Fish Groom Cake

Get me to the park in time? Couples trade chapel for contemporary ceremony ...

Jody Prescott was getting her nails done in preparation of her June 4 wedding when the manicurist asked why Americans like to get married in parks.

That seems like a huge generalization, but more couples are choosing to have their wedding ceremony performed somewhere other than a church.

According to TheKnot.com & WeddingChannel.com’s 2010 Real Weddings Survey, 43 percent of all wedding ceremonies were held outdoors in 2010, compared with 39 percent in 2009.

Weddings in churches, or synagogues and mosques, fell by 10 percent from 2009 to 2010 — but that isn’t news to Rev. Dustin Vu of St. John’s XXIII in Cedar Rapids.

“Any priest would tell you we’ve noted a decline in the numbers over the years,” Vu says. “Twenty, 30 years ago, everyone got married in a church, but the numbers have declined over the years. It’s not a new revelation.”

“Outdoor locations, parks, barns — there’s just a lot of options,” says Alison Dix, owner of Devotion to Detail Event Planning in Mount Vernon.

Hotel ballrooms, historic institutions, a backyard or a reception hall are popular locations for ceremonies. Amy Eisinger, associate editor at WeddingChannel.com, says museum weddings are on the rise, as are those held at sporting event skyboxes.

“I’ve even heard of weddings at campsites for couples who really love camping,” she says. “The wedding was centered around a weekend at the campground.”

And that’s if a couple chooses a wedding in their hometown or home state. Destination weddings rose the past two years, with an increase of 20 percent since 2008. Eisinger cites modern-day mobility for the increase.

“When you have the bride from one state and the groom from another, and there’s no central location, many couples are opting for a destination wedding because guests would have to travel anyway,” Eisinger says.

Local travel played a role in the planning of Brittany and Owen Lamphier’s June 4 wedding at Pinicon Ridge Park. The Center Point couple wanted a wedding that would capture their love of the outdoors, but would also be an easy trip for friends and family.

“Our main focus was having the people there that we wanted, people who were important to us,” Brittany says.

“We like to fish, so we wanted it near the water,” Owen says.

“We were able to set things up the way we wanted,” Brittany adds. “There was no ‘his side, her side.’ Everyone sat together and we angled the aisle around them. It was enjoyable, aside from the heat.

Grooms Wedding Cakes « My Wedding Planning

Here Comes the Groom:

Bringing Back the groom’s cake tradition In the South, the groom’s cake is a longstanding tradition. Historically, each young single woman who attended the wedding would get to take home a piece of this delicious cake. It was thought that if she placed the slice of cake under her pillow, she would soon find a husband.

Today, the old tradition of the Groom’s Cake is making a comeback, with spectacular results. Decorated to reflect the groom’s interests, hobbies, or career, the groom’s cake may be served at the rehearsal dinner, at a distinguished event, or even alongside the wedding cake at the main event.

Following are a heap of fantastic ideas for choosing a themed groom’s cake.

1. Sports:

the groom might take pleasure in a cake beautified in the colors of his favored sports team, or to resemble a soccer ball, football, or baseball. A fun and distinctive idea is to take a simple rectangular sheet cake, and to decorate it to resemble a soccer field or basketball court, finish with miniature goals or hoops (check your local toy store) and players (plastic figurines).

2. Formal dress cake:

another fun idea is to embellish a sheet cake with fondant or icing so that it looks like the front of a suit or tuxedo. Don’t forget to add an icing bowtie or tie, as well as an edible boutonnières.

3. Games and hobbies:

find out what passions the groom has, and try to replicate them in cake! A chessboard, a fish grooms cake , a poker table, or even a golf course may be made using cake and icing.

4. Traditional grooms cakes:

if you’re not up for the challenge of creating a themed cake, a delicious and beautiful groom’s cake may possess a more conventional style. Similar to a small-scale wedding cake, a established groom’s cake may have multiple layers and a cake topper, but try to use more “masculine” colors and patterns, such as brown, buff, or burgundy, and checkerboard or geometric patterns.

A “mad hatter” style cake is a distinguishable and crazy grooms cakes . However you slice it, having grooms cakes will delight bride, groom, and attendees alike. It’s likewise a great way to showcase the groom’s interests, favorites, and skills. Remember, weddings are no longer just regarding the bride! It is high time that the groom’s cake makes a comeback.

Bride's Wedding Planner

For Your Wedding: Cakes

Cake Wrecks, When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong

Bride's Book of Etiquette

Suddenly southern, a Yankee's guide to living in Dixie