Do’s and Don’ts of Cake Cutting

Photograph [above] by Jeff Schneiderman Photography

Tips for your moment before the cake when everyone is watching and the cameras are clicking:

Do’s: If the reception is a brunch or tea, cut the cake after all guests have gone through the receiving line or after dinner if an evening reception.

Be sure the DJ or MC, photographer, and videographer know when the cake cutting is to begin and have it announced or make known by playing the first dance song. After the first toast (typically done by the best man), it’s time.

If possible, use a special silver cake knife for the occasion. Danforth Pewter and The Kitchen Store at J.K. Adams have wonderful selections.

The groom’s right hand holds the bride’s right hand as they slice through the bottom layer.

From the first cut piece, the groom feeds the bride and then bride will feed the groom.

The groom is expected to offer slices to the bride’s parents and groom’s parents will receive their slices from their new daughter-in-law.

Don’t: To smush or not to smush the cake in the face of your spouse should be discussed well before the fondant is in close proximately to your face! How do you want the official first act as a married couple to be: classy and dignified or messy and unsightly?

After spending time, energy, and money with professional make up and hair styling, the last thing a bride wants is to disturb is her flawless face and every-strand-in-place up-do. A graceful, gentle cake bite offering is a refined choice. This moment will be captured on film and memory cards and stay in the minds of guests for years––make it a proud one.

Photo [above] by The Portrait Gallery

Click here for the full online article by Vermont Bride Magazine writer and editor Karen Sturtevant.

Second Annual Vermont Bride Gala

Click the above "play" to watch a special video presentation for the upcoming 2011 2nd Annual Vermont Bride Gala, to be held at the Barn at Boyden on October 9, 2011.
Or view it online at YOU TUBE right now!

Read about the Gala online here.

Potted Plants: The Ideal Accent for Your Vermont Wedding

Potted plants are beautiful, cost effective and a versatile addition to any wedding.

One of the best places to incorporate plants is at the ceremony. Whether purchased or rented, they are an efficient and dramatic way to make a church or synagogue appear full, especially for buildings with high vaulted ceilings. Larger plants like ficus, Boston ferns and palm trees can be grouped behind the altar to provide a backdrop. Medium-sized and hanging plants (with hangers removed) can be placed in decorative containers and scattered down the aisle to create a lush, garden look. Plants clustered on steps or windowsills will provide splashes of color and a garden ambiance. If your wedding is planned around a holiday, many houses of worship are already decorated with seasonal blooming plants, which are available for the bride to use at no additional cost.

Cost of accenting with potted plants

If the bride is concerned about the additional cost of accenting with potted plants, then she should remember that they can serve more than just a decorative purpose. They also make wonderful thank you gifts for the attendants, clergy, readers—or for anyone who has helped with the wedding. Also, if the bride, groom or their parents normally decorate their homes with window boxes, hanging baskets or planters, the wedding plants could be used for this purpose, before and after the wedding. The multipurpose use for plants is not only true for the ceremony flowers, but for the reception centerpieces as well.

At the reception, plants make vibrant, low cost centerpieces and they can be given to the guests as favors. A group of small potted plants (one for each guest who is sitting at the table) can be clustered in a single low container which matches the wedding in style and color, and then set on the reception tables. Or, the plants could simply be placed in individual decorative containers, set on the table and interspersed with votive candles.

Click here to read more of this article by florist Pat Esden, including Hints and Tips, The Meaning of Plants, and a special section on African Violets.

Or click here for more information about Pat Esden, florist.

SAVE THE DATE! Vermont Bride - 2nd Annual 2011 GALA at THE BARN at Boyden Farm

Sunday, October 9, 2011 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Cocktails. Eats. Dessert. Dancing Evening Attire Expected

Not your typical bridal show!

MORE INFO COMING! CHECK BACK.

Love Story: Leah (Harstenstein) & Greg Morse

Photos by Daria Bishop

Leah (Harstenstein) & Greg Morse

On Halloween night, 2003, while attending my first year at Wagner College in New York City, I met Greg, another freshman. He was from upstate New York and ran on the Division I track team. We spent the night watching the famous Greenwich Village Halloween parade with a group of close friends. I was dressed as a Christmas tree, Greg as himself. We both had fun that night but did not think much of it. As college started to fly by we became the best of friends. Everyone thought we were dating, but we just loved spending time together! Finally, when it just so happened that we were both single, we decided to try dating.

As college finished, Greg took a Wall Street job and I stayed in school to pursue my master’s degree. We stayed very close, both living on the Upper East side and enjoyed time together.

Our Engagement

We both love to travel! We were on a two week trip to South America with my parents; on our second night in Chile, there was an incredible sunset over the ocean. We were sipping wine on a balcony staring off into the sky when Greg told me he’d be right back. He came back and gave me a small Tiffany’s box, but not a ring box. I opened it and there was a beautiful necklace with the initials “LKM.” My last name started with an “H” so I was not sure if the store made a mistake. I gave him a puzzled look, he asked me if I knew what the necklace meant. Before I could say anything, he said, “They are your new initials if you say yes.” He pulled my grandmother’s amazing engagement ring out of his pocket and that was it!

Favorite Wedding Moments

The ceremony location at the Basin Harbor Club is just stunning. The beautiful weather, amazing flute and strings trio, and incredible surrounding gardens made the day.

The guests had bubbles to blow at us as we walked back down the aisle.

The Ben & Jerry’s ice cream wedding cake was great!

Click here for the full article with all the details about Leah and Greg's Love Story and wedding planning.

A Big Piece of Wedding Cake Yesterday and Today

Photo [above] courtesy of New England Culinary Institute (NECI)

Modern day wedding cakes run the gamut of classic to comic

Swirls of piping, rich buttercream frosting, and fondant pearls dotted on a multitiered cake may be what we expect to see displayed at a wedding reception, but in day’s past, a loaf of bread and pile of biscuits sufficed for the celebratory sweet. (Click here to read more about the 1,000 year old traditions of this loaf and the full article by Karen Sturtevant)

Cake above (2) Sweet Crunch BakeShop and Catering Co

Cake above (3) Gourmet Provence

Bride's Pie

In medieval England, simple flour based unsweetened biscuits or scones (provided by guests) would be piled high––a prelude to today’s cake toppers. If the couple could kiss over the top, good luck, prosperity, happiness, and many children would follow (or so it was believed).

First appearing in the seventeenth century and lasting for the next 200 years was a common dish called the bride’s pie: a meat pie with sweet bread, mincemeat, or mutton with the secret ingredient being a glass ring.

Cake (4) above by Snaffle Sweets

Cake (5) by Delicate Decadence Cake Boutique

Plum Cakes

By the nineteenth century single tiered plum cakes gained popularity replacing the bride’s pie. Sugar coated with white icing, plum cakes were reserved only for the wealthy and graced the tables of the affluent symbolizing the family’s position in social circles. Before the Victorian era, ingredients were difficult, if not impossible to acquire for cake making, particularly those required for icing. White icing required the use of the finest refined sugar. The whiter the cake, the more affluent the family appeared. For the more modest, the bride’s pie remained a mainstay. The plum cake stayed the cake until the late nineteenth century when multitiered cakes began their rise in history.

British royalty were the first to introduce multitiered confections. Upper layers were made from spun sugar with pillars used for reinforcement. To prevent the pillars from sinking into the bottom tiers, the icing was hardened providing the necessary support. From the early twentieth century to modern times, wedding cakes have evolved into sumptuous confections while honoring representation and tradition.

Cake (6) Juniors Bakery

Cake (7) Bakearia

Click here for more about more recent cake traditions, including royal wedding cakes, and much more in the full article by Karen Sturtevant.

Fitness and Nutrition Tips for Preparing for the BIG DAY

Your wedding day is when YOU are the center of attention, so of course you want to look like a knockout for your friends, family, and of course your groom.

1. Your physique is determined by three things: 10% exercise, 10% genetics, and 80% diet.

This might shock some readers because exercise is not a very big percentage. Of course it plays a big role in how you will look, however, if your diet is not the best then you will not have the best physique. If you want to look and feel better, pay attention to what you are putting into your mouth! I recommend lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables and lots of water. You also need to keep in mind your portion sizes and calorie intake. So make sure you are choosing nutrient dense foods.

2. Combine weights and cardio and keep your workouts interesting.

It depends on your body type to determine when you will see gains in muscle definition and a reduction of overall body fat. However, a fitness routine combined with a clean diet will help you reach your wedding day body easier.

I personally like shorter workouts, because with a very hectic schedule, not to mention the wedding planning, who has time for an hour and a half workout? (click here for more about exercise)

3. Get plenty of sleep and don’t stress (if possible).

According to WebMD.com, sleep affects certain hormones that will control your appetite and satiety. Studies show that people who get less than 8 hours of sleep have higher levels of body fat than people who get 8 or more hours of sleep a night. Stress increases levels of cortisol in your blood which is a hormone that tends to cause you carry extra body fat in your waist line area. You also have to be careful if you are an emotional eater. Make sure you have healthy coping mechanisms when dealing with your stress and get plenty of sleep.
Bottom line is this: Your wedding day is YOUR day. Try to enjoy every moment of it from the proposal and the planning all the way up to the honeymoon and most importantly the many years to follow spent with your lifetime partner.

Take care of yourself by eating right, getting exercise and a proper amount of sleep. When you are taking care of yourself and feeling good, everything else will fall into place.

Click here for the full article including information about author Toria Cornett's recent recognition award for her work as FoodScience Corporation's Wellness Program Director.