The Groom’s Cake – Then & Now

Groom’s Cake Origin Theories:

• In early Rome guests would scramble for fallen crumbs after the wedding cake that had been broken over the bride’s head. The cake and the crumbs were thought to bring good fortune to those who ate it.
• In eighteenth century:
  • It was traditional to pass out small pieces of the wedding cake through a wedding ring whose owner was happily married.
  • Victorian bridesmaids would practice this ritual on the eve of the wedding and they would wrap the pieces.  On the day of the wedding, would give them out to all the unmarried women who would then place the piece of wedding cake under their pillow in order to dream about a future husband.
  • This same custom also dates back to nineteenth century Southern tradition
• England serves as the origin of many wedding cakes:

Fruitcake was the traditional wedding cake and it was covered with fondant or marzipan icing until the middle of the nineteenth century.

•  Fruitcake, which was the groom’s cake, was made of heavy fruit and liquor soaked which gave its shelf life and the reason why it was the one kept and eaten at the first anniversary celebration.

Groom’s Cake Facts:

• The Groom’s Cake still retains the concept that it is a gift from the bride to her groom, a special way of honoring him and including him in wedding ritual.
• The Groom’s Cake is a second, sometimes a simpler version of the wedding cake.
• The groom’s cake is used for extra pieces that are packaged into tiny boxes with ribbons or into envelopes, for guests to take home and “dream on.”
• There is a superstition that holds the notion that a bride who keeps a piece of her wedding cake will have a faithful and loving husband.
• Today, the Groom’s Cake has become a way to honor the groom by reflecting his interests and personality and creatively decorated and shaped to show his hobby, favorite sport, alma mater or occupation.
• Regardless of when the cake is served, may it be during the rehearsal dinner, as toast to the groom, alternate dessert with the wedding cake, or keep it to serve as a late night dessert for the wedding party and close friends; either the groom or the groom and his family should cut and serve.

The inclusion of a groom’s cake is a way to balance the scales and to include and honor the groom who might feel neglected. A Groom’s Cake is certainly not necessary, but it adds a nice touch. Regardless of what it tastes like, its design, when it’s served and who orders it, the Groom’s Cake can be one of the most delightful parts of the wedding celebration.

About Apropos Creations…

With over 10 years of assisting brides, grooms and their respective families create this moment, Apropos Creations, a local Arizona wedding and event planner, will make this journey enjoyable and stress-free.  We will be there to offer inspiring ideas and flawless coordination.  Besides our basic wedding packages, Apropos Creations also specializes in multi cultural weddings and Southeast Asian weddings, destination weddings and Philippines destination weddings.  We pledge to you our devotion to make your wedding and event as unique as you.  We want what you want, a perfect and beautiful day of memories to treasure throughout time.

Sources…

www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com

Drink Up, It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere – Thanksgiving Ideas

Two days away from Thanksgiving!  Are you ready?  Well, if you are not, no need to panic.  Sit down, relax, take a deep breath.  Write down all the things that needs to be accomplished between now and Thursday.  This will keep you focused and not get distracted with other tasks.  Now, go and fix yourself one of the drinks I have below and enjoy.  You can even do a taste of each one and see which one you like best and serve it for Thanksgiving. 

Let’s start with a non- alcoholic beverage:

Mulled Apple Cider

Apple cider is one of the traditional of the spiced winter warmers, you can also use red wine, cranberry juice, white wine, hard cider, or ale. All of these beverages take very nicely to mulling.

• The primary spice combinations for mulled cider almost always include cinnamon sticks and whole cloves.
• Nutmeg, mace, star anise, allspice berries, cardamom pods, slices of fresh ginger, orange slices and lemon zest are also good additions.
• To infuse without making the drink cloudy and gritty, use whole spices rather than ground.
• Bring the mixture to a very gentle simmer over low heat.
• Don’t let it boil: this can cause spices to turn bitter.
• To really allow the flavors of the spices to infuse into the beverage, you should allow the mixture to simmer on the stovetop for at least half an hour.

It’s fine to keep the pot warm for several hours, allowing everyone to sip holiday cheer throughout the night: a slow cooker on low heat is ideal. Ladle into mugs and serve, garnished with an orange slice or cinnamon stick.

Now to the ones with alcohol ingredients:

Pumpkin Pie Martini

• 2 ounces vanilla vodka
• 2 ounces creme de cacao
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1.5 tablespoons of pumpkin puree (pie mix)
• 1 dash of ground nutmeg (for garnish)
• Powdered graham cracker (for the rim)

Rim two martinin glasses with crushed graham cracker. Fill a shaker with ice and add the vodka, creme de cacao, cream and pumpkin puree. Shake well until it’s chilled. Strain into the martini glasses. Sprinkle the ground nutmeg on top for garnish.

Ginger Spice

• 1 ounce spiced rum
• 1/2 ounce ginger liqueur
• 1 ounce apple juice
• Cinnamon stick

Shake ingredients together and strain into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg, optionally.

Now, have a fun Thanksgiving but please be responsible and be safe!

About Apropos Creations…

With over 10 years of assisting brides, grooms and their respective families create this moment, Apropos Creations, a local Arizona wedding and event planner, will make this journey enjoyable and stress-free.  We will be there to offer inspiring ideas and flawless coordination.  Besides our basic wedding packages, Apropos Creations also specializes in multi cultural weddings, destination weddings and Philippines destination weddings.  We pledge to you our devotion to make your wedding and event as unique as you.  We want what you want, a perfect and beautiful day of memories to treasure throughout time.

Sources…

http://mixthatdrink.com

Table is Set -Thanksgiving Ideas

With Thanksgiving being 10 days away, I would like to share inspirations with you on making your table look warm, inviting and sophisticated.  First thing, choose your color scheme and with Thanksgiving in mind, I chose orange, mustar yellow, and brown.  I then incorporated centerpieces like the ones I discovered at Ross Stores, tied dried branches with silk flowers.  I also added candle holders with candles and it will give you family and guests that warm feeling, fall colored leaves and ceramic pumpkins.I hope you enjoy creating your table for your love ones as much as I did creating this for you…

Pre table setting

Thanksgiving dinner is almost ready!

About Apropos Creations…

With more than 10 years of assisting brides, grooms and their respective families create this moment, Apropos Creations, a local
Arizona wedding and event planner, will make this journey enjoyable and stress-free.  We will be there to offer inspiring ideas and flawless coordination.  Besides our basic wedding packages, Apropos Creations also specializes in multi cultural weddings, destination weddings and Philippines destination weddings.  We pledge to you our devotion to make your wedding and event as unique as you.  We want what you want, a perfect and beautiful day of memories to treasure throughout time.

November 11, 2011

November is here!  On top of that 11/11/11 is four days away.  This phenomenon only happens once in every 100 years!  Besides the obvious fact that this day is a fun and popular date, this date will be an easy date for your future husband to remember every year for your anniversary celebration!

According to David’s Bridal, brides far and wide across the country have chosen 11/11/11 as their wedding date. Los Angeles ranks
number one with 718 brides registered with David’s Bridal. Other top cities following suit include Chicago at 572 brides, Miami at 560 brides, New York at 507 brides, Dallas at 461 brides and Houston at 411 brides.  That’s a whole lot of weddings going on and
just imagine these numbers are only in the US.

There are of course other reasons why couples have chosen this mighty date especially if you are spiritually open to entertaining the thought of the numerology.  The number 11 is thought as a master number in numerology because it is a double digit of the
same number.  The very basic understanding of the Number One is that of new beginnings and purity.  When we see this number doubled, then these attributes double in strength.

Regardless of the reason why you chose this date, we know that it will be a very special day.  It’s your wedding day and that is all there is to it.  If you have a wedding planner or coordinator, I thank you for having one.  If you don’t have one, please make sure to have everyone’s tasks in a notepad and to be given specific instructions and time when it needs to be done.  Advice for everybody, let little challenges be little challenges, let it go and go with the flow especially on your wedding day.

About Apropos Creations…

With more than 10 years of assisting brides, grooms and their respective families create this moment, Apropos Creations, a local
Arizona wedding and event planner, will make this journey enjoyable and stress-free.  We will be there to offer inspiring ideas and flawless coordination.  Besides our basic wedding packages, Apropos Creations also specializes in multi cultural weddings, destination weddings and Philippines destination weddings.  We pledge to you our devotion to make your wedding and event as unique as you.  We want what you want, a perfect and beautiful day of memories to treasure throughout time.

Sources…

David’s Bridal;  www.whats-your-sign.com

One Freakish Halloween…

Exactly one year ago, I had the pleasure of making Deanna and Bill’s Halloween wedding celebration become reality!

When we started talking and planning the wedding and shared with me their vision of how this wedding is going to be, I thought to myself, “Holy crap!, They can’t be serious!”  but of course they are.  I received their wedding invitation and immediately realized that they are really bound and determined about this Halloween wedding production.

Thanks to Themers, Custom Coffin Works, Rockin’ R Ranch, and Alison Katharine Photography,  Apropos Creations were able to deliver what they wanted, a memorable and entertaining Halloween wedding celebration.  We enjoyed working with Deanna and Bill and  bringing this wedding to life!

DEANNA & BILL, Happy One Year Anniversary to the two of you, CHEERS!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Experience – Brides against Breast Cancer 2011 Phoenix Tour Of Gowns

Brides Against Breast Cancer came and went at Scottsdale Cottonwood Resorts and Suites.  The gowns that we had carefully rolled out of the trailer, hung, sorted, and organized is over and packed up ready to move to another city to make more brides happy.

 The vendors and volunteers were awesome!  Thank you very much for your hard work and for making Brides Against Breast Cancer Phoenix a success!

Apropos Creations, an Arizona wedding and event planner, is very honored to have assisted in putting this event together and  is looking forward to another successful event next year.

Here are some images captured by Angela of Angelina Rose Photography…

Event P

Brides Against Breast Cancer – Nationwide Tour Of Gowns 2011 – Phoenix

The Brides Against Breast Cancer Nationwide Tour of Gowns will be in Phoenix, AZ second year in the row.  This event will be taking place in Scottsdale Cottonwood Suites Resort Scottsdale, AZ.  This year, I am very honored to say that Apropos Creations is the city coordinator for this event.  BABC Tour of Gowns is a division of Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation.  They are a non-profit organization who receives donated wedding gowns that are slightly used and brand new to give a moment of joy to into the world for the women and men who are losing their fight against breast cancer.

Besides the wonderful and beautiful gowns, we have coordinated for other vendors to be there for you, Apropos Creations Wedding & Event Planning, Angelina Rose Photography, Keepsake Blossoms, Dollibee.com Invitations and Stationery, Let Them Eat Cake, Miche Bags by Julie Horvath, just to name a few.   Having them there will enable to do one stop shop, answer questions, give you advice and assist you.

Volunteers will also be there to lend a helping hand, to locate that perfect dress and to help you dress, if you need.  This is a great opportunity to get your MOH and BM’s together, do a field trip and bond.  This event screams fun and enjoyment.

For more information and to pre-register, visit www.bridesagainstbreastcancer.org.  To purchase tickets to the special Power Hour preview, visit http://babcphoenix11.eventbrite.com.  Space is limited!

Table Accessories

One way to make your table pop is to add plate chargers.  The typical gold and silver that you can buy at Hobby Lobby and Michael’s would suffice but not enough to make a statement.  I visited Kristen of BBJ Linens back in May because she wanted to show me their new linens and of course, as always, they were gorgeous.  She then mentioned that they have a new line of rental which is the plate chargers.  When she showed them to me, I just fell in love with them.  Having this very elegant option as a rental item is a plus not only for BBJ Linens but for any hosts for all types of events, weddings, fundraisers, holiday dinners, etc.  My favorite is the blue one, the jagged edge and texture will bring a certain uniqueness to your place setting.  You can even incorporate themes with each type and color of the chargers like a beach or island theme, Renaissance, and of course the Royal wedding theme.  Regardless of which theme and color you choose, there will be a plate charger calling out your name.  Wedding planning should be fun and should not become a burden.

Apropos Creations is a local Arizona wedding planning company that can and will make your wedding day a very memorable one.  Contact us at 480-216-4630 to chat about your wedding details.

After the wedding…

You are now husband and wife, together forever, til death do us part!  A life together as one…  What else can be better than that?

So what do you do now?  Here are some ideas…

•  go directly to your honeymoon;
• or maybe wait a day or two until all of your out of town family and friends had gone home and spend some time and thank them for coming to your wedding celebration personally;
• have a day after the wedding brunch;
• donate your flowers for some tax deduction, another way to save money and help the community;
• Thank you cards should be sent out no later than three months per Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette book.  You may want to start your thank you note as you get your gifts so it doesn’t get too overwhelming;
• legal documents and name changing, if applies, should be taken care of.

So many things to do, so many things going on…  The key is to prioritize, have a to do list so you don’t deluge yourself.

For more information on how Apropos Creations can make your day enjoyable, you can contact us at 480-216-4630 or visit our website at www.aproposcreations.com.

coordinately yours…                                                                   -jo ann-                                                                                     Jo Ann M. Grant, PWC                                                              Wedding & Event Architect                                                         Apropos Creations                                                                  480-216-4630

In The Limelight… Vendor Spotlight…

This is way long overdue!  I have met sooo many vendors that I have connected with and love to have worked with (and again and again and again…) and would love to work with.

Here’s our first ever…

In The Limelight…  Vendor Spotlight…

Debashri Sengupta  (Deb in short) of Keepsake Blossoms

 

I have met Deb last January at the Arizona Bridal Show.  She was two booths away from mine so I got nosey and asked her what she did.  She told me that she creates and molds clay into flowers and then turn into your bouquet.  She can create flowers ranging from peonies, calla lilies, roses, and even orchids.  She can also do whatever color that is on your palette. 

What I have found very special about her flowers:

1. Very lifelike and detailed, you wouldn’t even know it’s clay until it’s up close;
2. you can keep it forever;
3. it’s made out of clay instead of plain ole’ silk.

It gives your bouquet its own unique signature. 

Being clay, this is something the bride can pass down to her daughter, and then the grand- daughter, and then who knows who else. 

Cleaning?  I happened to have asked that question, blow dryer.  Yes, that simple.  Please make sure not to hose it down and yes, I asked that question. 

You can also visit her Etsy Store at www.etsy.com/shop/debashri…

Please enjoy the following images of Keepsake Blossoms!