Treats

The Prettiest (D.I.Y.) Cakes…

April 21st, 2010

We all love a bit of cake, and the prettier the better in my book. So when Sarah from the Blue Door Bakery got in touch and I checked out her site, we were blown away. With a craze for cupcakes sweeping the nation and a huge fancy cake being eschewed for the purse friendly and mouthwatering delights of a cupcake, the Blue Door Bakery are right on trend. As cake baking is something many Brides can tackle themselves it is becoming an increasingly popular DIY option to save on costs. Not only does Sarah make the most scrumptious looking cupcakes, but she also solves the dilemmas of the DIY wedding cupcake maker… read on to hear her words of wisdom.

My absolute favourite part of my job, without question, is meeting couples and planning their wedding cupcakes. I love to hear about the wedding plans of the couples that visit me. (What can I say, after my own wedding nearly 2 years ago, I have to get my wedding planning fix where I can!) I really enjoy helping them dream up something fabulously different, that’s a reflection of their unique wedding day.

Introducing the DIY Fairy Godmother of Cupcakes…

Last year, I started to get emails from brides asking for advice, often where they or their Mum or a friend were going to bake their wedding cupcakes for them. They wanted to know when to bake the cakes? How much time would it all take? How to decorate the cakes? How would they transport the cakes safely? After answering these emails, I was always left with this niggling feeling of worry about these brides and their Mums panicking in a cloud of icing sugar the day before their wedding, who wants that?!

So, I hatched a plan to help the DIY cupcake makers.. I planned a workshop, where people could come, to my working kitchen, and learn about wedding cupcakes, get some tuition and advice and have a fun practice session. They were an instant success and some months later, with lots of happy ladies having left workshops covered in a sprinkling of edible glitter, full of ideas and clutching their box of cakes, I’m now running these workshops regularly. We have a great time, its really relaxed and because the classes are relatively small, everyone gets my undivided attention. You can ask as many questions as you like without feeling self-conscious. I really do want everyone to go away from my class feeling totally inspired.

My philosophy is that it’s important to choose what you’re going to create on the basis of the time and skills you have. No time during the weeks before the wedding? No experience of piping icing? Can’t follow a recipe?! These are some of the scenarios that we cover and try and find a solution for everyone and their schedule in the lead up to the wedding. My main aim is to help avoid any stress the day before and leave calm brides, enjoying delicious DIY cupcakes on their big day.

I’ve also now included shorter sessions for people who just want to learn for fun to decorate cupcakes for fun, these have proved to be perfect for a hen party (including making hen party themed decorations..!) I’m also about to add a ‘Start Your Own Cupcake Business Workshop’ to point new entrepreneurs in the right direction.

We’re happy to bring any of the workshops to you for groups of 6 or more (and we do the washing up!)

The Blue Door Top 5 D.I.Y. Tips

1. Practice well before the big day. Don’t wait until the day before to find out that you are unsure how to roll sugarpaste or are a bit wobbly piping vintage rose style icing.

2. Do a full shopping list well in advance and then buy all of the ingredients you might need (with some spare) at least a week before.

3. If you buy a cupcake stand to use, think about selling it on eBay afterwards. This can work out slightly less expensive than hiring a stand.

4. Think about buying decorations, although they will dent your budget a touch, they are often a good option if what you are after is particularly intricate.

5. Finally, don’t take on too much yourself. The day before your wedding is so special, don’t tire yourself out! Ask for help from trusted friends or family.

Genius! What a brilliant idea for a hen party or for you and your mum/maids to make sure you are totally ready and prepared to bake up a cupcake storm!

Thank you so much to Sarah for so generously sharing her wisdom and make sure you check out the Blue Door Bakery if you’re in need of some DIY tuition, or if you just want the stress taken away and the cupcakes making for you! I think I’m having palpitations here about the chocolate spectaculars up there!

Are you having cupcakes for your big day?

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

Don’t leave Bedcrumbs…

April 7th, 2010

We quite regularly get emails here at Rock My Wedding from people who would like us to share their product with you, our readers. But we don’t take for granted that we have a captive audience here and we only want to share with you the prettiest, most unique and cool finds around. So most of it never makes it to the pages of RMW.

However, the subject of todays post landed in my inbox and made me go ‘Ooooooh!’…

…So I showed it to Charlotte who said ‘Ooohhh, I like!’ and here it is…. Bedcrumb.

Vintage inspired Favours

Bedcrumb make sweeter than sweet bridal favours and I think these totally rock. Whether you are having a vintage inspired affair with a tea party theme or want a touch of retro glamour for the ladies, definitely check them out.

The Vintage Tea Cup Treat is ‘an individually sourced vintage tea cup, filled with scrumptious pink and white marshmallows in champagne net, all tied up with a vintage fabric bow and pretty rose flower trim and complete with bedcrumbs signature ‘Dot’ doll tag. They are finished with a rippled paper message “Thank you for helping us celebrate our special day,” which can be personalised with own special greeting. Each vintage cup and vintage fabric bow combination will be as unique as your carefully choosen guests!’

At £5 each if you order more than 15, my first thought was that these are luxe favours but then it occurred to me that many Brides hire crockery or tableware for their guests when having tea party or vintage themed affairs and after checking with the lovely Heidi at Bedcrumb, these cute teacups would do double duty, saving you money! :)

And how cute are these mirrors? I’m thinking they would make fabulous gifts for your best girls… ‘Each large pocket mirror comes in its own special ivory and champagne net pouch, tied with ribbon and complete with bedcrumbs signature ‘Dot’ doll tag. There are over 15 different original bridal illustrations to choose from, select all the same to co-ordinate with your special day or choose a selection as unique as your carefully choosen guests!’

Honeymoon treats

Now of course every bride wants to look her best on honeymoon and these passport holders and sunglasses cases are just the think for adding a touch of quirky cool to your carry on.

In several different designs to suit any Newly-weds sense of style, I just love the graphic sketches used to illustrate these pieces.

Fancies for any day of the week

Not a Bride? No Honeymoon to plan? Well do not fear, because neither am I and there’s still plenty to find on Bedcrumb to tickle your fancy!

With Greetings Cards, Purses, Make-up bags or even tea cosies and silk scarves, all with the same sense of humour and kooky designs, Bedcrumb is your present finder solution for all your hard to buy for girlfriends and maybe even a treat stop for yourself??!

Head over to the Bedcrumb site to have a little look around and see if you can find some pieces of pretty to purchase!

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

Sugar, Spice And All Things Nice.

March 26th, 2010

Sometimes you just come across something in weddingville and think “Wow – that is truly creative, chic, clever and darn right fabulous” and that is exactly what I thought when I saw the dessert tables created by the uber talented event sylist Amy Atlas. What that lady can do with sweet treats and decor is nothing short of a minor miracle let me tell you.

Now this isn’t a new thing – I discovered Amy Atlas well over a year ago in Elegant Bride magazine ( yes I went to Borders and bought all the American bridal publications too so intense was my quest for unique W-day ideas). BUT at the time I glossed over it in a very “It is so magazine-worthy I could never pull that off I’ll just put it in my scrapbook and dream about it” kind of way.

Hoorah for a little bit more of a “Can do” approach after so much more experience in blogland then.

Because actually I think some of these designs although stunningly spectacular can be tweeked, refined and simplified to make your very own D.I.Y version.

White Out

Gorgeous right?

And would work with ANY colour palette or theme. The balloons are a huge feature and so cheap and easy to replicate, as for flowers rather than this abundance of medium bunches consider white tulips or anemones in bud vases ( I recently bought some plain ivory numbers from Sainsbury’s for £1 each, they also had a mocha/latte shade and a sky blue)

As for the goodies well the world is your oyster – just make them pale and interesting. I’m thinking home made cupcakes with butter cream frosting and a selection of white chocolate truffles. Check out your local Thorntons or go on-line to Hotel Chocolat for inspiration and then if you fancy it….make your own using these fancy moulds.

If you fancy offering straws for lemonade ( or more likely cocktails) then labels can be made from any pretty paper and adhered with double sided tape. I like the idea of cute W-day messages like “I Do” and “Mr and Mrs”.

Citrus Chic

Is anyone having a yellow and black colour palette? soooo unbelievably cool.

I’m thinking bright bon bons, sherbert lemons and a whole load of other zesty type confectionary. Um and how amazing do those licorice allsorts look??

Oh and you can’t beat a canary coloured gerbera for impact….or a lovely daffodil if your Big Day is in the spring ( long lasting, excellent quality and dirt cheap from M & S at the moment) and this is an ideal vase ( not to mention a £9 bargain) to display them in.

Perfect Pink

Possibly my favourite of the lot.

Cover thick card or foam board with polka dot prettiness and pin on some mini bags of sugary delight – I am very much in love with this heart print design

Nothing cuter than spelling out what’s on offer with cookie letters either. Go here for the perfect heart shaped cutters if you want to make it all about the L.O.V.E

Oh and candy canes too. I am a sucker for a stripe. And these cupcake boxes? – DIVINE.

So then…..I’m just wondering if anyone else is creating their own sweet table and what unique ideas you have up your D.I.Y sleeves.

I would LOVE to see someone have a good crack at one of these beauties.

Go check out Amy Atlas’s blog for even more inspiration and AMAZING recipes.

Big Sugar and Spice Love

Charlotte xxx

Let Them Eat…..Cheese?

February 4th, 2010

Now I am a big of cake. Especially chocolate cake and Carrot cake. And Victoria sandwich and Lemon drizzle. And those banana cakes you get in Pret a Manger ….and Um all kinds of cupcakes.

Just REALLY love cake.

Question is – what about if you don’t?

What about if the thought of spending a small fortune on a 3 tier W-day extravaganza brings you out in a cold sweat…. or just the thought of anything with sponge and buttercream leaves you well…..bored.

How about a tiered “cheese” cake then? Hmmmm probably seen a few of those already right?

Well how about ( just like the fabulous WINTER WEDDING we featured last week) you have a whole help-yourself-to-deliciousness cheese table. Much like the very popular “dessert” or “sweet” tables we see popping up all over the place. Just instead you swap the sugary stuff for a whole bunch of different varieties of the savory dairy delights….

Simples.

And true to form Rock My Wedding has found some total eye candy perfection for all you fromage lovers over on the BEAUTIFUL Sunday Suppers blog. Seriously if I went to a wedding and they had something like this on offer I would be majorly impressed.

And headed straight for the Wensleydale with cranberries.

cheese-1

Who thought cheese could look so darn pretty?

And not so difficult to achieve I might add. Source cake/cheeses stands from any tableware hire shops ( I actually found a great similar plain white one at Sainsburys for a fiver), chose your varieties of cheese to suit you from the supermarket or your local farmers market and make cute signs until your hearts content.

On this particular Sunday Suppers number they used pieces of fruit to decorate – I am totally loving the pears and cherries. You could use pretty much anything you fancied too from some exotic kiwi and star fruit to the more traditional red and green grapes.

We’re all about taking a great idea and then stamping your unique style all over it…. as you know.

Cheese-Final-1

Maybe you don’t fancy a whole go-to table and instead would prefer individual cheese plates for your guests. Well Sunday Suppers have that covered too. I’m thinking especially fabulous on long tressle tables for your tent/tipi/marquee. Adore the table runners and the personalised cheese menu’s…..

Cheese-Final-2

Boy am I a sucker for a white tulip.

Simple. Chic. Gorgeous.

As is the entire Sunday Suppers Blog. It is my new “lose yourself within” piece of interweb heaven.

Anyone forgoing cake for something a little bit different?

Do let us know.

Big oh-so-savoury Love

Charlotte xxx

Let Them Eat Cake!

November 26th, 2009

WARNING! This post may cause extreme cake cravings!

Its a part of wedding planning that splits Brides down the middle… what to do about the cake? For some it’s not a priority in where to spread the dough, but for others nothing but a show stopping cake will do.

If that’s you, or in fact if (like me,) you just love eating cake, then read on and enjoy.

Daisy Hill Cake Company based in Thornton Hough on the Wirral make cakes of every look and variety possible. No frumpy split tier cakes on old fashioned chrome stands here thank you!
Daisy-Hill1

With mouthwatering fillings such as Very Lemony Lemon, Chocolate Aphrodisiac, Chocolate velvet (with Baileys cream) and French Vanilla (with Champagne, Strawberry and Buttercream), there is sure to be a flavour to please the most discerning of cake-aholics!

Daisy-Hill2

They don’t just do tiered cakes either, towers of cupcake deliciousness or stacks of mini individual cakes all are catered for, with bespoke a speciality.

I think I might have to go and lie down.

All these cake flavours have left me dehydrated from dribbling in anticipation.

If you are of a stronger constitution than mine, check out Daisy Hill Cake Company for your cake needs. Be warned, the wedding force is strong with these ones!

Yours Truly,

Contra
xoxo

Don’t Say It With Flowers… Say It With Biscuits

November 20th, 2009

I’m sure some of you have already heard of the bloomin’ marvellous Biscuiteers but for those of you who haven’t well….I just need to share.

The Biscuiteers are as the name suggests INCREDIBLE biscuit designers and makers, based in London but delivering all over the UK your request for unique favours or a big “thank you” to someone special is easy peasy.

The biscuit collections arrive in a super cute decorated tin or you can order a single “card” with a personalised message piped directly onto your piece of delicious.

Brilliant.

Oh and here are some make-your-mouth-water type pictures:

Biscuit-1

Favours for the ladies – Vintage Hearts and Killer Heels

Biscuits-2

Favours for the little ones – Creepy Crawlies and Cupcakes

Biscuit-3

A little something sweet for yourself – Hotpants ( LOVE this!) and the Paris collection

The mini collections are £26.50 and the standard collections are £37.50- £38.50, all tins include from 9 to 16 biscuits depending on design and size.

I’m thinking a few of these displayed on a dessert table would be absolutely A.mazing.

Be sure to check out www.biscuiteers.com for lots of other tasty treats…..

Just off to enjoy a cup of tea and a hobnob – this post has made me indulge in some serious Friday night dunking ;-)

Charlotte xxx