The wedding season is upon us.
Joining us this morning to help you get an idea of the hottest cake trends this year is Christa Vagnozzi, senior editor of Wedding Channel.com.
TREND #1: TAILORED CAKES
Cake Baker: Cake Alchemy (Lauri Ditunno)
www.cakealchemy.com
The Trend
Pleats, pintucks and tailored dresses were seen all over Bridal Fashion Week
Whether it's the pleats from the wedding dress or a dapper, crisp-white tuxedo shirt, many brides are asking wedding bakers to replicate the look in their wedding cake
Celebrity Trend: For Jennifer Lopez's wedding to Marc Anthony, the songstress had her wedding cake designed to match the back of her wedding dress-with buttons and a simple flowing ribbon cascading down the sides
About the Cake
Cake Alchemy designed this cake with fashion designer Abigail Lorick-Abigail Lorick is the costume designer for popular show "Gossip Girl"
Bottom layer has pleats, then inverted pleats, then interwoven layers, pintucks are throughout
Made with fondant and white sugar paste
Cost per slice for a cake like this: $18 to $19
About Cake Alchemy
Cake Alchemy's style is classic with a modern twist
Lauri also teaches classic pastry arts and sugar sculpting classes at The French Culinary Institute
TREND #2: INSPIRED BY INVITATIONS
Cake Baker: Sylvia Weinstock Cakes
www.sylviaweinstock.com
The Trend
It's all about the details when it comes to weddings, so a great way to bring your invitations to life at the actual wedding is to show it off on the cake
A letterpress-style on a cake is a trendy and elegant way to show off your invitation's design-whether it's a floral motif, a specially-created calligraphy or even a monogram
About the Cake
Inspired by the magnolia letterpress design in these invitations, this cake works off of the magnolia theme
Has sugar magnolias and hand-painted magnolia pattern
All Sylvia Weinstock cakes are made with buttercream
Cost per slice for a cake like this: Available on request, but their cakes start at $17 per slice
About Sylvia Weinstock Cakes
Sylvia Weinstock is known as the "Queen of Cakes"
Sylvia's known for creating elaborate, out-of-the-box wedding cakes
Sylvia has designed cakes for numerous celebrities and socialites-Donald Trump, Michael Douglas, Billy Joel
TREND #3: NEW SHAPES & STRUCTURES
Cake Baker: Michelle Doll Cakes
www.michelledollcakes.com
The Trend
Wedding cakes aren't the typical three tiers of round cakes anymore-these days, bakers are mixing it up and using both round and square shapes, columns and more
Bakers are incorporating an architectural element into the wedding cake
About the Cake
The surface of this cake is covered in a shimmery sugar palette, each tier of the cake has a chartreuse-colored separator, and has spurts of mixed flowers in shades of pink
Made with fondant
Cost per slice for a cake like this: $13
This specific cake would serve 160 guests, so would cost about $2,000
About Michelle Doll Cakes
Michelle Doll's signature style is based on couture fashion and textiles-she uses a lot of elegant, intricate details
Cakes from Michelle Doll Cakes usually cost between $9 to $14 per serving
Michelle Doll even beat Bobby Flay in a wedding cake throwdown on the Food Network
TREND #4: JEWELED CAKES
Cake Baker: Margaret Braun
www.margaretbraun.com
The Trend
Whether it's the Swarovski crystals on the wedding gown or the vintage brooch the bride is wearing, incorporating jewelry into the wedding cake is a great way to make your wedding cake stand out and sparkle!
About the Cake
Inspired by an ornate brooch, this jewel-like cake features rich color tones, such as fuchsias, purples and burnished golds
It has brooch-like motifs, sugar necklacing pearl boarding and a gold leaf
Made with fondant
Cost per slice for a cake like this: $22 to $25
About Margaret Braun
Margaret Braun is known for her use of vibrant color, subtle sculptural shapes and intensely intricate sugar piping
Margaret Braun also designed chef Bobby Flay's wedding cake-featuring creamy orange and yellow stripes, dotted with sugar pearls and with a sugar chalice on top
TREND #5: BOLD HUES
Cake Baker: Lovin Sullivan (Kate Sullivan)
www.cakepower.com
The Trend
There's no better way to make an impact than to have a bright, boldly-colored cake
Perfect for a summer wedding when you want to really add a splash of color
Eva Longoria had an ornate crimson red wedding cake that had 1,200 sugar flowers on it!
About the Cake
This cake may have to fight the bride for the center of attention
It's a vibrant, crimson red with a large blue flower design that runs through all three tiers of this cake
Cost per slice for a cake like this: $12
About Lovin Sullivan
Kate Sullivan of Lovin Sullivan is known for her funky, streamlined cakes
She creates gorgeous cakes for the modern bride
TASTING CAKES:
All of the tasting cakes were made by Cake Alchemy!
White Chocolate & Lemon Curd Cake
Katherine Heigl & Josh Kelley Guests dined on a three-tiered white chocolate and lemon curd cake
Red Velvet & Cream Cheese Filling
Rebecca Romjin & Jerry O'Connell had red velvet cupcakes in lieu of a wedding cake
Traditionally a Southern tradition and usually seen in groom's cakes
Strawberry Swirl Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream
A great light option for a summer wedding that's different from the typical vanilla
Chocolate Devil's Food Cake with Smeared Raspberry Butter & Dark Chocolate Buttercream
This is Cake Alchemy's most popular cake!
For more information, go to www.weddingchannel.com
-----PURSE PURGE-----
Peaceful, creative, prosperous people make better financial decisions, are more generous with the money they have and stay calm in the midst of financial storm.
That's the theme behind the new book "The Money Keys: Unlocking Peace, Freedom and Real Financial Power."
Joining us this morning is author, Karen Russo.
* People who are freaked out, angry, upset and distracted don't make the best financial decisions
* Especially today, mindset management is as important as money management
* It's really how we choose to think, feel and act that has the biggest impact on our experience of money matters
* In writing the money keys, I studied 'conscious wealth builders', folks who are both financially successful and connected to higher purpose and meaning in their lives. They are excellent at escaping from what I call the Money Traps of Scarcity, Superstition and Survival Mode. The Money Keys are the 3 ways to escape those traps.
* It's not just about the money, it's what's the money FOR
* When you cultivate spirituality, strengthen beliefs and develop habits you'll be more peaceful, prosperous, generous and free no matter what the financial facts and circumstances are
1. Cultivate Your Spirituality:
Fears about money are more of a faith issue than a financial one
I show you how to use meditation, journaling, gratitude to build the relationship with your higher power... in every major religious tradition (and for those 'spiritual but not religious') there's a mystical connection of the invisible, infinite spiritual source of abundance behind the material channels like your paycheck or spouse or investments... grateful for the Source, relax about the channels as peace of mind is not a $ amount
Example: Money Keys coaching client paralyzed by fears of making mistakes in launching her interior design business; when she began regular meditation about the vision of serving others with her natural talents, she felt calm & inspired and found 2 new prospects
2. Strengthen Your Beliefs:
If you are resentful, angry, or guilty about money, you're in a mental and emotional 'jail' of thinking that someone else controls our financial freedom...
Stay informed of what's happening with economic conditions but don't inundate yourself with 'negative news' (parents' voices from past, co-worker who blames as 'ex', neighbor who blames the government)
Invest your attention in positive messages where you get the best ROI... what you listen to makes a difference; every visitor to TheMoneyKeys.com gets a FREE audio download; what you look at makes a difference... imagine opening your wallet and seeing this affirmation created by one of the members of our Breakthrough program: 'I love and respect myself enough to live a financially prosperous and responsible life.'
Financial freedom is a positive state of mind
3. Develop Your Habits:
When you're frantically busy, struggling just to keep up with the bills, your home, your job, it can feel like survival mode... money messes keeps you stuck in financial quicksand
To thrive instead of survive, clean up messes so you have order and open space for the good to flow
Ladies... don't let your purse start to look like this... expired coupons, banana peels, check book in with the kids stuff; empty your purse on a towel, let go of the trash and only keep what you want and need currently; when you can see it, you can manage it much better; you'll spend more carefully when you know what you have
One of our readers is a mom who also does some coaching work around healthy habits... client checks ended up in the bottom of her bag and she'd make a deposit when she passed a bank... she read Chapter Six on Conscious Money Habits and the spiritual law of Circulation and said 'whoa... if I treat this like a hobby, it won't grow'... so she got a special billfold for her business account and makes a priority in her schedule to take care of all the finances of her coaching work; now she says 'I'm a leader in my business and I'm taking myself more seriously and so are my family, my clients' she's on her way to a profitable business goal for the year
Make every financial transaction a deliberate, positive circulation; a blessing for the giver and the receiver... you'll be in the flow of generosity and prosperity
Peaceful, creative, prosperous people make better financial decisions, are more generous with the money they do have, and stay calm in the midst of the financial storm.
For more information, go to www.themoneykeys.com
