A Whole Other Kind of Crab Cake!

One of my coworkers shared these photos with me, and we both got such a kick out of it! Her aunt went to a wedding in Italy, and this cake (yup, cake!) was served at the rehearsal dinner. The entire cake is edible... the crabs, the corn, the Old Bay seasoning can, the bucket!... all made of white chocolate. Crazy, huh?

Photos from the Wedding Salon Event

Wow, what a night!! My girlfriend and I arrived at the Roosevelt Hotel around 6 PM tonight and found a looong line of excited brides wrapped around the hotel and down the corner of Madison Avenue. Fortunately, the line moved pretty quickly and we were at the top of the winding stairs in about 15-20 minutes. Unfortunately, we were clearly not the first few hundred or so that made the early bird cut to receive the coveted gift bags. Oh well.

Here's a shot from the second floor balcony... it was hot, busy, and packed!


We pretty much made a bee line directly to where the cakes were displayed and indulged in the yummy samples. I have to say, my favorite was from Make My Cake -- I thought they had the most moist and fluffy cake there. Delicioso! (Apparently, they bake all their ingredients from scratch and they don't use any preservatives. No wonder it was so yummy!) Check them out in Harlem.


I took a photo of this cake below because it was so interesting... love the iced branches! This one is from Nine Cakes in Brooklyn.


And of course, the cake queen, Sylvia Weinstock herself, was at the event! Look at the intricate cake below with all the beautiful sugar flowers. She was sampling a unique flavor, apricot and caramel, and was promoting her new book.


There she is! Sylvia Weinstock...


And another celebrity sighting... Colin Cowie was there. I didn't get a photo of him because a bunch of brides were flocking around him, but I did manage to take this photo of the floral arrangement he had on display. Can you believe these are carnations? Who would know? This would make a beautiful centerpiece... and that's coming from someone who normally hates carnations.


I don't know who arranged this table, but I liked the color combo of the turquoise linens, gold chairs, and mix of orange, pink, and green flowers. Lovely~



Uniquely shaped vases make for an interesting table setting. This was done by PBG Events. Apparently, what they're really known for is there "award winning event lighting."


Now, this is so cool and so scary all at the same time! Live plants... there is an actual human being planted in the center of a floral arrangement and they move! Interesting or weird? Maybe both! You can use them as greeters, centerpieces, or just plain roaming entertainers at your event. Check them out at We Make Pretend.



Are you thinking about having ice sculptures at your wedding? Why not have a fresh flower frozen into your sculpture? I thought this was pretty cool... it's a tulip. From Okamoto.


What would a wedding event be without fabulous dresses? These gorgeous gowns were on display... all from Bridal Reflections.


My favorite one below!!! The detail on this dress is amaaaaazing... and the black flower accent so chic.


What an intricate bodice...


You have to be brave to wear this sexy number!


And finally, to add that finishing touch to your wedding day look... some vintage-inspired handbags. They're simply stunning, by Clara Kasavina. You get 20% off your purchase if you use the discount code "WSalon09" ... e-mail sales@clarakasavina.com to redeem.


Ok, I have to run! The Korea vs. Japan game is on tonight ... you know, the World Baseball Classics! It's the final!!! You know who I'm rooting for!

(P.S. -- To my girls AC, JS, and AK... it was great seeing you girls tonight!)

Wedding Cakes in New York City

I'm addicted to WeTV (channel 59 if you're in the NY metro area). One of their new shows is called, "Amazing Wedding Cakes" and it's absolutely fabulous! The first episode I watched featured NYC wedding cake designers, Lauri Ditunno and Ruth Drennan from The Cake Atelier. What caught my attention was their insane attention to details. Both are true perfectionists. Recently, I visited their website www.thecakeatelier.com, and noticed that the two designers have parted ways to start their own respective businesses. Congratulations Lauri and Ruth! Now, you can find Lauri at www.cakealchemy.com and Ruth at www.ruthdrennancakes.com. The one thing I love about Lauri's style is that she refuses to put anything inedible on her cakes. So, all of the flowers and decor are made of sugar and are totally fine to eat! No real flowers are added -- which is great! For those of you who don't know, the majority of flowers in the US are sprayed with chemicals like fungicide that are obviously unhealthy for us, and also harmful to the environment. So, if you want to avoid poisoning your guests, ask for handmade sugar flowers instead! FYI, the orchids you see in the photo above are made of sugar! Aren't they lovely?

Wedding Cake Envy

So many brides fret over how their wedding cake will look. But what about how it tastes? Afterall, a cake is meant to be consumed, right? Well, here's food for thought...

The wedding cake featured here -- it's quite possibly the most delicious cake I've ever tasted in my life. Banana bread with chocolate. It was moist, it was sweet (but not too sweet), and it was light (well, light enough to justify eating 2 and half pieces)! The bride ordered her cake from www.fabcakes.com. They're located in San Diego which is a bummer for me since I live in NYC, but if you're a west coast bride, I highly recommend at least going in for a tasting!! Be bold! Choose a unique cake flavor that your guests will remember. Create wedding cake envy!