Cakes!

Courtney and I both agree that one of the best perks of our job is all the food. We are foodies at heart and love to eat good food! We have only encountered a few caterers that had less than stellar food. For me, when I am an attendee the one thing I can recall from the wedding no matter what is the dinner. Now, I may not be able to remember what they served, but I can remember whether it was fantastic or not. One of my best friends got married a few years ago at Highgrove in Fuquay. Oh my goodness, the food..AMAZING! It seriously was super yummy. To this day, it is my favorite wedding meal.

Another part of the wedding that is fun to "test" is the cake. Now - I am slightly biased, I admit. I used Ambrosia for my wedding and although she provides a free anniversary cake, I still froze the top layer. We went to Richmond for our first anniversary (we took the anniversary cake with us), so we pulled out the cake the day before we left and to my delight it tasted just as good -scouts honor! It took me back to that moment of cutting the cake and seeing my new husband stand in front of me.

We work with lot's of cake bakers. Some of our favrites are Ashley Cakes, Mitchell's Cakes, and Sugarland. We have had a cake disaster...once. Luckily Courtney and I were able to salvage what we could (it was the bakers fault who brought a three tiered cake already assembled (always ask how and when they assemble) from Raleigh to Durham in August in the back of a Toyota Scion.) It was not a baker we had suggested and we got the bride a full refund. Other than that, knock on wood, we have had great success in the cake department.

A cake can really add an accent to your Recpetion. Some of the biggest mistakes brides make is going with a bright, off the wall color for their cake. As a guest it looks unconnected. The cake is another "decoration" if you will. It helps the Reception look cohesive and put together. A lot of times our brides fall in love with the cake, and base their whole reception on it.

One cost saving idea is to remember that not everyone will eat cake. You don't need to buy a piece ffor every single guest. Also, if you have a large wedding, you can order a moderate sized cake, and then order a sheet cake that will be cut in the back - your guests will never know the difference!

Check out the baker's galleries for some awesome looking cakes!