Holly's Cakes

So I always get the question of who is doing my cake... What does it look like? Etc. So without further ado... HERE IT IS!

A little background on how we found and ultimately picked ours:

Our reception local is a very large room so I wanted my cake to have a presence in the room so I wanted a BIG cake!

I was set on another local baker in the Greenville area. We went to her and she designed a beautiful 5 layer cake... for $650! Above our budget. Well we told her it was too much and hoped she would try to refigure and redraw something that would fit into our budget. So we took the drawing and said we'd think about it. In the mean time we set up 2 other appointments with 2 other bakers. The second appointment was the same as the first. Great cake... HUGE price! She was the same didn't really give many options but wouldn't let me take the drawing that we custom designed because it was hers. She was out before I even left the room!

The last appointment was with a wonderful woman named Holly of Holly's Cakes. As you all know I am a photographer and had shot a wedding where she had a cake. I'm very particular about cakes. I don't like crunchy icing (you know... where the cake has sat out for a while and the outer part of the icing gets crunchy) and upon eating this delicious cake at this wedding I asked who did it and they said Holly's. So I knew going in that she had great cakes the question was could she work with us... So we went through the same motions as before and she gave a great cake with again... a bigger price tag than we wanted. So mom, Michael, and I are discussing this issue as she is doing something with that pencil of hers. She flips around this paper and my mouth drops. It's a 4 tier (yes I know I said I wanted 5 but keep reading!) cake with everything that we had wanted with a HUGE separator to add height and the faux ice blocks as the stand. I couldn't believe it! And the best part... we were getting more slices than with the 5 tier (the bottom tier was fake) and it was right on our budget!

So what does it look like? I'll post it next :) But our flavors are:

Bottom: White Cake with Butter Cream Filling

Second: Yellow and Chocolate Marble Cake with Fudge Filling

Third: Strawberry Cake with Butter Cream Filling

Top: Hummingbird Cake with Butter Cream Filling

Needless to say, I have been a spokes person for her ever since. She is such a wonderful woman and she does GREAT work. You can see her website at http://www.hollyscakes.com/ and if you would like more information on her please feel free to contact me. Below are some of her cakes...

A Hard Time

So this past week has been really hard on me. We are now 61 days out and I am still without a job. Excitedly enough, I do have an interview tomorrow, but I'm a little scared about it. They work Saturdays and considering we are 2 months out, there are really on 2 or 3 Saturdays between now and the wedding I can actually work. And on top of that I am going to be taking a lot of time off too! I have at least 1 or 2 days I will either have to take off or take a half day between now and March AND the week of the wedding I will have to have the Thursday and Friday off and possibly a half day that Wednesday AND the week of the honeymoon. I'm hoping that they will see how great of a candidate I am for the position and deal with me for the first couple of months. I need the job seeing that I've been out of work since November 4 and we desperately need the money!

So on to the hard week... because I have been out of work, we are having to cut items from my dream wedding just so we can afford it. My mom is footing the whole bill except for things she didn't think were needed, IE. Chair Covers. So I said I would pay for those and anything above what she couldn't do (we were on a $5000 budget and we are WAY over... like we are at about $10000 including the approx $1500 me and Michael are doing) being alcohol and my dress alterations and accessories.

And on top of that, invitations went out last Saturday. We already have 60+ YESES! We haven't gotten a single NO yet! Granted, the yeses we have gotten have all been expected people except 2, but still... I guess I should be grateful that that many people love us enough to come to our wedding. But it's hard when I still have to pay for those people! LOL

So here I sit watching my dream wedding go down the drain... I'm hoping for a GREAT tax refund because that will definitely help out a lot.

So PLEASE pray for me to get this job and/or for a financial miracle/blessing. We could really use the thoughts and prayers as we buckle down for the final countdown!

I'm different... I want CUSTOM

So I stumbled across an awesome site the other day! The owner and I have chatted back and forth on email, and I must say she seems to be a very sweet girl! She offers so many custom items and if they don't have something that you are wanting to have customized, just ask!

Aisle Runners

Unity Candles

Custom Champagne Flutes, Martini Glasses, Wine Glasses, and MORE!

Custom Banners

Custom Cake Toppers

Custom Table Numbers

So where do I find this stuff you ask?? Check out Three Galas Designs! There is a link to their blog on the right hand side of my page. There is a link on their page to the website where you can order all of these items and more. So check her out!

Note: All photos are used courtesy of Three Galas Designs

Yuuummmm... How I LOVE cake!

So on one of the forums I am on, a girl was asking for ideas on her cake. Man oh man... I want cake now! She wanted ideas on what flavors to get and designs. Well there are lots of designs you can choose from...

Such as these more "traditional" cakes

Some people even do themes:

80s Themed

Caribbean Themed

Mario Themed

Some have even gotten into the mini-cake trend which I find so cool!


I on the other hand wanted something original... so this is a drawing of what I'm getting

This cake has what our squiggle is

Flavors can very depending on your taste. Here are some that are offered: White, Butter, Marble, Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip, Strawberry, Neapolitan, Lemon White, Key Lime, Italian Cream, Red Velvet, Carrot, and almost anything else you can dream up most bakers will do. Be careful though, some bakers charge extra for certain flavors beyond their norm.

If fillings are your cup of tea, your options are limitless there too! Here are some: Raspberry, Strawberry, Fresh Fruits, Lemon, Fudge, Peanut Butter, Cream Cheese, Flavored Buttercreams, and again almost anything you can think of!

While I am partial to buttercream as my icing, you really only have a few options: Buttercream, Fondant, or Marzipan.

Like I said, your combinations are limitless. Just talk to your baker. And when it comes to flavor make sure that your pick can support your design. Some cakes are softer than others and cannot hold lots of detail. Talk to your baker and they can let you know what will and will not work.

Engagement Pictures

So people always ask, are engagement pictures necessary? The answer is easy. No. Engagement pictures are just a way to have new pictures made of you and your now Fiance. Most people get them done to have a "engagement picture" to put in their local newspaper as an Engagement Announcement. While I just got them done to have some cute new pictures of me and my fiance, you can use them for whatever. But NO you don't have to get them done. So don't let anyone, your mom, dad, or photographer tell you you HAVE to get them done.

On that note, I figured I would share some of mine... these are a few of my favorites but not all of them! We got a lot of great ones!

Maid vs. Matron of Honor

So on one of the forums that I am a part of there have been many posts regarding the difference between a Maid of Honor and a Matron of Honor.

The role that the MOH plays is the same regardless of if she is a Maid or a Matron. What is the difference in the title then? A Maid of Honor is a woman who is not or never has been married. A Matron of Honor is a woman who is married or has been married.

You can choose the title you wish to use if you have a Matron and she doesn't like the title. However the role is the same.

The following are the duties of the Maid/Matron of Honor (http://ads.omaha.com/WedEssentials/checklists/matron.pdf):

• Pays for her own gown, headdress and shoes.
• If from out of town, pays for her own transportation to the wedding site.
• If not a family member, usually gives or arranges for a shower, luncheon or party for the bride or for the bride and groom.
• Usually consults with the bridesmaids about a joint gift for the bride, collects the money, purchases the gift and presents it to the bride at the chosen occasion. This gift often has the wedding date and sometimes the initials or names of the givers on it. This gift is separate from the individual wedding present to be given to the couple by each member of the bridal party.
• Attends rehearsal for instructions on processional, ceremony and recessional.
• Attends the rehearsal dinner. May be asked to make a toast.
• Follows bride’s wishes on where and when to dress for the ceremony and show up prepared and on time. Remembers to collect her own belongings afterwards.
• Helps the bride dress.
• Calms bride’s nerves!
• Immediately precedes bride in processional.
• Normally stands next to bride at altar and holds bride’s bouquet.
• Turns back bride’s veil if necessary.
• Adjusts train after processional.
• In a double-ring ceremony, is in charge of groom’s ring and produces it at the
• proper time.
• At the end of the ceremony, helps adjust bride’s train and veil when she turns for
• the recessional.
• Serves as a legal witness
• Is available for photographs.
• Stands in receiving line next to the groom.
• If there is a bridal table, sits to the left of the groom.
• Helps bride change into her going away clothes and makes certain the wedding gown is taken care of.

You can also see the link below for more information.
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/wedding_planning/vpost?id=885202

I found this information by going to Google (you can use the Search box above if you want to search yourself) and put in Maid vs. Matron of Honor and many articles came up.

Choosing your Bridal Party

So I'm so very sorry I have been MIA lately. I've been so busy with the Christmas party we had this weekend, looking for jobs, and taking care of the house, everything else has really fallen behind. So I have taken a moment to post a new topic.

One of the biggest parts of the wedding is the Bridal Party. That is your bridesmaids and groomsmen. How do you know who to choose and how many to pick?

In all honesty, it is totally up to you. First thing to think of is how many girls/guys can you afford to have. You may want 15 bridesmaids and 15 groomsmen because you have that many close to you, but can you afford that many? Meaning, the more people you have, the more money you have to spend. How is that? Well you have bouquets and boutonnieres for each and then you have gifts for each that can range from $10-50+ each. Also, does it make sense to have a 30 person bridal party? If you are having a small wedding (under 100 people) then no it does not make sense to have a 30 person bridal party.

You should choose people who are close to you, family and friends. If you are very close to your family, in my opinion, you should choose family before you choose friends. If you figure out you can afford and makes sense to have 4 people each and you have 6 people you want to choose, there are other roles that those people can play. They can read a passage at the ceremony, they can man the guest book, hand out programs, or be honorary bridesmaids/groomsmen listed in the program.

Remember, friends can come and go, but family is always going to be there. Does that mean you should ask the sister you haven't talked to in 10 years to be a bridesmaid, No. But if it comes down to a friend you have had for 2 years and a sister you have always been close to, you should take the sister (in my opinion, but again it is up to you).

Always think hard about who you want to pick. Don't pick someone on a whim. People get their feelings hurt very easily when it comes to being in your wedding. Don't pick someone because you think its a good idea and then change your mind. For example, a girl posted on a forum about her BIL asking her husband to be his Best Man. Great right? Well a week later, the BIL decides he wants a girl he has knows for 6 months to be his Best Woman, meaning he was asking the husband to step down. The husband was devastated. You should really think before just asking someone.

In my opinion, you should not name your bridal party until about 7-8 months before the wedding. You should create a list of who you think you want and why you would want that person. Think about it, and then review the list again a few weeks later. Do you still want that person? If so, ask them.