Mini Wedding Cake Inspiration

Phil and I have decided to do a sweets table for our wedding, but do not want to miss out on the cake cutting experience.  Our caterer turned us on to doing a mini wedding cake just for the two of us.  Our sweets table will have a wide array of desserts, including cupcakes, mini fruit tarts, lemon bars, chocolate covered strawberries, etc.  I want our little cake to stand out among all of the other desserts and have been Pinteresting quite a bit to fit a cake design that I love.  Check out some of my favorites below.

Style Me Pretty

I love the little polka dots, color and detail around the bottom.  It is so simple and cute!  The flowers on the top add just the right contrast to the color of the cake.  This is definitely a top contender for me.  

Wedding Chicks

Simply stunning cake with just the right amount of vintage flare.  I love the soft pink color and the lace detailing on the cake.  It goes with my theme pretty perfectly.  The flowers are stunning as well, but I would probably opt for the real deal.  I love anything feminine and this has girly written all over it!

The Sweetest Occasion

This cake is really simple, but I love the ruffled design of the frosting.  The frosting layers almost look like rose petals.  The little flag cake topper is adorable and gives a nod toward wedding whimsy.

Wedding Chicks 

Similar to the cake above, but this time the color is right on for my wedding theme and I love the filled in look of the top of the cake.  The cake designer did a great job making the ruffles flow through the entire cake.  Looks good enough to eat!

What do you think?  What should I do for my wedding cake?  I am so indecisive and could use some advise!

Skinny Black Raspberry Cocktail

Happy Saturday!  It is the first weekend of spring, so Kevin and I grilled our dinner outside last night.   We have no idea how, but we got locked outside (one of us must have subconsciously locked the dining room French doors as we walked through the sun room).  My fabulous sister and her boyfriend drove 25 minutes to rescue us, just in time for dinner.  I am so thankful to have family near by.  Aren't sisters so special?

Well, last weekend my sister came over, and we had the yummiest cocktails!  We added vodka to black raspberry sparkling water and finished it with a sprig of mint and a vintage paper straw.  This drink is so easy, so pretty, and oh so tasty.  You have to give it a try.  The sparkling water makes it fizzy and the raspberry tastes so fresh and exciting.  ICE sparkling water has a bold flavor and does not taste at all like a diet drink.  Did I mention it is 50 calories?  The sparkling water is calorie free, so you only have to count the alcohol added.  This recipe serves 2.

1 bottle of ICE Black Raspberry Sparkling Water

2 shots of vodka

2 sprigs of mint

Be sure to fill your glasses full of ice and split the bottle between two glasses.  Garnish with a fun straw and sprig of mint.

Have you tried ICE sparkling water?  Do you have a go-to zero calorie mixer?  I usually do a flavored vodka and soda water, but that combination is pretty dry and never sweet.  The flavored water stepped it up a notch.  It is even better because you can hydrate while you drink!  Try this for your next girls night.

 

Monogrammed Napkins Personalize Your Weddding

If you want to add a unique personal touch to your wedding, add monograms to your cocktail hour.  For my wedding, we had a one hour cocktail hour where we served hors d'oeuvors and drinks with personalized cocktail napkins and vintage drink stirrers.  We also placed disposable monogrammed hand napkins in the restrooms.

You can order napkins from artists on Etsy.  The prices start around $30 for 100.  You can choose custom designs, imprinted monograms, or stamped graphics.  Here are some of my favorite ones.

Monogrammed ($29) | Imprinted ($85) | Stamped ($30)

If you are interested in pretty ones like mine, leave a comment and I will connect you with the engraver.  These napkins can be used for any party - a bridal shower, birthday party, or even a dinner party.  What do you think about custom personalized napkins?  Would  you use them for your wedding?

 

Discussing a Rustic Vintage Inspired Wedding w/ Your Florist

This past weekend we visited several florists for our upcoming wedding.  We spent right around 2 hours with each florist, making sure to hit on all of the key items: 

- The Bride's Bouquet

- The Bridesmaids' Bouquets

- The Groom's Boutonniere

- The Groomsmen's Boutonnieres

- The Centerpieces

- The Aisle Decor

- The Alter decor

Even though I went in with pictures and an idea of what I was looking for, it still took a long time to select the best way to combine my favorite elements from all of the flowers.  Below you will see my inspiration for my wedding day by main area for discussion.  I will of course post images of how everything turns out after my wedding in August. 

My vision is pastels, focusing on pinks, whites, and the pale greens found in eucalyptus.  I would like my floral arrangements to have a rustic vintage feel and by put together, but wispy at the same time.  

Inspiration from: Style Me Pretty, Belle The Magazine, Wedding Chicks, 100 Layer Cake, Ruffled Blog, I Love SW Magazine

I love bouquets with a lot of textures that can be achieved by combining a variety of flowers.  I also love the wispy elements of some of these bouquets that are achieved through seeded euc, wax flower, queen anne, and dusty miller.  Some unique elements that I love are adding in succulents and vintage pins into the bouquet for additional visual interest.

Inspiration from: Style Me Pretty, Wedding Chicks

I love the single flower that pops out of both of these bouquets - a Peony and a Dahlia.  Unfortunately both of these are tricky flowers to work with in August, so I will have to get creative in order to achieve a similar effect.

Inspiration from: Style Me Pretty

I love the succulents in the top boutonnieres and the rustic flowers in the bottom image.  I also love how they all have unique elements and are not exactly the same.  

Inspiration from: Style Me Pretty,Wedding Chicks, 100 Layer Cake, Ruffled Blog

I love the planter boxes and single stem vases in these centerpieces, so I am planning on doing a variety. Similar to the bouquets, I am looking for a lot of texture, unique elements, and soft pinks, blues and whites to come out.

Inspiration from: Style Me Pretty, The Knot

I love mason jars hanging from chairs as a way to line the aisle.  It is so simple, yet so lovely!

Inspiration from: Style Me Pretty

Our wedding is outside under an outdoor chapel, so I would like to add some personality to it.  Not sure which direction to go yet, but I love: hanging glasses, swirly twigs, and chandeliers.

What else did you discuss with your florist?  Do you have any advice in terms of number of times to meet with your florist?

Unique Wedding Shoes: Colorful Soles

For your wedding, there are so many times the bottom of your shoes are visible - kneeling at the alter, taking off the garter, and while you are dancing.  Why not make a statement with your sole?  I searched everywhere for my Cinderella slipper with a burst of color and found these beauties with a hot pink sole.  You'll have to look beyond the rack if you too have your heart set on a colorful sole.

 If you want a blush or pink sole to match your flowers, consider Paris Hilton Shoes.  They come in ivory, bright colors, and metalic tones with plenty of designs.  The good news is that they are around $100, so you'll have room in your budget to buy a fun pair of flats for your reception.

The French brand Pour La Victoire makes the most stunning bridal shoes.  Check out these showstopping heels with turquoise soles  ($205).  They even say "I DO" in rhinestones.  The sad news is that these beauties are completely sold out, so you have to be creative when ordering them.  Consider Ebay.

Sparkle as you walk down the aisle.  You'll certainly leave a lasting impression in these Cinderella slippers.  Christian Louboutins ($4,165) are a classy, stunning statement. 

Nina Shoes lets you design your own custom wedding shoes ($200).  You choose the style, color, sole, and any rhinestones.  There are so many sole colors: silver glitter, raspberry, canary yellow, apple green, and bridal blue.  This is a great way to have a unique, totally "you" shoe as you say tie the knot.

Artists on Etsy create custom shoes for your wedding.  You can get hand painted, pimped out pumps in a variety of price ranges ($129 to $699).  I love these one of a kind gold shoes with hand painted zebra stripes.

Whatever you decide, I know your shoes will be perfect.  Hopefully these ideas inspired you to think outside the traditional off-the rack options.