One of Pink Frosting’s very precious Online Shopping Consultants, Carolyn Battye, recently tied the knot with her man Arlen in Canberra at the very beautiful Gold Creek Chapel, and we wanted to share the gorgeous photos with you, as well as Carolyn’s advice to other brides planning their big day right now.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Fave part of the day….. mmm hard… I loved it all….. I guess walking out the chapel officially married and being greeted by everyone who is dear to me.. people I haven’t seen for ages, family, friends, etc. LOVED the photo shoot. . . Our entrance as Mr and Mrs Battye… Cutting the cake, first dance…. It was all exciting!
The ceremony was at ‘Gold Creek Chapel’ and the Reception was held at ‘The Abbey’, both at Gold Creek, Nicholls, ACT. www.functionsatfederation.com.au. The staff at the Abbey were FANTASTIC! Super friendly service and the meals were one of the best I have ever eaten. Anywhere Ever!!!!!!! Everyone commented on the food for weeks after the wedding.
I made the flowers myself and my makeup artist was Jacqueline Scott www.jsmakeup.com.au and my best friend did my hair. She is so clever!
Having “been there, done that” now, what five things would you recommend to other brides?
Plan well ahead and be sure to meet with the people who you will be associating with on your special day – catering mgr, chapel staff etc…
Choose a celebrant to match your personality – Ours was WONDERFUL! He had a great sense of humour and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the ceremony.
Have a backup plan for the weather – make sure your photographer knows of alternate places to offer you – it started pouring as we walked out of the chapel and we had a garden booked for photos.
Be sure to do a final check of the bridal parties appearance before you all walk down the isle – my son didn’t have his shirt tucked in and no-one noticed!! Eeeeek
Keep a collection of photos (positions, locations, landmarks) you like leading up to the day… You may be able to have these photos taken for your own collection.
As someone who works in the wedding industry, what advice are you now giving Pink Frosting brides that you learned from your big day?
Be aware of time frames for bulk / personalised items.
It is possible to sample items before purchasing bulk quantities.
Have back up plans for weather permitting venues… Having parasols umbrellas just in case.
Be organised and don’t sweat the small stuff-not everything always goes according to plan….
Guest numbers will always change, so take this into consideration when ordering bonbonniere etc….
We hope you love these inspiring pictures as much as we did! Thank you Carolyn for sharing your day with us and also for your work every day in making Pink Frosting’s customer’s weddings and parties just that much more special. We adore you!
Dianne wrote to me yesterday asking how you get the perfect swirl on top of a cupcake with frosting. She is making Christmas cupcakes and wanted to get them just right. I was taught how to decorate cakes, cookies and cupcakes by my great-Aunty Ivy who was a master cake decorator and she was a big Wilton fan – of course, I am now too. Dianne, here is the easiest way to get the gorgeous perfect swirly frosting top on a cupcake via our great friends at Wilton (with some of my own advice thrown in for good measure):
Start with buttercream icing. The best recipe is here: Best Pink Frosting Recipe in the World! You will also need a 1M open star cake decorating tip which you can buy at Bakery Sugarcraft, as well as disposable cake piping bags which you can purchase at any supermarket.
Step 1:
Hold Open Star Decorating Tip 1M approximately 0.5 – 1 cm above cupcake top at a 90° angle to cupcake surface. Pipe a spiral of icing, beginning at the outer edge and working inward.
Step 2:
Stop pressure; pull tip away.
Step 3:
Pipe a second spiral, smaller (not as wide) on top. End spiral at centre. Stop pressure; pull tip straight up and away.
Voila. Now you can create some beautiful cupcakes like these amazing creations!
I would love to see your swirly cupcake creations!
At this time of year, you deserve a little spoiling! Australia’s number one wedding shop and party shop’s big 15% off everything sale will sure hit the spot! Pink Frosting needs to clear our warehouses for all the new stock arriving in the new year, so we’re giving you the chance to save up big before Boxing Day. Our 15% off sale even applies to already reduced Sale items, so you could save up to 80% off some of our best selling items!
As Kate Aspen’s preffered retailer in Australia and New Zealand, Pink Frosting’s wedding shop is so proud to give you a sneak peak at the new wedding favours and bomboniere arriving in January 2011! Enjoy…
Video: Kate Aspen’s New Favours 2011
Our favourites? The Tiffany Box compact mirrors, Eiffel Tower Bottle Stoppers and black tin favour pails with personalised sticker. On trend, perfectly giveable and gorgeous for every theme, the Kate Aspen favour range for 2011 will arrive at Pink Frosting’s online wedding shop in January.
The lovely Lisa Foster, a friend of Pink Frosting and a much-loved wedding celebrant, just posted a really interesting comment about my post this morning, The Unity Sand Ceremony – Making it Work. Lisa’s had many couples use the sand ceremony as part of their wedding day, so I thought it would be really enjoyable and informative for you to read her thoughts on how to make it work for you.
I have had several couples and families perform the sand ceremony during a wedding or a naming ceremony- they are especially drawn to the meaning behind it and welcome the chance to involve their children or families in the ceremony.
For marriages – the sand represents our word and once our word is given it cannot be taken back, such as the sand, once combined, cannot be seperated.
To involve families during a wedding ceremony, sand is poured by the bride and groom and by their parents to demonstrate the importance of family life and involve them in the ceremony.
Colours can be chosen based on personal preference, or to represent certain qualities
White: Purity, spiritual values, devotion
Yellow: Harmony, balance, friendship
Pink or Red: Love, passion, romance, happiness
Green: Health, luck, prosperity
Purple: Power, dignity, strength
Brown: Nurturing, home and hearth
Blue: Patience, tranquility, longevity
Silver: Creativity, talents, inspiration
for example – but several can be found on the internet or the library
For naming ceremonies, the sand can symbolise all members of the family and the unique qualities that each person brings to the family – and that even though combined – the individual colours are still visible emphasizing the individuals which, when together make up the family unit.
In one naming ceremony I’ve had one family use the sand ceremony to honour the child’s 4 godparents so that the child may always be reminded of their presence and support in their life.
Sand ceremonies are preferable to a candle lighting ceremony for showing unity in an outdoor wedding as the candle can not blow out – a simple paper funnel may be made to prevent sand blowing away whilst pouring.
The sand ceremony also is wonderful in a visual way both to keep at home and to add colour and variety to a ceremony – people can look at something different going on within the ceremony and it makes the ceremony a little more active.
Australia’s number one online wedding shop and party shop has just put over 160 items on sale at up to 60% off their original prices in their huge pre-Christmas sale. You can save on wedding favours and bomboniere, wedding decorations, party supplies, Christmas decorations, bridal jewellery and so much more.
Be quick, the prices will only last while stock lasts! Shop the Sale at Pink Frosting now.
I had a lovely bride yesterday want to have a unity sand ceremony at her beach wedding on Hamilton Island in January, but she didn’t know how it works. I thought it was the perfect excuse to post about the unity sand ceremony and how you can incorporate it into your wedding ceremony.
What is the Unity Sand Ceremony?
The Unity Sand Ceremony is a modern take on the traditional wedding unity ceremony. Brides and grooms use the unity ceremony to symbolise their love and commitment to one another in marriage. Usually, for the traditional unity ceremony there is a single candle (the unity candle) that both bride and groom light from a flame of their own taper candles. Parents or other members of the wedding party often join in the candle lighting ceremony using candles of their own, too.
The Unity Sand Ceremony takes this lovely wedding tradition a step further, . In this ritual, the couple pours various colours of sand from separate containers into one special container, the unity vase, symbolising the joining of two lives as one family. The brillant part of this ceremony is the couple gets to keep the vase filled with sand as a reminder of their wedding day, forever more in their home.
What do you need for the Unity Sand Ceremony?
You only require a beautiful vase and unity sand in colours that represent you both perfectly to make the unity sand ceremony work for you. Like any part of your wedding day, finding a vase and colours that represents your wedding theme and your individuality as a new family is really the hardest part! Pink Frosting’s wedding shop offers three types of vases for your wedding sand ceremony representing both modern, romantic and traditional brides and grooms. Each of these not only work beautifully on your wedding day, but also make a gorgeous ornament in your home.
The Unity Sand Ceremony Itself
To perform the unity sand ceremony, the easiest way is to follow these simple steps:
1) The Groom pours a portion of his sand into the central glass vase to create layer 1.
2) The Bride then pours a portion of her sand into the same central vase to create layer 2.
3) The Groom then adds another layer of his sand to create layer 3.
4) The Bride continues to add another layer of sand to complete layer 4.
5) To complete the Unity Sand Ceremony, the Groom and Bride seal their union by pouring the balance of their sand simultaneously into the central vase.
The vows for the ceremony vary and most couples prefer to write their own, but you may want to consider including words about the joining of your souls as one complete family in your vows. Talk with your celebrant about how they like to incorporate this ceremony into your wedding day rituals.
I hope this helps you create a beautiful unity sand ceremony on your wedding day! You can shop for Unity Sand Ceremony vases and coloured sand at Pink Frosting’s online wedding shop.
There’s no better way to say Merry Christmas and thank you for being such a special friend than a home made treat. And, I don’t know many people who would say no to a made-with-love Christmas cupcake! I’ve gathered some of my favourite Christmas cupcakes to get you all inspired to create your own Christmas cupcakes this month.
Loving these unique Christmas lolli-cakes (cupcakes on a stick!) by lollicakes#1
Simple but very yummy gingerbread base candy cane cupcakes by Blue Bird Bake Shop
And, I save the best until last…. have you ever seen anything so amazing as these Christmas wreath cupcakes by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson for the Jelly Belly Cupcake decorating competition? Awe-inspiring!
Like it or loathe it (and we love it) Kate Middleton and Prince William’s royal nuptials on April 29 next year are set to reflect in weddings around the world for the next couple of years, with “fairytale bling” being the decorating style of choice. And, the English royal wedding will create princess fever that won’t die down for some time yet!
The style we’re predicting is anything that glitters and is monogrammed will be the chic message for 2011 and 2012 brides. The royal wedding itself will no doubt be very respectful of the traditions and customs of the royal family, but the every day take on the style of fairytale wedding will be very glittery with lots of sparkling wedding decorations and crystal and all stationery, decorations and wedding bomboniere monogrammed with the couple’s details to create a truly unique look.
Fit for a princess are dazzling acrylic diamonds, mirror bases on tables and crystal garlands dripping from high reception table centrepieces. Wedding invitations will feature embossed monograms and gold or platinum foiled personally-created motifs.
Brides inspired by the royal wedding can style their wedding favours along the same lines by reaching for Antique Acrylic Place Card Frames, a diamond like place card frame which doubles as both a place card on table settings for wedding receptions as well as beautiful miniature photo frames for your guests to take home and Crystal Diamond Shaped Tea Light Holders which cast a twinkling glow on wedding table settings as well as make a beautiful wedding bomboniere for guests.
We hope you are truly inspired to create your own fairytale on your wedding day!
