My sweet bride, Kara, ended up with a gorgeous wedding. She looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her.  Here are some pretty details surrounding her wedding day:

Her wedding colors were lavender and raspberry

Flowers by Belle Fiore Designs

Kara and JP got married in the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington

Wedding cake by Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe

The Key Bridge Marriott offered lots of space for guests to spread out during the reception

The beautiful view that the Capital View Ballroom offered us all night long

Professional wedding pictures to come!

And boy do I have love for their cakes!

http://www.cakelove.com/

Any time you come across a Cake Love bakery go in and buy a cupcake or a slice of cake and experience the excellence for yourself. If you want your wedding guests to remember the cake you served them, get it from Cake Love.  End of story.

Jane and Josh got married at Christ Episcopal Church in downtown Charlottesville and the reception was held at Ash Lawn- Highland. They had the most gorgeous April wedding day – sunny and 72 degrees. Here some beautiful moments from their wedding:

Two of Jane’s brothers, Charles and Will

The table centerpieces were made a slate boards covered in local cheeses, fresh bakery bread, herbs and fruit.  It had a very French-country feel to it and proved a hit with guests as they waited for their turn at the buffet.

Each bridesmaids wore a  black dress in her own unique style.

Rachel De Jong of Rachel’s Fine Baked Goods made a wedding cake to die for! Chocolate Peanut Butter was the flavor and it was so rich that you had to wash it down with a glass of farm fresh whole milk – compliments of the groom’s family!

Jane’s three brothers played a song for the bride and groom’s First Dance. They are all super talented and if you think you recognize the brother in the middle, it’s because he is the lead singer of Parachute! Just a fun little fact!

Don’t be afraid to admit that your favorite part about a wedding is the cake. Bride and groom pay attention – if your wedding cake isn’t tasty and delicious some of your guests are going to be sad. Believe me, I know it to be true.

Most North American weddings still do the traditional cake cutting during the reception. It’s a fun time to bring the whole party together again, focused once more on the newlyweds. For some brides and grooms, this is their only chance to get to taste their own wedding cake. They get a quick little piece shoved in their mouth and no more because there is still more dancing to be done or more hugs to squeeze in. Don’t let this happen to you. Ask your caterer to pack a to-go box of a few slices of cake that can be placed in your get-away car for later that night. The cake usually won’t taste as good a week later and definitely won’t be up to par a year later when you thaw it out to eat it for your anniversary!

My husband wishes that we had done this at our wedding. Every time he’s reminded of our wedding he says, “Man, I never got to eat a slice of my German chocolate groom’s cake!” One of these days I’m gonna have to go back to our baker and ask her to make a small version of the groom’s cake again. Some bakers have a special deal where they replicate the top layer of your wedding cake for you on your 1 year anniversary. That’s fabulous because then you don’t have to put up with a big frozen cake in the freezer for a year!

Great Charlottesville, VA Bakers: Cakes Unlimited and The Baker’s Palette

I had the pleasure of attending a lovely afternoon wedding this past Saturday. Below are some pictures I took because I knew I could make a note or two on them…

This is the gorgeous view we had from the club house reception site. The bride and groom are on the bridge getting their portraits done. Whenever you have the chance to take pictures near a bridge and a willow tree – do it! They won’t disappoint!

The centerpieces were two simple hydrangea steams in a small vase. Extremely low budget but the hydrangeas gave it a bit more depth. If you’re on a tight budget and have a liking for hydrangeas, they are a great way to get the most bang for your buck. Imagine how pretty they can be when a bunch of hydrangea bouquets are placed down the center of an 8 ft. table with tall candlesticks and a full table setting?

The cake was very simple on the outside. To be honest,  not my favorite wedding cake. I’m not very fond of cake toppers unless they are floral pieces. But inside, the cake was great. Each layer was a different flavor: Chocolate and raspberry, marble with chocolate pudding, pumpkin spice, and almond. Variety in flavors is a fun way to spruce up your wedding cake. Guests love having the option of cake flavors!