Saving Money on the Wedding Cake

At a cost range of 2 - 15 bucks a slice, the wedding cake can represent a HUGE chunk of change. As the niece and I both have pastry skills, we couldn't see spending that much for cake. But we knew it was out of the question for us to do the cake... what to do and still stay on budget?

Once the bride told us she liked the look of multiple cakes at varying heights filling a table, I knew immediately how to save money! We were also lucky in that our girl has very simple and elegant tastes. By going with simple white cake with only a shell border at the bottom, I knew we could create a fantastic looking display and save some serious dough!

As luck would have it, one of the aunties found a lovely and very affordable plant stand in black at big lots that would hold four cakes. When we purchased it - a full year before the wedding - it was eight bucks. It's now $12. But we were drawn to it because there appeared to be an "A" in the scroll work, our bride's first name is Athena... Kismet.

Jewelry boxes were cleaned out and a local dollar store had lots and lots of crystal jewelry for a dollar or less. We purchased stuff by the bag full there for all of the wedding. So, I'm not sure how much we spent on bling, but I assure you it was nominal! We also bought crystal cording in downtown LA... we got yards of it for around five bucks.

That "A" was highlighted with the cording  on all the pillars. The jewelry was cut apart and added all around the base of the plant stand.

Next came the issue of the cake itself. I started with Costco and Sam's. I was most disappointed that they only had ginormous round or rectangular cakes and not the multi-sizes we needed. So I tried my local grocery chain, knowing they would be much cheaper than a bakery. While I was telling the clueless clerk my plan, another customer sidled up beside me and said..."You need to go to My Bakery in Pacoima. They make the best cakes and they are really affordable."

Curious, my first question was, "Isn't that a Mexican bakery?" I was terrified of some of the over done hideous cakes I've seen at Quinceaneras.

She said yes, they make those too but they also make really elegant stuff as well!  I went by and purchased a small white cake as well as a few slices of their other cakes. Everything was amazing, fresh and delicious!  So, don't be afraid to try an ethnic bakery.

The one caveat we had... were those darn shells. What I call shells from years of cake decorating...did not translate well. I would call their shells dots... but their decorator was on hand and made a quick repair on pick up day. So point all you like in the display case... make sure they understand.

After the taste test, we took the stand in with us to be sure all the cakes would fit. It was under a hundred dollars for all five cakes and we supplemented with a sheet cake in the same flavor from Sam's for under $30. While the bride would have loved that the cake be ivory, that would have added another $60 to the costs!  The aunties decided it's night, she won't really notice... and she never said if she did!

Finally, someone from the wedding party has to deal with picking up the cakes and setting up the cakes. To me, that's a large part of what you pay for! I picked them up the day before the wedding and stored them in the venue's fridge.

Before the ceremony, the aunties added finishing touches. I had found some gorgeous crystal dragonflies at a favorite art store. They had put up their Christmas trees early and used last year's ornaments - 1/2 price - until the new ones arrived!  The bride had been at a wholesale show and purchased their initials in crystal. We had our florist bring a few buckets of organic - no pesticide - tulips. And... edible glitter! 

In just a few minutes, we had a gorgeous cake table!  And total cost was about a 1.50 a head! It took a little, research, work and planning... but we had a stunning cake that tasted amazing!

Upcyling the Wedding

NOTE: This was written well before our niece's wedding in February but... I realized she had not seen many of the items in this post... hence the delay. (I told you she was not a Bridezilla!)

We're all on a tight budget for the niece's wedding but we're NOT gonna skimp on elegance and glamor! Take the dragonflies one of the aunties has been working on. I mentioned in a previous post that we have dragonfly on the invitation... a symbol of good fortune.

 Our decorative dragonflies are HUGE - about 20" tall!

While out on a  research shopping trip, we found these hideous wire frame butterflies. Don't EVEN get me started on all the butterfly winged tchotchkes out there that have dragonfly bodies or vice versa... they are LEGION! We found 3 very large (the bodies are almost two feet!) ones on sale and after a little manipulation, realized the wings could easily be re-shaped into dragonfly wings!  But it still needed a bigger body. One was carved out of foam core. And then the fun began.

Not wanting to spend a fortune in beads, the artist raided her mom's antique jewelry box for broken or no longer worn pieces.  She raided her button box and her craft box. As the holidays approached, small glitter ornaments were purchased for the eyes and tail. We ended up with three: the red "welcome" on you see above, a white one for the sweet heart table:

 and a most glamorous black and white one for the cake table:

A big part of building these was organizing all those various pieces-parts for ready access as the artist built each dragonfly. Check this out:

She found a couple of old  spice racks at the thrift store and just look at all those organized beads!

Here's a shot of the finished sweetheart's table featuring the white dragonfly. I just love the layers of diaphanous fabric and lights!

We had to do a lot of brainstorming on how to attach that heavy dragon fly to the front of the table. We didn't care if it damaged our sheer tabletop but we couldn't have it damage the under - cloth belonging to our location. We're used velcro and heavy refrigerator magnets to keep it all in place.

Memory Bead - The Wedding Gift

I've written at length about my love of making Memorial Beads. But another similar type of bead I love to make is what I call a Memory Bead. It's a way to capture a memory.

These can vary depending on the occasion. I've made hollow beads and filled them with sand from a beach to celebrate a proposal. When I went to visit my niece last year in Nevada, I was stunned at the powder like quality of the sand on the lake by her house.  Because that sand was so fine, I melted into glass and made her a bead out of it.

With her recent marriage, the good memories continue. This is the gift I made the honeymooning couple:

Forgive the bad photos... it's POURING here and that's the best shot I could get on this gray day!
It's a silver shadow box style frame containing a heart made from the champagne bottle I found on their table while cleaning up after the wedding. Behind the heart is a story I wrote for them. Here's a closer view:

It reads:

David & Athena

February 17, 2012

Made from the champagne bottle used to toast your nuptials, this heart symbolizes your journey together...

Formed from two distinct beads and shaped into one heart, just as your love has turned the two of you into one...

...Air bubbles were carefully placed inside the heart. Some consider this a flaw... but they are there to remind you that no marriage is perfect and that sometimes... you just need to breathe and work through whatever is troubling you. 

On the front of the bead is a spiral. This is the symbol of the circle of life. In some cultures, this means "home." No matter where life takes you, follow your heart and it will lead you home. 

Life is a journey - one you have chosen to share with each other. Life will lift you up and it can beat you down. But love is a shelter in any storm.

Treasure One Another.

----------------------------------------------

Photoshop Tutorial for the how to geeks: 

• Photograph the bead. Measure it as well. 
• In Photoshop, create a new workspace the size of your project...mine is  4 x 6. 
• Paste the bead pic in and using the rulers size it down to actual size. 
• Fill background layer with white.
• Type your memory story on top of the bead layer, using the bead pic as a guide to create a void in your type. 
• Hide the bead layer and change your printer settings to a greeting card weight paper before printing.

Wedding Photo Booth

The wedding has come and gone. I'm still exhausted and now buried under the mountain of tax paperwork I ignore all year! I'm going to share more wedding tips in the coming weeks but today, I wanted to share some pics from the wedding photo booth.

The ampersand and photo booth signs add a fun element to the wedding pics!

The photo booth was all the niece's idea. The groom didn't get it. Neither did the aunties or the in - laws. We all thought it was our girl being her goofy self. Boy, were we ever wrong! The photo booth was the hit of the event. People didn't want to dance to our perfectly fine DJ because they were dancing in line at the photo booth! WHO KNEW??? (The bride, apparently!)

Edzel Fuertez provided our photo booth and also provided additional photography services at the wedding. He and his team were just AWESOME. The bride and groom  purchased frames, removed the glass and backing and as people got their photos taken, Edzel's team placed them in the frames as a gift to the guests.

The giant ampersand was made from foam board. I could only find heavy wooden ones on Etsy, so we made a lighter version. It's 18" tall!

But that wasn't all... They showed up with all kinds of props: funny glasses, boas, parasols, hats etc. The bride made sets of lips and mustaches from fun foam and dowel rods. I made a giant ampersand and signs. I took the artwork from the wedding invitation and made rubber stamps (duh, that's my day job). I used the same artwork and created words: Bride, Groom, Mr., Mrs. Ms., Dr., Rev. I really wish I had made ones that say 'You' and 'Me' - but I didn't think of it til too late! See tutorial below.

It was a beautiful and most memorable evening! 

 The lips and mustaches were a big hit too!

Sign Tutorial

• Print signs on heavy photo paper at Office Depot and trim them to size. 
• There seemed to be a run on 1/2" thick foam board when I was making these... so I had to make do with 1/4" ... but used 1/2" if possible! Cut foam board pieces an inch larger on all sides on scroll saw or with xacto.  Because I wanted them sturdy and could not find the thicker board, I cut two matching pieces on my scroll saw. 
• Stamp the front with swirly rubber stamps all around the edge. If using thinner foam core, only do this on one side. 
• If using thinner foam, hot glue two pieces together.
• Insert kitchen skewers into the middle of the bottom edge of the foam. You can remove the stick, just make sure you allow for the hole. 
• Take ribbon to match the width of your foam core (3/8" - 1/2 ") and   sequin pins  or SHORT straight pins. I used the sequin pins when I was pinning ribbon and short straight pins for beads. Pin the ribbon in a few spots close to the skewer hole but not covering it. 
• Pin beads through the ribbon close to the front edge of the sign. I alternated beads pinned on the front edge of the ribbon and sequin pins to hold the back edge of the ribbon and worked in this manner all around the sign to the other side of the skewer hole. Trim ribbon from bolt and place final pins.
• Put hot glue on the pointy end of the skewer and insert back into hole. Let set up. Trim other end with wire cutters to desired length. 
• Wind 1/2" ribbon (use the darkest color from your wedding color scheme... hands are always dirty and you don't want the signs looking grungy!) down the length of the skewer. Tuck and roll at the bottom and go back up the skewer securing with hot glue. 
• If desired, hot glue beaded garland down the skewer. 
• Use iridescent pull string ribbon to make a bow: Cut 1 yard (I used 1 1/2 on the bride and groom signs but less on the rest). Pull the string, making sure you are holding onto both tails. Wrap string around the bow and tie a knot. Repeat. Trim string, hot glue bow in place.

The Wedding Ballarina

I finally finished the ballerina for the candy table at the niece's wedding. it was slow going as the wire was hard on my hands. I was using a coated wire to match the red crystals and didn't want to use wire tools on it to avoid scratching.

I think it came out really cute:

#1 Money Saving Tip For Brides

Everyone wants to save money on a wedding!  And there are a myriad of ways to do that. But THE number one money saving tip I've learned of is... keep your wedding a secret.

No, not from your friends and family! But from your vendors! Think about it... of all the services you hire and items you buy, which vendors really need to know it's for a wedding?? Just a few come to mind: the minister, the florist, the cake maker and the the dress shop. Beyond that, no one needs to know it's for a wedding. What's left can often be a big chunk of your wedding budget: the location, the caterer and entertainment.

So what's the advantage here? Let me explain how I came to know this fantastic money saving tip: I used to be an on staff production manager for a very busy commercial production house. A large portion of a PM's job is to negotiate contracts with vendors. I shared an office with two other PM's who were engaged to one another and planning their wedding.

The girl would play "naive Susie" on the phone...gushing about her nuptials as she got price quotes on every detail that was included and what was extra. Her intended would turn around and call the same vendor with pretty much the same details (number of people, menu items, etc). Only he would refer to the event as "a party." Their quotes from the same vendor would often be hundreds of dollars apart!

Bridezilla Rubber Stamp by Sweet Stampen

The fact of the matter is...many vendors simply charge more for a wedding. And I'm certain the reason is "the Bridezilla factor"! Many brides see the wedding as the day to be "all about me." (Er.... what about your new husband?) Or their chance to be a princess. They act like spoiled brats and treat their vendors like slaves.

It's the same with my own business. If someone is easy peasy to deal with and is a regular, I toss in freebies and offer discounts. But I have one customer that, while she does spend quite a lot, is always unhappy. She returns stuff from every other order. She changes her mind while we are in production. And when I was so sick after Christmas, I started hearing from other wholesale customers that my items were being sold on ebay! This woman was over ordering using her wholesale discount to sell my stuff at rock bottom prices!  Freebies I had tossed in her box on good faith that they would be used for samples in her shop were also being sold for next to nothing. Let's just say that when someone who is that much of a PITA ain't gonna get a discount... I don't care how often she asks! 

So... bridezillas, PLEASE DON'T USE THIS TIP! It will backfire in your face!  In the end, my friends saved thousands on their wedding. Only the band complained.  My friends were quick to point out that they were in "the business" and ending up tossing a few hundred more to the boys in the band. I wouldn't have done that. I would have had the number to the local consumer reporter on speed dial. If the band walked, I would've plugged in my ipod... a very un-bridezilla move.

As long as you remain pleasant to deal with and state your truth (It IS just a party!), you should be able to save lots of money!

Beading - Not Making Beads

I've been a busy beading maniac. So why no new beads??? I haven't been making any! I've been working on my niece's wedding projects and I'm sure in the coming month there will be a slew of wedding posts here. So if you find wedding bling and how to save lots of money on a wedding interesting... do check in!

This is one of our latest projects - a work still in progress. The niece is the only girl with lots of aunties who love and spoil her and she is SO not Bridezilla. She just trusts us! (Silly girl!) Seriously though, her aunties are all very talented and creative and one (our fearless leader) has a background in fashion and graphic design.

Since we may have a limited load in time at the location and we are doing all of the decorating ourselves, we are building vignettes for each of the tables (Candy, Sweethearts, Memorial, Guest check in) and taking pictures and storing everything for one table in a box with the pictures so that any "elves" (i.e. cousins and bridesmaids) that show up to help and look and the photo and set up the table.

This piece is probably going on the candy table as it has such a girly sense of whimsy! We found the ballerina on sale at Ross. It had hideous pink plastic drops with large brass split rings dangling from the skirt.

I removed those and started making heart shaped drops with Swarovski crystals...which got a little complicated. I shape one side of the wire in a swirl, hammer and texture with both side of a chasing hammer, add an 8mm crystal, round the top of the other side of the heart, more hammering, add another crystal and wrap onto the skirt. I quickly decided to do every other loop of the skirt!

 The bestie had these plastic (but adorable) red drops from the cake stand project she did. I added them to every other loop of the skirt in both the large and small sizes.

Finally, I could NOT leave the bodice plain! I'll be filling that in with more Swarkies. I have my work cut out for me!