Cake table decorations on Flickr

I have a whole slew of pictures of cake tables I've decorated, but you know what? I want to show off other styles of decorating, that aren't as involved or intensive as some of the stuff I've done, but are still gorgeous. After all, it doesn't take much -- a swish of the hips, a smile and some fabric usually do the trick. Just kidding. The fabric does help though.

Photo by Flickr's boscobridalexpo

For example, above you've got a photo from an East Coast bridal show company, Bosco Bridal Fashion Show & Expo. This picture caught my eye, because 1) there are three nice cakes here decorated in different ways, including with gift wrap ribbon, faux fruit and faux flowers, 2) because they're sitting on very nice stands that are understated but still give each cake some height and 3) because it uses some fabric in a very simple way. Really, the hard part is finding fabric with that shimmer, crinkle and texture. However, I usually pin fabric down, since you never know who will brush past it and mess it up. Just sayin'.

Photo by Flickr's hobbs_luton

Ah, another cake with ribbon and some faux flowers, sitting on a stand -- this time a silver, polished stand. Very nice. The table is draped with some burgundy tulle, attached to the table along with what looks like cymbidium orchids and rose petals. Another nice touch. Don't forget the rose petals!

Photo by Flickr's lisarunolfson

This one is so cute and simple. I think that the table decor complements the cake, as adorable as it is, perfectly -- it matches the shade of pink exactly and the pink linen bow on the short, white tablecloth over the floor-length pink tablecloth doesn't detract from the artistic cake. Nicely done, and so simple, too!

Photo by Flickr's boscobridalexpos

Here's another offering from Bosco Bridal Expos -- sand! at the foot of the wedding cake! Does that not look beachy or what? I suspect the sand is actually brown sugar. But how creative! What other edibles can pose for objects we normally wouldn't (or, at least, shouldn't) eat? Grapes as pebbles? Black licorice as wood? It would be like constructing a gingerbread house!

Photo by Flickr's hunkdujour

I normally try not to say one is my favorite over another -- but I really love this one from hunkdujour, who, by the way, has one of the greatest Flickr user names. Anyway, the cake table is all lit up! From below! And its got red rose petals! Over a textured, sparkly tablecloth! I love it! And never mind the fact that the cake itself is kinda cool too, with a spiky frosting thing going on, but the table set up here is just awesome.

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Wedding cakes of cheese

Here in America, I think wedding cupcakes are the alternative du jour to a full on wedding cake. But is that true?

Photo by Flickr's honto

Because, apparently, wedding cakes made of cheese are taking New Zealand by storm, according to this article. Hat tip to Doris for finding it!

Photo by Flickr's melodrama.ca

From the article:

Canterbury Cheesemongers co-owner Sarah Aspinwall said the wedding cheese was a growing trend overseas and, in New Zealand, was requested mainly by couples returning from their OE.

"I guess some people don't like traditional fruitcakes very much and perhaps have a real passion for cheese," she said.

"It is a delicious thing to have at the end of a big feast, rather than something sweet."

The cake is made by stacking an assortment of round cheeses to resemble a traditional cake, and is served with crackers and fruit.

That appears to be the case with both above -- pretty simple wheels of cheese stacked on top of each other, or in the case of the second picture, four quarters of different cheeses laid out to form one wheel, plus another wheel of cheese on top. But don't think cheese can't be decorated. Oh no.

Photo by Flickr's emilykreed

Hopefully, this couple doesn't mind being on this blog, but they are standing in front of one impressive cheese tower there. Its decorated with all kinds of colorful fruit, what looks like salad greens and bright flowers. However, I wonder how hard it must be to cut the cheese? (Hee, hee, I couldn't help it. Sorry.)

Photo by Flickr's Miss V Lemon

Here's another pretty impressive multi-tiered cake of cheese. I couldn't even tell you what kind of cheeses those were. Those round fruits that are whole and cut look to be figs, plus there are grapes, strawberries and that orange fruit under that extra big thick wheel of cheese. And its all sitting on top of a pretty silver stand.

Photo by Flickr's The Cake Fairy

This cake is a little less like your traditional tiered cake -- it's got a pretty thick base, but appears to be several ingredients down there -- it looks like custard filling the layers of cheese, plus nuts, figs and gerber daisies. Then, a narrow tower of cheese layers topped with what looks like a thick wheel of blue cheese. I may be getting this all wrong, seeing as how I know nothing about cheese. Feel free to correct me in the comments.

Photo by Flickr's rbrwr

This cake of cheese, I think, is my favorite. They used several, visually different wheels of cheese and used very colorful flowers and red cherries to decorate and topped it with Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker. Too cool!

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Seaside wedding in York, Maine

Wedding Decorator pal Shruti Mathur has come through again. I think we can officially christen her the Wedding Attender, because she's got a lot of weddings to attend this summer (even after attending several last year, including one yours truly was also present at) and has promised to document each wedding for your viewing pleasure.

All photos by Shruti Mathur

This past weekend, Shruti lets us tag along at a seaside wedding in Maine. Weddings outside California always fascinate me -- I've seen so many weddings, but in my mind they kind of run together. Possibly, that's because I decorated a lot of them, so most of them have a style I'm very familiar with. No matter.


The wedding, a Jewish one, had a really gorgeously decorated chuppah, the traditional canopy stretched between four poles. It symbolizes the home that the couple will build together. At the last (and my first) Jewish wedding I attended, the chuppah was held up by four of the groomsmen -- I believe. This one was anchored by large flower arrangements, punctuated with bright pink and orange Gerber daisies. Not only that, check out the garland-sides of the chuppah, and the ribbon streaming down the poles! Very festive, very pretty.

It seemed like there were at least two types of guest table arrangements, each with a bright mix of flowers. The one above seems to have a mix of blue hydrangeas, orange roses, plus some blue and purple flowers I can't identify without some help. :) It's all in a vase that looks to be lined with a wide leaf -- maybe a ti leaf. Below...

You've got a similar set up, instead with mostly green flowers rather than bright blue and purple -- green-tinged white roses and green spider mums. I also like the trend of putting a colored stripe on the guest table over the table cloth. It dresses it up a bit without going the route of a full overlay. And if you didn't notice the best detail, that would be salt water taffy scattered around the arrangements. People, candy always works. Trust me. And I love it that they used what was local to the area.

The wedding, by the way, was held at the Dockside Restaurant in Maine. So of course, you have a nice view of the dock.

The cake, I gotta say, is as bright as any of the other flowers used at this wedding. I kind of like it though -- it definitely tells me something about the couple, that they're bright and fun. Decor along the bottom of the cake looks to be orange baby roses, ivy and orange Gerber daisies where the branches start.

Last but not least, the gift table....but it looks a wee bit small. In fact, the decorations and candy take up most of the space! I'm thinking the reason for this is that a lot of people opt to ship gifts straight from the couple's online registry -- which, in my opinion is easier for everyone all around. No wrapping gifts (and messing it up), no hauling it to the wedding, plus no one in the bridal party has to haul it from the reception to the bridal suite, then it has to be hauled from the bridal suite to the couple's new home. No, no. Get it shipped, people. It's a lot easier for everyone.

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Just a few flowers needed at a St. Louis loft-style reception

As a florist's daughter and former wedding decorator, I know I should encourage brides to inundate their weddings with flowers and decorations. Honestly? You don't need a whole lot for big impact. A friend of the Wedding Decorator (also a fellow journalist), Shruti Mathur, sent over some lovely photos of a wedding she attended recently in St. Louis over the Memorial Day holiday. Yes, I know, its already June 2, but I was on vacation. And it was my birthday. Anyway, on to the wedding pictures.

All photos by Shruti Mathur

When it comes to a party, think of what you need -- good food, good conversation, maybe some light (although, that's optional) and enough decor to enhance the surroundings -- not become the surroundings. That's what happened here. These are orchids strewn artfully over the guest tables around votive candles. In a space like this one, I don't think you need much more.


With money being tight all across the board, choosing a high-impact color like red can go a long way in a gorgeous space like this one. This wedding reception was at Windows on Washington, a loft-style space in St. Louis. In this picture, you get to see some of the cool features of the room, like the exposed pipes and gorgeous brick walls.

By the way, this bridesmaid's bouquet is pretty, right? It's very simple, very colorful, wrapped in blue ribbon. Oh, but wait, there's more!


I'm pretty sure these bouquets also doubled as centerpieces for certain tables -- probably sponsor tables or wedding attendant tables. It's a good way to make the flowers play more than one part and save some money.


Here's the all important sweetheart table. Incidentally, I love this photo, since it captures the little boy tracing his finger along the window also. But you're not interested in that! This sweetheart table is topped with an elaborate bouquet with vibrant red gerber daisies, roses and orchids. Oh, but wait! I think this arrangement looks familiar -- it also served as the bridal bouquet.


Here's a side view of the sweetheart table. The whole place looks so charming.


Mmmmm, cake. Wedding cake is almost always better, too. This cake is almost a decoration unto itself, banded with blue ribbon. Red orchids are also strewn on the table -- nice contrast.

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