The Secret To Making Your Wedding Cake Dazzle On The Special Day

by Pat Lock


After the wedding dress, probably the wedding cake is one aspect of the wedding to which the bride gives most thought. And yet it is often left to others to make important decisions about the cake.
Hours will have been spent discussing the size and shape of the cake, and dozens of different designs looked at. But think about how the cake will be displayed at the wedding reception - a magnificent cake which has taken weeks to decorate can sometimes scarcely be seen.
In the past wedding cakes were always placed on the main table, right in front of the bride and groom. This gave the guests a good view of the cake, but many of them could hardly see the happy couple!
Although it is usual for the bride to cut the cake at the end of the meal, there is an alternative solution. If the cake is displayed in the reception area (where the bride and groom mingle with guests after their wedding ceremony) rather than in the room where the meal takes place, there are some advantages. Firstly, it gives guests time and space to have a close look at the cake. And, if the bride cuts the cake at this stage, the caterers have more time to slice it into sections, before handing it out after the meal.
Always make sure that the tablecloth on which the wedding cake stands is smooth. So many photographs show a beautiful cake standing on a crumpled cloth! Photographs of the cake will show up well if the table is against a plain background. Make sure the table is firm, large enough, and not likely to move if knocked. Banqueting cloth is a stiff embossed paper, ideal for covering wedding tables, and can be pinned in place - making sure the material reaches the floor. Swathes of soft material draped around the table always looks pretty. Choose a colour that blends in both with the cake, and with the general colour scheme.
Cakes always have more impact when they are raised from the surface. White, silver or gold stands can be hired. The shape of the stand should reflect the shape of the cake - a round stand for round cake. If costs have to be kept to a minimum, there is often something around the house that can be used. Or failing that, position plate under (and slightly smaller than) the cake board. The space beneath the board makes the cake appear larger.
Lighting is another important feature. The ideal solution is to have spotlights directed on the cake. Failing this if electric points are close (and the leads can be hidden) perhaps a hidden table light can be used to.
Depending upon the design of the wedding cake, decorating the table with flowers can give it an added attraction. A garland of fresh flowers around the table may look beautiful, but would use dozens of flowers and take some time to make. Consider bunches of flowers at intervals - perhaps positioned at the top of a drape. Or curves of greenery around the table. Ivy is pretty, especially the variegated type, but unless using small lengths, the leaves are often sparse. Sprays of the small leaved bush,
About the Author
Pat Lock is a cake decorating expert with over 25 years experience who runs the excellent Cake-Decorating-Tips.com website. She has won awards at the prestigious international competition at Hotel Olympia, London and is also an accomplished author.

Thanks to Pat Lock for this article.

Free Wedding Speech Samples

by Jo Mazak


Free Wedding Speech Samples
If you've been asked to give a speech at a wedding and you're in panic mode right now because you have no idea what to say, and absolutely no idea how you're going to even be able to get up and have your say, don't worry, you're one of the many people who are in that same plight right about now. To counter this teensy problem, there are places where you can get free wedding speech samples to help you on your way.
These free wedding speech samples can be found in many places, but the most proliferate of these, is to be found on the internet. A small search will yield many results on free wedding speech samples, and you can use these as a suitable jumping off point for your own speech. And when you're done, you can help another such panic stricken person as you, by posting your own wedding speech onto one of these sites.
This way, the same old speeches don't do the rounds as there will be more and more new material filtering through to the masses. And you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you also contributed to the growing number of free wedding speech samples on the internet, and that someone else in the same boat as you are right now, might have found it to be highly useful.
That aside though, you will find that the internet is a great source to find a staggeringly large number of free wedding speech samples, and with a little bit of luck - and perseverance - you will be able to find from amongst the many free wedding speech samples, something that touches off a chord in your writer's soul, and which will prompt you to write the best wedding speech ever.
Barring that, you can always use these free wedding speech samples as a great blueprint to writing a wedding speech. Think of it in the terms of a witch's brew. A little bit from here, a joke or two from there, and sprinkling of seriousness from your heart, and voila! You have a homegrown wedding speech that fits the bill perfectly.
Of course you need to be careful when writing a wedding speech using these free wedding speech samples. It can become all too easy to become mired in them and lose the feeling of what you really want to say. It can become all too easy to use flowery language that you don't normally use, and to use jokes and things which aren't really in your normal repertoire.
The best thing you can do is to first get down the relevant points that you want to say in your wedding speech, and then use these free wedding speech samples to help you say it properly. They can give you the much needed insight into how to compose the speech in a manner that will not only be entertaining but which will also be interesting to all concerned.
About the Author
Discover the secret to amazing wedding speeches by signing up for a FREE 5-Part mini lesson here at Free Wedding Speech!

Thanks to Jo Mazak for this article.

Free Wedding Toast

by Jo Mazak


Free Wedding Toast
Contrary to popular belief that there is no such thing as "free", with the spawn of the internet, many things are available "free". Of course, not all of these things are worth much, and in some cases you get exactly what you paid for - nothing. But in the case of the many different websites and people offering you the use of free wedding toast ideas, you will find that most of the time you have hit a gold mine.
Of course, these are free for a number of reasons which we won't get into now, but suffice it to say that with a little bit of judicious searching, you will be able to find the perfect free wedding toast to suit the occasion perfectly. Of course, as these are free, and many other people might have had the same thought as you, you might also want to keep another free wedding toast (or two) up your sleeve, just in case.
That way, if someone beats you to the punch and gets in your favorite free wedding toast, you can always resort to using one of the other ones which you have. Then again, you might find that a free wedding toast just isn't your cup of tea. You might instead be tempted to change and combine a few of these to make a really good wedding toast, that other guests will most definitely not have waiting in the sidelines to trump you.
Remember, these sayings and toasts are free for a reason. They are tried and true, and just about everyone in the world knows about them, or has heard of them at some point in time. This is the reason they are free. There is no copyright license on many of the free wedding toast and quotes because no one knows for certain exactly where they originated from.
In fact some of them come down from the times of antiquity and most definitely the owner has long since given up right to these. In fact, they have also changed so much in the retelling, with so many personal twists and tales, that they might be unrecognizable from the original.
Whatever it is, and whatever free wedding toast you use, don't forget to make it personal. It might be a toast and not a speech that you are giving, but that doesn't make it any less important in the eyes of the bridal couple, and for this reason alone you need to make it special, to suit the special occasion.
About the Author
Discover the secret to amazing wedding speeches by signing up for a FREE 5-Part mini lesson here at Free Wedding Speech!

Thanks to Jo Mazak for this article.

Irish Wedding Blessing

by Jo Mazak


Irish Wedding Blessing
A wedding of any sort is not complete without someone giving wedding blessings, and with the diversity of people around the world, you can find a number of wedding blessings from different cultures coming to the fore. One such favored type of wedding blessing is that of an Irish wedding blessing.
Maybe it is the humor, or may be it is the sentimentality, it could even be the beautiful language in which these blessings are spoken, but more and more you can find at least one Irish wedding blessing being spoken at a wedding. And you can be guaranteed that it doesn't become old and repetitious. These sayings are long lived already, and they seem set to become immortalized in the annals of human history.
The reason for this is of course, that a traditional Irish wedding blessing is so elegant, and so evocative, that it has become timeless. Many are the times that you will hear an Irish wedding blessing at a wedding and many are the times when you can look around and find a tear or two in the eyes of someone when such a blessing is given.
A good example of an Irish wedding blessing is "May you both live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live." Another good example is, "May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies and quick to make friends."
And this is only the beginning. There are yet other great examples of a good Irish wedding blessing to be found, and if you look in the right places, you will find many of these sayings amassed in one place, such as in an Irish wedding blessing book, which contains numerous of these sayings. Or you can even find them on the internet.
There are many Irish communities living outside their beloved homeland who get together, and the internet is one good way to find not only these people, but also to find a few hundred different Irish wedding blessings.
The two mentioned above are very short, and sweet. They are used often, as are other blessings, but this has to be an all time favorite Irish wedding blessing. It goes something along the lines of, "On this special day, our wish to you, The goodness of the old, the best of the new. God bless you both who drink this mead, may it always fill your every need. - Sl�inte!"
About the Author
Discover the secret to amazing wedding speeches by signing up for a FREE 5-Part mini lesson here at Free Wedding Speech!

Thanks to Jo Mazak for this article.

Irish Wedding Toasts

by Jo Mazak


Irish Wedding Toasts
Irish wedding toasts are becoming more and more the norm these days. Not because it is only Irish couples getting married, but because many people have finally seen the timeless elegance and beauty of traditional (and even non traditional) Irish wedding toasts.
It is not unusual to hear a "Sl�inte!" (meaning good health and pronounced something like "Slawn-tche"), at a wedding these days. In fact it has become so popular that you will even hear some of the guests replying kind - even if they aren't Irish.
Some examples of good Irish wedding toasts are, "May the light of friendship guide your paths together, may the laughter of children grace the halls of your home, and may the joy of living for one another trip a smile from your lips, a twinkle from your eye."
You can also have something along the lines of, "May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies, quick to make friends. But rich or poor, slow or quick, may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward."
There are other good Irish wedding toasts to be found, such as, "May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more. And may nothing but happiness come through your door."
This is a twist on one of the more often heard Irish wedding toasts, "In your life I hope you do four things: lie, steal, cheat and drink. When you lie, do it to save a friend, when you steal, steal someone's heart. When you cheat, cheat death, and when you drink, drink with me."
The traditional version of this toast goes along the lines of, "There are four things in life that you must never do: lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love, If you must steal, steal away from bad company, If you must cheat, cheat death, And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away."
One of the best Irish wedding toasts though is this very traditional one where the bride and the groom give the toast, and the guests reply to it. "Friends and relatives so fond and dear, 'tis our greatest pleasure to have you here. When many years this day has passed, fondest memories will always last. So we drink a cup of this Irish mead and ask God's blessing in your hour of need."
The response to this very traditional of Irish wedding toasts, goes along the lines of, "On this special day, our wish to you, the goodness of the old, and the best of the new. May God bless you both who drink this mead, may it always fill your every need."
About the Author
Discover the secret to amazing wedding speeches by signing up for a FREE 5-Part mini lesson here at Free Wedding Speech!

Thanks to Jo Mazak for this article.

Jewish Wedding Speeches

by Jo Mazak


Jewish Wedding Speeches
A wedding is a wedding is a wedding, right? Wrong. Every wedding is special on its own right, and every wedding day is special to the couple getting married. But if all weddings are different does this mean that all wedding speeches are also different? For instance, would Jewish wedding speeches be any different from traditional Christian wedding speeches?
And what about the rest of the world - do speeches given at any of these weddings differ, from the above mentioned Jewish wedding speeches et al? The answer, in many cases would be an unthinking, and emphatic "Yes!" If however, deeper thought is given, you can't help but notice that although each and every one of these special occasions as well as speeches given, are different, they are also essentially the same.
This means that if you listen very closely to an Irish wedding speech, and compare it with some of the more traditional wedding speeches as well as with Jewish wedding speeches, you will find distinct similarities between them. The core sentiment of the speech remains the same: to wish the bride and groom joy in their life, now and forever more.
The difference then, lies not in the sentiment that is expressed in the wedding speeches, but in the religious, and cultural doctrine that will be an essential part of any wedding. Even in weddings with no particular religious slant whatsoever, you will find that wedding speeches given, reflect this tone of spirit.
So if you have been chosen to honor and celebrate with the happy couple by giving a speech, you have no need to panic, right? After all, at heart all wedding speeches are the same, and you might as well use the same speech you used two years earlier for your sister's wedding. But wait, this time you are attending a Jewish wedding.
This means that you will in all probability have to bone up on your Jewish wedding speeches instead of using an earlier speech. Since there are some very specific traditions inherent in a Jewish wedding, you will need to make sure that you are familiar with the various ins and outs of it.
This way, if you need to, you can even make changes, off the cuff so to speak, and not have to worry if you have somehow managed to say the wrong thing!
But really, Jewish wedding speeches are more or less a reaffirmation of the love the bride and groom feel for each other, the joy you feel in being a part of this special occasion, and a blessing or a wish for the continued happiness of the bride and the groom. Kind of like any other wedding speech, isn't it?
About the Author
Discover the secret to amazing wedding speeches by signing up for a FREE 5-Part mini lesson here at Free Wedding Speech!

Thanks to Jo Mazak for this article.

Jewish Wedding Toasts

by Jo Mazak


Jewish Wedding Toasts
Irish wedding toasts, Jewish wedding toasts, traditional wedding toasts. Why are they different and why do you find that more and more, they are cropping up in different weddings, Jewish, Irish or with a traditional slant? The reason for this is simple enough and is explained by two words: global village.
That's right, the world is becoming a smaller place, and for this reason alone you will find Jewish wedding toasts cropping up in traditional weddings with not a Jewish bone in its body, and Irish wedding toasts cropping up not only at weddings, but also in popular culture such as books and movies.
To give a toast however, is no simple thing. Not everyone is comfortable with standing up in front of a gathered crowd of wedding guests and giving a toast. In fact many people will do just about everything that they can to not have to face the moment, stand up, get the attention of a whole room full of people, and have their say.
And if indeed they manage the miraculous feat of doing all of this, they might find themselves without a clear memory of what exactly it was that they said! This happens to most everyone who dreads public speaking. But sometimes a person might feel more pressured to deliver a good toast if they are well known by friends and family of the bridal couple, and this can cause problems.
If you know that you might be called upon to give a wedding toast, you might want to become familiar with a few wedding toasts, so that if ever the need arises you too can rise admirably and calmly to the occasion. To this end, you might want to take a look at a few Irish wedding toasts, traditional wedding toasts, and even some Jewish wedding toasts.
These can all come in handy when you least expect it to, and with at least one wedding toast of each type in your mind, you should have no worries on whether or not you can give a rousing good wedding toast.
Just remember that you are giving a wedding toast and not a wedding speech, so keep it short and simple. This is an especially good idea if you know that you are a poor public speaker.
But in truth whether you are at a Jewish wedding listening to or giving Jewish wedding toasts, or whether you are at an Hindu wedding, or whether you are attending your sister's traditional white and orange blossomed wedding, you will find that the sentiments are the same, and that the toasts themselves all want only the same thing for the bride and the groom: long life and happiness.
About the Author
Discover the secret to amazing wedding speeches by signing up for a FREE 5-Part mini lesson here at Free Wedding Speech!

Thanks to Jo Mazak for this article.