Bling, Blam, Broke

With the wedding rapidly approaching and the nightmares setting in- you know the ones, the I forgot to get my hair and makeup done before the wedding kinda sweet dreams, I figure this is as good a time as any to cross the major necessities off the list. One of those would be the wedding bands. Purchasing those suckers is right up there on the importance scale with making sure Mr. Porcupine has pants!

Mr. Porcupine and I have barely done a drop of research on wedding rings. Neither of us are big jewelry people. I’m all about the costume jewels. There is something about wearing expensive jewelry that gives me agita. I would lose my head if it weren't attached to my body, and it's far too easy for me to fling off rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc. without even noticing. It took me months to get used to wearing my engagement ring. I only "lost" it about 80 times (aka it flipped around my finger or was on my bedside table) before I realized I am a lunatic and need to chillax.

One very bored day Mr. Porcupine and I wandered into Zales on our way home from running errands. I looked through the glass cases blankly. They all looked fine to me. I actually contemplated just picking a ring and buying it right then and there. Mr. Porcupine is pretty simple too with what he wants in a ring. He wants a black/white gold band. Affordable and easy to find at most jewelers.

Image via American Ring Store

And, then el major problemo. My ring is platinum- close enough to white gold (yanno...the cheaper option that will allow us to keep buying food), right? Apparently, WRONG. I tried on a few white gold bands and noticed that the gold looked BLINDINGLY bright next to the platinum. I tried diamond bands and plain bands. A whole array of bands! Everything looked a bit off to me.

Diamond band via MDCdiamonds

A simple band via Betteridge

Maybe it's just me, but to my eye, platinum has a darker hint to it then gold does. I was always told this isn't true since platinum is described as being a pure, white metal. It wasn't until I learned that white gold isn't actually white (I really thought it was... sue me), but actually a combination of gold and white metals dipped in rhodium to make it look shiny and white, that I realized why platinum looks different. White gold looks extra shiny since it's dipped in shiny, happy, jolly rhodium. Platinum, usually, is just chillin' in its natural state.

I didn’t ask for or expect a platinum engagement ring. Mr. Porcupine just went for it. Something about prong strength convinced him (all I know about rings still remains at lalala shiny and bright). Although an awesome pick, the engagement ring was something Mr. Porcupine had been saving a long time for. Saving for our wedding bands isn’t something I really planned on doing. Stupid, I know – this is my WEDDING ring after all. I figured we’d get something affordable and upgrade one day in the future. They make anniversary bands for a reason, after all.

When I got home from our Zales excursion I googled platinum diamond bands, and wanted to barf when I saw that some of the lowest prices were in the $1,000-$1,200 range. Blashphemorous! I continued to google through the interwebs, and it turns out I’m not really supposed to notice the difference when pairing a white gold ring with a platinum one. Lame, I swear I saw it!

A platinum band and white gold band combo via Gilletts Jewelers

We definitely needed to take a second look at a different jeweler to get a better idea. I'm sure whatever I end up with will be fine, but I realize it might not be as cut and dry as I assumed. On the bright side, I am not super picky about my jewelry, and I'm willing to go with the more affordable option if I can't find a platinum ring at the right price.

Were you able to find your "perfect" wedding band? Did you have to go with a second choice option for the sake of saving some bucks?

Bridesmaid Dress Hue Hunt ... the saga continues

Part 2 of the bridesmaid dress hunt began on a grey day in NYC, the day before Hurricane Irene was set to strike. I was feeling a case of the blahs.

I didn't have high hopes for the first stop: Here Comes the Bridesmaid. The shop is located in an office building, which I didn't realize when I made the appointment. Nothing wrong with that, but it's a weird feeling walking into an office to look at dresses. I took the elevator up and found the office suite. Although not what I imagined, the store has a great selection. The sales associate pulled every single one of the dresses I hoped to have the girls try on. When the girls came in we started the try-on.

We immediately had a case of the Little Red Riding hoods (this one's too big, this one's too little, this one's justttt right- or not).

Image via Dessy Group 

The first dress looked way too much like it should be worn to a job interview. The material was too starchy and stiff to fit in with the wedding. I love the Audrey Hepburn look of it online, but in person it's just not there.

Dessy Group

The second fit funny on top, and also looked too formal and stiff for the wedding look.

Image via Dessy Group

And the third never made it on the girls. I hated how the material looked and felt. Overall, on all the dresses, the fabric was not doing anything for anyone.

Of course, as it always seems to go with me, a dress I hadn't taken notice to online was everyone's favorite. I really liked it, but, of course, the color just wasn't what I had in mind. I liked a few of the blue hues though, and I contemplated having the bridesmaids wear the dress in a multitude of shades including this different "glacier" one.

Image via Bill Levkoff

We were onto David's Bridal next. Immediately after walking in everyone flocked to Vera Wang's WHITE line. In particular, everyone loved one dress that can be found in every single bridal magazine lately.

Image via David's Bridal

Everyone loved the dress after trying it on. No one wanted to take it off! And then, the downfall- the shade of blue it comes in looks very purple. Also, it comes with a black belt. Something about the purplish/blue and black combo didn't work, and it needs that belt. I felt very close to changing my whole color scheme just for the dress to work, but then realized that was stupid. There are plenty of bridesmaid dresses out there, and we still had one more to try on.

Image via David's Bridal

The last dress looked great on the girls, but after the Vera Wang it was hard to live up to. We added a belt and it really spruced up the whole look. I decided that with a belt the second dress could work fine. It comes in a great peacock hue (the exact color I was searching high and low for) and is a style the girls can wear again and again. Plus, even though the Vera Wang dress was loved by all, I have a nagging feeling that I will look back at pictures one day and wonder what hallucinogen we were on when we picked out the thing. Even though I love it now, I have a feeling it will have the same cringe effect in 10 years that bridesmaid dresses of the 80s give us now.

Image via Splendora

So now we're down to two. It's either the flowy strapless dress in various shades of blue or the David's Bridal peacock dress with a belt. I'm waiting for the epiphany lightbulb moment since we have some time. I'm sure that some time will turn into MAKE A DECISION time before I know it.

Was your bridesmaid dress decision a struggle to decide on, or was it a simple solution?

Rehearsal Redo

Image via Phillippe-Nicolas.com

Here’s a not-so-shocking secret about most New Yorkers: we are food SNOBS.

New York is full of so much good food. When you grow up/live here you tend to develop high expectations for what you eat. Even some of our little take-out shops and food stands have some great quality eats. And don’t get me started on the two things you can NEVER convince me to eat in other states: pizza and bagels.

After we booked our venue Mr. Porcupine's parents were set on finding a good rehearsal dinner spot. Being huge foodies and wine enthusiasts themselves (and former New Yorkers) food and drink are a big deal to them. We knew we would have a fairly large rehearsal dinner, because besides for our 16-person wedding party (plus guests) and immediate family, we want to include many of the out-of-towners who would be coming in the night before the big day.

Although Lancaster, PA has a great arts scene and some neat little spots, the future in-laws said it isn't exactly known for its cuisine. One night, during a visit to Mr. Porcupine's hometown, we stopped for dinner at El Serrano, Mr. Porcupine's favorite restaurant as a kid. After some delicious enchiladas and a sangrita (margarita/sangria mix) or two... or three, I was raving about the place. Mr. Porcupine's parents let us know that they have a Lancaster location as well. It was perfect.

I was immediately sold on the idea of a fiesta themed rehearsal dinner. Mr. Porcupine and I love Mexican food, sangria, and margaritas. So, the next week, Mr. Porcupine's parents called up the Lancaster location to get information on throwing the rehearsal there. Bad news... their party room was too small. Bummer. My margarita was thrown out the window.

Onto Plan B. The next time we visited Pennsylvania Mr. Porcupine's parents wanted us to go to dinner with them at an Italian place, Rosa Rosa, right near Riverdale Manor. I am not going to lie, I was skeptical -what would Italian food taste like in Amish country? Having grown up with many Italian best friends, I have eaten far more Italian home-cooked meals than any little Jewish girl normally would (yanno, unless they have a lot of Italian friends as well). I am very picky about my Italian, and have a deep rooted hatred for chain-Italian places. I was not convinced this would be it.

Turns out I was being a judgemental jerk. When we entered the restaurant I immediately loved how unique it looked. 

Photos via Rosa Rosa Lancaster

And, better yet, as we went down the menu, everything sounded delicious. We ordered a bunch of different appetizers and dishes to try. Everything from the antipasto plate to the al dente pasta was impressive and delicious! We met with the owner, and learned he was from Italy and carrying on his family business that started as a pizzeria down the road. He was nice and helpful, and we decided to book it right then.

Cue to a few days ago. I google Rosa Rosa and see that THEY ARE CLOSED! They went out of business in July! No one contacted my future in-laws. Thank goodness I happened to check their site. We still have plenty of time to find a new place so I'm not freaking out (yet). Imagine if this would have happened a month or two before the wedding? With our big group it would have been tough to find a place in a hurry.

Was your rehearsal dinner a bigger pain than anticipated? Did any vendors up and go out of business without a word?

I Kid! I Kid!

Image via Video Gum

Remember that dog?

But I digress. This post is not about Triumph the Insult Comic dog or lines from Eminem’s raps. It is about legit kids.

When it came to deciding if we wanted a kid-free or kid-attended wedding it was a no-brainer for us. It was a definite yes to kids. There were only three kids that would need to be invited when we made the guest list. But, most of all, Mr. Porcupine and I LOVE kids. We can’t wait to have our own one day, one day in the FUTURE, thanks. Until then I like to encourage other people around me to have babies so that I can babysit, and also so that I can have them looking cute at my wedding (although with only 7 months to go now, I guess that wouldn’t work out).

I am so glad that Mr. Porcupine's side of the family has little kids, because my family hasn’t had little ones running around in a long time. Mr. Porcupine's two little cousins will be our flower girls, and his male little cousin will be the ring bearer.

As if having a three-kid-bridal-party wasn’t cute enough for me, it turns out that we are going to be an Aunt and Uncle! Mr. Porcupine's brother and sister-in-law are expecting, and the little guy will be 3 months by the time the wedding rolls around. This immediately brought me to dreams of babies in wagons (the ring bearer and flower girls range in age from 5-7 so I don't think they'd appreciate a wagon ride down the aisle).

Image via Libby James Blog / Photo by Sweet Caroline Photo

Photo by Flying Photography

Although the new little guy might be too teeny tiny for my wagon dreams, I can not wait for the adorable photos to be had.

Photo by Klose Photography

Image via Style Me Pretty / Photo by Kristin Vining Photography

Photo by Leslie Gilbert Photography

Having kids at your wedding isn't for everyone, but it works for us. We love visiting Mr. Porcupine's little cousins, and we're excited for them to take part in our day. We’re also really lucky that our venue is attached to a house. If they get tired or cranky they can go in the bride or groom dressing room to play games and nap. We still haven't decided if a babysitter is necessary. Since the kids attending the wedding live pretty far from most of Mr. Porcupine's family; I know there will be aunts, uncles, grandmas, and family friends willing to switch off supervising the kids throughout the night.

For some, kids are just an added headache, but we can't wait for them to take part in our big day.

Were kids at your wedding a must-have or a no-no?

Bridesmaid Blues

I am having the bridesmaid blues... literally & figuratively it seems.

On top of being really picky about bridesmaid dresses (nothing stands out to me), I can not find the right shade of blue on the right dress. Yes, this sounds ridiculous, but here’s my problem.

On the rare occasion a designer has the right blue, they do not have it available in a dress I like. Most designers go with the standard royal, navy, teal, and baby blue. Those aren't really my colors. I want deep blue and deep green. Navy can work, but I’m not ready to settle on navy yet. I have hope.


One Friday afternoon, on a glorious 1/2 day summer Friday, a few of my bridesmaids who were also free (aka the teachers, nurse, and student) met up at RK Bridal in the city. We looked through the racks and I picked a few dresses that I had already spotted online, and also let the girls pick out what they liked as long as it stuck with the overall look I was going for.

I had previously thought my solution was found with Wtoo's sapphire/emerald combo. I loved the colors together, and although it is simple, I thought it had a unique look to it. The first bridesmaid dress fail, however, was seeing my very favorite dress from the interwebs off the rack. Apparently I forgot how different online vs. real life can be.

Photo via Wtoo 

Although it looks flowy and simple the fabric is THICK. It looked awkward and, honestly, really cheaply made (and the dress isn’t even cheap!). Sorry, Wtoo, just not my thing. The setback was a huge bummer because the dress comes in the EXACT shades of blue/green I have envisioned for my wedding colors.

Next up was a simple Bill Levkoff dress that I loved the shape of. But, when I saw the color choices I was a little disappointed. 

Photos via Bill Levkoff

Since the dress can only come in one tone, and I want to incorporate both blue and green, I would have liked for my maid of honor to wear the green and the bridesmaids to wear the blue. The only colors close enough to what I wanted were navy and sage. Although I really like the way they look online, the shades look really different in person. The navy is extremely dark, almost black, in person. And, the sage looked a little dull. Once again I was reminded why you should not go off of an image on a website. It is so important to see the product in a store!

The next dress caught my eye as the girls were in and out of four different dressing rooms in a multitude of dresses.

Photo via Wtoo

I loved that this dress would let me incorporate just a hint of green. Ideally I want the main color to be blue with just a green accent. Watching far too many seasons of David Tutera has made me fear green. For those who don't know, David Tutera HATES green in weddings. He has some deep rooted problem with Kermit's hue. His facial expression alone when a bride brings up green makes me want to change my whole color scheme. Do not displease the Tutera, he is all knowing!

Photo via David Tutera

The dress was cute, but it wasn't a favorite among the bridesmaids. Everyone preferred the one tone Bill Levkoff. The Bill Levkoff did lay a little better, however the girls didn't try the dress on in the right size. The store only had one sample size that had probably been pulled on and off 900 times. I still felt it had great potential to look good fresh from the manufacturer. But, I'm really big on wanting my bridesmaids to look great. I'm not one of those brides who says, "suck it up and wear it." If a girl doesn't like how a dress looks on her it's definitely going to reflect in the pictures and in-person.

After an hour or two of try-on no one was ready to pull the "buy it trigger." Nothing WOWed me, and even though I'm not sure if you WOW at a bridesmaid dress, I don't want to end up with that nagging feeling of "ehhh, maybe we should have kept looking."

The search would have to continue.

Has bridesmaid dress shopping been smooth sailing or a battle for you? 

Wedding funkalunk

I’ve been in a real wedding funk lately. Now that most of our vendors are booked, it’s time for the details. And, honestly, this is stressing me out more than anything. There are so many little things to decide on/iron out (song choices, place cards, guest book, favors, etc). And, most importantly of the detail woes, we have to somehow find the time with our insane, busy schedules (plus the future hubs’ annoying work schedule) to make a trip down to PA so that I can test out hair salons, and we can do a menu tasting.

The tasting has been a huge source of annoyance for me. Our caterer/venue requires the menu choice for each guest to be decided upon before the wedding. This means I can’t order my invitations without knowing what to tell the guests the menu options are. I could, in theory, order the invitations and get the menu card inserts later, but I live in pointless fear that the invitation I choose will get discontinued leaving me without matching menu inserts (I know, I know… the “horror”).



My hair/makeup trial has been my biggest concern. Finding a salon in a place where I don’t live has made me feel sick to my stomach. My problem is, I have BIG HAIR that many people can’t style well. I also have a large wedding party (plus moms, aunts, etc), so I need to find an affordable salon that can handle 12 or more women’s hair/makeup needs the day of the wedding. I have found that a lot of the salons in the area are pricey (as in more expensive then what I pay for a NYC haircut) and tiny!

On top of all this I have two very good friends getting married in the next few months. I find myself more excited for their weddings. The idea of just going to a wedding and having fun without having to worry about how I look, how much the guests are enjoying the day, if things are going to fall through the cracks, is much more appealing to me then dealing with my own wedding.

I know it will all come together, but right now it just makes me want to go sit on my couch and watch "Jail."

Has anyone else hit the wedding funk?

Bridezilla Blasphemy

I want one of these via zazzle

When my closest group of girlfriends and I were in college, you could say we were a little too preoccupied to have healthy relationships. We were good students, but we were also heavily engrossed in our sorority and college life. That meant there was a lot of bar nights, mixers, greek week events, homecoming parties, philanthropy work, and overall foolery. Throughout those four years someone would occasionally date someone, but we were all sort of united in our singleness and had a great time through college. I don’t regret a single moment (okay, maybe a moment or two… three tops!)

When college started to grind to a halt, as we all had our “I’ll never let go, Jack” moments, and clung to our last few months, weeks, and days of the college bubble we began to couple off. I started dating Mr. Porcupine two months before graduation. Then, one of my close girlfriends, now a bridesmaid too, coupled off. Two more girls met their fiancés at their first job a few months post graduation. A sorority sister, older then my core group of girlfriends, started the wedding train followed by a few other girls we knew but weren’t exactly close to any longer.

Even though it was a gradual process it felt like a ton of bricks hit us in the face, screaming the whole way “You ain’t kids anymore. You’re all about to be wives!” Even those that aren't engaged (yet) are living with their boyfriends, so it really has been a huge upheaval from our old lives.

As my wedding approaches I will have two weddings to attend a few months prior. After my wedding I will have three more weddings to attend in that same year, one of which I will be a bridesmaid in. This has really allowed me to put things into perspective, and be everything opposite of a bridezilla (seriously, I have said I don’t really care more then any normal bride probably should). Time hasn’t been leading up to “MY DAY.” It has been leading up to a helluva a lot of peoples’ days.

The timing of the wedding palooza over the past few years has really led me to dislike the bridezilla type. The type who thinks it’s all about "HER DAY." As a whole, the day is just a day, and really it’s about an "US." You’re not marrying yourself. On top of that, your guests and bridal party are a part of the day too. Getting mean, obsessive, dismissive, and thoughtless during the planning time because it’s “your” day has never made sense to me.

Are you planning a day where you will be standing in a room alone, cutting cake, and tossing your bouquet off into an empty room? And when the day is over, do you want everyone to celebrate that it's FINALLY over or that it happened?

Have you dealt with any bridezillas and survived to tell the tale? Ever feel yourself morphing into the dreaded "B" word?

Guest Lists cause homicidal rage part 2

Just when I thought it was over…. the guest list monster has returned.

When I first created my guest list it seemed like a painfully daunting task. Not going to lie: it really was. My mother, ever so old-fashioned, decided it was easier for her to HANDWRITE the list. On top of this, there were some spelling mishaps and a few incomplete addresses. After I ironed that out, typed it up, and looked sadly at my design of the spreadsheet; I started copy/pasting Mr. Porcupine's guests into it as well. His mother had sent me her list in Word and it wasn’t flowing right with the Excel grid from hell I had created. I should have stopped right there and reformatted the whole darn thing. But instead I like to dig myself into ditches.

The whole task made me crazy and when it was over I figured I would go back at a later time and reformat. Unfortunately, my human eye made many the typo, and about 5 save the dates came back to us. Like an idiot, since we were mid-move and I was flustered, I just texted friends to get their address corrections and sent those off WITHOUT updating my guest list. Then Mr. Porcupine e-mailed me his family’s corrected addresses, but somehow those never got typed into the guest list. It took almost 2 months after we moved in for me to send those puppies out.


In my defense it was a hectic time! We were moving and I needed to find new envelope replacements! In my idiocy, it wasn’t THAT hectic. I could have broken out the laptop and updated the list quickly. But I had other priorities like packing crap and then unpacking crap. This is all the crap's fault, really.

Don't be stupid like me! Stay on top of your guest list, because just thinking about fixing this thing up is making me want to go toast some bagels instead.

Anyone have an award winning formula to make a guest list? Ever wish you could just send out a facebook wedding invite (and tell facebook-less grandma via phone when this shinding's happening)?

Say Cheese!

Image via wallspool.com

Photography became one of the most important things to me when we began planning our wedding. I can’t take a good picture to save my life (does catching people in compromising moments count as a good photographer?), but I have always appreciated people who can. Having the talent to figure out the right angle, lighting, zoom, shutter speed, etc. has always been really interesting to me. And, when it’s all said and done, the photos will be the only thing I have to fully remember the wedding by (because let’s be honest, my memory can barely hold onto what I need to pick up at the grocery store.)

After finding a great venue, I searched through a list of preferred vendors on their site. I matched their list up with photographers who won “Best of” on the Knot, and scoured their websites and photo blogs for an idea on their styles. It didn’t take me long to realize I love photojournalistic style pictures. I’ll need to take a few standard photos for the sake of memories, parents' preferences, and tradition, but I want the bulk of my pictures to be completely random and non-posed (I think I just made up that word).

Since Mr. Porcupine and I were proactive and booked all our vendors early the two photographers we had the chance to met with had our dates available. Although I had planned to meet with a few more photographers I decided I was done after meeting with one photographer in particular who I had blog-stalked for months. She has a great eye for catching little moments, and we really clicked with her personality. This is one of the most important things when choosing a photographer. If someone rubs you the wrong way the last thing you want to do is SAY CHEESE!

We were even more persuaded when the price was right. We were able to make the package price fit into our budget after skimping on extras like lifetime portraits and an engagement session, which I didn't particularly want to do. Plus, as a bonus, she has shot our venue A LOT so she knows the ins and outs of where to get the best shots.

*All photos via Klose Photography's awesome blog*

 At our venue

Where our ceremony will be held

Was choosing your photographer a no brainer, too? Am I the only bride out there blog stalking for pictures of my venue?

Chocolate Centerpieces .... or not

When it came to flowers, there was a lot of this:

Via Flickr

I am not a flowery person. I don’t really know what that means, except although I think they look pretty, I'd rather have me some chocolate. However, chocolate centerpieces (although sounding fabulous right now), will just get eaten and/or melty, and don't really go with our whole country-chic/peacock look.

Basically we want the wedding to have a rustic/natural look. While stalking out potential photographers (yes, I stalk photographer blogs for pictures of my venue…. ) I would google the sourced florists whenever I saw floral arrangements I liked. We want less flowers and more branches.  And, nothing too traditional or expected (like roses).

Via Elizabeth Anne Designs Flowers by Petunia Flowers Photo by Alex Rodriguez Photography

Via Elizabeth Anne Designs Photo by Hilton Pittman Photography

Image via The Knot Photo by Lauren Grabelle Photography, Eatontown

I wanted to book the florist earlier than “normal” on one of our PA trips just to be DONE with it. I was only able to make two florist appointments when we went down to PA a few months ago, but I figured that was a good start. It turned out to be all we needed, because unlike most brides who spout out flowers they must have, I was more “uhhhhh, sure sounds cool.”

The first florist was sweet, but kept pestering me for the types of flowers I wanted. This was after I was completely honest up front. I told her I know little to nothing about flowers, want branches with some blooms, and a rustic/candle look. I also told her that I wanted flowers in greens/blues and a few peacock feathers strewn into the bouquets. I was disappointed that during the appointment she seemed confused by the array of photos I showed her, and kept spitting out flower names like delphinium and viburnum, which meant nothing to me. I know the word rose, tulip, and daisy, lady. Hence my need for your services. I left feeling a bit confused and without a quote, which she said she would email to me in a few weeks.

Our next appointment was on Sunday, on our way back to NYC. It started off badly- the florist/shop owner was almost a half an hour late. But, she quickly explained, as she drove up like a mad woman, that she had a last minute funeral delivery to make and no free deliverymen available (they were all busy doing wedding flower deliveries that morning) It's true, I guess you can't really plan for a funeral order. And, stupidity got the best of me when I made the appointment, and I had not left my cell number.

The appointment got off to a great start. She took out little flower “flip books,” and as she listened to our ideas she would show us different flowers she could use in the arrangements. She pulled out vases and branches; suggested candles and table arrangements; and very clearly understood our vision. After a quick write-up in her office she handed us a quote (which fit perfectly into our budget), and told us we could always change things to make it more affordable. She made it simple, she was knowledgable, and she had great ideas.  If a vendor has those three qualities I'm easy to please.

I gladly checked that to-do off my list (my mental list that is, since I have failed to compile a written or typed list).

Were flowers a hard choice for you or the least of your worries?

Let them eat.... cake?

Image via Martha Stewart Weddings

I learned something exciting and new when planning my wedding. It’s a secret MATHZ equation that apparently is a well hidden secret in the wedding industry. It goes something like this: Flour + Eggs(Sugar/Milk) = GOLD!Wedding cakes are REDIC expensive kids!

I was shocked and appalled when I learned that if you’re having a 150 person wedding your wedding cake is not going to be under 1k, unless you pick up some Entenmanns from Shop Rite. And, believe me, I tried really hard to find some cheaper cake options. I priced cakes at popular bakeries, semi-popular bakeries, and a few new start-up ones, and guess what?: they were all A LOT A LOT OF DOLLAS! And, I don’t even like cake! It was the least of my concerns. I usually completely forget to eat the cake at weddings, or am too full to bother with it.

Finally, the little light bulb in the recesses of my brain lit up. A cake bar! I like bars! I like options! What if we just bought NORMAL cakes (that aren't equal to the price of gold) and one teeny “traditional top tier” cake for our cake cutting, and lay them out in a buffet/bar type arrangement. And, then add in some cute signs to go with it, like Love is Sweet & Let them eat Cake!

Image via Elizabeth Anne Designs Photo by Marlin & Marlene Munoz

Image via Elizabeth Anne Designs Photo by Thayer Photo

Image via The Funky Shack via Etsy 

It soon dawned on me that this was the perfect solution for the wedding. Especially since I don't even care about the cake. I'd rather eat a chicken parm hero then a slice of cake any day.

After a yummy tasting we picked our baker, made a consultation appointment that my future mother-in-law was nice enough to attend since only Monday appointments were an option (and taking a vacation day for cake didn't seem smart), and placed the order. 

Personal photo of the delicious cake options at Providence Bakery

Did you take a less traditional approach to something in your wedding without even meaning to?