Gown-inspired wedding cakes

I love to weave together as many details of the wedding as possible, providing for a more cohesive, and much more personalized look. One way of doing so, is to have the design of the bride's wedding gown reflected in the design of the cake. The result is usually gorgeous - a very subtle, but meaningful way to pull the wedding look together. Here are some examples.

To create this beautiful (and since, oft replicated cake), Katrina of Cake Gallery went to the bride's gown salon to take a photo of her wedding dress. The trim of her gown and embroidery details are reflected in the design of the cake.

Photos by David Murphey

For this next beauty of a cake, we sent cakelava the link for the bride's wedding gown, which then became the design of the cake. Notice the delicate lace and the scalloped v-neck area, along with the gorgeous bow, complete with silver brooch accent. This cake, too, has since been duplicated a number of times, and with a cake as beautiful as this, it is easy to see why.

Photos by Mark Nomura

For this particular wedding cake from Cake Works, the poor groom was kept in the dark as to what his wedding cake would look like, for fear that it might giveaway the design of the bride's wedding gown, which was to be a surprise for him. The pretty ruffles and buttons on the cake mimicked the gown perfectly! Clearly, beautiful gowns inspire some of the most beautiful cakes!

Photos by Eugene Kam Photography

Chinese Lion Dances for Weddings

Photos by Visionari

Lion dances at Chinese weddings bring the newlyweds good fortune and ward off evil spirits. For additional excitement, we have suggested that couples consider the "wow factor" of having the lions perform on poles or jongs, where their acrobatics are sure to impress.

Some things to consider: make sure the jongs and bases can fit through service corridors and entryways, if the reception is to take place inside. If outdoors, have a representative from the lion dance team scout the area to make sure that they can safely and feasibly set their equipment at that site. Things like exceptionally windy areas and unlevel surfaces can make it challenging or even unrealistic to perform the lion dance on poles under such circumstances.

Additional note: check with the particular lion dance team if they prefer that the lions be fed with a pole and leafy vegetable, or if they prefer that the bride and groom feed the lions by hand. Best wishes for good fortune, luck, and prosperity for the happy couple!

Tips and Advice: rental vases for destination weddings

Photo by Frank Amodo, table top by Yvonne Design

You've spent months flipping through magazines, searching on-line, and speaking with your wedding planner and floral designer about the tabletops/centerpieces for your reception. You've finally decided on THE perfect look for the flowers to adorn your tables. What many neglect to consider, is what to do with the flowers following the reception.

Photo by Images by Kellie Ann, table top by Floral Inspirations

After having invested so much time and money into the flowers for your wedding, it seems such a shame to let them go to waste once the reception comes to a close. In Hawaii, many guests look forward to the possibility of taking the centerpiece home with them at the end of the reception. Brides, grooms, and emcees devise more and more creative ways for awarding the centerpiece to a lucky recipient each table.

Photo by Dylan Dawson, table top by Yvonne Design

However, if yours is a destination wedding, chances are that many of your guests will soon board a plane after your wedding, either to island-hop or to travel home, making it difficult to enjoy a beautiful floral centerpiece for more than a night or two. For destination brides and grooms, we often recommend renting vases from the floral designer. It saves on cost, promotes a "re-use, recycle" philosophy, and guests can still take the flowers themselves to enjoy after a wedding without facing the dilemma of what to do with a difficult-to-transport vase.

Photo by Dylan Dawson, decor by Yvonne Design

Featured Wedding #13: Stacey and Dan

Photos by Mark Nomura

What happens when a wedding vendor gets married? Why, the result is nothing short of fabulous! We had the distinct honor and pleasure of coordinating the wedding of wedding industry colleague, Stacey, aka "Emi," of the famed, Hawaii-based stationer and graphic designer, Emi Ink. In just a few days, Stacey and her hubby, Dan, will be celebrating their anniversary, and while their wedding took place almost four years ago, the details that Stacey planned for her wedding were so ahead of their time, that they'd be considered trendy today. I wanted to share some of the unique and original ideas that Stacey implemented into her own wedding.

With Stacey being the designer of fine stationery, I affectionately dubbed Stacey and Dan's wedding the "paper wedding." Ever considered incorporating a complete stationery suite for your wedding? Well Stacey and Dan had it all.

Naturally, one of the very first impressions that guests receive of a wedding is the invitation, which sets the tone for the celebration to come. Stacey designed an invitation nothing short of original, incorporating multiple layers of card stock, including a modern printed one, and chose to off-set it, lining the edges of each layer on the right for a chic and contemporary look. The six Swarovski crystals, also right-justified, added the perfect touch of elegance.

Upon arrival at one of my favorite venues, the Hau Terrace at the Halekulani, guests stopped by the reception table to drop off gifts. In lieu of the traditional envelope box to hold monetary gifts, Stacey's dad, an artist himself whose medium of choice is metal, lovingly welded individual pieces of washers and rings into a one-of-a-kind, fashionable and edgy, receptacle for Stacey and Dan's cards. To tie into the paper theme, Stacey added a cameo piece, matching the invitations, complete with another six Swarovski crystals and printed card stock. (Note the pretty paper flowers in the foreground, also created by Stacey.)

In order to ensure that special guests would enjoy VIP seating at the ceremony, Stacey designed pretty "reserved" cards, which we affixed to designated chairs. These, too, shared the same font and paper selections used in the invitations and the gift card receptacle cameo.

During the ceremony, guests followed along with Stacey and Dan's beautiful printed program, delicately adorned with more Swarovski crystals.


Proceeding the outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour on the terrace, guests then moved inside for the reception, where they were treated to more of Stacey's artistry.

Favor boxes, flowers, and printed "ribbon" made of paper...

Centerpiece vases made of paper...

Paper flowers at the base of the cake...



And place cards, too!

Congratulations, Stacey and Dan! Here's to many more years of blissful marriage, and continued success with Emi Ink!

"May Day is Lei Day in Hawai'i"

The phrase, "May Day is Lei Day in Hawai'i" was coined by Grace Tower Warren, who is credited along with poet, Don Blanding, for establishing Lei Day as a holiday held on May 1. It celebrates the Hawaiian lei-making and lei-wearing custom and many local governments and schools in Hawaii celebrate May Day. At the schools, May Day features a "royal" court, where students elected as princes and princesses don leis representing each of the eight Hawaiian islands. Now how does this relate to weddings, you ask?

If looking ahead to a wedding in early May, keep in mind that the demand for leis increases, thus driving up their cost. Today, for example, a Micronesian ginger lei, which normally sells for $10 at Lin's Lei Shop, is now $18, and prices should remain high 'til Mother's Day, which is when lei prices traditionally hit their all-time-high. Be prepared to spend a little more for your leis, or choose alternatives, such as boutonnieres and corsages, if wanting to avoid the inflated lei prices. Happy Lei Day!

Groom and groomsmen wearing maile-pikake leis. Groomsmen in middle carrying Micronesian ginger leis wrapped with ilima. Groomsmen on right carrying multi-colored cigar leis. Photo by Visionari.

Mother of the bride wearing a Maunaloa lei. Photo by Eugene Kam Photography