Wedding Cake Toppers

The cake is usually the highlight of most weddings as there are slots dedicated to cutting it in some cultures and customs. I personally think, cakes are never complete unless they’re topped with something that symbolises the couple tying the knot. Some couples may opt for topper free cakes with other beautiful embellishments (and this is absolutely fine too) but I for one think weddings that are more attractive and special are the ones with customised cake toppers.

For example, Exhibit A:

Image of Sarah & Kyle’s Wedding by Jagger Photography found on Green Wedding Shoes.

I absolutely adore wooden toppers and miniature buntings. It’s also so cute how the cake toppers resemble the actual  bride and groom. Those outfits on the dolls are exactly what the newlyweds wore! There are tons of talented artists who can make these customised wooden toppers for you like this one on etsy:

Wedding Cake Toppers at MilkTea by bthanari

But what if you’re having a cupcake tower instead of a cake? Surely you couldn’t fit that onto one cupcake? Fret not, then you can fit it onto TWO cupcakes! Exhibit B:

Bride and Groom Cupcake Toppers at Amber and James’ wedding shot by Feather Love Photography.

Now if you’re feeling a little creative and you want to have a hands on approach to your wedding, the easiest way to start (as opposed to making favours for 200 guests), would be to paint your own toppers. Etsy seller Goose Grease provides custom kits that allows bride-to-bes to unleash their inner artist.

I was contemplating on buying one of these kits and making my own but then I thought of having a totally different kind of cake topper. I’ll fill you in on that next time. Till then, enjoy your weekend!

True Love

Image from Once Wed.

Yes it IS. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Personalised Maps

Image from Once Wed.

I fell in love with this personalised map of a wedding. No more misprints or rectangles vaguely resembling buildings to direct your guests to your wedding venue. The colours are nostalgically reminiscent of school days and this adds to the homemade appeal.

To those who are elvish inclined:

Image from: The Offbeat Bride

A little hand-drawn gem inspired from Mr. Tolkien himself.

Not into Middle Earth? How about a trip around the Seven Seas with yer hearties. Who’s with me say Aye!

Image also from The Offbeat Bride.

If you be wanting to have a grog fest with plenty of rum and swaggering pirates and wenches, make sure your mateys know which ship to plunder with these treasure worthy maps.

If I received any of these, I’d go to the event just to find my way there and to put these beauties to the test. :)

Website Love: Adventures In Love and Happiness

This one is for all the hopeless romantics out there and the non-believers.

Adventures in Love and Happiness

I stumbled upon this site while I was searching through random craft/wedding/photography blogs. Boy, did it make me sigh and grin widely. She posts a lot of cute and pretty things like photos of food, crafts and furniture. And some random photos she takes herself too. But my favourite part of her blog HAS to be this little segment called:

Real People In Love

It shows a lot of couples who have been together with various timelines but are all committed to each other and still going strong. It made me believe that true love, loyalty, butterflies in tummy goes hand-in-hand with hard work and plenty of compromise. It’s good to know that there ARE good couples out there who make things last. Not necessarily because they’re soulmates, but because they want it to and they work hard at it. Another thing I love is that most (if not all) of them mention that they’re in love with their best friend and being married or engaged to someone that close to you equals to a lot of laughs and plenty of fun.

If you’re reading this, keep on with the awesome segment Cole. It’s very inspiring and such a delight to read. Thank you for bringing these wonderful relationships to light. Good luck with your wedding and marriage! :)

Snazzy Decoder STDs

Remember I wrote about the kick-ass STDs awhile back? Well, here’s another Save the Date reminder that breaks the mould of pretty calligraphy and floral motifs.

photo from Kellan Studios

Pretty cool isn’t it? Reminds me of my childhood where I would dig into the cereal box to get my awesome glasses just to solve the puzzles on the back of the box while I finish my breakfast. What I’m imagining now is getting some invites that would utilise those 3-D glasses. Wow, that would certainly be in lieu of all the latest blockbuster movies.

Beverage Inspired Notebooks

photo from Bold Ideas.

Here’s something to complement your favourite drink. Notebooks that were inspired by the colours of popular beverages at really affordable prices. Each piece is made from recycle paper and would look right in place at a cafe where you could doodle, write or sketch in it while you sip the corresponding drink.

photo also from Bold Ideas.

On the plus side, the art shots for the products are cool. Look, the one above even has Pa Thong Go or Cakoi! A delightful donut sold in Thailand and Malaysia which I sorely miss having late at night with Pandan custard. :)

Bold Ideas has a few more items on sale such as cute totes and pencil cases. They also have a blog and have already been featured by a few design blogs such as Design*Sponge and Creature Comforts. Do head on down and take a look and perhaps send some of those notebooks hither. :D

Jeweled Brooch Bouquets

Tired of the same predictable bridal bouquets filled with roses and Hydrangea? Want something that would last forever instead of a few days? Allergic to real flowers but want something classy to dazzle your guests?

Here’s the answer for you:

photos by Alice Hu via Memoirs of a Wedding Planner.

These bejeweled beauties are handcrafted by Amanda Heer of Fantasy Floral Design. Each bouquet is carefully made according to the bride’s preference and they can even opt to pick each piece of jewellery themselves. Some may even choose to insert their own heirlooms to bring a personal and nostalgic touch to their bouquets. Amanda predominantly provides fresh floral bouquets for special occasions. Her work with flowers are just as exquisite as they are with brooches, so go ahead, take a peek. :)

Another place you could secure such elegant floral pieces would be Noaki Jewellery.

image from Noaki Jewellery.

Much like Fantasy Floral Design, Noaki is able to create custom bouquets according to specific requirements from brides. Family heirlooms, foraged treasure, you name it. She also makes gorgeous earrings and necklaces to complement your bouquet. Head on over to her site for more lovely treats!

It would be great and probably more eco-friendly to have brooch bouquets rather than fresh flowers. The fact that you could personalise it with your own jewellery makes it even more special and a nostalgic reminder of the past. I’d definitely consider this as an option for my wedding, not just for the classy factor but also to ensure I can retain something from my special day forever.

Cupcake in a Jar

I apologise for the sudden disappearance. Flew back home and had lots of family bonding sessions. I’m also currently missing my guy heaps which made trudging through cute stuff less appealing. LDR isn’t fun most of the time but we make it work just like how most of my friends do. :)

Anyway, back to our usual broadcast of cuteness. *ahem*

picture via CakeSpy.

Salivating yet? If you want to bake your own cupcakes as gifts to friends, the safest way for it to travel would be in these cute Mason jars. How gorgeous do they look, all snugly fit into that box of coloured paper? And how yummy are they covered in rainbow sprinkles and topped with luxuriously smooth chocolate frosting?

CakeSpy has some handy tips and a step-by-step guide from Beantown Baker to those who wish to deliver some sweet comfort food to their loved ones.

So go ahead, grab your oven mittens and send some loving to your friends and family!

I <3 Macarons!

If it isn’t obvious enough for you, I have this huuuuge fascination with Macarons.

[ via Bakerella and from Tartelette who makes AMAZING macarons! Read more about the process of making Macarons at Bakerella's website! :)]

Not to be confused with Macaroons which are those coconut cookies, these beauties are French in origin. Luscious creams are sandwiched between crispy meringue-like shells that break into heaven-like sweetness at the first bite. They come in a variety of flavours and in a myriad of colours. I sigh in ecstacy whenever I see them and immediately whip out the wallet to purchase them.

[image via Chocolatesuze who loves Macarons too. Pictured are Adriano Zumbos's lip-smacking creations]

Oh how I long for some of my own. These babies are reknowed for their difficulty in constructing. Unless you follow all the instructions down to minute details, you will most probably fail on the first few attempts. And unless of course you’re miraculously gifted at baking then kudos to you. However, I do wish I could attempt them one day. And I know just what might push me to do it:

It’s SO cute and it gives out handy tips as well as a step-by-step guide with pictures for the uninitiated. I’m sure it would be a great buy for those who are interested. :)

What I Wore Today

Every fashionista is jumping on the ‘Outfit Post’ bandwagon where they post what they’ve worn on their own blogs or own sites like Chictopia or LookBook. It’s a great way for these stylish trendsetters to showcase their skills and as a medium to express themselves with their clothes. It also serves as a resource for other people looking for fresh new ideas to prep up their wardrobe.

However, there are the few who love profiling what they’ve worn and even recorded in detail the ensembles they’ve put together but….are just too darn shy to put any photos of themselves up. So, how do they overcome this shyness? No, not by covering their faces. After all, those womanly curves or manly biceps could still be discerned and *gasp* identified. The answer would be…to draw yourself of course!

[image via Notebook Doodles who has really adorable sketches and doodles! She also has a lot of inspiring quotes. Thank you!]

I found a Flickr pool called The What I Wore Today (drawings only!) pool through NotebookDoodles. As its name reveals, it only showcases illustrations of people and their outfit posts. It still allows total creativity but allows one to stay as anonymous as possible. So go check them out, and perhaps include some of your images as well! ;)

[image by Katie Green...cute yeah? Her blog has even more cuter illustrations and even MORE outfit posts! Thanks Katie!]