Chinese Style Wedding

In early May I managed the wedding of Jean and Rupert who chose the beautiful St Paul's Walden Bury near Hitchin for their civil ceremony, with a large marquee reception in the grounds.

The day was chilly but guests were treated to a wonderful eight course Chinese banquet, care of http://www.leigh-house.co.uk/ , fabulous red and gold Chinese decorations and customs, complete with lion dancing and a rickshaw.

Many thanks to http://www.nigelharper.com/ for his photographs.

Birthday Cakes for Children

Sherry, my delightful guest blogger for cakes, wows us again with her ideas for children's birthday cakes...

The first time some one asked me for a Ben 10 cake for their little boy, they nearly ended up with a very big time piece!

Making children’s cakes is not as easy as you may think. Children have an unerring eye for detail, which can tell whether Peppa Pig is the correct shade of pink, whether Charlie and Lola are the right height, or indeed if Chip n’ Dale have the right noses.

When asked to do a children’s birthday cake, I spend a lot of time investigating the characters in detail beforehand, from every angle. You may not know what Iggle Piggle looks like from behind, but you can bet your bottom dollar that your child will!

Obviously these days you can buy a pretty decent basic children’s birthday cake from the supermarket, but personally I don’t think you can top being able to give your child a cake with their absolute favourite character sitting on top, spelling out their name.

Trends in Wedding Cakes

My lovely guest blogger, Sherry, gives us an overview of current trends in wedding cakes......

Trends in wedding cakes, just like everything else, evolve with the times. Not only are they a major style statement, which reflect the personalities and tastes of each individual bride and groom, but they present a perfect opportunity for creative brides to play with shape, colour and embellishments.


2009 certainly seemed to be the year of the cupcake, with 2010 following suit. Towers of cupcakes or individual cakes are ideal as an individual serving for each guest, topped with a small 6 inch tiered cake for the bride and groom to cut or freeze as a traditional Christening cake.

However, by no means should you disregard the tiered wedding cake! Although having each tier separated by pillars seems to have taken a step back these days, the big trend right now is to have each tier stacked directly one on top of the other to create clean, classic lines of elegance.

As far as colours go, pink is still strong in 2010, as is burgundy, and for some chic elegance, many are leaning towards all white designs. Browns with baby pinks and baby blues are beautiful, as are pastels with white embellishments. Tropical themes for those of you getting married in hotter climes and then returning for your reception are always fabulous, incorporating hot pinks and oranges.

Flowers continue to be a popular adornment for wedding cakes and simple blooms such as calla lilies and daisies have replaced some of the more ‘fancy’ varieties of flower. Simple embellishments such as dots, curving scrollwork, and family monograms are also high in popularity to help personalise your cake.

Most importantly, remember that the cake should reflect your individual style, and you cannot go wrong no matter what you choose. Once the confetti has settled, you want to be able to look back at your pictures and be confident that you made the right choice.

Wedding Cakes - What to Consider

Sherry Hostler http://www.thecakehouse.biz/ begins her series of guest blogs for us by looking at what to consider when choosing a wedding cake...

'We are now firmly entrenched in 2010, and for those of you with a wedding coming up this year, where do you start with your wedding cake?

You can look through wedding magazines, visit wedding fayres and search the internet for inspiration, but don’t let yourself get too bogged down. The choice of different styles of cake is endless and before long you may feel even more confused.

Here are some hints and tips to help you on your way:

Think about the number of people you would like to feed with the cake and what flavours would be most popular. Remember you don’t have to have traditional fruit cake for your wedding cake these days. Most of the wedding cakes I make have each tier as a different flavour. It's nice to be able to offer your guests some variety.

How many tiers would you like? What shape do you want them to be? What colour would you like the cake covered in? You could have a different colour for each tier! Then the decoration…flowers? bride and groom toppers? chocolate spirals? monograms? The list is endless…

Make sure you book your cake designer as soon as you choose them. Good bespoke cake designers get booked up fast.

Bespoke cakes are 'one offs' and need a bit of time to be designed and priced up. They will vary considerably depending on the amount of work that goes into them. It is tempting to go for a low price, but remember the old adage…'if you pay peanuts, you often get monkeys’. Make sure you go for someone you trust, whose work you admire. If you have a budget in mind, let them know so they can work with you.'

Next week, Sherry enlightens us as to current trends in wedding cakes...

The Wonderful World of Cake

I am keen to have some of my favourite experts give hints and tips and great advice to help you make decisions for your wedding or party. Over the next couple of months Sherry Hostler, a wonderful cake designer, will be sharing her ideas with us and showing us a variety of cakes for different occasions.

Sherry's business The Cake House http://www.thecakehouse.biz/ is based in Tring, Hertfordshire. She provides a completely bespoke service and I have been impressed with her dedication and attention to detail ever since I met her.

Sherry is a skilled cake designer, with an NCF Certificate in Cake Decorating. She has a passion and flair for creativity and enjoys bringing her clients' ideas to life, no matter how large or small. I love these seasonal cupcakes for example:

The Cake House creates unique and delicious cakes in all tastes and styles. Sherry caters for all occasions  including weddings, celebrations and corporate events and she trains others in her art.

Next week Sherry suggests what we should consider when choosing a wedding cake.

Walkern Hall

In my area I am lucky to be surrounded by beautiful stately homes. Walkern Hall http://www.walkernhall.co.uk/ is one of these.
Situated near Stevenage, Walkern Hall is a delightful Georgian manor house, surrounded by beautiful gardens, stunning trees and much parkland. Its grounds are a perfect setting for a marquee wedding reception, private party or other event.

Exclusive ground hire charges are very reasonable and you are able, with the approval of the charming owners, to bring in whichever suppliers you wish.

Well worth a visit if you are looking for a relaxed, quintissentially English backdrop for your wedding or event.

Blenheim Palace

I used to be based very close to Blenheim Palace, but hadn't looked at it as a venue for many years, until I revisited it this morning. I was therefore very excited to see the wonderful possibilites for weddings, parties and other events which Blenheim offers today.

Blenheim offers five different venues - The Orangery, The Marlborough Room, The Great Hall and The Long Library, plus the opportunity to erect a marquee in a number of spaces in their beautiful grounds.

Well worth a visit if you are considering a wedding or other event in the most fabulous surroundings England can offer.

http://www.blenheimpalace.com/

Emergency Kit - Hygeine, Hair & Beauty

This is the second in my series of suggestions about what to take to your wedding 'just in case'.

I always create an attractive basket of items to be left for the use of guests in the ladies room. The following list is uncomplicated, but shows your guests you have thought of their potential needs, thus making them feel even more welcome:

• deodorant and deodorant wipes
• dental floss
• pack of cheap toothbrushes/ toothpaste
• hairspray
• tampons/ towels
• hygeine bags
• tissues
• hairpins
• tights
• emery boards
• cotton buds
• ends of perfumes

Why not consider a simpler version for the Gents too? And lastly, I also keep spare toilet rolls in the car.

Fabulous Duo - Mantal

I hear many excellent musicians at weddings and parties I have the privilege to be involved in, but I am always keen to find new acts and team them with events I am designing.

I was therefore very excited to meet Chris and Taira who together make up http://www.mantal.co.uk/ . They have performed with famous names such as Elton John and Phil Collins and have sung lead roles in West End shows such as Billy Elliot and Grease.

Able to sing both for ceremonies and receptions they can take on all your wedding music requirements, becoming an integral part of your day just like your photographer or caterer.

Listen here http://www.mantal.co.uk/audio/Hallelujah.mp3

Emergency Kit - Children

Over the next few weeks, prior to the main wedding season, I will be focussing on various items which I make sure I take with me to weddings.

Not all will be relevant to everyone. Some will be venue specific, good for marquee weddings, or will relate to particular times of year.

So, feel free to use what you like and discard the elements which don't apply to you.

My first list applies to weddings where small children will form part of the guest list. Making sure you have the following basic items will make you popular with the parents:

• disposable change mats
• nappy bin and sacks
• baby wipes
• nappies
• disposable bibs
• teething gel
• paper
• crayons
• simple noiseless wipeable toys

Next week - hygeine, hair and beauty musts.

Episode Three - Three Grand Weddings

Click below to see this episode in which the team decides on Martine's dress. Although our bride gets to try on the dresses, she is blindfold as she mustn't see the team's choice until the big day.

http://www.weddingtv.com/tv-shows/how-to-i-do/1515/three-grand-weddings

Episode Two - Three Grand Weddings

The second episode of Three Grand Weddings, with me as one of the three planners competing with our teams with a budget of only £3,000 to put together a wedding can be seen here. This week the team decided on catering:

http://www.weddingtv.com/tv-shows/how-to-i-do/1507/three-grand-weddings

To date we are in the lead, but who knows what might happen next week.

Continue to watch us on Monday nights at 9pm on Wedding TV (Sky 266/ FreeSat 400).

Three Grand Weddings

Well I hope everyone is enjoying 2010 so far -  new year resolutions still in place?

The weather certainly isn't helping, however I hope I may be able to warm your Monday evenings for a while and even give you a giggle or two....

I was involved last year in filming a series with Wedding TV in which as a team (couple's friends and family and me) we were given just £3,000 to plan and create a wedding for Martine and JonJo. It was a competition, so two other planners and teams were also involved.

It starts Monday 11th January at 9:00pm on Sky 266 and FreeSat 400.

Sit back with a glass of vino and have a chuckle.

Toastmasters

One of the questions clients often ask me is whether or not they should employ a toastmaster.

This is a very personal thing and depends a great deal on the individual couple, the style of wedding and of course the particular toastmaster involved.

Personally I enjoy working with good toastmasters. Although I often act as MC myself for clients, I much prefer the sound of a deeper voice commanding guests' attention. It also means I can be busy with other duties, such as preparing the couple for their entrance into the wedding breakfast or helping a navigationally embarrassed band member with directions to the venue, whilst announcements are being made.

Some couples don't like the idea of the red jacket and others fear an over formal affair, but it is important to know that a good toastmaster will work with the clients to establish the level of formality appropriate, as well as keeping a check throughout the day itself on what is required. Many are also quite happy to wear black tie if this fits the occassion better.

Alan Deacon of At Your Service http://www.alan-toastmaster.co.uk/ says 'Above all else, I give couples friendly advice and direction, allowing them to decide whether, and in what way, I can best help them enjoy their big day and give their guests a perfect celebration'.