For many couples one of the great things about getting married today is the fact that they are no longer bound by the customs and traditions that ruled the arrangements for their parents’ wedding, but are able to plan a wedding that very much suits their own personalities and lifestyles. But what about those couples who are planning a military wedding?

The basis of a military wedding is of course no different to any traditional white wedding in terms of the format of the wedding and the following reception, with a addition of some traditions that are peculiar to military weddings in general and to weddings from within individual corps or units in particular. This can make it somewhat more difficult to stamp your own personality on your wedding, but there are areas of the wedding, such as your wedding cake, where you can still be more than a little creative.

Whether it’s a military wedding or not, there’s nothing to say that you have to have a traditional circular white wedding cake. Nowadays cakes come in all flavors, shapes, sizes and colors and there’s no reason at all why you shouldn’t have your own military cake.

If the kids can have birthday cakes shaped like dinosaurs, then why shouldn’t you have a wedding cake in the shape of an aircraft carrier or a Hercules? The problem of course is that your wedding cake needs to be very much a focal point of your reception and this means that it needs to have height – hence the tradition of building cakes into tiers. Your aircraft carrier may well be big enough to feed your assembled guests (and of course to put the bridge away in the freezer for the christening of your first child) but it will not have the dramatic effect that can only really be found by giving a cake height.

In most cases the answer is to choose a cake that you like in terms of flavor and color, but to stick with a fairly conventional shape (round, square, octagonal etc.) and to tier the cake in several layers to give you the required height. Then you can add the final personalization by finishing the cake off with one of the many military wedding cake toppers available today.

Here you could of course have your aircraft carrier or Hercules, but perhaps a safer, but no less personal, choice would be to have representations of yourselves complete with your chosen wedding dress and dress uniform.

The days of the cheap plastic replicas of the bride and groom are long gone and you can now have extremely realistic figures crafted which will match the bride’s dress and bouquet, and even her hair, as well as dressing you in the correct uniform complete with badges of rank and medal ribbons. Military wedding cake toppers today have become quite an art.

For more information about wedding cake toppers please visit Talking Weddings today.

The wedding cake design should not only reflect personal style, but also ideally be in sync with the menu and the décor of the wedding reception. The wedding cake should fit in the theme of the wedding reception.

Wedding cake designs can come in many forms, from the usual cream or white icings in conventional designs, to wholly non-traditional designs laced with vibrant artistry.

With the passing of time, wedding cake designs have evolved. Couples are now choosing cupcake trees with greater frequency, which was one of the foremost wedding cake ideas. Yet, some still have a preference for the conventional cakes for their wedding cakes.

The size and design of the wedding cake may depend on a number of things, like the size of the wedding budget or the availability of other desserts in the reception.

Today, one can find pastry chefs who offer infinite wedding cake ideas on icings, decorations, construction, and flavors.

A wedding cake’s design can be a reflection of personal taste. A couple with a passion for cars or motorcycles can have wedding cakes reflecting the same; a small motorcycle accompanying the miniature figures of the couple atop the cake, for example.

The flavor of the wedding cake is another important aspect. No flavor is off-limits for the modern wedding. One can have cheesecakes, mousse-filled cakes, pound cakes, vanilla, chocolate or sponge cake.

Today, one can find competent bakers with the ability to create the lacy look of the bride’s dress with frosting or the use of pearls. With frosting, these bakers can duplicate the look of any part of the reception’s décor. Also, couples can have their initials entwined in the cake with frosting.

In Bermuda, wedding cakes have a little green tree as a cake topping. Following the wedding, the newlyweds can plant the same tree in their garden, and symbolically watch it grow with time.

Then there are other options like adding edible fruits, chocolates or nuts around the cake. This will augment the designs on the guests’ plates. For that matter, one can also use edible roses, lavender or oregano as designs, or non-edible flowers as cake toppings.

Wedding Cakes provides detailed information on Wedding Cakes, Wedding Cake Toppers, Wedding Cake Designs, Unique Wedding Cakes and more. Wedding Cakes is affiliated with Wedding Decoration Ideas.

Even if you’re new to cake decorating or an engaged couple on a budget, all you need are some basic cake decorating skills or a little time to shop online. You’ll soon have a cake that has everyone wanting to take a picture!

The quickest way to gather ideas for creating a cake topper or to find the perfect one to purchase is to window shop the Internet. Search with phrases such as “funny wedding cake topper,” “wedding anniversary cake topper,” etc. If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few examples:

· Hand-blown and spun glass cake toppers. Gold highlighted and sparkly or smooth and sleek, many of these are incredibly beautiful. A cake topper depicting a bride and groom ice-skating on top of a snowflake wedding cake is one of our favorites!

· Silver, gold or Swarovski crystal monograms (and numbers for birthdays and anniversaries)

· Sporty cake toppers can depict a bride and groom aboard a sailboat, riding horseback, roaring away in his and her race cars, and… well you get the picture.

· Humorous cake toppers include figures made in cartoonish likenesses of the betrothed and the popular resin figurines with bride and groom in formal wear acting out titles such as “The Tiff” and “Now I Have You.”

· Vintage cake toppers can be quite lovely - and interesting! Check out the reviews of Penny Henderson’s book, “Vintage Cake Toppers” at Amazon.com to get an idea of the possibilities.

· Character cake toppers are big hits with young children and brides and grooms. Mickey and Minnie at the altar, Winnie the Pooh and Friends on a child’s honey pot, sculpted birthday cake are a couple of examples.

· Fresh fruit (grapes, kumquats, etc.) or sugar-crystallized fruit arranged in an extravagant display can make a pretty picture! (Use whole fruit so there’s no danger of juice running into your icing).

· Castles – the sky’s the limit here! Your castle cake topper can be the top of a sculpted castle cake or a glass, fairy castle. Castle cake toppers are often requested for wedding and birthday cakes, as well as special theme cakes such as renaissance.

· Here’s a real attention grabber - a topsy-turvy cake with a cake topper that teeters over the edge. For example, a teapot with dormouse on a Mad Hatter cake or two figurines depicting mountain climbing bride and groom.

· Miniature toys. Here’s another simple way to make an amazing cake topper. One idea is to place a rotating doll stand on top of a tiered or stacked birthday cake. Then add a cute toy train, such as Thomas, or a carousel with pretty white horses in pink halters, and your cake will be a big hit

· Polymer clay cake toppers can add a great deal of meaning, fun or both to a cake. You can find companies online that create them in realistic likenesses of the bride and groom sharing an activity (ballroom dancing, golfing, you name it!) You can also find generic but adorable ones, such as the hula bride and groom at in Rebecca Russell’s “Round Head” collection at
http://www.rebeccarusselltoppers.com/brides_and_groom.htm

· Flowers - place a bouquet of white lilies, beautifully molded with gum paste or a bouquet of real orchids on top of the cake and then add a few around the cake (using flower spikes), some pretty borders, and you’ll have an amazingly beautiful cake.

Here’s a tip for using flowers as a cake topper. Take into consideration the size of the cake. Tiny flowers can be used on a large cake, but if used on their own, they’ll be lost. Conversely, large flowers like bird-of-paradise will dwarf a smaller cake. Also, as with any cake topper, consider the style and formality of the event. Daisies are more casual than roses, while stephanotis can swing either way.

Here are a few ideas for flower cake toppers:

· With a bouquet of flowers on top of the cake, arrange a few clusters of flowers here and there on the lower tiers as if a few blossoms have gracefully fallen from the bouquet.

· A gum paste plumeria or orchid lei encircling bride and groom figurines.

· Adorn your cake only with edible (non-poisonous) flowers, being sure that the flowers are also pesticide-free.

Many of these cake topper tips come from “Cake Decorating Made Easy!” Here’s what one reader said about our Video Books:

“I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys baking, decorating and the feeling of accomplishment when everyone crowds around your cakes for a closer look.”

Joanne Robitaille, Windsor, Ontario, Canad

If you’ve enjoyed learning about the visual and symbolic effects of cake toppers, check out our article on Decorated Cakes!

And here’s one more cake topper tip: Be sure that your cake topper is positioned well on the cake. Use an ornament base or a plate underneath a cake topper so it won’t sink into the cake. Attach small decorations to the cake or plate with royal icing and/or flower spikes.

For more great cake decorating tips, along with free step by step videos (from the “Cake Decorating Made Easy!” Video Books), sign up for our free newsletter at http://www.CakeAnswers.com today!

Looking for beach theme wedding cake ideas?

When it comes to wedding cakes, long gone are the days of following tradition. Since you are considering a beach theme wedding cake, you are obviously not a slave to those traditions.
So…let’s stray from the “norm” and be adventurous!

One thing to remember…there are no rules! If there are…well, rules are made to be broken. Your beachtheme wedding cake can be anything you want it to be!

What Size?

How many guests are you planning to have? If you have your cake made professionally it can range in price anywhere from $2.00 to $15.00 per slice. A “slice” is normally considered to be 2 ounces or, approximately 4″ x 2″. The range in price will depend on how much intricate detail you want on it. If the cake you choose is very labor intensive, you can expect higher prices. If you are on a tight budget, keep it simple!

What Shape?

A beach theme wedding cake can be any size, shape or description. Be creative. If you have an idea for your cake, sketch it out on paper and take it to that talented friend, relative or your chosen bakery. If you can imagine it, someone can make it!

Do not limit your thinking to a two or three tier cake. It can be round, square, a sheet cake, a sculpted cake, individual mini cakes, cupcakes or even cookies! Some brides even choose a one or two layer, individual wedding cake on each guest table rather than the traditional large cake at the head table. This is a nice idea because it also serves as the table centerpiece. This eliminates the added expense associated with having a wedding centerpiece at each table!

A couple of things to keep in mind though…

* Since your reception may be on the beach, consider the sun! If you are having a dawn or dusk ceremony, heat from the sun will probably not be a major factor. However, if you are having your wedding midday, consider an “ornamental” cake. By that I mean, not edible with the exception of perhaps the bottom layer if you and the groom plan to cut it. You don’t want your creation to melt!

* Consider draping your cake in a decorative manner with tulle to keep the bugs and sand out of it. It would be beautiful yet practical.

* Purchase decorative, individual cake boxes. Fill them and perhaps tie your wedding program or thank you to them with ribbon. Keep them in a cooler until time to pass them out to your guests. They will serve as your wedding favor, killing two birds with one stone!

* Make your own beach theme wedding cake! Look inside the next “DuncanHines” cake mix you buy. The instruction for making baking tiered cakesare in there! You can do it. If you can’t, I’ll bet you know a friend who could! In EVERY town there is a friend or a “friend of a friend” who makes beautiful wedding cakes. It’s a hobby for them. They love doing it! Of course they still want to be paid, but not the ridiculous prices that a professional will charge you.

So…go… find that friend!

Cindy English is the publisher of:

Beach-Wedding-Themes.com

Beach wedding themes full of fun, fantasy and romance!

All-Florida-Beach-Weddings.com

Plan your wedding celebration in Paradise!

© Copyright 2005 by Cindy English

This article may be reprinted with no changes, omissions, or additions. All links must be left live and in tact.

Wedding cake serving sets usually come with a cake knife and a cake server. The blades of both of these items are usually made from stainless steel, but some models can be silver or pewter plated for added visual effect. The handles of a cake serving set is where most of the stylizing is done. Handles come is crystal, silver, pewter, composite materials, plastic, and glass.

The cost of the average wedding cake serving set will be somewhere around $30 to $50. The actual price that you pay will depend on the materials that the cake knife and cake server are made from, the handle design that you select, as well as what vendor you buy it from. If you want to maximize the value of your cake serving set then you may want to consider registering for your serving set when you register for your wedding china. By doing this you will be selecting a cake serving set that will match your wedding china, which in turn will allow you to use it more than once.

In addition to matching cake serving sets to wedding china you also have the option to match the set’s design to the theme of your wedding. There are many different styles of themed wedding cake serving sets that you can choose from. A few of the more popular serving set themes include beach themes, contemporary themes, Baroque themes, and antique themes. To find a serving set that will match your wedding’s design, look for a handle design that elegantly reflects one element of your wedding’s design such as a color, a pattern, or an icon that relates to the theme of your wedding. For example if you have a beach theme for your wedding then you may want to look for a wedding cake serving set that has starfish on the handles.

If you prefer a more elegant style for your wedding cake serving set then you can always opt to buy a silver cake knife and cake server set. These sets will tend to cost more than the average wedding cake serving set, but their elegance, beauty, and heirloom quality make then well worth the added cost. Another advantage of buying a silver wedding cake serving set is that you can have it engraved with the names, initials, and the anticipated wedding date for the engaged couple. Engraved cake servers make a great bridal shower gift, and a great memento from the couple’s wedding.

After the wedding is over many couple’s don’t know what they should do with their serving sets. If they have matched their wedding cake serving set to their wedding china then they can store the wedding cake serving set as another piece of their silver and china set. On the other hand if they have a novelty or engraved wedding cake serving set that they don’t want to use again, then they may want to create a shadowbox display that includes the wedding cake serving set, their wedding cake accessories, and other small decorations from their wedding. This shadowbox display will allow the newlyweds to proudly display memorabilia from the best day of their lives.

Planning a wedding, bridal shower or reception? Visit the bridal resource center for tips of wedding decorations, bridal gowns and accessories, shower favors, bridal lingerie and honeymoon planning.

On your wedding day, you want everything to be not only special and perfect, but unique to your own sense of style and beauty. Coming up with a one-of-a-kind wedding cake design can be time consuming and pricey. To ensure that your cake is perfect for your day, why not try a fountain cake?

Adding a water fountain to your cake design provides many benefits:

It’s unique. Though beautiful, fountain cakes are still uncommon. Guests will remember your reception as the one with the fantastic fountain cake.

It adds an elaborate touch to a small cake. If you want to jazz up your cake but don’t want (or can’t afford) a huge or highly decorated cake, placing small cakes on a fountain setting adds the pizzazz you’re looking for.

It doesn’t add much to the cost. Since the fountain itself is not expensive to use, it’s definitely an economical way to enhance the presentation of the cake.

It’s dramatic. Fountain cakes incorporate the use of water, either clear or colored. The fountain and various waterfall set-ups provide an interesting, peaceful sound that adds to the experience. In addition, lights or candles can be strategically placed to add yet another sensory layer to the entire presentation. Everyone loves water: the sound and sight of moving water provides texture to the presentation.

A spin on the fountain idea is having a chocolate fountain as part of the structure of the cake. Now you’ve added not only visual interest, but a taste treat as well. With this type of cake, you have a fountain that pours chocolate into a receptacle, usually placed under the cake stand. Various “dippers,” such as fruits, marshmallows, pretzels, and the cake itself, are offered alongside the cake. Imagine the fun your guests will have creating their own customized dessert plate. Obviously, the chocolate fountain adds a bit more to the cost, but is still more economical than an elaborate wedding cake. Not to mention the interest and fun it will add to your reception.

Remember, your wedding day should showcase your personality and creativity. Find a baker or pastry chef who is willing to work with you to highlight your originality. Incorporate a fountain, either using water and lights or chocolate, to your wedding cake, and you’ll have an experience you and your guests will remember forever.

If you’re tired of traditional and expensive wedding cakes and want a unique, delectable, and creative wedding cake, then you should visit http://www.wedding-cake-idea.com

We’re your number one resource for creative and unique wedding cakes for special couples like you!

If you decorate cakes or have ever shopped for cake making supplies, then chances are you are familiar with the Wilton brand. It’s hard to miss their products since Wilton has led sales in baking and cake decorating products for over half a century. Based in the Chicago suburb of Woodridge, Illinois, Wilton has grown enormously from its beginnings as a family cake decorating business during the United States’ Great Depression.

Today Wilton Industries sells over 2,000 different bake ware and food-related products, from instructional manuals and cake pans to pastry bags and food colorings. Wilton’s products aren’t just sold in the United States either. Major retailers in over 150 countries carry Wilton products. And business continues to grow with approximately 400 new consumer products being developed annually.

It all started in 1929 when Dewey McKinley Wilton, with the help of his wife, began a small cake decorating business in Chicago. Then came the stock market crash and the nation’s Great Depression. Surrounded by high unemployment rates and bread lines, Wilton carved out a prosperous niche by creating wedding cakes for Chicago’s famous hotels and clubs. The Wilton family business grew throughout the 1930’s.

Decorating cakes for the rich and famous gave the Wiltons’ reputation a nice boost. So when they opened a cake decorating and candy-making school for caterers and chefs, they had no problem with enrollment.

By 1947, the “Wilton Method” had become a household word among cake decorators, and a leading department store chain, JC Penney, was now promoting and selling Wilton products.

Before long the Wilton brand name become synonymous with cake decorating supplies and schools. All of this publicity laid the foundation for the Wilton’s decorating empire that continues to influence wedding cake trends.

Then in 1977, under the leadership of Wilton CEO Vince Naccarato, three diverse companies were united as Wilton Industries: Wilton Enterprises, Copco and the Weston Gallery.

Today, each division is a recognized leader in its market. Wilton Enterprises is the number one preferred brand name in baking and cake decorating products, Copco is the premier designer and marketer of teakettles and quality kitchenware, and the Weston Gallery is a leader in upscale picture frame design and marketing.

Under the continued leadership of Naccarato, the company enjoys strong sales growth and national distribution, which are largely credited to “category management,” that is basing marketing on tracked trends, and through “supply chain management,” which helps retailers lower costs of merchandising.

According to Austin Chronicle report, the Wilton Method was the unquestionable ruler of cake decorating until the 1980’s when Martha Stewart’s methods gained popularity. Her made-from-scratch cakes and stance that taste is just as important as the decorating challenged Wilton’s use of cake mixes and vegetable shortening.

However, Wilton continues to enjoy great success and to lead the industry. According to Hoover’s November, 2006 business report, Wilton Industries employed 650 people and reported $325 million in sales for the 2005 fiscal year, a 7.8 percent increase from the previous year.

For three quarters of a century, Wilton has offered cake decorating classes throughout the United States and Canada, including the Wilton School of Cake Decorating in northern Illinois. Wilton is partially credited for bringing the intricate, European cake decorating method to the United States and Canada.

In fact, Wilton’s cake decorating classes enroll nearly 200,000 students every year and from all around the world.

While many cake decorators enjoy the Wilton classroom experience, others like the customer below, prefer learning at their own pace at home with video instruction, such as the “Cake Decorating Made Easy” series.

Another ingredient in Wilton’s recipe for success is its annual “Your Take on Cake” contest, which attracts thousands of talented cake decorators from across the United States and Canada who compete for $5,000 in cash and an all-expenses-paid trip to attend The Wilton School’s two-week Master Course for Cake Decorating in Darien, Illinois.

Samantha Mitchell, Co-Author Cake Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 & 2 The World’s First Cake Decorating Video Books For more cake decorating tips along with step by step videos, sign up for our free newsletter at http://www.CakeAnswers.com

Wedding cakes are taking on so many new and different points of view to move with the trends. Wedding cakes are covered in butter cream, rolled fondant, fondant lace, or in white or dark chocolate to create the perfect canvas for the beauty of your wedding cake to unfold. Wedding cakes are the main focus but other celebration cakes are featured as well for special occasions such as engagements and anniversaries. Wedding cakes are not designed to be jostled when someone walks by, the surface on which the cake table is set must be firm and unyielding. Wedding cakes are as much a traditional part of weddings as the bride being late and the best man fluffing his speech. Wedding cakes are not only used to feed guests, but they are used for decoration purposes. Wedding cakes are garnished with nuts, fudge or even spice. Wedding cakes are often in the $3-$5 per slice ballpark, depending on how elaborate the decoration.

Cake flavor and filling can be customized to your liking. Cakes today are more elaborate than they have ever been and you need to follow if you would like people to talk about your cake for the years to come. Cakes are as delicious as they are beautiful, so really express yourself with your wedding cake. Cakes come in an assortment of shapes and frostings. Cakes are decorated with a white chocolate sash and ribbon around the side with white chocolate cones on top.

Chocolate wedding cakes are nothing like traditional wedding cakes. Chocolate wedding cakes began to gain in acceptance within the last couple of decades. Chocolate wedding cakes also offer several options for more variety — from chocolate cheesecake to chocolate-truffle-adorned white cakes. Chocolate wedding cakes are equally elegant and sophisticated, and can be made to custom orders by professional cake bakers suitable for every taste. Chocolate fountain wedding cakes are a novel and fun alternative to conventional cakes.

Wedding cakes are very personal, have a good idea of the general design and type of cake before contacting wedding cake suppliers.

Yolanda is the owner of Yolandas Wedding Favors. She sells many different types of wedding favors such as, love glass coasters, two peas in a pod salt and pepper shakers and many many more. Yolandas Wedding Favors also carries many different cheap wedding favors and wedding gifts such as place card frame favors, beach flip flops, personalized tote bags, personalized leather money clips and much more.

There are a numerous amount of decisions to be made once a couple is engaged and finally has gotten around to planning the wedding. How many people are going to be invited? What are going to be the color combinations for the wedding party? The list goes on and on. One of the key decisions that needs to be made is what type of wedding cake to have. You could decide to go with the more traditional wedding cake. But why not try a unique cupcake wedding cake and make your wedding stand out from others?

Creative couples everywhere are turning to this creative cake idea in order to add a touch of flare to their receptions. This is a relatively modern idea that is gaining widespread popularity. Who would have ever thought that creating a wedding display entirely made from cupcakes would even be possible. Well, if done correctly, this idea can really turn out to be fun as well as elegant.

Creative brides are working with forward thinking bakers to create a “cake” made entirely of cupcakes. The tried-and-true birthday party standbys have zoomed in popularity in recent years, and fun new creations are being made everyday for the bride and groom. A display made entirely of individual, mini-size cakes is extremely versatile and can accommodate any theme, style, and color of wedding. Among the advantages of the cupcake wedding cake is the fact that you can choose several different flavors of cake. Some of your fist-sized cakes can be healthy, low sugar, or low fat, while others are the most decadent chocolate imaginable. You and your betrothed don’t enjoy the same flavor? No problem. Have a dozen carrot, two dozen chocolate, a smattering of custard filled, and the remainder traditional white cake. The combinations are endless. Also, you can order all the cupcakes frosted in the same color, or let your imagination run wild with each cupcake a different color.

Picture the latest wedding movie you’ve seen. Of course there’s a sight gag somewhere in the movie where someone falls into the cake, or the baker, while delivering the cake, drops it. With a cupcake creation, this scenario is all but impossible. The baker can bring all the cupcakes to the venue and assemble them right where they’ll be displayed.

Finally, one of the key advantages to cupcake wedding cakes is the serving size. Because the desserts will be individually wrapped, there is no need to figure out whether you are cutting big enough pieces for you guests or not. There is no need to figure out how many layers you want and what type of cake layer filling or syrup to put on each layer. Your decisions will be extremely simplified and reduced to about three details. How many, what flavors and what type of icing? This makes life so much easier.

Visit our website Wedding-Cake-Idea.com for other great wedding cake ideas including the Cupcake Wedding Cake

These days you have many different choices when it comes to wedding cakes. Gone are the days when a white on white cake was just about mandatory. Today brides are doing many different things to make their wedding cake special. Learn about some of your options when it comes to wedding cake flavors and icing.

When you are deciding on a wedding cake the first thing you will have to decide on is the flavor of the cake. You could go with the basic white cake. It is a wedding classic but these days you have many more options. You can choose from such flavors as chocolate, mocha, lemon, raspberry or even carrot or spice cake. Don’t be afraid to be different. Choose what you like.

Next you will have to choose a filling if you want one. This is another opportunity for you to get creative. Choose from flavors like amaretto, mocha, rum, orange, custard, cream cheese and more. The list is almost endless so you should be able to find a filling that you like.

Last we come to icing. There are many different styles of icing with different characteristics. Butter cream is a thicker icing that has a smooth finish. Whipped cream icing is lighter and fluffy but is also more delicate. Another popular icing is fondant. Fondant is another popular choice. It is a smooth thick icing that is rolled onto a cake. It is not as tasty as other icings but makes for a very attractive cake. Lastly there is royal icing. It is an icing that will harden after it is applied and it is used to create intricate decorations.

The type of wedding cake choice can be a difficult decision to make. Just remember that it is your day and you should ultimately choose what you like.

Learn about party caterers and information on catering and food services.