limited
- Published in Trash the Dress