We'll have our cake, and we'll eat it Monday, February 15, 2010

FH and I were adamant about our desire to eliminate traditional, cheesy wedding cakes. I just couldn't get into the idea of the cake as "the center of the wedding" as one famous local cake baker has said. I can't find that quote (which was part of the intro of one of those "bake a wedding cake" shows), but I did find this cute clip of a someone making a wedding cake in 3 minutes:

We were content with our idea of having some kind of alternate cake structure, cake table, or dessert table, or maybe even little Whole Foods round cakes for each table (mmm!). What we weren't content with was the idea of having to pick up all these little cakes, deliver them, and set them out ourselves... and what would we put them on? Sure, it would save money, but I don't think my sanity is worth the small amount we'd be saving.

So, we caved. Since FH is an artist, he can appreciate the idea of a wedding cake that is also a work of art. But our philosophy (as it is with many aspects of this wedding) is that we should either get exactly what we want, or nothing at all. Since we can't afford one of these lovely works of art, we'll just get a very simple cake and call it a day.

Our wedding is a classic ballroom wedding in an urban setting (This is what I mean by "urban black-tie..." I don't know, I made it up!). This means we should have a cake that's a little modern, subtly interesting, and not too flowery or "froufy." Serving about 130 guests, our cake should be about 4 tiers. Here are some of the choices we're looking at:

 

via ProjectWedding.com

I love it: nice and simple! A clean, classic design with double beading at each layer reminds me of a nicely painted room with crown molding. The scroll designs are pretty, but we are not really into them. If we did have a scroll-y cake, though, I'd like to mix things up by combining shapes and a little color.

via Dallas Affaires Cake Co.

This one is from one of the vendors we're considering, Dallas Affaires Cake Co. Their cakes are beautifully designed and consistent. I like the two-tone effect on this one.

Here's one from another cake vendor we like, Elena's Cakes. It's another combined shape one... but what if the vertical stripes were just stripes (and not flowery stripes)? It might look nice. Plus it would mimic the light fixtures at our venue, which I initially hated but have since made peace with.

 

photo via Elena's Cakes

A post like this wouldn't be complete if I didn't include our dream cake. We love the idea of this incredibly unique and beautiful cake by Sylvia Weinstock, featured on the cover of Martha Stewart Weddings' anniversary issue:

Wow! What beautiful, stunning work. Mr. Oyster makes the excellent point that sugar flowers are pointless if they look exactly like real ones. With florists decorating cakes nowadays, why pay for all those hours of labor? 

But if the flowers look like something you'd want to eat? If they look so organically a part of the cake that they seem to have grown out of it? Well then, they seem perfectly justifiable in that sense. It's true; cake was among the lowest of Mr. Oyster's and my priorities, and paying for something whose value seems intangible is difficult for us. But this cake? It's just beautiful and *different*. It doesn't look like cake! It's just a mound of beautiful white flowers. Who wouldn't want to eat that?

Barring the Weinstock masterpiece, I think I like the simple square cake best. A version of it is featured on the front of Martha Stewart's wedding webpage (and in the "Real Weddings" feature of Christopher & Liezel):

 

Oh, and this is our cake cutting song! Why not have a little fun with it?

**Update: Mr. Oyster, who is currently suffering from a cold (poor sweetie!), has pointed out that the Weinstock cake looks to him like a big pile of wadded up tissues. Ew! Nothing like a guy's point of view to make you see things in a different light.

Wedding Wednesday: Laurel & Derrick Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Wedding Wednesday is making a comeback! This week's inspiring wedding is one I've been looking at for a while, Jory Cordy's beautiful work with the wedding of Laurel & Derrick.

Laurel & Derrick were married in one of my favorite Dallas venues, the Apartment. It's a beautiful place that is a total blank slate -- you can do just about anything you want with it. They did a beautiful job! I love the black/white/neutral color palette, which gives this modern wedding a sense of timelessness.

Coming Together... Saturday, November 28, 2009

I'm starting to get a definite vision for the wedding now, less than eight months away. (!) So, I decided to make another inspiration board. Here it is (click to enlarge)!


I've been leaning toward the classic black-tie look, with a light pink/neutral color scheme. I don't have a lot of details yet, mostly because (a) there aren't going to be too many of them and (b) I haven't picked them yet! But here's an overall look. I imagine it will be honed down quite a bit between now and the big day! You might recognize the man in the tuxedo from my post on menswear the other day.


Credits:
Place setting/table flowers by Cherie Photo (Amy & Sean).
Bridal bouquet and aisle flowers from D Weddings, photo by Steven Karlisch (Lillian & Charles).
Earrings by Tejani, style B0877.
Small floral arrangement by Karen Tran.
Image of Darcy Miller Nussbaum at her wedding from Martha Stewart Weddings, photo by Holger Thoss (Darcy & Andy).
Invitations from Smock Papers (style Vettore).
Place cards from Martha Stewart Weddings, photo by Dan Loh (Priya & Ralph).
Dress from Priscilla of Boston, style 4111.
Man in tuxedo from David Wittig (Dena & Gavin).
Image of engagement set from the internet.

Wedding Wednesday: Bershan & David Wednesday, April 22, 2009

One of the coolest things about being a bride *and* a photographer is getting a head start looking at so many beautiful wedding images. I couldn't wait to feature the recent wedding of Bershan & David, photographed by one of my favorite photographers, Justine Ungaro (also of unbride.com).

Bershan is a beautiful bride. She's wearing an *incredible* dress! The details & beading are astonishing. I love her makeup, and she & David make a lovely couple. I especially love the excitement on David's face upon seeing his bride for the first time.

Mrs. Ungaro isn't finished posting this wedding yet, so check her blog for updates. On to the images:

Black Tie Territory Saturday, April 11, 2009

My fiancé & I have been looking at venues for months! I began by casting a wide net online, and eliminating venues that were simply too expensive or had shoddy customer service. With that, we toured six venues and fell in love with one of them!

I'm going to withhold the name of our choice for now, but it's a relatively undiscovered ballroom near downtown, and it's beautiful! It doesn't quite have the indoor/outdoor feel I was looking for, but it's even better; plenty of windows for beautiful light, and formal décor.

I love the garden idea with all its cute, rustic DIY opportunities. But part of that was because I didn't think we could afford much else. But with the selection of this venue, I've suddenly realized we are heading into Black Tie territory--suddenly, it looks like the "black tie" wedding I'd always envisioned could become a reality! Most importantly, my fiancé is on board with the idea. I couldn't be happier.

Keeping with my "outside in" philosophy, I refused to get attached to ANY ideas until we've selected a venue. Everything, from the dress to the flowers, needs to coordinate with your space in order to be cohesive. So now, let the planning & idea gathering begin!

At the gym the other day, I eagerly read my latest copy of Martha Stewart Weddings, and featured prominently is the formal Rainbow Room wedding of Priya & Ralph. What an excellent example of a formal wedding, and how timely! Most of these images were photographed by Dan Loh. Find more pictures from Priya & Ralph's wedding on his blog.










Another wedding that immediately comes to mind is the wedding of Darcy Miller, wedding editor for Martha Stewart Weddings. I was in college when Darcy was married nearly 10 years ago, and I still remember the awe I felt looking at these wedding photos in the magazine. Amazing! The timelessness of a black tie wedding is unparalleled. Not ONE element of Darcy's wedding can be considered "out of style" now. Amazing!

A google search for Darcy & Andy's wedding reveals a 2001 article from indiebride.com, ripping apart Darcy's über-traditional affair as well as her choice to share the details of her courtship & wedding in the pages of the magazine. I wonder what the author would say now, 10 years later, with the advent of blogs, social networks, virtually instant digital photo uploading, and the massive explosion of the bridal industry! In 2009, Darcy's publishing her own wedding seems like a natural choice.