Decisions, decisions

Brides and grooms will feel me on this entry....Wedding planning is full of decisions. You have to decide everything from the table linens to the taste of the cake to the size of a venue to the list of songs to give to the DJ to bridal party's attire to even having a Plan A, B, and C and some cases D, E, and F for what to do when the weather goes wrong. I tell everyone who asks me that I did not realize how many decisions there were and how detailed you need to be. Last week I read another bride's blog and she went into great detail about how she wanted her girls to look. She not only had pictures but she had it down to the actual make up she wanted to be used. I guess to me that would be a little anal but as I read more blogs, that doesn't seem to be out of the ordinary. I understand when it comes to the dresses and shoes. You want everyone to look like things are coordinated but not so cookie-cutter. I read another blog where the bride didn't choose a color theme and thought that all different colors with the dresses to the centerpieces would be more comfortable. I would think in the spring time that would be fitting but that can be somewhat indecisive. I guess I'm a mix of both. I don't want it to be so controlled but as I read more and visualize more, the wedding and reception are starting to form into a picture. Before it was like a puzzle. I knew that that I liked the colors Tiffany blue and Chocolate brown but how would I work that out through the wedding? I knew that I wanted to have things romantic and unique but again, how would I do that? Fortunately, there are plenty of books, magazines and videos that can help your vision come true. Now what decisions have my fiancé and I already finalized? The colors, as I mentioned are going to be Tiffany blue and Chocolate brown. We've found a baker that not only is open-minded and inexpensive. Our initial idea was to have a fake cake for all to see and then have a matching sheet cake in the back that will be cut up and serve. First I was reading people who thought the idea was great and people who thought that was cheap. Then I thought hey I think it’s great. I’ll have my elegant, expensive looking cake for my guests to see but then save money with a sheet cake big enough to feed everyone. The next step was to either find a company that specializes in fake cakes and have it shipped to my city or a company locally and ask them. All cake bakers have or have had made fake cakes. When they are vendors at bridal shows or for people coming into their establishment, they have fake cakes displayed in windows and on tables. They want to show you just how creative and special their work is. So the question is how do you approach them? If you see a cake that looks like what you’re looking for, ask if you can rent the cake but also get a small version of it. One thing I wondered was will that offend the baker. They aren’t fake cake makers. They didn’t take classes and perfect their work from making fake products. They bake cakes and how would they make any money. While at a bridal show, my fiancé and I tried a baker’s sample of her chocolate and chip flavor. First of all, since one of our colors is chocolate, we were thinking of making the wedding cake chocolate. We really didn’t think about all the options that one can do with chocolate like pairing chocolate with mint, raspberry, peanut butter, caramel, etc. Can’t go wrong with chocolate. When we tried the chocolate chip, however, it was really good. It was different and fluffy-something we both are. So my fiancé started asking her questions about her business; all the questions they list in the wedding planning books like how long has she been in the business, what were some of her specialties, and most of all, how much. She ran down the prices and then we brought up sheet cakes. $1 a slice. Our guest count is about 125 people so $125 plus tax isn’t bad. Then he said “I hope this doesn’t offend you but what would you say to us asking for a fake cake and a sheet cake with the same designs?” She said yes! She emailed us the prices. $25 to rent and give back, $125 to keep the fake cake for the future (I guess). So instantly I’m thinking there wouldn’t be any reason that we’d keep the fake cake. It’s done its purpose and she can have it back. So for my wedding cake, it’s going to be $125 for the sheet cake and $25 for the fake and grand total of course is $150 plus tax. I am so very happy about that. One thing I can check off the list and happy with. When you’ve made a decision, especially one that saves you money and headache, it’s like a breath of fresh air. You can just let out a big sigh. So, two down, a billion more to go. J Happy planning!