5 Unique Alternatives to Wedding Cake

With my wedding coming up shortly, I've been frantically trying to get things done and so haven't been around here much. I've been very lucky to have George Street Photo & Video offer to write a few guest posts! Below is their first offering, all about delicious treats! I hope you'll come back for more!
-K

Frosting-covered, custard-filled, fruit-topped...I, for one, could dream about wedding cake all day! This sweet staple is clearly a mainstay at so many weddings. But these days, couples have raised the bar on the dessert front. In fact, many are opting for the non-traditional route — for the dessert that appeals to their preferences and showcases their very own wedding vision!

If a traditional wedding cake isn’t your thing, why not treat your guests to something different...something a bit more daring? Take a look at the unique dessert alternatives we’re savoring ‘til the last bite!

Grab & Go Pies: These tiny delights are too cute for words! Not only are they delicious, but guests can easily take one (or three…) on their way to the dance floor. No need for fussy plates or forks! Plus, doesn’t everything taste better in miniature form?

DIY Treat Bar: This option gives your guests the chance to play chef for the night! Set out jars of candy and goody bags so everyone can fill up on their own sweet selections. Or, better yet, channel everyone’s inner camper and set up an interactive s’mores station. Simply round up the key ingredients and let ‘em run with it!

Delectable Donuts: These little guys? Yeah, they’re not just a breakfast treat. They’re sugary, doughy, indulgent masterpieces, and they totally deserve a spot on your dessert menu! Whether you stack them up into a tiered tower or simply serve them up separately, we guarantee they’ll be an instant hit.

Cake Pop Confections: One thing’s for sure — cake pops are the new wedding craze! Offering a variety of tasting toppings and cake fillings, your guests will love toting these around throughout the reception. Extra points for crafting your pops to match your wedding color palette!

Pastry Perfection: Remember those fun trips to grandma’s house as a little kid? Well, I do — and I know that one of the highlights of those trips was diving into the delicious pastry spread she somehow always had waiting for me! Why not share those with your guests? If you’re really looking to get creative, test out fun spins on old recipes, like strawberry shortcake!

Maybe you’ve scoped out all of these options and decided you simply can’t quit that dream wedding cake. And that’s okay! Try combining the best of both worlds by offering cake and a few other alternatives to ensure there’s something for everyone. And yes...we’ll look the other way when you sneak a taste of that cake frosting. After all, it’s your wedding day, right?

For more information on wedding photography and videography, please visit George Street Photo & Video.

Finding Comfortable Shoes

When many people think wedding, one of the things they think of is glamour. The bride will be stunning and the groom dashingly handsome.

Shoes aren't necessarily high on the list of things to think about, but I think it's safe to assume that in general people assume the bride will wear high heels. That's not really practical for many of us spoonies though.

If you still want to aim for heels, consider those with small heels on this list from Barking Dog Shoes.

If flats are more your thing, there is a wide variety to choose from. Are you the type of bride whose silly personality shines through everything you do? You may have fun wearing bright shoes - maybe even sneakers (FYI Sketchers has some really awesome bright selections)!

Bright crazy colors aren't your thing? Consider a comfy pair of Converse. It's becoming quite a trend recently.

Looking for shoes that are a little more traditional yet comfy? Check out Jellypop shoes. These shoes are cute and very supportive. Their sizes are often a half size larger/wider than most companies, allowing me and my giant wide feet to fit into a size 10 shoe. They have everything from heels and wedges to boots and flats. I've gone with the Shakira shoe, which matches my dress well.

There are many people who wear cute flip flops, which I'd advise against. These shoes offer no support, and you have to remember that you'll be standing up a good amount of the night between your ceremony, dancing, and mingling with your guests.

The same issue with support goes for those who choose to marry barefoot. Note that this also can add a level of danger especially for those of us on immune suppressing medications. You never know what's on the floor or the earth - or what might be dragged in with the arrival of your guests.

Not loving the shoe ideas presented here? The Walking Company has a ton of comfortable and supportive dress shoes, both flat and heeled. Kohls also often has very cute and supportive dress shoes.

Feel free to share your favorite supportive shoes in the comments!

The Favor Dilemma: to give or not to give

One of the biggest questions facing brides and groom is what to do for favors for your guests. Favors can also be one of the biggest expenses that creeps up on you, depending on the size of your wedding.

Some people opt to go the fancy way, saying that these guests may have spent over $100 on your present, so you should get a high quality favor. That can run you hundreds of dollars. It's ridiculous.

Others want to go the DIY route, making cake or cookies mixes and packaging them cutely (is that even a word?). This is a cute idea, but depending on dietary restrictions of your guests, this could be an issue. As a bride who is gluten free with multiple food allergies, I probably wouldn't be able to partake in this favor at someone else's wedding.

The route that we are choosing to go is to donate to charity on behalf of our guests. Due to my multiple diseases, we wanted to choose a charity that would be meaningful - and one that we know would really benefit from our money, one that does great things. After taking a look at our options, we're actually going to donate to one of the orgs that I do volunteer and fundraising work with, the Arthritis National Research Foundation. 91 cents on the dollar goes to research - which is basically all they focus on. In the last few years, they have made some great progress for arthritis related diseases, and I'm excited to see what they do next. They also sell bracelets, that we may get to give to our guests as well.

While this type of gift may or may not give your guests concrete favors, it can help to further research or awareness for the disease you or your loved ones might suffer from. There are even companies that you can buy fancy chocolates from to give your guests in addition to the donation in their names. They're expensive, but it works.

What would/did you do?

Spoon Shortage: Tips & Tricks

Happy new year!

We all can admit that having a shortage of spoons does not help whatsoever when you're wedding planning. Your body is already trying to precariously balance the normal stresses associated with your daily tasks - work or school (or both!), relationships, money, etc - and of course your treatments and issues associated with that. Now you want to add in a wedding huh?

When you first get engaged, it's like a rush of excited energy comes over you. You want to plan and go get married right now. Once you actually get into it, things just feel like they drain your energy 10x as much as they did before. But your excitement is still there, so you keep going.

Eventually you hit a wall where the last thing you want to look at is your wedding stuff. And that just feels rotten... especially if you have people around who are excited for you and want to believe that you're excited 24/7 for the rest of your life to begin - to the point of where, if you're not excited, something must be wrong OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED??

Yeah, no.

Here are some tips on how to get through wedding planning without permanently losing all your spoons (or marbles):

• Set aside specific times to do wedding planning. A tempting thought is to set aside every Saturday until the day you get married for wedding stuff - please just don't. You won't be able to stick to it, and you'll feel rotten even if you miraculously do.
• Realize that your fiance may or may not care about the same stuff you do when it comes to details. Guys generally have no idea how much detailed planning goes into weddings. You can either try to show them how difficult it is so you can plan things together, or ask him for what things are important to him and have him take over those parts.
• Set up helper days! It's tempting to want to do everything yourself, but recognize that even for the non-chronically-ill that just isn't possible. Have your gals come over for a wine and dine and invite addressing night, or involve your mom in picking out flowers. Just like with most spoonie things, asking for help can be the best choice you ever make.
• Make sure that, even in the midst of planning or the day you get married, you don't lose track of eating or drinking water (or wine!) and taking your meds according to schedule. Make sure you eat breakfast; have snacks with you when you're running around; always carry extra pain pills. A bride is pain is one that won't think clearly, and one without food is just scary.
• Take your time. Unless you need to get married ASAP for reasons (insurance, deployment, severe illness, etc), take your sweet bippy time with planning this thing. It's a huge undertaking, even if you're not inviting many people. 2 year engagements are awesome.
• You can't please everyone. There will be things other people want that you think are dumb, but don't fight too much over it. This is one day - and the wedding, while coming out of your pocket and being your brainchild, is really for your friends and family and not in the end for you.
• Keep the big picture in mind. You're getting married to your best friend - is it really going to matter if the tablecloths are blue or white?

And just remember - stress makes just about every medical condition worse. Try to take things slow :)