Life is Sweet!

Just the other day I had the absolute pleasure of heading over to a great company that serves up delicious and amazing cakes.  Where did I go, you ask?  No other than .....

 My assistant, Karla, and I had a blast with Mary Alice talking about ...geeze, I think we covered all kinds of topics, but most importantly... cake.  As Mary Alice described it, the crew over at CCC is now "growing up" and you can sense that when you walk into their freshly painted studio.  

Really, it ended up being such a fun and educational night!

I think anyone would agree:  when you walk in and see all the colors, cakes, and fun, your inner-child starts to come out!  The three of us sat down at the table where they sit all of their clients, wedding, business, or otherwise.  In the center of the table, they have tons and tons of colored pencils because while talking with you about the vision you have for your event, CCC will begin to sketch and design. 

As we sat there, we were surrounded by cakes displayed on the tables close by. 

Here is a sample of what we saw and others that Mary Alice emailed over for me:

The detail on these cakes was amazing.  Absolutely amazing.

The next two pictures are of the same cake.  

CCC definitely captured the essence of Baltimore in this one!

I'm afraid that these pictures just don't do justice to how detailed and beautifully crafted this (and these) cakes are.

Then, the spools of ribbon caught my eye ...

And, before we left, Mary Alice sent us home with a box of cake containing six different flavors.  

Now, although I cannot eat chocolate and had to share those with my husband when I got home, I will say my absolute all-time favorite was the dulce de leche.  So, when you head over there to taste some delicious cakes for your wedding cake tasting, be sure to add the dulce de leche to your box!

If you are looking for a unique cake for your wedding (or any other event), you should check out Charm City Cakes.  I promise you won't be disappointed.

Let me know if you like dulce de leche!

Hair Here!

Stuck for hair ideas? Below are pictures for three of my favorite hair styles that I think would look stunning on any bride. They're elegant, chic, and breathtakingly sunning.

http://greatweddinghairstyles.onsugar.com

The Side Ponytail may not be the most unique hairstyle ever, but it's on the list because it's is such a classic. I love side pony tails and have been growing my hair out so I could wear my hair in a casual side pony tail during the day. If you think it's too simple, you can always dress it up with some hair accessories (see my previous post "Adorn Your Hair"). 

http://www.polyvore.com

 

 The next hairstyle on my list is a French Loops updo. It's made up of strands of hair intricately braided and, well, looped. This is a sophisticated yet youthful do that's guaranteed to have guests complimenting you all night long on your hair.

http://alisonbriegallery.blogspot

The Low Messy Side Bun is a hair do that has been rocked by many celebrities down the red carpet. It's fun yet formal enough to be worn down the red carpet, or  better yet, down the aisle of a wedding. This hair style can be modified, which makes it even better. It can be pulled tighter to make it look more formal, or have your hair french braided into a bun, a la Lauren Conrad or Lo of The Hills.

The Silver Platter

picture courtesy of juliejourneys.blogspot.com

So the new trend right now, and one I am ABSOLUTELY loving, is food trucks. I don't know what it is, but there's something just fun about walking up to a truck and ordering food.   

facebook.com/thesilverplatter

I talked Damian, the owner of Baltimore's very popular food truck. It's called The Silver Platter and is so popular that people wait in the rain to get delicious plates of food at very affordable prices. 

Here's what Damian had to say about The Silver Platter:

How did you come up with the idea for your food truck?
-->  We wanted to open a food truck that would offer on par with a nice restaurant but served out of a truck at a lower price.

What are the best selling items on your menu? 

--> The lobster roll, lobster mac & cheese and the brisket, also the pit beef we cook every day in the truck in our smokers.

Do you have any experience catering weddings?

--> We have been asked to do private parties but not a wedding yet. Our chef has a catering background and a culinary degree. We would consider a wedding and we would offer a full menu.

Since the chef has experience catering, The Silver Platter is an excellent option if you'd like to add a unique twist to your wedding. While your guests are waiting for you to arrive at the reception area, why not have a food truck there to serve your guests fun finger foods, like potato ribbons and truffle fries? Check out The Silver Platter's facebook for their full menu and more info!

If you like the idea of a food truck, but don't want one to cater the entire evening, consider having a food truck to serve your guests just a few items, like ice cream at the end of the night. Food trucks are versatile and can be incorporated into your wedding any way you'd like!

            

Adorn Your Hair

I was watching the Sex and the City movie the other day and I was completely in awe of Carrie Bradshaw’s beautiful blue accessory in her wedding hair…and then I remembered it was a bird. 

Regardless, I personally loved the shade of blue and thought it fit SJP’s character perfectly. If you want to accessorize but don't want to do anything as extreme as sticking a bird in your hair, there are many other options. Take a look:

Kim Kardashian wore a diamond studded headpiece
as she said her vows to Kris Humphries
eonline.com

Pandora from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills complemented
her wedding dress with an elegant headband
hollywoodlife.com

Khloe Kardashian opted for the more traditional
floor length veil when she wed Lamar Odom
 OK! Weekly

You could also employ flowers or feathers. And of course, you can always opt to keep it simple not accessorize at all! No matter what, your hair will be absolutely gorgeous, as long as it reflects your personality. Do you plan on using any accessories on your wedding day?

A Lace Obsession

For the last five years I've been in love with TLC's show "Say Yes to the Dress". And, ever since I began watching, I've been in awe of every single lace dress that a girl puts on. So in honor of all things dainty and lace, here are some of the most gorgeous gowns I've ever seen from some of the world's best designers.

 Sarah Nouri

           Style Me Pretty

If you haven't checked out this site yet, hurry on over! You'll faint over how gorgeous these weddings are                        

 

 

Jenny Yoo

 Modern Trousseau

 

Lela Rose 

Will you be wearing a lace gown to your wedding? Know any other gorgeous designers who make lace gowns?  We'd love to hear from you!

Get Inspired, Get Organized

In my opinion, a woman in love is a woman inspired. When people are in love, everything around them can inspire creativity and originality, so it's no surprise that engaged women, and even men, have an abundance of wedding ideas. Getting inspired isn't a problem - getting organized is. One of the best ways to get organized is by creating an inspiration board, like the ones seen throughout this post.

Courtesy of blushingbrideblog.com
A Purple, Pink, and Gold Inspiration Board

A Fruit Themed Board

An inspiration board (you may have heard of them as wedding boards or mood boards) can give you a visual as to how all your ideas will look together. Not only will it help you, but it will also help your vendors provide products that will mesh flawlessly with the theme and colors you have in mind. 

    

A Peacock Board

Although there are plenty of sites you can use to create inspiration boards on your own, like at the Wedding Wire website or by Shardi at http://www.blushingbrideblog.com/, it wouldn't hurt to have a professional, like Jenny of jpb designs, to help you finesse and perfect your board, leading to the wedding of your dreams.