Pedestal Cake

15 Feb, 2008 in art pottery by admin

Pedestal Cake

Traditional and Contemporary Wedding Favor Ideas

The tradition of giving tokens of appreciation and remembrance to wedding guests dates back many centuries. The first recorded wedding gifts were confections offered in a small jeweled or intricately wrought gift box, known as a bonbonniere. Because sugar was a rarity, these tiny confections were highly valued and prized by wedding guests. Sugar-coated almonds were also commonly given to wedding guests, a tradition that survives in today’s Jordan almonds, often presented to wedding guests during the reception. Today’s couples have a wide range of gifts they can present to their guests. While sweets are a traditional choice, more contemporary selections can be just as appropriate, especially when combined with a personalized gift tag or other embellishment to mark the gift as uniquely yours.

If candy is your choice, you can honor the tradition of the bonbonniere by offering your selection in a special gift box or presentation container, chosen to reflect your wedding’s theme or your own personal tastes. The 2 Piece Favor Box is a sweet and simple gift box that can be used to offer candy, as well as other small tokens. Or choose from a wide selection of Exclusive Favor Boxes, including embellishments that make each favor appear custom-designed to match your theme. For example, for evening or formal weddings, consider the Exclusive Black Favor Box, with coordinating black and silver ribbons and black and white gift tags. The Exclusive Orange Cosmos Collection Favor Box is a great choice for both spring and summer weddings, as well as garden-themed receptions. For a contemporary theme, consider the Exclusive Clear Box Favors, filled with your candy of choice.

Or, select a favor that includes both candy and container, like the 'Mint to Be' Bride and Groom Slide Mint Tins with Heart Mints. Featuring illustrated depictions of the bride and groom’s attire, these tins are especially well-suited to contemporary or evening receptions. Other candies, like Hershey’s Kisses Wedding Favors and Hershey’s Miniatures Chocolate Wedding Favors, feature personalized wrappers that celebrate the bride and groom or commemorate the wedding date.

Another gift ideal for both traditional and contemporary ceremonies is a photo of the happy couple, contained in a photo frame that the guest can take home. The 'Seaside' Sand and Shell Placecard Holder is a great option for summer or beach-themed weddings, serving as a placecard during the reception and as a photo frame for years afterward. Spring or traditional themes are enhanced by the Swaying Calla Lily Pearlescent Place Card/ Photo Frame, while winter weddings are the ideal setting for the Snowflake Placecard Ornaments. For a unique twist on the photo theme, consider offering coasters, like the "Timeless Traditions" Elegant Black & White Glass Photo Coasters or the Forever Photo Frosted Glass Coasters, which act both as coasters and individual photo frames.

Candles are another popular wedding favor, reflecting the light of your love and the warmth of your affection. While not necessarily a traditional gift, candles come in a wide variety of styles that can match any ceremony or reception theme. Some candles, like the whimsical "Buttercream Dreams" Cake Candle on Porcelain Pedestal Cake Plate, are suitable for any theme or type of ceremony. Others, like the Rose Ball Candle in Gift Box with Matching Bow and Tag, are ideally suited to more traditional or romance-themed receptions or ceremonies. You can even choose candles based on your wedding theme or season. For instance, the Fall Leaf Tea Light and Place Card Holder with Autumn-themed Gift Box is ideal for autumn weddings, while the Sand and Shell Tea light Holder is a good choice for summer ceremonies. And for outdoor summer weddings, your guests will surely smile when they receive the "Hot off the Grill!" Mini-Grill Tea Light/Place Card Holders, modeled after full-size grills.

Wine stoppers are popular favors that have appeared on the wedding scene in recent years, and are excellent ways to show your guests how much you care. Both attractive and useful, your guests will remember your day each time they reach for one of these items. Like the other favors, wine stoppers also come in a variety of styles that can reflect your wedding theme. For example, the "Blooming" Flower Bottle Stopper in Whimsical Window Gift Box is perfect for summer, spring or garden-themed ceremonies and receptions, while "Lustrous Leaf" Copper Finish Bottle Stopper in Laser-Cut Leaf Gift Box is designed for fall weddings. Looking for a truly unique wine stopper? Consider the "With this Ring" Chrome Diamond Ring Bottle Stopper. Featuring a stylized faux-diamond solitaire on top, your guests will remember your event with every bottle of wine they open.

Whether you choose a traditional gift of sweets or a more contemporary favor option, the gifting options available to today’s brides and grooms offer nearly endless options. With a little careful thought and planning, you can offer a wedding favor that is an ideal complement to your ceremony, and will have guests remembering your wedding long after the event is over.

About the Author

Karen Zabel is a freelance writer who writes about weddings and wedding favors.

Wedding Cake Question?

I have been doing some research on weddings and came up with an idea. Instead of purchasing a cake and centerpieces, would it be tacky if I had small wedding cakes backed and decorated to act as centerpieces? I was thinking they could be up on little pedestals and decorated with roses/other red items as that is the color scheme of my wedding. It would enable the guests to help themselves to the cake. I would have a larger one for the head table that is more lavishly decorated and would still have a cake cutting ceremony though. Does this seem tacky or innovative? Also, design ideas would be great!
I was going to have a slightly larger cake for the head table that was decorated, and the smaller cakes could be a solid color (red) with a couple simple butter cream roses

Well, I've never seen this done, and while I'm all for new ideas, I do see a couple of potential problems with this one:
1. If you have kids at any of these tables, the parents will spend all of dinner trying to keep their fingers out of them!
2. What will the guests cut them with? With their dirty dinner knives? Will you buy cake server sets for each table?
3. What if each cake is supposed to feed all 10 ppl at the table and one person cuts a giant piece & then there's not enough to go around?
4. I've cut a million wedding cakes in my day, and it's not easy. Unless you are only having one tier on each of these small cakes, it will be very hard for guests to cut themselves and they will get icing all over themselves.
5. This may be a minor issue, but think about how it will look after they cut & eat them; the table will be a mess.

If you are trying to save money on centerpieces I suggest the following ideas instead:
1. Have the florist (or you, yourself) vases with just a little greenery in them on some of the tables, and then put the bridesmaids' bouquets in them.
2. Get some great cheap frames at dollar stores or walmart or hobby lobby and frame pictures of you as a couple, surrounded by votive candles & rose petals.
3. Use some other decor item rather than flowers-such as mosaic glass hurricanes with candles, glass votive holder sets w/different heights, etc.

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