Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The Wedding Cake Symbol

The custom to cut the wedding cake has a very significant place in any wedding ceremony. It is the most awaited ceremony during a wedding. Every couple has some special conceptualization of their cake cutting ceremony.

Cakes are symbol of good luck for the newlywed couple to begin their happy married life. Once the wedding cake is cut, the bride and the groom would feed the cake to each other first. It symbolizes the beginning of their married life. It also signifies the commitment and love for each other.

There are different varieties of wedding cakes that are available. You can opt for any of the varieties depending upon your preferences. Some couples select the cake that suits their wedding dress or complements well with the wedding theme. Besides these, another important factor which is to be considered is your budget. Select the cake that fits in your budget. The traditional approach is to go in for a simple white cake for the ceremony. The white cake symbolizes purity and would provide the desired elegance to the ceremony.

There has been a drastic change in the style of the wedding cakes from the past. The cakes are available in single layer and multiple layers. These are available in various colors, flavors, and designs.

Some specialized professionals, such as cake designers, who design cakes as per your wedding theme and preferences. You can consult them and order the best one for your wedding. Some couples even prepare their own personalized cakes as per their choice.

You can use your ideas to create a simple wedding cakes as per your choice. However, you have to follow some general etiquette during the cake cutting ceremony. Some of these are described below:

You should never smash the cake on one another’s face and ruin the party. The cake should be properly cut and feed to each other i.e. to the bride and the groom. The cake should be later on properly sliced and then served to the guests. This ceremony should be organized after the meals.

The details provided here will inform you about the significance of the wedding cake. It will provide you guidelines regarding the etiquettes to be followed during the ceremony.

Images courtesy of Real Simple

Friday, August 26, 2011

How to Celebrate Anniversaries Simply

Photo via the amazing photographer Caroline Tran.

Over the last few years many millennials have turned from the excess of past decades to the simple life. Paring down possessions, rethinking holiday celebrations, and simplifying home interiors. Some couples even opt not to celebrate traditional romantic occasions like Valentine’s Day and dating or wedding anniversaries.

I don’t know about you, though, but I like celebrating. Okay, really I like presents—both giving and receiving a gift just makes my day. While our parents may have celebrated their anniversary with a tired steak dinner, a no-brainer dozen roses and some embarrassingly intimate time at a nice hotel, there has got to be a cooler, simpler way that’s more fitting for us. Something between skipping holidays and the gifts that come with them and the steak-roses-hotel combo meal.

This year treat your lady right with any of these wedding anniversary ideas more fitting for a simpler, hipper, more creative couple like yourselves.
- The first wedding anniversary gift is traditionally paper. Why not paint her one of your favorite lyrics or lines of poetry on parchment? Bonus points for framing it.
- Instead of a heavy dinner, pop out in the morning for a light brunch.

- Avoid the overpriced and stiff-looking bouquet of flowers. Visit a florist and pick out a few flowers that are beautiful on their own. Buy a few stems or a bunch of one type of flower. - Peonies are incredibly popular right now, as are hydrangeas. Or take a look at your wedding photos and look for a flower she had in her wedding bouquet. Just think simple.
- There’s a difference between simple and cheap. Spend all the money you want as long as the gifts are meaningful and not just obligatory.
- Instead of guessing on a gift, consider just buying each other what you know you’ll like. A pretty new dress for her and a dashing silver cigar holder for you, sir.
- The 9th anniversary gift is leather. You two could both use new laptop bags. Opt for a matching set of leather bags and call it a day. Sometimes just upgrading a worn out item for a more premium one is better than scratching your brain for a completely original idea.
- Instead of having one big celebration, plan a small gift for each month of the next year. A flower per month. A special surprise date on the day of your anniversary each month.

Here’s the traditional anniversary gift chart via Darden Jewelers for you to reference.

The point is to re-think anniversaries. Talk to your love and see what anniversaries mean to her. What do they mean to you? What do you want to communicate to her? Create new traditions and define celebrations that fit the two of you.