Blog - sweet treats
Friday, 20 April 2012
I never thought I'd say that, but I do, and I'm not ashamed to say it! I came across these little beauties recently on Preston Baileys blog, and I was left with a warm fuzzy feeling when I discovered they're available right here in the UK from the wonderful Miss Sarah Cake on Etsy. What a lovely touch they make to the simplest of cakes.
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
2012 is certainly upon us and here at Aimee Dunne we’re looking forward to all our 2012 weddings and New Year enquiries. With that in mind, here are our predictions for what we''ll be seeing in our weddings, and events, in the months to come.
Photo Booths. Photo Booths are a great way to add some fun to your wedding day, and have some added memories to keep and share. These can be tailored to suit your wedding theme, from a traditional booth, or a taxi booth like those offered by megabooth.com.
Vintage. The vintage theme has been a staple favourite for a few years now and is still going strong. From vintage pastels to lace doilies, it’s still a firm favourite; and with companies such as vintagestylehire.co.uk hiring out beautiful vintage pieces, it’s becoming easier for brides to plan and afford beautiful vintage style.
Sweetie tables. Around 80% of my clients have a sweetie table on their wish list. I LOVE them, they can be as small or elaborate as you like and can be themed in such fun ways. Originating from the States, from the likes of the wonderful Sweet Stylist Amy Atlas, they’re certainly finding a home here in the UK. A wonderful local company I've worked with is Let Them Eat Cakes.
Cake Pops. Another trend from the States, companies such as popbakery.co.uk are doing a marvellous job of bringing these cute little cakes on sticks to our shores. They work fantastically with Sweetie Tables, as favours, or just on their own for fun. Move over cup cakes, cake pops have arrived!
Laser Cut. I’ve always loved a bit of stationery, but give me some laser cut stationery and I’m in wedding heaven! My favourites are from the ever so talented cutture.com and chartula.co.uk. Traditionally quite an expensive option, products such as Chartula Create are allowing style savvy brides to get DIY laser cut stationery at an affordable price.
Photo Credits:
Photo Booth: megabooth.com
Vintage Table: Vintage Style Hire via lovemydress.net
Sweetie Table: Amy Atlas Blog
Cake Pops: etsy.com
Laser Cut Invitations: Cutture
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
This cake is gorgeous. I had to share this with you as quite simply a cake this beautiful should be shared. I love the simple, elegant design, just gorgeous!
Photo courtesy of Beth Helmstetter via SMP
Monday, 11 July 2011
Whilst searching the web for cake pops for my son's 1st birthday party (which has clearly turnt into a rather large event but quite the norm for me to get somewhat carried away with anything that involves entertaining...) I came across the gorgeous Cake Pops site. It really captures the fun essence of the cutesy little pops and why another American trend has hit our shores. Love, love, love them. Right, I'm off to make some paper pom poms...
Monday, 26 April 2010
I won't lie, I do like a nice big budget! But not everyone has a big budget, and even if you do you don't want to be wasting it especially in today's economy. Weddings are notoriously considered to be expensive, but they don't have to be. Your wedding is your day and you can make it as elaborate or as low key as you want, and however much money you chose to spend on it, it can still be the beautiful special day you'd hoped it would be. When planning there are some simple ways to save on your budget which I thought I'd share with you, these also apply to many other types of events.
1. Haggle. If you don’t ask for a discount, chances are you won’t get one. I do tend to think we’re not very good at this in the UK, compared to many cultures where it’s the norm, we’re a bit reserved. But there’s no need to be embarrassed, many businesses welcome people asking for a discount and don’t find it unusual. Once you’ve done it once or twice you may even start to enjoy it...especially when you see the savings!
2. Seasonal Blooms. Many brides have their heart set on a particular type of flower, and this is something which is clearly important to the whole theme. Most flowers however tend to be very seasonal and choosing some which are out of season may greatly impact your budget, especially considering that flowers typically take up about 10% of your wedding budget. Choosing something out of season may mean the flowers need to be imported which could greatly hike up your budget. Peonies for example, tend to be available only in May and June. Also, if you’re having your ceremony in a separate location to your reception, for example having your ceremony in a church and reception in a nearby hotel, see if the florist will move the flowers to the reception venue after the church service...quickly and discreetly of course!
3. Stationery Savings. Stationery can be a very expensive part of weddings. Why not save money by using a website such as gettingmarried.co.uk to keep guests fully informed and manage RSVP’s. You can also find your creative side and make some of your stationary such as the Order of Service and Menus, or contact a local printer and put some of those haggling skills into action!
4. Have Your Cake and Eat It. Cakes are both beautiful and delicious but can also be expensive. If you have a friend who makes cakes why not ask them to help out on the day and bake you a cake as a present. You can also pick up some great cakes from the high street, including waitrose.com and marksandspencer.com, which you can easily decorate yourself with fresh flowers and some ribbon. Also think about serving your cake as a desert or as part of the evening buffet.
5. Let them Send You Packing. Websites such as senduspacking.com are a fantastic way for your guests to contribute to your honeymoon, instead of having a traditional gift list. Many couples are moving away from traditional gift lists and most guests are unlikely to find this too unusual. Other good ways to save on your honeymoon are to avoid having your honeymoon during school holidays, Christmas or Easter, and to book with tour operators who specialise in honeymoons such as destinology.co.uk as they may well have special offers for couples.
6. Budget. Boring as it may seem, especially when all you want to do is plan your big day, it’s a simple way of ensuring you don’t waste your valuable wedding budget. Start by sitting down and making a budget of everything, and I mean everything! It’s often all the little extras that get forgotten and add up. Make a realistic budget and stick to it, going back to it every couple of weeks at least to see where you are and making sure you include everything on it that you spend. Websites such as weddingideasmag.com also have some great budgeting tools you can download for free.
7. Hire a Wedding Planner. Last but not least! Not one to blow my own trumpet, but us Planners have access to a huge source of suppliers, and are well placed to know what the typical costs are for most services. We are used to dealing with suppliers on a daily basis and it's part of our job to negotiate the best prices we can for our clients..and something I know I enjoy! Although the cost of a Planner may seem an added expense, the savings made from these reduced costs and use of tried and trusted suppliers can easily outweigh the initial expense.
Happy saving!!