D is for Dad

Oh we know, the obvious one was 'Dress', but how could we presume to blog about such a personal choice? Our advice? Go with your instincts and choose the one that makes someone cry - in a good way, obviously. See, not particularly groundbreaking , which is why we went for Dad!

Now Dads are great, but their greatness is often a double-edged sword. They're great in those hero-rescuer-protector-entertainer-first love kind of ways. But they are also great in their very own 'Dad' ways - great sense of fashion, humour, fairplay, propriety and duty, all of which are inevitably unique to the individual Dad, thus proving slightly troublesome to the bride-to-be. Does your Dad think his caramel-brown 'best' suit that has been lingering at the back of the walk-in for fifteen years will 'do for one last outing'? Is he spending hours honing jokes for his speech that come from the book that must be handed out at the birth of your first child, because only daddies tell them and only daddies laugh at them? Is he refusing to acknowledge that you're a big girl and still making your groom sleep in the spare room? Ah, the perils of trying to get Dad to fall in line on the big day.

But do you know what? And we're risking a sniffle here... we hope you cherish every awkward, indulgent, stubborn, erratic, wonderful moment of trying to shoehorn your Dad into your plans. Because no matter if he has to wear a corset to do up the suit he claims still fits, or his jokes fall flat while he sips a few too many bubbles, or he insists on having a 'serious talk' with your husband-to-be the night before the wedding, he's your Dad, and that moment when he catches his first glimpse of you in your dress and sees his five year-old, gap-toothed, grinning girl all grown up...well, that moment will be worth it.

Illustries' Emma wasn't lucky enough to have that moment as her Dad took the somewhat dramatic step of passing away a few months before the wedding just to avoid fitting in. He was sorely missed, but she knew he would have wanted the show to go on so she bucked herself up and drafted in plenty of support - Mum, to give her away, sisters, to give a speech. And they were perfect, of course. Just not him.

So, cherish your Dad and all his foibles, embrace his eccentricities, celebrate his sentmentality, and just jettison his jokes. Because when you look back, we think what you'll remember is how reassuring that arm felt as you begin your walk to your new husband - not the fact that it was covered in scratchy caramel nylon...

Pretty in Pink

We're putting the finishing touches to Mel & Andy's CELEB magazine this week, and we think it is looking fab-u-lous! Although the magazine doesn't use colour as a design element, as we do in all our other formats, the juicy raspberry pink Melanie selected is looking great in the spreads. Can't wait to get this one to print!

C is for
Cake

Of course! We love cake, surely it's everyone's favourite part of the day? But is it a fleeting moment, spending the proverbial moment on the lips? Or is it an essential element of the ever more personalised perfect day?

We think it can be a little of both. We're pretty sure that if you handed round some mighty fine plain old victoria sandwich everyone would be delighted (the best we ever tasted was Mrs Bou's, which we were lucky enough to sample at the Vintage Wedding Fair in Leamington Spa), and even if you skipped the tradition, we're certain no-one would be discussing it come Monday morning.

But if you've a particular theme in mind, a passion for a certain shade or you're just dead keen on death-by-chocolate, then the cake can be a real centrepiece, bringing everything together in one fabulous confection. Our Emma had a beautiful custom-dyed collection of chocolate pots for her bash (see the ladies inspecting the creation below, we think shock and awe best describes their reaction). The cake sat in the middle of the dance floor; a towering embodiment of teal and gold, echoed in the table decorations all around (it was yummy too, thanks Slattery's of Manchester!). It wasn't happy to be moved for the dancing, but hey, we couldn't let it have everything its own way.

Another of our brides, the lovely Bec, had a family friend craft fruit-choc-sponge extravaganzas that summed up her summery day in fondant. Daisies and sunflowers everywhere, with big cakes and cupcakes to keep everyone happy, Beautiful, and set at the centre of their relaxed buffet, it kept the whole summer fete feeling going.

So, whether it's a budget blowing Maisie Fantaisie (so beautiful), a fashion-forward Peggy Porschen (divine) or something a little more funky like the cake pops from Rhubarb&Rose (we want to get married all over again for these alone), we think the cake will be as important as you let it be (they're demanding, these cakes, they want to be centre of attention all the time, you've got to make sure you put them fimly in their place).
We are sure there are hundreds of fab cake makers out there, but these are a few that we think are gorgeous:

http://www.slatterys.co.uk/%22%3Ehttp://www.slatterys.co.uk/%3C/a- everything from choc to completely custom

http://www.rhubarbandrose.co.uk/ - beautiful cake pops and cup cakes for something different (DIY tips via the blog, too! rhubarbandrose.blogspot.com)

http://www.restorationcake.co.uk/ - gorgeous cakes, and everything can be made dairy or wheat free (a bonus for those intolerant folks)

http://www.boutiquebaking.co.uk/ - Mrs Bou, we bow down to your victoria sponge, a hefty slice of which got us through our first ever wedding fair. A joy of a cake...

http://www.peggyporschen.com/ - we need say no more...

http://www.maisiefantaisie.co.uk/ - as above. Enough said!