Why You Should Shop Early

By Geraldine Kidwell

Artistry In Cake of KY

www.weddingcakeskentucky.com

Wow!! You’re engaged! Congratulations! After you come back down to earth, the reality of the huge amount of planning that is facing you for the big day will be overwhelming. It is important to start organizing your thoughts and make some definite decisions on several major segments of your wedding and reception. Don’t procrastinate!! There are three important reasons why you should get several contracts signed – one of these being your wedding cake. The first reason is availability of the vendor that you select; the second reason is possible increase in price, and the third reason is your own peace of mind.

Selecting a vendor is like going to a sale – if you don’t get there early, all the good ones will be gone. Or possibly getting to the store thirty minutes after closing time – you’re going to be left out in the cold. Wedding dates seem to be more prevalent on certain days than others, so the popular dates are booked months in advance. Shop around through recommendations, advertisements and bridal shows. The Special Occasions Bridal Show, held the first Sunday in January and the first Sunday in June, is an excellent shopping source and will give you the opportunity to view the vendor’s work. The bridal show will also give you the chance to taste wedding cake samples. Most importantly, you will be able to meet the decorator in person to see if they are personable, knowledgeable and susceptible to your thoughts and ideas, with a willingness to work with you. If you can find all of these qualities in a vendor, you need to sign a contract before someone else takes your date. However, if availability doesn’t convince you, consider the price.

There is always the possibility of price increase from year to year, but the current situation could take the price rise out of the decorator’s hands. Everyone is aware of the devastation that hurricanes and tropical storms can unleash. Did you ever stop to think about the sugar cane fields that were destroyed or the refineries that were extensively damaged? Recent news reports have predicted a substantial increase in the price of sugar and the fear that there may be a scarcity of the product. This could be a baker or decorator’s worst nightmare. Naturally they will have to raise their prices to pass the cost increase on to their customers. Protect yourself from spending additional dollars on your cake by signing a contract that locks your cake in at the current prices.

Many of the magazines will tell you to wait until six months before the wedding to shop for wedding cakes, but I assure you, if you have a particular vendor in mind or want to get in under the wire before the prices increase, don’t procrastinate - shop now. All you need to decide before you look for your cake is the wedding date. The other details such as color, flowers and theme can be discussed closer to the date.

Whether you are shopping for cake, flowers, photos, music, or catering, make some definite commitments, and you will be twice paid by the peace of mind that you will experience. Congratulations on your engagement and happy shopping!

What’s Hot - What’s Not

By: Geraldine Kidwell

      Artistry In Cake Of KY LLC.

      www.weddingcakeskentucky.com.

Have you ever wondered why one particular style of wedding cake seems so popular during a season? You may attend several weddings where everyone’s cake is round or they may all be square - totally white or wild with color. Cakes are like fashion and are strongly influenced by the current fashion trends and colors. The cut of the wedding dress, a specialty lace pattern, pleating of the fabric, unique buttons, a distinctive sash or bow can all be influential when designing a cake.

The colors are established by the bride’s favorite hues as well as the selection of bridesmaids dresses, which have been pre-set in the fashion world prior to being subjected for the bridal selection. These are all factors that set the fashion trend for confectionary art without the bride even being aware of it.

It has long been known that fashion designers must use various color cycles and styles to promote sales and keep us in constant need of new items for our “must have” wardrobe. Current shades of champagne into brown tones and various tones of turquoise are very hot for fall.

Change is good. New ideas, styles and colors can be uplifting and open our eyes and minds to design opportunities that are exciting possibilities for something unique and different to individualize that special cake.

For numerous years, the wedding cake was under fire as an outdated, expensive, and unnecessary accessory to the wedding reception.

Currently, the cake takes second place only to the bridal gown, and is the central most important item at the reception. Whether or not the guests sit down to eat or drink, if they take time to look at the flowers or hear the music, they MUST see the cake. It carries a romantic significance that seems to memorize all of the ladies as they ooh and swoon over the drapes and ribbons and other special sugar specialties.

Many of our fashion clothing as well as trends in cakes are established in New York by well known decorators. One such decorator is Colette Peters of New York, who has been featured numerous times on the Food Network and is renown for her topsy turvy cakes with wild colors and shapes. Brides all over the country see these admirable creations and search for someone who can reproduce them. Sylvia Weinstock, also of New York, makes absolutely fabulous sugar paste blossoms that rival fresh flowers with only the fragrance missing. She has been featured in numerous bridal magazines and produces many celebrity cakes for television. So once again, her work is very visible for brides to see, admire and want to reproduce.

These, as well as other celebrity confectionary artists, establish our current trends.

The fifties wedding cakes in my area were like three tiers of cement, definitely with no columns and only buttercream roses for decoration.  White was the only variety of flavor, so that choice was a simple one.  This is definitely NOT hot today. During the seventies, the cakes with electric fountains that reticulated water, tall columns, bridges to satellite cake and miniature bridal parties dressed in corresponding colors were the premier line of cake designs. Often silk flowers or buttercream roses adorned these cakes, and they were always topped with a miniature bride and groom. On today’s market - NOT hot.

Over the next thirty years, the international influence of fondant and sugar paste flowers of all varieties made its appearance on American style cakes. Columns were still used but were shorter and often hidden with fresh flowers. Cakes remained primarily round and white in flavor.

The HOT style of current wedding cakes seems to be an off set square cake that is stack on stack with no columns. There is an absence of the little bride and groom, and definitely no plastic bridesmaids. Either fresh flowers or hand molded sugar paste blossoms are scattered in strategically placed arrangements. The look is very sophisticated and has understated beauty.

Another HOT design is the whimsical, sculpted, topsy turvy cake with the New York influence, or even the Mad Hatter design. Colors are bright oranges, hot pinks and even blacks - whatever catches the eye of the adventurous bride.

Today’s bride is more sophisticated, worldly and independent than years ago. If she dreams of a big traditional wedding, that is available. If she visualizes individual cakes or something whimsical, she can also be accommodated. The bride’s opinion is definitely - WHAT’S HOT!!