5 Tips on Choosing your Wedding Cake

** fEATURED POST FROM: BRIDALMUSINGS.COM **

TOP 5 TIPS ON HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR WEDDING CAKE

If you have a sweet tooth and an appreciation for creative confectionary, choosing your wedding cake is likely to be one of your favourite parts of wedding planning.

However, it can be a deceptively tricky task. There’s a whole host of things to consider, including the design, the flavour(s), portion size and, of course, your wedding budget.

As a bride I remember being quite shocked by the price of wedding cakes when I first starting contacting bakers for quotes. But throughout the design process, I began to realise just how much time, talent and hard work goes into each and every cake. Especially bespoke wedding cakes and cakes with intricate designs.

(Sugar paste flowers so realistic you want to smell them, anyone?!)

photo by Caro Hutchings Photography

So I’m thrilled to welcome our latest expert contributor, London based cake designer Asma of The Sugared Saffron Cake Company, who is sharing her top tips on choosing your wedding cake.

Asma’s wedding cakes are modern, fresh, beautiful and a little playful – just like her writing style (as you’ll discover below).

And, after seeing these photos, I’m sure you’ll agree that The Sugared Saffron Cake Company don’t simply create wedding cakes but works of art!

THINK ABOUT YOUR DESIGN

If you already have a design that you’ve had in your head for years, chances are someone has already got there first. Sorry, but it’s actually a good thing!

Try searching on Pinterest and google for your cake keywords and see if you can find a vision. Get your cake designer to mix it up and create something original.

photos of rockabilly cake by Martin Hobby Photography

BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR BUDGET

It really is important that you trust your cake designer enough that you tell them your real budget. Real! There are lots of ways to translate blush pink peonies and lace into a wedding cake, and letting your designer know means they can work on ideas that are actually realistic. (And they won’t try to wring you for every penny, I promise.)

If you’re on a tight budget, think about having an oversized statement sugar flower or blocks of colour, rather than piped lace or a floral cascade.

photos of ranunculus wedding cake and dessert table by Caro Hutchings Photography

PORTIONS DICTATE SIZE

It’s not the other way around, the number of people you need to serve is more important than the number of tiers you think your cake should have. If your number is on the low side you can make it up with dummy tiers, but bear in mind that they aren’t free, and a 5 tier cake at a wedding with 40 people will probably result in a few awkward stares.

(Here’s a handy cake portion guide.)

MAKE SURE YOU LIKE THEIR STYLE

Cake designers have styles too! If you are looking for an ombre cake with an extended/double barrel tier, chances are you shouldn’t go looking for someone who still uses pillars and stairways.

The same goes for buttercream vs fondant, some designers are happy to work with both, but you’re much better off finding someone who works with the medium you want for your cake.

photo by Claire Graham

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

If you want to save money, try to be flexible with your designs. But if you’re really keen on being featured on cakewrecks, and you don’t mind being embarrassed by a badly made cake, you can find some hilarious prices online.

As the saying goes, ‘cheap cake ain’t good, good cake ain’t cheap’.

Wedding Project: DIY Brooch Bouquet

Watch Video Here:

51 Things You Can Be Thankful For

NOVEMBER: MONTH OF GRATITUDE

51 Things You Can Be Thankful For

1. For family, whether “by blood” or the people you’ve met in your life, that always make you feel at home.

2. For parents and guardians who most of the time they did their best, and maybe if you got lucky, will always be some of the best people you know.

3. For mothers who were the first people to love you, who nurtured, who taught, who cheered, who supported; who carried the pains you couldn’t.

4. For fathers who love you like you like their prized possession, who disciplined, who protected; who gave everything they could for you to be everything you are.

5. For brothers who were your first friends, who teased and taunted but would never let anyone hurt a hair on your head.

6. For sisters who were some of your first friends, who you fought with and fight with, but will never let anyone hurt a hair on their head

7. For your significant other – that you can find someone to love, who doesn’t have to love you, but loves you anyway. And that you met them at the right time, in the right place, is nothing short of a miracle.

8. For your many significant others who are your true friends, who make life a lot easier to go through, and who love you more than you deserve.

9. For teachers who partook in your formation, who saw things in you that you didn’t, and who challenged you to do your best.

10. For pets and all animals we encounter who give us free and unconditional love. (Especially dogs of course.)

11. For good health if you have it, one of life’s greatest pleasures. For any good health at all.

12. For a body that allows you to function in any way.

13. For a brain that allows you to think about the world and its people in all the ways that you can.

14. For all the colors of the world that make life so much brighter than it would be otherwise.

15. For seasons, no matter how many we experience and don’t experience, their mere existence is proof that things are meant to change.

16. For the numerous cultures that we can learn about and even have the opportunity to visit all around the world.

17. For history, that we can learn about it in different ways and use that knowledge to make our present and future better.

18. For people who get up early in the morning to clean your streets and drive your busses and trains.

19. For baristas who make your hot and cold drinks to perfection.

20. For cashiers and baggers in grocery stores who stand on their feet for long hours each day, making lives easier.

21. For waiters and waitresses who put up with us when we’re at our worst – hungry.

22. For people who work at clothing stores, whose service often goes unnoticed.

23. For a warm bed at night

24. For a coat in the winter time.

25. For a phone that allows you to communicate with people instantaneously even when you are far away from them.

26. For a computer, and for the fact that they exist, and that you can have access to it – to do your work, to gain information, and to learn.

27. For the Internet, no matter how awful it may seem some days, it has revolutionized our lives for the better.

28. For people who don’t like you because they remind you that you that you have values and opinions so strong that you’re willing to sacrifice your likability at the expense of standing by them.

29. For people who can disagree with values and opinions and still like the person anyway.

30. For kind strangers who at a personal cost to them, helped you in some shape or form.

31. For the time that you left something of value in a place, and someone turned it into you.

32. For good food, whether you’re making it or eating it.

33. For knowing that you know where your next meal is coming from.

34. For good wine, another one of life’s great pleasures.

35. For your favorite beer or cocktail which if nothing else, has sometimes made that hard work day seem a lot lighter.

36. For access to water, one of life’s most important necessities.

37. For music, which fills the soul in all the ways that it does.

38. For art, which makes life beautiful in and of itself.

39. For words, whether written or spoken or signed, that give life meaning and give meaning to our lives.

40. For science, for giving us many creations that have simplified our lives, and the knowledge to keep seeking better ways to live.

41. For trees that give our environments life.

42. For the grass that is home to many tiny creatures.

43. For roads, streets and sidewalks and those who take care of them, as we go about our everyday lives using them.

44. For little pleasures like crushes that remind you that humans are always seeking to love and be loved.

45. For acts of affection like hugs and hand-holding and kisses, because they remind us of the importance of touch.

46. For heartbreak because it reminds you that your heart is strong enough to face the worst and still keep beating.

47. For suffering and pain and failure because it teaches you to be grateful and aware that you only have so much control.

48. For the ability to help others in need who remind us that we are all in need, in one way or another.

49. For good times and bad times – that we celebrate them or made it through them.

50.  For faith, hope, and love. Because those things are free, irreplaceable, and the only things that last a lifetime.

51. For life, because without it none of the above is possible.

Shared From: http://thoughtcatalog.com

Spook-tacular Halloween Wedding Inspiration (via Pinterest)

Berry Gorgeous Slim-Down Smoothie

Berry Gorgeous Slim-Down Smoothie

SERVES: 1 
1 c frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries)
½ c low-fat plain yogurt (Plain FageYogurt is high in protein and low in sugar)
½ c Unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Water

** Optional - Handful of frozen or fresh Spinach (fruit will mask spinach taste) **

Pulse and Blend in Blender for 30 Seconds 
ENJOY :)

Wedding Checklist PRINTABLE

Your FREE Wedding Planning Checklist! Just right click to download and print.

Want more Bridal Fit Chicks? Sign up for our Bridal Package at BridalFitChicks.com

A Guide to Shop for your Perfect Dress

Hi Chicks! 

Now that we have established EVERYONE wants to look their BEST on a wedding day, it's time to get down to business and work toward that goal. Whether you are the bride-to-be, maid of honor, or the mother to the bride or groom, you want to be confident in what you're wearing. 

To help you prepare for these special events in your life, Bridal Fit Chicks wants to help you determine which style of dress will fit and flatter your figure best with our Wedding Dress Silhouette Guide.Whether you’re going to wear a strapless dress or a mermaid fit, chances are your dress will put both your upper and lower body on display. Our Wedding Dress Silhouette Guide will help you choose the PERFECT dress according your body type shape. Just start below!

Body Type & Dress Picks

Rectangle Figure: Your shoulders and hips are similar in size
Look For: A dress that defines the waist in order to add curves to the silhouette of your body
Great Dress Picks: Column, Princess, A-Line, Mermaid

Pear Figure: Your hips are larger than your shoulders
Look For: A  dress skirt that gradually flares out from the waist to the floor. The flare of the dress will highlight the narrowness of the midsection and detract attention away from the hips and thighs.
Great Dress Picks: A-Line, Ballgown, Empire, Trumpet

Apple Figure: If you have a large frame where your bottom and hips are full as well as your torso and you have little waist definition 
Look For: A dress that elongates the torso.  If you love the look of strapless gowns, it is best to choose one that has the scooped neckline, rather than a style that goes straight across. A straight across style may make your bust appear larger.
Great Dress Picks: Empire, Ballgown, Princess

Strawberry Figure: Also known as the inverted triangle, this body shape features a broad chest and wide shoulders which are large in proportion to a narrow waist and hips.
Look For: A strapped or strapless dress with a full-coverage scooped neckline and defined waistband. Dresses with these details will draw attention to your face, while also displaying your cinched waistline and toned shoulders. 
Great Dress Picks: Ball gown, Empire, A-Line

Hourglass Figure: Your hips and shoulders are similar in size with a well-defined waist.
Look For: Fitted gowns that will show off your curvy figure - maximizes attention to your smaller waist
Great Dress Picks: Ballgown, Mermaid, Trumpet, Bateau

Other Considerations:

Small Bust:
Look for dresses with bateau or squared necklines. Accent what you do have with gowns that are pleated with ruffled detail across the bust, or have intricate detailing with beads or embroidery.

Larger Bust:
Look for a dress with a simple bodice. Stay away from beads, embroidery, lace, and sequins. Great necklines to consider are square, strapless, scoop, sweetheart, v-shaped, and off-the-shoulder.

NOTE- These are just a few of the dress styles and neckline silhouettes to give you an idea of what is out there and what may flatter your body type best. Use these recommendations as a guide, but always try on styles that YOU like and pick what makes you feel the most beautiful!

Once you have found that PERFECT dress style according to our guide, Bridal Fit Chicks wants to help you even further by giving you a Guide to your Best Body Assets and Zone Targeting Areas of the body to focus on during your exercise training according to your dress style. This guide will be a *special bonus* included in the packages of all Bridal Fit Chicks members.

In combination with the Ultimate Bridal Slimdown and At-Home Bridal Workouts in our package, adding these specific exercises will help you look tight and toned on the big day!

If you are already a member of the Bridal Fit Chicks Community, you will also receive special workouts related to your dress style that will help you focus on those target areas throughout your membership. If you are interested in becoming a Bridal Fit Chicks member and receiving additional exclusive content, >>> CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP <<<

XOXO