As a certified wedding and event planner you will run into brides who want a top-to-bottom traditional wedding, fashion, cake and all. Other times you’ll run into brides who want to showcase their creative personalities. This means, in many cases, anything goes. When your creative brides come to you looking for outside-the-box cake ideas here are some great ones to consider. And keep in mind that many of these ideas are affordable options, too, for brides on a budget. (All of the sources/vendors are listed below. Be sure to visit their sites - especially if they’re in your area. They do great work!)

Sources
1: Macaron cake from Bobbette and Belle of Toronto
2. Mini wedding cakes cake from Maisie Fantasie of the U.K.
3. Simple but sweet cupcakes cake from Sprinkles of L.A. and now Chicago, too.
4. More traditional cupcake-layer cake found on thecakelist.com.
5. Donut cake from a cute Florida wedding, courtesy of Karen Lisa Artistic Photography.
6. Ice cream cake! From Silbermann’s of San Rafael, California.
7. Pie “wedding cake”, photo courtesy of The Ginger Pig ‘Hog Blog’.
8. Ice-cream sandwich cake (in this case made of pink and white Skinny Cow treats.)
9. Croquembouche cake created by La Duni restaurant of Dallas, Texas.

We love wedding surprises, don’t you? And if there is one very popular wedding surprise these days it’s a choreographed dance of some sort. If you follow LWPI on Twitter, or if you’re a Twitter user, you know that it’s a great place to find all kind of fun stories and videos - just like these. Wednesday is the day that the wedding professionals are out in force on Twitter, and just today we ran across these cute links in some of our fellow Twitterers’ tweets. (Wow. That was a mouthful!) We hope you enjoy these fun, lighthearted wedding surprises as much as we did. Happy Wedding Wednesday!

Courtesy of Piece A Cake of North Carolina

“Jackson wants a groom’s cake in the shape of a giant armadillo. He’s got an aunt who makes them.”
“It’s got gray icing! I can’t even begin to think how you’d make gray icing.”
“People are going to be hacking into the poor animal that looks like it’s bleeding to death.”

Or something to that effect. (Forgive us if we get a few words out of order!)

You’ve seen the play or popular movie, Steel Magnolias, right? When Shelby marries Jackson, Jackson’s aunt makes him a gray armadillo groom’s cake (that they put in the garage during the reception, which makes the whole situation even funnier.) Yes, a groom’s cake. We’ve never considered the wedding cake to be made specifically for the bride, but we can see where some people would get that idea. We also know that not every groom is interested in planning their wedding so a groom’s cake is a nice tribute to him and his hobbies, whatever they may be.

Courtesy of Edible Artistry of North Carolina

The history of the groom’s cake is varied, but here are a couple of legends tied to it:
* Some historians say it dates to the 17th century and was for a long time a lost tradition that has seen a resurgence in the last several years.
*Other historians say that the groom’s cake is modern tradition, which likely originated in the Southeastern U.S. in the early 19th Century.
* It has been said that at one time the groom’s cake was actually the top layer of the wedding cake, but it was removed, soaked in brandy and preserved for the couple’s first wedding anniversary.
* Perhaps you’ve heard the old wive’s tale that if the single lady guests take a slice of the groom’s cake home and put it under their pillow they will dream of their future husband.

We think that a groom’s cake is a great way to incorporate some fun into the reception or perhaps even the rehearsal dinner, where it may be better enjoyed. The popularity of dessert and candy buffets, alongside the traditional wedding cake, make having a groom’s cake at the reception a kind of sugar overkill. Serving it at the rehearsal dinner, however, is a great way to include a special dessert in the festivities, and many brides may want to keep it a surprise for their husbands.

Courtesy of Lively Caking of Texas

When you’re a wedding planner and you have a bride who wants to either incorporate traditional customs into her planning or offer something special to her groom, a groom’s cake is a nice touch. Today’s bakeries and sugar artists can make almost anything, consider: sports logos, stadiums or gear; video-game covers or consoles; briefcases, outdoor equipment or even a stack of books. Anything is possible, and it’s easy to find a cake that represents the groom. The most important thing is to make sure the bride has fun choosing the cake! We’re sure that the rehearsal or wedding guests will be excited to see the bride’s (and your) creativity!

Finding the perfect wedding cake is no easy feat: It’s impossible to even begin narrowing down the choices of style, color, flavor, size … the list goes on and on. There are several things for certified wedding and event planners to keep in mind as they begin to help couples narrow down their choices for choosing and ordering their cake. First things first: Do some research. (That is a requirement for you and the bridal couple!)

Photo courtesy of Sweet Things Blog (Click to visit their amazing bakery!)

First: Have your bridal couples prepare for the Cake Talk. It’s a good idea for them to have an idea of what they want, and encouraging them to keep a folder of clips is a great way to get a feel for what they’re going for. But be sure that you also have a folder of suggestions for them to flip through. Who knows? That one cake they’ve been trying to find but can’t might be just the clip you’ve collected for them.

Second: Make sure that they have gone into this together. The cake should be a reflection of them and what they like to eat. You don’t want the groom scrunching his nose as he eats a piece of cake with rose-water-flavored petals on top! (Pictures do speak louder than words, you know.) Suggest cakes with different flavored layers. Or maybe they would consider cupcakes: one for him, one for her, so they each take a bite of exactly what they like!

Third: Make sure the cake fits into the overall design. It’s very likely that you have already discussed with the couple their colors and style for the wedding. Elegant? An all-white cake would be gorgeous. Vintage? Pound cakes made with family recipes, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, would be perfect. Colorful and funky? Topsy-turvy cakes are popular right now and can set a fun tone to the reception.

Fourth: Know the budget. This goes without saying, really, but knowing how much the couple is willing to spend on the cake will guide a lot of the decisions. Don’t let them get their heart set on a five-foot, gold-dusted cake with hand-made lilies if they can’t afford it. (No one likes to see a bride with a broken heart!)

There are lots of other things to consider when buying a wedding cake, but these suggestions are a great way to start. What questions do you ask your couples when you begin helping them design and choose their wedding cake?

Wedding trends don’t stop at fashion, you know. There is all the food to be considered! And to be honest it’s the food that guests really remember: Was there enough? Was there a good variety? Was it really, really tasty? Every bridal couple wants to offer their guests a fabulous time, and near the top of their to-do list will be Find The Perfect Caterer. That’s where you come in. Certified wedding and event planners are the go-to people in town when it comes to finding the best caterer for the best price. So while you’ve filled your files with the names of the top vendors in your area it’s also a good idea to start a catering trends folder. Here are some of our favorite food finds for 2010:

1) Going Local! Bridal couples - and caterers - across the country are all about local food finds this year. Being a “locavore” is really an outgrowth of Going Green. Serving foods that are fresh and in-season can be cheaper because they’re plentiful at shops and farmers markets. They’re also going to taste best! Consider what the area is known for and the ethnic backgrounds of your couples. Talking about these options with a caterer will be a sure way to make reception food not only fresh and tasty but also representative of the couple. It’s just one of those details that wedding and event coordinators are expected to bring about!

2) Eating Family Style. Couples are all about the familial aspect of weddings right now, as we all know. A lot of them are falling in love with the idea of their guests crowding around tables and eating family-style. This means passing the food to each other and sharing in the breaking of bread. It’s a time-honored tradition in our own homes so why not introduce it to a wedding reception? While it’s not a great idea for huge weddings it is a great idea for smaller, intimate receptions.

3) It’s All About Organic. And maybe vegetarian! Just like being a locavore is about Going Green, couples are very interested in knowing how their food is grown and where it comes from. They want to treat their guests as VIPs - and they want their food offerings to show it! Going organic can be expensive when it comes to meat options so couples are also looking at vegetarian ideas. Having one meat option, along with a few vegetarian ones, makes it possible to serve fabulous dishes with fabulous and organic ingredients.

4) Food Stations. They’re still hot. (And still a bit expensive so be sure to consider the budget before you offer this suggestion!) Setting the food out in groups, separated by cuisines, is a great way to insure that first, the decor of the room is going to be incredible and two, guests are going to get up and mingle. Who wants to sit in a chair all night? We think a Food From Around the World reception would be amazing!

5) Custom cocktails. While this trend has been around a few years we think it’s here to stay. Couples are asking for cocktails in their signature wedding colors. They want cocktails reminiscent of the areas where they grew up - think mint juleps for Kentuckians; cosmos for New Yorkers; and mojitos for couples from Miami.

6) Dessert Buffets. Dessert tables are all the rage right now - and with good reason! Bridal couples want to leave their guests with sweet dreams, and what better way is there to do so than offer up a ton of dessert? Amy Atlas-inspired tables are cropping up at receptions all across the U.S. Macarons in the wedding colors are pouring out of bakeries. And candy buffets are being set up at weddings of every budget. Sugar is fun! And you’re unlikely to encounter a couple who isn’t willing to set the bar a little higher for their sweets budget!

Catering trends ebb and flow from year to year, with the exception of a few, lasting ideas. What are your couples requesting? What fabulous ideas are your caterers offering?