WedSmack

It's Funnier When You Take the Time to Breathe

2007-09-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

Elegant, tasteful, stylish, and more organized than a German train station. In a way it seems a bit dreadful that a bride needs to be all these, and possibly even 'whimsical' and 'clever', to boot.

And yet ...

Sometimes you see a little touch that rose organically from a couple who wasn't trying to be clever. They just were.

And they weren't even afraid of maybe even being a little geeky. Because somehow, they managed to relax a bit about the whole event.

And that's when you get touches like this to enliven an otherwise ship-shape, impeccable, mother-in-law endorsable bi-contintental wedding. No Big Ben centerpieces. No Big Apple groom's cake. No bridesmaids in checkerboard sashes.

Just this: clever. Funny. Perfect.

"Help! My Man Won't Marry in Brown!"

2007-09-04T01:16:00.000-07:00

They tried to make me wear a brown tux
I said, No, No, No ...

"He won't do it." You hear the wail all over the country. Men, it seems, pose a real challenge when you consider that chocolate brown is probably the most dominant color in weddings, regardless of season.

Or maybe it's more accurate to say women hesitate to pair black and brown, and men, for their own mysterious reasons, find wearing anything but a black tux about as attractive as swapping Ovaltine for Bud as their pre-game brew of choice.

With matters this touchy, it's useful to investigate what might roil beneath the surface of the complicated male mind. Here's some fair bets:

- "Brown isn't a formal color." Time was, you'd wear brown for daytime and maybe church, but it was all black for weddings and funerals, and if you showed up in the dreaded brown, people'd know you got no class or learnin'. Of course, time was, you jostled up against 40 other kids in a one-room schoolhouse, poured molasses on your pancakes, and strapped a saddle to the family pig for fun.

Bridesmaids in Brown + Black Tuxes look pretty darn cute, too. Riecheru An

- "Marry in brown, you'll live out of town." Perhaps it's this ancient Irish wedding proverb that gives your man pause. "Out of town," here meaning you're doomed to country bumpkinhood, wearing homespun and knocking back dandelion wine instead of brandy on holidays. Probably not, though, since the next line is, "Marry in black, wish you were back," meaning "back at the singles bar."

- "Eh, I don't know." Translation: your fiancé is recalling some devastating faux pas he made around seventh grade: letting his mom perm his hair at home, or showing up at a small-town school in a pink Izod. Possibly, his memories of his sartorial choices for prom are none-too-reassuring either. Even if he logs almost as many hours on the PlayStation as he does at work, your fiancé now knows, as a grown-up, that powder-blue cummerbands are v.v. bad, and an 'experimental' tuxedo represents another potentially fatal misstep, this time in front of his coworkers.

- "Uh-uh. No way." Deep inside every 501-wearing loveable slob is a man who knows that, if things were different, he'd be too. Transport him to Victorian England, and this ramen-loving guy of yours would reveal his true self: a card-carrying member of some swanky men's club. He'd chow down on roast beef in front of a roaring fire, peek at a friend's poker hand as he taps the ashes from his cigar, pinch the brim of his bowler hat to acknowledge a racy joke, and dab at his ascot to remove that trace of gravy. In short, hidden inside your slouching fiancé is a secret gallant, and your wedding might be his only chance to show it. And men in imaginary Victorian supper clubs, even he knows, do not wear brown tuxedos.

Top to Bottom, L to R: Stephen Geoffrey Chocolate Parisian #282, 2 button double-breasted; same; After Six "Summit" in Mahogany Brown, 1 button single-breasted notch. FUBU Brown Stripe #155, 2-button single-breasted notch; Calvin Klein Cadbury Brown, 2-button single-breasted; Jean Yves Chocolate Premier Two Button Notch.

So, What to Do?

You have a couple of tacks, here.

Manipulation. The fact is, men look stunning in brown formalwear. (Some have said, black men look stunning in brown. Get a clue, sayers! ALL men look GREAT in it!)

While quite a few of your standard-issue rentals in black leave guys looking ever-so-slightly dated, and perhaps a tad like crows on stilts, the brown tuxes on the market are hot, contemporary and ridiculously flattering. If you have Photoshop skillz, perhaps you could cut-and-paste some of the finest models-in-brown-tuxes shots into a crowd that's cheering wildly for your fiancé's favorite football team. Then leave your creation in strategic places around the house, like his pillow. Then, and only then, bring it up in words.

Capitulation. If you take your fiancé's "no" at face value, but you're determined to put your bridesmaids in chocolate brown, you can still dress the men in brown vests and ties. Yes, there was once a rule about brown and black, and navy and black, and white after Labor Day, but every single one of these rules was destroyed on the catwalk decades ago, and not a minute too soon.

But ... brown vests and black tuxes? How will it look? Most brides are wary. Judge for yourself, but personally, I'd call this one of the more elegant color combinations out there.

You can always go to After Hours' "Create-a-Tux" tool and try out different browns and blacks for yourself. I find the hey-presto digital results not entirely convincing, not unlike a photo of Paris Hilton with a blue face, and yet, it might be worth worth your time.

Or perhaps more usefully, here are some photos of the brown/black combo on real-life guys (or at least, dress forms). Personally, I like the darker, less saturated browns more than the redder varieties, but that's just me.

Top to Bottom, Left to Right: After-Hours Tux Tool, Tommy Hilfiger tux with Cognac vest; Gorgeous new husband from TNBride; Chocolate Twilight tuxedo vest from Monkeysuits; Black notch tuxedo with chocolate vest set; Top2BottomKids; brown vest from MarksFormals.

If you're still not convinced, here are a few final options: pick vests in safe but still complementary colors, like latte or bisque. OR, be ultra-clever and match your guys' vests and ties to your bridesmaids' sashes, not their dresses. How much latitude does that give you? Totally enough, right?

Question: So now that you've gotten down to the bottom (all three of you), how do you plan to handle the brown/black dilemma?

Essential Wedding Cake Geek Chic, Newer & Reviseder

2007-08-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Oh, there's so much I'd like to write about, on Very Serious Subjects, such as bridal fashion. (You in the back ... shhhh. Like I said, this is serious.) Alas, all that will have to wait until that bright, bright day when I have a brain. Because right now, my better half is out of town, leaving me in peace to work, eat paté-like substances with my fingers at the keyboard, and shower only fitfully. As a result, I'm planning an online 60-hour marathon, which is great for quantity, but quality? Not so much.

That explains today's post, on geeky grooms cakes. Hasn't the Web seem enough of geeky cakery already? Actually, I'm betting not. There's just something about the unholy marriage (pardon the pun) of the two that, geek or civilian, we all find irresistible.

Before I continue and potentially get splatted with "jumping on the bandwagon" virtual tomatoes, let me attempt to establish a bare minimum of Geek Cred. The license plate on my peeling '95 Honda actually does read "GEEKGRRL," to the horror of my older neighbors, who like to say things like, "but you're such a NICE girl!" (Hey, as long as they're saying "girl" instead of babushka or Madam Mumsytub, I'm all ears.)

To the younger, hipper, and certainly thinner Generation Y set I'm sure it looks like iM tRY-iNg 2 hrD, but the fact is, I really do like the original Star Trek, own a soldering iron (I even know how to stick weld), am trying hard to give the BBC's new Doctor Who a fair shake, and have been known to drop some hoppin' LEFT JOIN statements into my morning SQL, if only grudgingly.

Anyhow, on to the good stuff. Let me know your reactions, faves, and "whaaaaaaat?"s if you made it all the way through.

Yeah, I know, you seen these cakes so often your optometrist can trace their outlines in your retinas. Their purpose here is to set the benchmark: these two are the undisputed Napoleon and Josephine of geek cake world. Plus, you may have known that the hot bride on the left was part of an interfaith wedding (she married a non-gamer), but you might not have known the incredible detail that went into that tower of goodness.

"As you can see, the bottom layer is my fabulous Xbox 360. On top of that is my PS2 and the next layer is my Xbox. If you look closely enough, you can see the DVD remote sensor in a controller port. Topping [it all] is the limited edition 'Legend of Zelda' gold GameCube." (BoingBoing.)

Imagine communicating all that someone whose job consists of translating Alstroemeria into sugar paste.

Now onto, possibly, less known forays into dark and geeky alleys.

Left: Groom's Cake, BigDonCarlos. Right: Alliance Party cake, CakeCraft.

My brother, who's some kind of big neufchatel in World of Warcraft (and just got back from BlizzCon), tells me that it's a bit rare for diehard WoWers to find the time to get married, but I figure if he does, he'll be calling up the genius at CakeCraft. Anyone can appreciate that kind of talent. And to think that wasn't even for a wedding (but I reckon it probably convinced her guy to initiate one right off).

Left: iPod Cake by KiwiCakes. Right: iPhone Cake at iCruise_Flickr.

I had to make an editorial decision: to include or not to include cakes that weren't actually grooms' cakes? I chose the former, when necessary, IF they were so well done they could show up at a swank affair and fit right in. Like, this iPod cake — this would be my husband's if you passed on the pink, and snuck it from under his epidermis long enough to give the cake artist a chance. Actually, he's a Zen Creative guy. But whatever.

Top to Bottom, L to R: Nintendo Groom's cake at Mistybp99; Nintendo Groom's cake at PhillipWest; Xbox Groom's cake at Scuzzi; Wii Groom's cake at rufus50; Xbox Groom's cake at AboutTheCake; Xbox birthday cake at IGN.

Obviously, Gamer cakes are très au courant. Which means they provide the perfect foil for the next set of cakes, so piognantly yet unironically retro, they represent the shabby chic of the virtual world. Wander much further down this path, in fact, and you're knocking on the door of the Rubik's Cube Groom's Cake.

Top to Bottom, L to R: Laptop Groom's cake by ChocoNancy1; Laptop Groom's cake by Kimmy B; Tetris birthday cake at robbersdog49; Circuit Board cake by LittleMissMoffett.

Remember when Tetris was what cool engineers did with their HPs, and every freakin' company with a website had to plaster on the "circuit board photo" to prove their tech chops, and the "two Oxford-wearing neanderthals shaking hands" photo to demonstrate their affability? Yeah, me neither, thank God.

Left to Right: LOTR Groom's cake at KimberlyG; LOTR Book cake at Karren's Specialty Cakes.

Not much to say about this, except the world is probably host to more Ellesar & Arwen-inspired weddings than you've ever dreamed of, Horatio. Look how normal this couple seems. That's telling.

Top to Bottom, L to R: Link & Zelda Topper at Toyjunkie1; Han & Leia at Sarah Noye; Star Trek Enterprise cake at Aaron's site; Mario & Princess at Chesty Leroux.

Oddly, a Riker & Troi topper proved elusive. But you know they're out there.

Well, this just about exhausts the topic, or at least my wrist supports, so time to sign off with two last examples of interest-piquing geekery: a binary wedding cake, and a Simpsons bridal party portrait. Behold, the binary cake, which just might fly under the radar and completely escape detection by the bifocal crowd. Truly lovely, innit?

Binary Cake from Howard Gees.

I know, it's arguable over whether a monstrous hit program like the Simpsons can be classed with geek culture, but once it starts showing up on cake toppers, I think yes. To the left is an ultra-tasty Simpsons-and-hydrangea combo (you'll never think of blue hydras the same agian, willya?) brought to you by JasonAndHeather, and to the right, an ultra-clever program insert at SimplyErika. Despite its screaming hipness, you could whip up your own in a wisely-spent afternoon at the Simpsons character generator (hat tip to Heather for letting the western world know about it).

Okay, done. What'd I miss?

On Wedding Debt: A Cautionary Tale

2007-08-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

One thing in the wedding business you really grow to love are human voices. Few and far between, they really are like good, deep swigs of Cab or Barbaresco: you learn to anticipate, then savor them. One of my favorites belongs to Khris Cochran, of DIY Bride (the site, and soon, the book).

As we all know, weddings come with a heavy burden of perfection, and perfection comes at a price (as does "elegance"). Somehow, this price has come to seem innocuous, something to be got through in a year or two that might consist of more trips to Albertson's and fewer to Trader Joe's. But as Khris points out, the numbers still add up to a diamond-hard truth: the cost of an average wedding's not far from two-thirds of the average year's salary. Ouch.

That's fine and good, she says, as long as life goose-steps to the tune of the plans you've made. Khris had every reason to think hers would. She'd nailed a high-flying job in an industry that was pegged to make the industrial revolution a quaint historical byway. Money was flowing in so fast around the valley, no one quite knew how to spend enough on Ahi tuna, Cirque du Soleil performers or martini luges to make a dent in it. Plus, Khris knew how to manage her cash, not just make it. That virtually made her a poster girl for the responsible 30K wedding.

Yet, things went wrong.

Just about one generation ago, you knew from age five on what kind of wedding you'd have. If you wore cashmere sweater sets and a dainty pearl choker and it wasn't just the milkman who called you "Miss," you'd have a society shindig.

Your father paid for it; your mother directed the caterers and nodded sagely when you tried on the right gown, and jointly, your parents battled over which social contacts deserved an invitation. When all was said and done, Dad might gripe about the ailing state of his pocketbook, but you and Mr. Big started your swank new life financially unencumbered.

If none of these applied, you'd have a little affair at the VFW or your own backyard. A newphew was tasked with the record player, and blood relatives would show up with supersized casserole dishes on each arm. Sweet, simple, cheap. And again ... unlikely to throw any curveballs that might darken those first few years of married bliss.

These days, most people are in limbo. They might get help, but parents rarely foot the bill. Couples themselves are at their most financially vulnerable, being young in their careers. And yet, virtually everyone feels that the $30,000 wedding is within reach, and they're entitled to it. They feel this strongly. And in many cases, they get it.

But matter how many do, the fact is, paying for this kind of wedding is a HUGE high-wire act — unless your family is, to put it bluntly, loaded.

Sure, a lot of people who aren't make it across that wire. Some, for reasons that once seemed unforeseeable, don't. Virtually everyone who goes there is taking a financial risk that, in the days before wild credit and wilder debt loads, seemed like a free ticket to a sanitarium.

There's no question that the wedding of your dreams can be worth every penny you spent. But would that still be true if you spent six years paying it off on cards with rates creeping ever-higher into the double digits because one of you lost your job?

What happens if you have a $30,000 wedding, and after you send off the band and pack up the dress, life throws you a curve ball?

Cherry, Cherry Nice

2007-08-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, you see something that catches your eye (to be redundant), and your whole day's plan is screwed up. Today, it was this marvelous cherry wedding cake from She Takes the Cake.

There's type of cherry cake design you see here and there, which is usually square, white fondant boxes with heaps of cherries peeking out from the turrets. It's perfectly nice, but this take was different. It seemed to capture all the sweetness of cherries and then some ... just like you might see on a tin vintage lunchbox at a really kick-butt yard sale. It was the hand-painted details that really got me. I LOVE painted cakes.

Top to Bottom, L t R. Stewart's Cherries'N'Cream soda; "Danny & Cherry" m&ms, Keiron; Cherry in dark chocolate and edible gold leaf, Brides.com. Paper lanterns and cherries in glassine bags, Martha Stewart; Cherry-motif cake by SheTakesTheCake; limited-edition Cherry Cordial Hershey's Kisses; Cherry Honey Sticks at StashTea; Almond-Cherry Soap Scrolls, YouStinkSoap at Etsy.

Why aren't more wedding themes built around this super-sexy fruit? Like their perfect partners, almonds, cherries are close cousins to the rose. If any fruit clamors for center stage at weddings, I think it's this one. Plus, go with cherries and you have the perfect excuse to have that pink and red wedding you always craved. It's sweet schoolgirl crush and grown-up passion all at once.

For me, I'd have to romance this late-summer taste bomb with some intimate gifts for guests. Little jars of potent, homemade cherry jam (surely an aphrodisiac!) paired with a scone recipe. Or sweet little sticks of cherry honey. Or, for age-old gifts of good fortune, mini-jars of honey from the local beekeeper, made even richer with toasted almonds and dried cherries.

Planning ahead? If you've got 2-4 months, you can handcraft an unforgettable cherry cordial from nothing more than vodka, cherries, sugar and brandy. Finish off each bottle with a recipe for cherry cordial + ice cream, gourmet hot chocolate or brownies, and a luxurious length of Midori ribbon.

Here's some more cherry fun to get those 'juices' flowing:

Maybe it's just me being obsessed with dip-dyed dresses, but I think Gwen Stefani had the right idea with her white-to-deep pink wedding gown. To the right is a John Galliano's dip-dyed tour-de-force from Dior's 2007 collection. I'd love to see this ultimate-romance palette on the bridesmaids or at the very least, a flower girl.
How cute are those pink and rose M&Ms, above?
Rose-red paper lanterns are simple way to set the mood.
Nobody's going to turn up their nose at the perfect cosmopolitan. Make it extra-special with flavored sugar rims, maraschino cherries or a few organic rose petals.
Cherry Cordial Hershey's Kisses are cute, inexpensive and already a fixture at weddings.

A final note: I gave Stewart's Cherries'n'Cream a pass here, because people love it and the bottle is adorable. But on the whole I really dislike soda made with high fructose corn syrup, and especially specialty soda (can't they take a whole two cents from the production budget and use sugar??) Last night hubbie and I downed an entire bottle of Lorina Sparkling Orangeade (which is totally devoid of HFCS, thank you very much), and were ready to run off and join some kind of soda cult.

Jennie's Scrumptuous Pink & Lime Polka Dot Wedding

2007-08-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

I was waltzing along, collecting polka dot sightings in weddings, because you can never have too many and they're kind of exciting (anyone ever turn up their nose at a polka dot/fondant cake in bright candy colors?) Of course, there's that 50s-style polka dot wedding dress by Michele Roth, but most brides are probably not opting for that. Which is okay, because we still have a broad field of polka-dotty favors, invitations, placecards, and lots and lots of gorgeous grograin ribbon.

So, in pursuit of dot perfection, I focused on the Knotties, because they got it goin' on when it comes to solid, stylish ideas like this that have been working through weddings for a bit.

Top to Bottom, L to R: Tinned bubble magnets with ribbon and wax seal, SarahJanell; polka dot cake (unknown); favor boxes adorned with Making Memories Cosmopolitan Pink Line. Dot organza strapless cocktail, Alfred Angelo 6836 at Jay's Bridal; ribbon from AcademyBeldam; envelope inserts by MoonieButt. Shortbread-filled pillow boxes and dotted-ribbon invites by ChinoRican; polka dot cake by IcingDreams.

I was pretty happy with the finds. And then all of a sudden, screech. Oh, hello. That was my response when I came across Jennie's (aka Lollie) lime-and-pink polka dot explosion of a Seattle garden wedding. My next thought was, who is this? And my whole little polka dot plan was knocked askew. I simply had to talk about THIS WEDDING.

Whoever Jennie was, I just knew she had an Etsy shop and did really interesting things in her spare time (true, it turned out).

Anyhow, not to get all maudlin and broody ... but imagine showing your daughter these. I can just see some cute nine year old girl lugging out the photo album, nodding like a blasé fashionista, and then telling the neighbor kid, look how cool my mom is.

And just like I want to gobble the lobster AND the roast beef AND the chocolate dipped strawberries at an all-you-can-eat buffet, I can never look at photos like these and pick "just a few to set the mood." So here are all the ones I couldn't resist.

Click image for larger

You'll notice this wedding isn't just a pretty face, either. Check out the amazing interactives: see that adorable ice cream cart, the wood-fired pizza. Everyone must have showed up and said a silent "OH, yeah," as soon as they grasped what was in store for them.

Sez Jennie: "So much fun! It was such a blast to plan. I knew I wanted whimsical, but a bit classy. And I knew I wanted polka dots, but wasn't sure on the color! Then one day ... duh, hot pink and lime green! So, from there on I went a bit crazy." (By crazy, does she mean those amazing flower girl dresses or the hand-sewn ring pillow?)

"I wanted to do a lot (all) of the work myself! I had to have it playful — hence the photo booth, popsicle cart, candy buffet, hula hooping and so on. If I could do it again, I wouldn't change a thing ... except maybe have Jamba Juice there! Ha ha."

I so wish that Jennie could do it again, preferably in a small rural area across the country suspiciously near to my house.

If you find yourself wondering what kind of goddess could dream up all this and do that funky sewing, you should check out her adorable shop MessAround — temporarily on hiatus, as Jennie's exhibiting at Seattle's Bumbershoot, but check back in mid-September. Or, check out her full wedding photostream at Flickr. Not to be missed.

A Super-Sweet 50's Style Wedding

2007-08-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

Click Image for Larger

Top to Bottom, L to R: Clear Rhinestone ear clips by Michelle's Vintage Jewelry; Birdcage Mini Veil by Leah C; "Sweet Innocence" Beaded Bag by OhTwoVintage (Etsy). Lorina pink and yellow lemonade at PopSoda; Personalized cocktail napkins at For Your Party; French apothecary jars at Charles Keath. Vintage china, cupcakes and feather birds at The Utterly Sexy Cafe (hat tip to Bridalwave); White wedding cake and vintage topper by AteToTheBar; Signature Pastel petits fours by Dragonfly Cakes; Sugar Cookie lip balm by MyWeddingFavors; "Maya" by Michelle Roth.

The fashion mags might be dripping with heavy glamour from the 30s and 40s, but what could be cheerier than a 1950s-style wedding that's all sweetness and light?

Take a pass on the Lauren Bacall lips and eyes with some goes-down-easy pastels, a touch of adorable eyelet, a fresh face (and flyaway veil), and anything else that brings to mind the lighter side.

Because while it's true that today you most often see tattooed rockabilly couples making the 50's wedding theirs, you don't have to sport 'I Love Mom' anywhere on your body or roar away on a motorcycle to have one.

Here are a few ideas for setting the stage. Follow up with your own!

The Decor ...

Vintage china, with lots of chintz and lovely gold banding. Scour thrift stores for gorgeous tea cups and blooming platters.
Flower-topped cupcakes on tiered pastry stands (tuck hand-embroidered doilies underneath for extra points.)
Sweet pink parfaits in tulip-style sundae dishes.
Feather bird decorations, popping up on picks, or scattered around centerpieces and cake stands. Love them feather birds!
Retro-cool matches and cocktail napkins.
Milk cans you've spray-painted enamel white, and filled with flowers (perfect for lining the walkway).

The Edibles ...

Apothecary jars are all the rage when it comes to candy buffets, but yours will be the sweetest of all when you top them off with pastel Necco wafers or savory herbal penny candy from the past.
Cake designers do get requests for retro-style cakes, complete with stairs, tiers and fountains, but personally I think those cake horrors aren't so far in the distant past that we should go there, just yet. Much more elegant and totally pleasing to the eye: a simple, white cake-on-cake creation with a gorgeous retro topper.

The Fashion ...

Sweet beaded clutches.
A full a-line gown over a petticoat, so it goes "out to there," with a blast-from-the-past neckline (sweetheart, square or bateau, say) over a pair of sassy sandals with some glitz.
A lace bolero, or a cashmere shawl in pretty baby blue or pink.
A bridal hair band, tiara or an updated birdcage.
For him, four words: white tuxedo. Black bowtie.

The Bling ...

The best part is shopping for jewelry! As always, I love Michelle's Vintage Jewelry for their accessible prices and irresistibly sparkly finds (no lack of rhinestones there). Treat yourself to some delicious ear clips, or pick up some one-of-a-kind brooches to pin to your best girls' sashes.

Forever Yours, Faithfully: Ring Bearer Dogs

2007-08-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to apologize for my little quirks. We all have our guilty pleasures: trash TV shows, cartoons from our youth, callow celebrities.

Me? I love dogs. I like to fancy myself a dog whisperer. I'm the one getting my hands all stinky at your barbecue because your golden retriever has installed herself somewhere around my right kidney and is demanding perpetual stroking.

Handsome devils from Mobil'Homme and Charlotte Geary

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a vet, and that lasted until someone let me into their doggie O.R., and I watched him lance a giant blood-filled blister on a floppy ear, and had to run out the door with an arm outstretched like a quarterback so I didn't pass out on the floor. And that was the end of that. (Then I wanted to be a jockey ... and then I hit 5'9".)

But I still love dogs. Move me to a new neighborhood and I'll know all the dogs' names months before I catch on to their owners'. So photos of trussed-up dogs in fancy-schmancy affairs like weddings appeals to me, the way that Moon Pies appeal to certain people below the Mason-Dixon line, and Jim Beam appeals to just about everyone right after the post office closes on April 15th.

From TankGirl and Brittany Davis

Though I will say this: people rarely hit the depths when they work dogs into their weddings. The depths are reserved for nuptial dog-on-dog action, like Pamela Anderson's celebrated dog wedding (crashed by Ali G, and rumored to be a Borat segment that later hit the cutting room floor). Today, instead of those dubious siches, we'll be examining the usually delightful presence of the dog in a human wedding.

Photos by Finstr

There's a bit of a giveaway when people bring quadrupeds into the wedding, isn't there? The couple has their game face on. The language is elevated; the clothes sublime; the entourage, tricked out with polished shoes and cufflinks or coiled hair. Then suddenly, in comes Senior Furbaby in the chrysanthemum collar. It feels like we're seeing something a little more personal, like we're actually watching Bella surf the counters at home, or Rufus worm his way between the sheets at four in the morning.

By NudeViking

Sometimes, the dog doesn't even seem to be a witticism. Take this couple. They look so serene and composed. They probably naturally form those classical triangle shapes whenever they're lounging around the flat screen TV at home. She probably tends the garden in one of Charlize's goddess gowns, and he reads Victorian novels when he's not practicing being a peer. The dog most likely has a doctorate in medieval French.

From Chris Moseley and Pearl Grace

If you want your dogs to make you look more elegant, it's smart to have rangy, handsome pooches like these guys. The little ankle-biters get stuffed into dresses, and that's never a good idea.

By Carrie Dixon

Precocious little girl, right? I'm sure she's saying, I hope you know that Humphrey Bogart is alive and well and prefers that premium brand of dog food you bought after that time you left him overnight at the vet's to get snipped.

Oh, and not to get all practical, but if you're planning on having your furbaby / bunny-quote children / etc. in the wedding, you need to make sure it's crystal-clear with your wedding planner and officiant ahead of time. Some officiants get riled about holding a ceremony with a dog involved (though garden or beach venues are typically okay). Some planners have even been bitten by clients' dogs and don't want a repeat.

From Mark Klotz

This unscheduled dog crashed the shot, and totally stole the scene.

How about you? Are you bringing the pups to your nups? And what are they wearing?

From the Not-Quite-Normal Files: Owl Obsessions

2007-08-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

I can never get enough of the whole bird-and-twig motif you see floating around West Elm, hip fabric designs and the like. Even before Holly made birds THE herald of the design-obsessed, I'd caught the bug. I've already posted once about a fabulous bird-theme wedding, and the finger's posed on the trigger to post still more, more, MORE!

But not today. Today's a wrinkle, a spin, a subset of the bird and twig thing. That's, like, different. Right?

Sweeter-than-sugar vintage owls. Orange flower cake by We Take the Cake; Yellow Owl print by Sugarloop, Etsy; Gilded Owl earrings by Anthropologie.

So let's talk owls. You don't have to spend many hours digging through Etsy before you see the owl thing taking shape. There's legions of them. And they're very, very cute.

And fresh. I see these adorable little guys being perfect for a couple who's planning their wedding outside the box. There are so many cute applications: night owls, for a pair of Red Bull-fueled programmers, for example. Then there are the couples with pet names for each other: turtle, bear (and owl, of course). Have one drawn with glasses or any other personal tic (that Betty Boop tattoo?) and your friends and relatives will catch the resemblance right away.

Autumn-owls. Florals and copper-wire boutonniere by Brides.com; Owl & flowers card by Patina; bouquet at Grace Ormonde.

Now, before we talk about the perfect owls, let's talk about the wrong owls. The wrong owls not only chain-smoke Gauloises, they lean toward things like: Harry Potter. Halloween. Ultra-realistic Audubon style imagery with scary eyes and ruffled feathers. Wondrous though they be, those are not our owls.

Ours are children of that beautiful geometric tradition that renders flowers as two circles on a stick. We love them owls. The only thing that could makes these guys cuter is to moosh two of them together on the same branch. That, my friends, is love.

I see the owl theme taking shape like this: you find one or two of those indispensable artists on Etsy, and have them develop some dual-owl imagery for your custom stationery, programs and so on. I see the owls going in an upbeat autumn direction (with just a touch of rustic, but only the tiniest), or spring colors like pink or mint. I also see them in a full op-art, pop-crazy brights setting, with big geometric leaf patterns as a backdrop.

Then, you go to Ann Wood. Yes, we've all seen Ann Wood on more blogs than the threadcount in your Pratesi sheets, but did you know she can do all KINDS of birds? The woman is a marvel. And I bet some sweet talking would land you a pair of nuptial owls for your cake topper. And yes, by God, I really would treat an Ann Wood creation as a keepsake and display it after the day, whereas your average 'keepsake topper' appeals about as much as the thought of storing kimchee in my eyeballs.

Oh, a final twist with some Olde English sweetness: if two owls doesn't flip your skirt, reach back to some rugrat romance and pair the owl with his first true love, the pussycat.

So, which owls grab you you (if any)? The pink LOVE owls? The soft and shabby or mod black & white ones? What slightly left-of-center design ideas are you tossing around for your wedding?

Remembering Loved Ones at Your Wedding

2007-08-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

Many couples about to wed have lost someone important before the ceremony could take place. It might be a parent, a grandmother, a brother, or several loved ones. It's common to want to honor these people at the ceremony. But you might be wondering how to include meaningful gestures without casting a pall over the event.

The way people go about this is a testament to human creativity. Of course, that doesn't mean you have to get all stressed and do something "remarkable." Keep it simple, and it will be just as moving.

Flowers

Flowers are a popular way to honor loved ones. One moving gesture is for the bride or groom to place a white rose in an empty chair (next to the aisle or in the first row) as they approach the altar. White roses are popular, but not necessary. Lilies of the valley for grandmother who loved them are wonderful. How about white carnations for a mother who loved their spicy fragrance? One bride placed one white mini calla in her bouquet for each person she wanted to remember.

Remembrance Tables

Couples like to top small banquet tables with photos, candles, vases of flowers or bouquets and explanatory signs at the reception. Sometimes, these items will be stand-alone. Sometimes, they'll show up at the ceremony on the guestbook table, or on the altar.

Memorial bud vase, Exclusively Weddings. Memory Bouquet Frame, Jean M. Favors. Breast cancer awareness bracelet, Eye Candy Bracelets. Assorted awareness beads and charms, Art Beads.

Loving Words

A sensitive officiant is one of the best ways to bring loved ones to mind. Have him or her briefly memorialize the people behind your remembrance items. Also, you can dedicate a page to them in your program.

Food

This might seem a little more lighthearted, but you can honor family members by including a famous cookie or candy recipe with your desserts, a signature appetizer on the menu, or a favorite sweet in a candy buffet (did a father love Bit'O'Honey chews?). Include a small framed note that explains the connection. InsideWeddings tells the story of a bride who lost her brother Ryan several years before the ceremony. Her father had Ryan-brand wine served at the reception.

Music

If someone in the family has a gorgeous set of pipes, one of the most moving tributes is to have them sing a dedicated song at the ceremony. Another popular approach: ask the DJ to play a special dance for an aunt or grandfather who loved to shake it on the floor.

Left: "In Loving Memory" candle by Rexcraft.

Clothing

A touching way to remember someone is to wear one of their personal items. Brides have worn their mother's or grandmother's veils, or sashes made from the wedding dress. Grooms have worn their father's tuxes or cufflinks. And let's not forget jewelry: brides have woven a rosary, locket or set of pearls into their bouquet, and worn a father's ring around their neck or on their thumb.

Donations

The "donation in lieu of favors" is a time-tested way to honor someone you've lost to a physical illness. Individual cards or a framed table note will let guests know who was on your mind. Some brides set out real or enamel ribbons symbolizing the type of loss involved: pink for breast cancer, teal for ovarian or testicular cancer, and so on. (See Awareness Ribbons Meaning & Colors.) Another option: the bride and her bridesmaids wear awareness bracelets. You can buy the awareness charms individually and make your own, or source the finished bracelet from a number of sites.

Symbols

Anything that reminds you of a loved one is fine: butterfly bouquet picks, for example. Or a picture-frame pin and photo pinned to a bouquet wrap ribbon, or a monogram pin in the letter of someone you've lost. A number of stores sell "In Loving Memory" brooches you can pin to a sash or ribbon. InsideWeddings tells of a bride who parked a pink and white 1957 Nash Metropolitan in front of the wedding tent in memory of her mother.

Are you planning to remember someone special at your wedding? How are you going about it?

Better-Than-Ever Butterflies

2007-08-01T18:20:00.001-07:00

Butterflies, it once seemed, were doomed ... in weddings, at least. How could this circa-seventies symbol, always to be found in that forlorn "bridal row" at the back the craft aisles, have a place in today's chic affairs? Wire wings, white gauze, 10 to a pack. I mean, really!

But, against all odds, the butterfly thing stayed. It adapted. So what's keeping them around?

A few things. One: the garden trend. It's HUGE in this country. We're obsessed with tea parties, garden parties, English tea parties in gardens. You could build a whole empire on that stuff (wait ...). And no blow-out garden party is complete without a few sets of wings.

It's not just gardens, either. For reasons not entirely clear to anyone, butterflies are getting downright hot here. It's like birdwatching for 2007-2009, spawning high-ticket travel, expensive museum add-ons, etc.

Finally, there's the symbolism (transformation, new life). Powerful stuff, that.

Top to Bottom, L to R: Four perfect cupcake creations by LeCupcake (Kylie Lambert). Grass & butterfly cake by Pink Cake Box; pastel petits fours by FavorStudio. Summer mini-lanterns by MyWeddingFavors; Butterfly favor cookies at Brides.com; bridal shoes from Inside Weddings, "Garden of Love." Placesetting with moss and tulip centerpiece & butterfly placecards from Tuscany Wedding Chapel; cedarwood invitation and bouquet wrap brooch from Inside Weddings, "Garden of Love"; butterfly escort cards on satin ribbon at Brides.com.

Back in the dark ages of the New Wedding, brides mostly "did" butterflies by sewing on a few white appliques here and there, and scheduling a butterfly release right after the vows. Since then, we've graduated to color, and butterfly releases have gone a bit south due to worries about their humaneness ... not to mention those "bomb" releases on widely-viewed programs like Whose Wedding is it Anyway? (Doesn't everyone want to see themselves poking oddly still bodies in a box when it's time to sit down with the video?)

So now, butterflies are likely to show up in boho/shabby-chic settings (where shabby = vintage) with lots of pastels, or a brighter, more contemporary wedding with blocks of high-energy color. Vive la Change!

Here are a few fun trends you might see in today's butterfly weddings:

- Sparkly butterfly brooches, pinned to the bride's sash or the ribbon bouquet wraps.
- Clusters of butterfly appliqués sewn to flower girl gowns.
- Light-as-air vanilla cakes filled with lemon and strawberry creams.
- Jeweled bouquet picks.
- Pastel parasols, white summer lanterns and fruity iced drinks.
- Color schemes like pink + orange or yellow + pale green.
- Wheatgrass centerpieces and trays of petit fours.
- Wind-up butterflies that flutter out of cards or napkins.

Martha, as always, is full of great ideas. She has rice paper templates for edible butterflies and butterfly seating cards you can tuck on the edge of a wine glass or antique teacup. She's dished up butterfly-studded paper lanterns (cute!) and DIY butterfly straws (check out "Summer Parties" and "Gentle Landings" on http://www.marthastewart.com/). Sensibly, she sells a butterfly paper punch, as do other craft stores, which should save you a lot of anguish. Try cutting out a couple hundred paper butterflies by hand and you'll soon find yourself wanting to switch to another theme, like "paper punch dots."

The best part of a butterfly wedding? You have an excuse to spend hours poring over the signature cupcake stylings of Kylie Lambert, Australia's cupcake queen. Kylie is this very down-to-earth-sounding person who just happens to create cupcakes and mini-cakes that are literally, art. "This one was rushed," she always says of her latest jaw-dropper, "but it came out okay." I don't think my eyes can stand the glare if she ever does one that comes out "great."

Kitchen-Witchy Marshmallow Kebab Favors

2007-08-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

Wandering around Niagara-on-the-Lake the other day (beautiful!), hubby and I came across a charming version of a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Of course, the windows were filled with mesmerizing treats, including dipped apples that most brides would kill to serve at their autumn-themed weddings.

As beautiful as they are, those beautifully-rendered caramel or chocolate-dipped apples make for a pricey favor. Expect to pay $11 to $16, not including shipping, embellishments or favor tags. (Some brides do — they're just that cool. The apples, I mean. Well ... the brides, too).

But then, as I somehow jerked away my eyes from the rows of dark chocolate and toffee-dribbled apples, I saw a seriously more affordable treat below: chocolate-covered marshmallows on a sheesh kebab stick. Now, research clearly demanded that we buy one and put it through its paces. So we did.

It was delicious. And way cheaper than the caramel apples: $3.

And cute!

It was also more decadent than you might imagine, especially if your only experience with marshmallows with the kind we all torch around campfires in hopes of making them taste a little less like sugar-dusted boot leather. No, these were homemade marshmallows, and there really are no words to describe their tender, creamy texture.

Now, many (most?) of us were not born to tackle candy-making in the kitchen, which involves distinguishing "firm ball" from "soft crack," and probably got some people burned at the stake in less tolerant times. But if you can master this basic making-a-sugar syrup thang (or handling a candy thermometer), you're sure to find making marshmallows a snap. And if you can do that, you can make your own truly amazing chocolate-dipped-marshmallows-on-a-stick for pennies on the dollar.

You can obviously personalize these favors by dipping them in white chocolate instead, colored or not, or adding any of the usual gorgeous toppings to the chocolate: crushed toffee, toasted coconut, pecans, sugar stars, macadamia nuts, drizzled chocolate in contrasting colors, and so on.

But you can also tweak the marshmallows themselves to your heart's content, coloring and flavoring your way to some really unique and personalized treats. Marshmallows are easily tinted with standard food coloring, and you can flavor them with essential oils (but go easy on them), exotic fruit purées (freeze fruit first for best results; makes a smoother purée), crushed hard candies or instant coffee.

WWMD — what would Martha do? I'm thinking ginger or lavender. Or a smoky chocolate-cinnamon. Or passionfruit purée, or cherry or espresso, or mixtures of several on one stick ...

(Oh, and here's a tip: try freezing your marshmallow creations for about 15 minutes before you dip them in chocolate, so they don't get all melty.)

One great thing: this is the kind of favor you don't have to make the night before the big event. The finished products store beautifully, as long as you have a cool, dark place to tuck them — not the fridge or freezer, though. Not to mention, they're cheap ... and sure to get that buzz we all want!

Would you try this? What flavors would you dream up?

Amy & Scott's Hauntingly Beautiful Eastlake Victorian Wedding

2007-07-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Amy, the supremo/czar/truly amazing person behind this wedding, is the kind of creature that wedding photographer Eric Hegwer refers to as an UberBride.

UberBride (noun): The opposite of Bridezilla. A bride (or couple) that shows exquisite taste, has a grip on design and rocks the fashion scene (if only at the watercooler). A relaxed bride, totally on her game, who somehow manages to make everything play well with everything.

And where does the UberBride take you? To heaven, of course.

Even with Ariel Stalling's wisdom still ringing in my ears, in James Earl Jones' voice — "YOUR WEDDING IS NOT A CONTEST" — I have to admit that this event, which lodged in my head and rattled there for months after I first unearthed it looking for God knows what — is the closest thing I've ever seen to the perfect wedding. (There, I've used "perfect" and "wedding" twice in one post. Gah.)

Eventually, I thought, "what if two other people on earth haven't seen this?" I resolved not to let that happen, not if I could help it.

And now writing this, I realize I'm doing this couple a serious injustice. Because one of the things that makes this wedding so perfect is that it wasn't Amy's wedding, but Amy and Scott's wedding. Really. Scott even contributed to the exquisite design of her dress, an area normally on the wrong side of the DMZ when the bride runs the show. Which makes this wedding something very special and modern, notwithstanding the vintage accoutrements.

She Had me at Hello

What jumped out for me about Amy's gorgeously personal wedding? At no point did she get steamrollered. The wedding never started to run her, instead of vice versa. Every detail bristles with cool, collected calm. Not once did she say to herself, "I like it, but is it GRAND enough?" This isn't a wedding made of hodgepodge ideas taken from the last three months of magazines, it's one that could only have come to life with this couple.

Click Image for Larger

The Delectable Details

Amy had a bit of a head start, it's true. She'd managed plenty of events before. So she knew the importance of things like signage, and she wasn't fazed when her wedding day at the Druid Hill Park Mansion House in Baltimore cycled from hailstorm to rainbows, then through thunderclaps (right after they took their vows!), and finally back to rainbows again.

Despite all the bipolar weather, life inside the Mansion House was luminous, with its creamy antique walls, tall ceilings and towering windows. A few touches brought the outside in, such as Scott's pyramid trellises wrapped in grapevines, and centerpieces made of fresh tree branches.

Amy chose a turn-of-the-century bird theme, to reflect the mansion's history — the porch had previously been used as an aviary — and she worked from a palette of dreamy, purplish blue and plum.

You can see how she appreciates materials: unusual ones. Touch-me ones. So, you have the gorgeous rooster feather collar ringing Black Magic callas for the bouquets, gold dupioni silk for the aisle runner, plum velvet ribbon and hand embroidery on the ring pillow. There's grapevines and leaves for the banisters, and sumptuous sillk tassels tied to the cameras. Not to mention that bespoke gown of ivory silk and beaded lace.

One of the things that really took my head off where the confident little ways that Amy got just what she wanted, without blowing the bank. The purse that screams "made for Amy?" It was. She found the antique frame on eBay, and had her seamstress create this work of art from it. (Who even thinks of these things?) That sassy net pouf? Crafted from a 1940's cocktail hat she snagged on eBay. Those gorgeous strings of crystals and pearls? Costume, but they couldn't be more perfect.

It's these kinds of things that made me want to bow down. And little details, like how she supplemented those pricey callas with bulk buys online ... while remaining beloved by her vendors, who I'm sure continued to wonder how they'd lucked into this UberBride.

And just like with a truly vintage wedding, Amy carefully thought through how they'd reuse everything after the wedding. (The pyramids: now in the garden. The silk runner: back as luxurious curtains and tablecloths.)

I can't go any further without bringing up the cake, which only Amy can describe:

"I designed the cake to combine architectural and naturalistic elements. The topper, in white chocolate, replicates the cupola on the Mansion House where the wedding took place (another one of Scott's design contributions). I immediately connected with Marcella, the cake decorator, when she understood my reference to Eastlake Victorian ornament and I learned she had studied architecture. SHE could understand me!"

I'm betting that Amy gets handwritten Christmas cards from Marcella for the next decade or so.

When all was said and done, this event — with its quiet grandeur that brings back a slower time without ever being costumey, and all those photos of relaxed and loving faces — left me with a feel of something big. I mean, just look at those expressions on the mothers' faces when Amy hands them bouquets composed of flowers from their own weddings.

And I think I'm seeing an event that didn't just fly by so fast that Amy and Scott missed it all, from the guests to the cake, with no choice but to try to recapture it later in sensationalized photos. This didn't seem to be "the best event we wished we'd been at," but one that was joyous and serious as it unfolded, yet far from humorless. The kind that you'd really want for launching a lifetime of shared memories — not just between yourselves, but all the intimates and relatives you'd chosen to be part of it.

See Amy's profile and more! more! more! photos at TheKnot
Gorgeous photos by Michael DiBari

Love (Them) Cuffs: It's All in the Wrist

2007-07-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

Images from Modern Bride

You don't have to look at many fall bridal magazines to notice all the wrist action. In fact, after you see couple dozen of these blushing brides with big bracelets, the bride who goes without almost starts to look like a featherless bird.

Where does all this come from? Well, giant-sized jewelry (even paste will do) has fashion directors enthralled. Rings that loom over three fingers? It's laughable. And yet ... charming.

And while most brides aren't going to don a 2-inch diameter costume ring to be in step with the times, the cuff's another matter. For one thing, it seems like the missing piece we've always needed to set off those sleek, toned-down silhouettes of today's more minimalistic strapless gowns.

There's an 80s throwback feel to it, too. These aren't dainty little straps around the wrist: these are punk princess baubles. Sure, they might be comprised of precious metals or more, but their aesthetic is hardly nostalgic or demure. In fact, for all the sparkle, it's practically industrial. Bonus: a chunky cuff slenderizes the arm.

Playbook for This Look

Be Discreet. Chunky means lots of volume, not big beads. This is not the place for dangly charms, hunks of rose crystal or beautifully chaotic nests of silver wire that detract from your dress. On the other hand, seed pearls, crystals, and silver and gold are perfect, as long as they're arranged simply. Let the materials take a step back, while the overall shape steps forward.

Go Wide. Skip the girlish little chain around the wrist and go for cuffs or many-stranded bangles. Or: pile two substantial bracelets on top of each other. They don't have to match!

Hello, Handsome. You want classic, repetitive metallics or monochromes: a bracelet tailor-made for today's revised menswear craze. Avoid floral inlays or distracting flashes of color ... but just plain flash is more than fine.

Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Smoky Gray (Steel) Peyote Cuff, LiTelle at Etsy, $33; Linear Bangle by Sonja Bene, price available on request; 11-row rhinestone bracelet at Michelle's Vintage Jewelry (sold). Aarikka Finland Cuff at Michelle's Vintage Jewelry, $45; Wide Dimensional Rhinestone Bracelet at Michelle's Vintage Jewelry, $198; Elizabeth Showers Teardrop Cuff. 'Freedom' bracelet in sterling silver by Wayan Asmana at Novica, $110; Yemenite filigree sterling silver cuff bracelet by Dekel at Etsy, $490; 'Rivers of Life' bracelet in sterling silver by Made Sriasih at Novica, $88.95.

Say "Yellow" to the New Pink

2007-07-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

Pink-weary brides take note: there's a fresh alternative flowing from the fashion mags.

Yellow seems poised to take a bite out of pink for brides who want something crisper, brighter and newer.

But ... yellow? Isn't that one door down from lavender, in a land where fuzzy baby bunnies romp over crocheted lavender and tea towels?

Not necessarily. Yellow looks totally today, as long as you steer clear of the soft lenses and field daisies. Here are a few ways to keep it real.

Click image for larger.

Top to Bottom, L to R: Stylized butterfly and flora cake, The Cake Girls; Plumeria blossom invitation, Elegant Handmade Creations; Rununculous cake, the Cake Girls. Reception design by ClothConnection; individual monogrammed cakes by The Cake Girls; frosted daisy take-out boxes by FavorIdeas. Vintage cake topper, VelvetFinch at Etsy; yellow rose petals by Pick a Petal; parrot tulip bouquet at Brides.com. Daisy cake by Gail Watson, NYC from MarthaStewart.com; couture rose by Martha Stewart; rose and lemon cake decor at Brides.com.

- Color Block. Take a tip from home interiors and go for fresh-looking bouquets filled with chunky, alpine-white flowers. Then pop in a few super-bright yellows (like daffodils or parrot tulips) here and there for contrast. Don't try to blend them.

- Cozy Up. Pair yellow with other high-energy colors, like tangerine and chartreuse. Or even crisp monochromatics: try gray, or black and white.

- Time Travel. Yellow is tons of fun with a tongue-in-chic vintage theme (think, fifties cake topper kitsch.)

- Beyond Solid-arity. Defy expectations by leveraging plenty of crisp, oversized patterns like swiss dots, lattice or geometric florals.

Most of all, don't forget that a punchy yellow has the power to make the brightest-white wedding even brighter and more contemporary. And it's feminine, but not even slightly gushy. So if pink and its usual cohorts (chocolate brown, magenta, lavender, orange) have got you yawning uncontrollably, it might be time to give this primary another look.

How to Make Your Wedding Cake Look Like a Million Bucks

2007-07-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

Wedding cakes make for great visual drama. Ideally, when the budget's fat, they're supposed to elicit oohs and ahhs, just like the bride swooshing through the back of the chapel.

Our cakes labor under high standards these days: they need to be chic, tasty, lavish, in tune with the wedding theme, and hopefully, a little whimsical.

And, the cake usually reflects the dominant and supporting wedding colors, the fanciest floral choices (the bride's bouquet, for example), and sometimes, the actual bridal gown design, or a visual spin on the centerpieces. So, it's not too surprising that more and more brides are looking to put serious bling in that cake.

The problem, of course, is the specter of second-cousin Tracy's broken tooth or Uncle Marco performing the Heimlich on an in-law. A cake that blinds every eye with bling is probably a cake that comes with edibility issues. Still, for some brides, it's worth it. (And in some cases, you can eat 'diamonds', even if they aren't your GI system's best friend).

If you think ice is nice for your stack of sweetness, here are some choices from 'Most spectacular' to 'Least likely to end up on a Bob Saget rerun.'

Top to Bottom, L to R: Pearlized cake with fondant pearls, Cakewalk Chicago; 1" cast sugar jewel drops by Jeff the Chef; Rhinestone trim by House of Fabric; Diamond cake by Cake Heaven; Gold leaf cake by Just Desserts.

True Glit(er)

This involves buying top-drawer, flat backed Swarovski crystals to embed individually in the frosting.
The pros: maximum sparkle, total design freedom.

The cons: individual crystals must be removed before serving, and with all the hoopla, it's all too easy to miss one or two. Plus, who's going to take care of this wee detail? The floor manager? The caterer? And do they really care as much as you need them to?

Get on the Love Chain

Slightly safer and almost as pretty is the rhinestone trim approach. Swarovski crystals sewn into trim (the kind used on gowns) can be easily draped around cake layers, and just as easily removed when it's time to cut.
The cons: trim usually isn't as splendiferous or big as individual flat-backed crystals, so the look's not quite as impressive. Plus, your design options aren't infinite.
The pros: no need to hold your breath as 200+ guests dive into the cake.

Edible Ice

A few food artists make big sparklers out of pure sugar, so it's no big deal if they happen to make their way to the table.
The pros: zero toxicity, lots of design flexibility, and they're easy on the wallet.
The cons: sugar creations, no matter how clever, will never give Swarovski a run for their money.

Swank, Restrained

Perhaps the simplest way to bring some zero-risk sparkle to your cake is piped dots in royal icing, covered by fine edible glitter. Other alternatives: silver dragees (if your state still allows them!), gold or silver leaf, pearl dust and/or glistening fondant pearls, or even rock candy crystals.