How to Satisfy Hot Wedding Guests!

How to Satisfy Hot Wedding Guests!

How to Make an Icecream Wedding Cake

I love this idea for a summer wedding – especially if you are getting married in Italy – the home of fantastic icecream!

This icecream cone wedding cake is made up of three tiers, divided with glass or plastic cake pillars and three silver plates.

There are 50 cones on the bottom tier, 25 on the middle and 15 on the top, so 90 hot weddings guest would be perfectly satified!

Use flat bottomed cones and have 5 people help put it together (not the bride, chocolate icecream drips and wedding dresses don’t go together); Two people scooping and one person arranging each layer. Speed is the key!

The gaps between the outside cones on the wedding cake are filled with piped cream which helps stick the ribbon in place.

For information about getting married in Italy contact Rosie The Wedding Planner!

Vintage Wedding Decor

Vintage Wedding Decor

 

I look forward to the days following Valentine’s Day  rather than Valentines Day itself. Here’s why, it is a great time to pick up decoration items for weddings! Every store sells off rose petals to trinkets, candles to cushions so it’s the perfect time to find unique and cost affective bits and bobs for table decoration, guest bags and favors.

At this time of year lots of websites that are in anyway romantically inclined have Valentine ideas which you can ‘steal’ for your wedding. Here are some great vintage touches I found on The Graphics Fairy which has lots of free vintage style ‘downloadables’ which are handy for wedding stationary and wedding decor. Use the ones below to add vintage touches to table wine, and cupcakes.

 

How To Choose Your Wedding Ring

How To Choose Your Wedding Ring

With so much to do a lot of couples leave choosing their wedding rings until the last minute.  Remember, there are very few things that you will take away from the day forever – your photos and your wedding rings are it (and your spouse obviously!).  Make sure you spend time choosing the perfect wedding ring – you will, after all, be wearing it for a very long time.  Here are some tips to get you started…

Metal

We recommend choosing a wedding ring in the same material as your engagement ring – platinum and 18ct white gold might look the same when new but will wear differently.  It is no problem to wear different colour metals together for example white and rose gold, just make sure that they are the same finesse i.e. 18ct or 14ct.

Shape

The most important question is whether a straight edged ring will fit beside your engagement ring or whether you have to have a shaped ring made so that the two rings sit together well.  If the setting on your ring is low your wedding ring might not sit flush beside it.  Having a ring shaped to fit perfectly is one solution but remember you might not like a shaped wedding ring without the engagement ring so it restricts you to always wearing both rings together.

Diamond Solitair & Wedding BandDiamond Solitaire & Wedding Band

Made to match

The smallest difference can really affect the overall look of the two rings together.  Why not have the perfect ring made to match rather than choosing a ring off the shelf.  If the ring is slightly wider/narrower than your engagement ring it just won’t look as well.  Having a ring made to match is the only way to get that perfect overall effect.

Style

It is so important that you like your wedding ring on its own – a lot of people are so concerned about whether the wedding ring complements the engagement ring or not that they forget to check that they actually like it!  Engagement ring aside, you should love your wedding ring!

Diamonds

Make sure that your wedding ring doesn’t overpower your engagement ring – it should complement it but not take over.  Diamonds can be really beautiful in a wedding ring and add to the sparkle of your engagement ring.  However, don’t choose diamonds that are bigger than the diamonds in your engagement ring…. Save them for the other hand!

Classic Diamond Ring

Classic Diamond ring

Matching rings

The majority of couples don’t go for matching rings nowadays.  Remember that you have to wear this ring for the rest of your life so it is more important that you each love your own wedding ring than them matching.  You wouldn’t wear matching outfits would you?!

Brushed Finished Wedding Rings

Brushed Finished Wedding Rings

Court Shape Wedding Rings

This article was written by Ann Chapman, Ann is a fine jewellery designer from Dublin.  Her contemporary jewellery designs are available exclusively in her store, Stonechat Jewellers, in the Westbury Mall, Dublin 2.  Ann began her goldsmithing career with a short course in NCAD.  Following an apprenticeship of several years with a variety of jewellery studios, Ann was granted one of only twelve coveted places on the Crafts Council of Ireland goldsmithing course in Kilkenny. The broad skill-set she acquired during this training affirmed her passion for fine jewellery, precious metals and coloured stones.

 

What Size Wedding Cake?

What Size Wedding Cake?

Finger-sized slices are usually served at weddings unless the cake is being used as dessert. So below you will see two different tables for these two options.

Non-Dessert Cake:

This is the usual cake that couples want to order. For an intimate gathering of 90–120 guests a three-tier cake is ample. I suggest to my brides that because not everyone eats cake, a 10″, 8″ and 6″ would suffice, considering some just want to have the cake on display for the symbolic gesture of cutting the cake rather than having a slice for everyone in the audience.

Normally that size cake would accommodate 90 guests but again it depends on how generous you are in cutting!

The current trend seems to be a scaled version of a cake along with a dessert sample of tiny cookies, macaroons, cupcakes, etc. Brides have decided that they either want a large cake and then go bust or decide a little bit of everything to keep everyone happy suits most!

I think that the sizes outlined below would best suit the European palette, especially now Belgian biscuit cake has replaced the fruit cake so the bottom tier is yielding as many slices as a fruit cake. Brides just want to have enough for people to enjoy but not too much so that the cake is not left to waste!

 What size wedding cake for finger portions

The table below shows the portions to use if a couple wants to use the cake as dessert. Couples sometimes choose to do this if they are on a tight budget and want the cake to act as dessert. For larger numbers of guests simply add the servings as tiers.

 what size wedding cake for dessert portions

Choose The Perfect Wedding or Honeymoon Caribbean Island

The Caribbean Plate consists of over 7,000 islands but only a fraction of these are inhabited. However, for those who are not familiar with the region there is still a confusing amount to choose from for the ideal wedding or honeymoon location.

While your client can only choose one for her wedding, you can advise her that if she marries in the Caribbean she will have the perfect excuse to go back for her annual anniversary to discover the others!

Whether she wants a formal high-tea reception on a plantation or a relaxed steel-band beach wedding, she’ll find it in the Caribbean.

 

The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos are not officially part of the Caribbean islands, but they share a common sea – the warm Cerulean sea – and the time zone “island time”, so include them in your suggestions.


Everyday life can vary hugely from island to island depending whether they are either independent or fly the flag of their discoverers – be it French, Dutch, English, Spanish or American (the island of St Martin/Sint Maarten is split down the middle between the French and Dutch).


There is huge variety so whether your clients are going for white sandy beaches, lush forests, activities, or seclusion, there is an island for them.

Note: There is a difference between the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. Also the Dominican Republic and Dominica are two very different islands more than 500 miles apart.

British Territory (British West Indies) or Ex-British Colony
Cricket, afternoon tea, jackets for dinner – these islands are more formal than their neighbours: Anguilla, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Briths Virgin Islands (i.e. mainly Tortola and Virgin Gorda), Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Nevis, St Kitts, St Lucia, Tobago, Trinidad.

Dutch Territory (Netherlands Antilles) or Ex-Dutch Colony
These are the islands with the pastel-coloured gingerbread houses:
Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Maarten, St Eustatius (also known as Statia).

French Territory (French West Indies)
Perfect for lovers of fine French food and wine:
Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Barts, St Martin.

Ex-Spanish Colonies
Historic sights and lively nightlife:
Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico.

Peace and Quiet
Anguilla, Nevis, St John, Tobago, Virgin Gorda.

Privacy and Seclusion                                                                                               BVI resort islands (Guana, Peter Island, etc.), Dominica, Little Cayman, Mustique.

Best Deals For Those on a Budget
Bahamas, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Saba, St Eustatius, Trinidad.

Islands with the Most All-Inclusive Venues
Antigua, Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St Lucia.

Lots to See and Do Activities
Jamaica, Nassau, Puerto Rico, St Martin/Sint Maarten, St Thomas, Trinidad.

Best Nightlife
Aruba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten.

Learn to Dance!
Curacao (tumba), Dominican Republic (merengue), Guadeloupe & Martinique (beguine and zouk), Jamaica (reggae), Puerto Rico (salsa), Trinidad (calypso, soca).

Best Shopping
Bahamas, Grand Cayman, St Martin/Sint Maarten, USVI.

Best Lush Tropical Islands
Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St Lucia, St Vincent.

Best Beaches
Anguilla, Antigua, Bahamas, Cuba, Grand Cayman, Grenadines, Jamaica, St John, St. Thomas, Turks & Caicos.

Best Rain Forests
Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St Eustatius, St Lucia, St Vincent.

Best Snorkeling and Scuba Diving
Anguilla, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, Saba, St Lucia, St Eustatius, Tobago, Turks & Caicos.

Best Sailing
Antigua, BVI, St Lucia, St Martin/Sint Maarten, St Vincent and the Grenadines, USVI.

Best Windsurfing
Antigua, Aruba, Barbuda, Barbados, BVI, Puerto Rico.

Wedding In the Snow!

Wedding In the Snow!

I woke up to a blizzard this morning (yes it’s snowing in Ireland, just in time for St Patrick’s weekend!) and to a lovely testimonial from Shirley and Stephen – the couple from Dublin whose wedding I arranged in Austria on Valentine’s Day!

“We had the most perfect wedding day and honeymoon in Austria.  With just the two of us, we wouldn’t have changed a thing.  We both want to do it all over again.  We will deffo be going back to stay at the  Hotel (Hopefully for our first anniversary).
 
Karen, Anja and all the family* and staff at the hotel couldn’t have been nicer and so helpful, really friendly and made us feel so welcome.  They really made our day soooo special.  The hotel itself was gorgous and really clean  The food was really nice.  I couldn’t fault it.
 
If it wasn’t for you Rosie, we couldn’t have done it.  Our special day was made possible with all your help and Karen’s of course.  So a HUGE BIG THANK YOU to you.”
 It warmed the cockles of my heart so much that I forgot the blizzard outside!

* Rosie The Wedding Planner’s Partners in Austria