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Wedding Cakes – The favorite trends this year

Your wedding cake is the highlight of your wedding menu. A spectacular wedding cake is a luxury, and one that highlights your personal style and the essence of your wedding décor. The sky is the limit, where options for wedding cakes are concerned, and all you have to do is dream up your vision of sweet charm. Your baker will work hard to make it come true.

Here, we will take a look at the trending favorites in wedding cakes this year.

Adding a touch of personality

More and more couples choose to personalize every element at their wedding with their own special touch. This extends to their choice for wedding cake colors, toppers and decorations too. With inspiration flowing in from every nook and corner on the internet, it is now possible to craft your wedding cake exactly as you want it with unique ideas.

Wedding cakes can tell your story, and be a reflection of your personalities. Basing the design on the place where you got engaged, your favorite pastime or a cake topper that is a replica of the couple can make your cake truly unique and personal.

Flowers and flavors that match the wedding theme

The wedding cake becomes an integral part of the wedding décor, immediately after it is revealed. So couples have been paying close attention to make sure that it reflects the ambiance of the venue, and the tone of the wedding. Formal events have tiered cakes in classic round or square shapes with designs matching the flower arrangements and décor elements, while modern casual weddings usually bring fun to the reception table in the form of whimsical topsy-turvy cakes.

While sugar flowers are regulars on wedding cakes, the trend is towards using huge compositions in edible flowers and fashionable blossoms such as hydrangeas and roses to imbue the tone of the wedding into the cake. The designs are becoming bigger and bolder, and 3D laser cut flowers are also gaining popularity as stylish wedding cake accessories.

Unlike when everyone chose to play it safe with traditional flavors, brides and grooms are now more daring with the flavors they choose. Rich indulgent tastes in ganache and caramel are being experimented with, so the guests really enjoy a unique experience with every bite.

Glittering metal and glamour in lace

Continuing from 2014, this year too has cakes adorned with metallic shimmer. Adding bling to the reception buffet are cakes decorated in gold, silver, bronze and copper tones. They inject instant style to any setting and are appropriate for any venue or wedding theme. While golden leaves and blossoms continue to be the classic choice, brides are also opting for metallic shimmers in dahlias, peonies and other edible hand-painted sugar flowers and similar designs.

The trend of matching the cake to the bridal dress, by adding delicate lace designs to it’s surface also continues to be a favorite. While white is the all-time favorite color, pastels and grays appear in patterns to create a pleasant effect.

For more fantastic wedding cake designs, check out our cake gallery at Best for Bride. Sweet indulgence and unbelievable creativity awaits you!

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Laughter & Love Notes: Entertaining Pen and Paper Games for a Memorable Bridal Shower!

One of the traditional rules for a bridal shower is “There shall be games.” You can of course, have a bridal shower without any games, but remember that bridal shower games were introduced with more than one purpose. While all the guests know the bride, they may not know each other, and games are the best way to break the ice. Plus, they make the party fun and exciting as it brings guests of different generations and age-groups together and give them a chance to mingle freely.

1. Do you have it in your purse?

Things you need: List of items, markers or pencils

Make a list of items that you would normally find in every purse like credit cards, tissues and makeup, and add a number of random items like cookies, toothpicks and band aid, to the list. Please print out a list with all these items and distribute it among the guests. Ask them to strike off all that they have. The winner is the one who has most items.

2. Bridal bingo

Things you need: Bridal bingo cards, markers or pencils

Add a wedding-related twist to the classic bingo game by providing the guests with bingo cards that has wedding words instead of numbers in the grids. The rest of the rules remain the same: the host calls out the words, and guests strike out those that are on their cards. The first player to complete a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line wins.

3. Petal wishes for the bride

Things you need: Petal wishes kit from Best for Bride or note papers and writing pad, pens

Make use of our petal wishes kit, and get the guests at the bridal party to write their wishes to the bride. Once they have done it, you can simply snap the petals together to create a beautiful flower bouquet that the bride can treasure forever. Alternatively, you can also provide the guests with mini writing boards and a note to share their thoughts, which you can later put together into a book and gift the bride.

4. Whose lines are these

Things you need: list of questions, answers to the questions and pens

The hostess compiles a list of things that the bride and groom have said in the past. This is then printed beside two columns which have the bride’s name and groom’s name on them. All the guests are asked to circle who they think said the statements. The hostess then calls out the answers and the guest who gets most answers right wins the prize. This is a game that opens up conversation and can prompt friends and relatives to also share wedding stories and other trivia.

Aside from these sit-down and play games, you can also organize few active ones which will get the guests up and about. Just remember to balance it out, so that everyone attending the party enjoys it. Keep visiting us at Best for Bride for more wedding tips and advice.

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Wedding Traditions from around the world

Weddings are special in every country and community. It is perhaps the one joyous occasion in life, that the entire world deems worthy of celebration. Hence, there are traditional rituals associated with this occasion, that have been followed for ages, and continue to this day. Let us look at some wedding customs from various countries of the world, and understand how each culture solemnizes the union of man and woman.

China

China is a huge country with many ethnic groups. So, the wedding customs vary greatly from one region to another. The traditional style of matchmaking had matchmakers who took the proposal from the groom to the girl’s family. The wedding was fixed only after a fortune teller predicted whether the couple would have a happy life together. Traditional wedding attires of both bride and groom were in red. The bride and her party were expected to cry for days leading up to the wedding, as this symbolized her grief of leaving her home. After the wedding rituals, the guests were treated to a feast, that often had six or nine courses.

India

Indian weddings involve several rituals and take days to complete. The traditional bridal attire includes heavy jewelry, elaborate hairstyles with flowers and beautiful dresses with plenty of golden embroidery and embellishments. The bride is adorned with turmeric during the Haldi ceremony, and her hands and feet decorated with mehendi (semi-permanent tatoos) a few days before the wedding. The groom’s family arrives in a procession and are welcomed by the bridal party. The couple exchange flower garlands to symbolize their acceptance of each other. In some cultures, the groom ties a necklace called the mangalsutra, around the bride’s neck and this has to be worn by the bride at all times.The couple circle the holy fire, as they vow to love and care for each other.

Ghana

In Ghana, the wedding ceremony begins with the groom and his family members knocking on the door of the bride’s house and making their wedding proposal. They hand over gifts to the girl’s family, and if these are accepted it means their proposal will be considered. On the day of the wedding, the elders discuss dowry arrangements and then the bride is asked if she agrees to marry the groom. Once she does, the couple exchange rings and prayers are said. The guests are treated to a feast during the reception.

Arab weddings

In Arabic weddings, the couple exchange rings on their engagement day. A day before the wedding, the bride’s hands and feet are decorated with henna and the groom gives the bride her mehr, or gold. The marriage ceremony or the Nikah begins with the religious representative reciting prayers and telling the group how husbands and wives should honor their relationship and each other. Legal documents are filled out and signed by the groom and the bride’s father, witnesses sign the contract and the marriage is official.

Mexico

In Mexico, the couple’s Godparents sponsor their wedding. Flamenco-style ruffled dresses are the traditional bridal dress choice. The bride changes her outfit a number of times during the ceremony. The reception buffet includes traditional dishes like spicy rice and beans. The cake is a rich fruit cake, and almond cookies are an essential sweet treat served at the reception.

For more information on weddings, or to buy your wedding dress or accessories, visit us at Best for Bride.

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Wedding Dress Styles for every Bride

Every bride wants to look beautiful on their wedding day. The main way that she is able to do this is by choosing the perfect wedding gown to fit her personality and style. However, there are so many different designs to choose from that it can be difficult for the bride to find her perfect gown. When you are in this situation, you should start by choosing the style that is the most beautiful to your.

Trumpet Wedding Dress

This is a beautiful gown that works best for girls with an hour glass or rectangle shape. If you are a girl who is fit but curvy, this dress will look beautiful on you.

Princess Wedding Dress

With this gown, women who are top heavy, or have the pear, hour glass or rectangle shape will be perfect for the design. It can also help to hide tummy bulges as well.

Empire Wedding Dresses

This dress has a high waist line and is great for women with an inverted triangle, apple, pear or hour glass shape. It is very flattering and is also great for slim brides with small busts as well as for pregnant brides. It is an extremely comfortable shape to wear and many brides have chosen this design.

Column Wedding Dresses

These dresses are form fitting and tend to hug the body. For women who are not as confident about their bodies, this may not be the best option for them to choose. It works great for brides who are slim and have balanced figures.

Ball Gown

The ball gown dress is usually referred to as the fairy-tale wedding gown. This is the dress that you would expect to see Cinderella wearing. They are very dramatic dresses that flare out from the waist line. They usually come with a fitted bodice and work great for women with a pear shape, the hour glass shape, inverted triangle, rectangle or even apple shapes.

Making the Decision

When you are choosing your wedding gown, it is best to choose a style that you will feel comfortable with. Take into consideration your body shape and try on a few dresses in each style. Once you have found the style dress that you love the most, you can focus on the dresses that are available in that style range.

Whether you are planning an over the top wedding with glamourous dresses or something a little more budget friendly, you will be able to find dresses in each style that will fit well with your budget. Make sure that you take your time and find the dress that will make you feel the most beautiful. With the nerves that you will be experiencing on your big day, the last thing that you need is a dress that will make you feel uncomfortable.

Don’t forget to visit Best for Bride to find the wedding gown of your dreams. The store offers options for every bride, every budget and every preferred wedding gown style.