A Castle For A Castle

As some of you may know, this whole blog was spawned because of the timeless beauty and charm of Boldt Castle in Alexandria Bay, NY.

Such a romantic place made it easy to daydream about a wedding with my sweetheart, but when the time comes to put down deposits, how does it level up to reality?!?

I've mentioned three favorable venue ideas a while back, but since I've posted those, Pine Tree Point Resort's website is nothing more than a real estate listing, so it may be out of business, prices have gotten RIDICULOUS for Edgewood Resort, ($125 per person?!? o.0), and prices have gone up the Clayton Opera House, however those prices are still very reasonable for a building rental.

After looking over the local venues again with a fine tooth comb (since I decided I didn't want to go too far from the castle,) the ONLY other venue worth considering was the newly-renovated Thousand Islands Club.

I found a couple more pictures on their facebook page, their reception room is alright, however the bar looks smashing and overall it's a lot better than most in the area.  But of course, their wedding packages have not been posted yet  :P  I messaged them on facebook weeks ago and have not received a response.

*sighs*

So I started thinking, "Do I really want to deal with the frustration of dealing with a destination wedding venue that won't return my messages?!"

And I realized...that I don't.

I realized that it might be too difficult to get out-of-town guests over to a town that's 2hrs away from any major airport.

I realized that it might be difficult to afford venues in the area when there aren't many existing to begin with!

But what helped ease the loss of such a pretty ceremony spot?

Why, another castle of course! :D

I present to you:

<3 Belhurst Castle! <3

This lovely venue my friends, is located in Geneva, NY in the fabulous Finger Lakes area!

Let me tell you, I LOVE THE FINGER LAKES!

There's a reason why Mrs. Locket and Miss Fairy from Weddingbee choose that area for their weddings!  Everywhere you go you are going through gorgeous countryside, with so many lake views, you won't know what to do with yourself! :D

And this gem is on Seneca Lake, right on the shore :)

You want to know what else is everywhere in the Finger Lakes?  Wineries.  Top-notch, quality, wineries.  Dozens of them!  It's awesome sauce XD

And guess what?  This castle is a winery too!  Ack I die!

And you want to know what else?!  It's a hotel too!

AND it has a spa!

Tell 'em what else they've won Johnny!

A NEW CAR! 
(just kidding, I was on a roll XD)

So as you can see, this is what Boldt Castle would be like if it was easier to pull off! XD

It's a stunning one-stop-shop, the girls and I can get ready in the spa, (or my hotel room,) the ceremony would be outside facing the lake, the reception indoors, their tasty wine would be poured for the reception, guests can stay there for the night, and then the morning after brunch could be in their restaurant the next morning! :D

(Best photo I could find of the Meritage Ballroom that's not the virtual tour :P)

Doesn't it sound just perfect?!

I'm definitely starting to think so :)

So, what's the catch?

1) It's two hours away from Buffalo
2) It's a bit pricier than my other options

Both are fixable, however:

1) Geneva, NY is close to the thruway so it makes things mildly easier for driving commuters.  For out-of-town guests, Geneva is equidistant from both the Rochester and Syracuse airports, one hour away.  Not ideal, but I can get them a reduced group rate for car rentals at one airport to lessen the blow :P  I found that Rochester, NY was consistently more affordable than Syracuse for flights, so the special rate would most likely be there.

2) Belhurst Castle does have an absolutely horrible policy of having a minimum of $9000 for Saturday receptions May through October o.0  I don't even KNOW how you would spend that much money, (trust me, I've tried pricing it out!).  Solution?  Pick a date in the off-season, where there are no minimums, which is totally doable.

So, is two hours an ideal commute?
--No, but it's better than four hours XD

I can't WAIT til we come for a visit!!! :D

Why I'm Dreading Wedding Dress Shopping

Guys, I thought I would have a fun time looking for my wedding dress.

I'm flipping out.

Why?  Because of my &$%-&$^@ expensive taste! XP

What do I like?
Texture

  Dimensional lace

  Unique

What does every budget dress look like?!?

Meh.  Simple and streamlined I am not.

Yes, I mentioned the eBay dresses before, but now that I'm doing more research, I have found that these are just "inspiration" photographs, and not what really comes shipped to your home.

There are some great sites here and here where you can see the difference...

Nice, but not the same...

I mean I could try out eBay and see what happens, I have enough time, I'm just worried that they can't do the complicated things I would want in a gown.

So my next step is researching these knock-off sellers and see if any have more positive reviews than most, try them out, and if it doesn't work out, go to plan B.

What's plan B?

A LOT of research.

Plan B is searching on Craigslist, eBay, WeddingBee Classifieds, BravoBride, RecycledBride, sample sales, etc. to find that one used or sample gown that is going for a reasonable enough price.

Like finding a needle in a haystack my friends.

So now I'm incredibly deflated...and getting a headache :p

I mean why does the WIC (Wedding Industrial Complex) have to be this way? Any white prom gown costs *more* than the same thing colored would be.  All wedding dresses are labeled as "affordable" if they're less than $1K.

Sometimes this seems like the cheaper option...

You what I think is affordable? $250
Highest price? $400, and it BETTER look like the dress from the Gods! ):<

I'm starting to feel that I can't escape this wedding budget blunder...yes, my mom IS going to pay for the dress, but it's just the damn principle of the thing!  I don't want anyone to pay more than $400 for a one-day deal for me.  And that's that.

And is it my fault that I like a little style???

Meh, maybe my new edition of Bridal Bargains can help me :P

Hopefully my dress ideas start becoming a bit clearer and the dress will come to me...but I think it will be playing hard to get.

Wish me luck <3

Weddingbee is IMPOSSIBLE to Catch Up To

EDIT: Okay so Weddingbee hasn't updated their "Miss Bloggers" list yet. XD It appears that there has been a Miss Boa Constrictor since the start of the month! (How strange, at the same time pretty much XD) I've updated the post to reflect that!

---

As a random detour, I have been reading Weddingbee posts in chronological order in my free time to catch up with all the lovely Bees that I had abandoned last summer for my sanity and wedding-less peace of mind.

(What? You gotta read them in order!)

S-L-O-W-L-Y but surely I got to the end of August, and realized they already had a boa constrictor icon:

XD

That's what I get for coming up with a new icon before I knew what existed!

Good thing it's "Miss Boa" and not "Miss Boa Constrictor"! Plus I like my icon better, tee hee.

At least no bride has claimed that moniker yet, but still I apologize in advance to anyone who gets confused. :P

So recap:

Miss Boa = my awesome engaged friend
Miss Boa Constrictor = one very lucky duck who will someday be is blogging for Weddingbee

Got it? Good :)

Now let's hope there's no "Miss Boa" the fashion accessory in existence XD

Introducing... Miss Boa!

Since I am a Weddingbee fanatic, I will like to refer to my engaged friend in the proper Weddingbee style, not only because it's crazy fun, :D but also because it helps protect her identity and all that jazz.

She will now be referred to as Miss Boa! (the snake not the feather accessory XD)
(Yes, Miss Boa, I know this is probably a cobra or something, but it was the cutest snake drawing I could find! XD)

Why Miss Boa? Well, Miss Boa is an animal lover, to say the least. She has studied animals extensively during her undergrad career, tended to exotic animals during her trip to Africa, and owns about a dozen different snakes! (Plus a couple rabbits, a lizard or two, a scorpion, a dog, and probably some other pets that I'm forgetting!)

So it made perfect sense that the ring her finace proposed to her with, (which was custom made by the way), was a coil of two snakes surrounding the diamond!!! And the heads are anatomically correct boa snake heads.

That way I could choose "Miss Boa" without insulting her other snakes! XD

Well, now that I have a proper way to reference her, this is the scoop on Miss Boa's wedding plans:

Basically, due to elderly parents, Miss Boa wants to get hitched this summer, leaving about 7 months to plan the whole shindig.

Now add graduate school to the mix and you have a crazy few months of wedding planning! o.0

Good thing she has a VERY enthusiastic (i.e. wedding-crazed) bridal party to help her plan out all the details!

One bridesmaid is getting married this summer as well, another bridesmaid just finished a previous bridesmaid experience, and the man of honor (yes, man of honor), has been studying up on weddings and how to be a proper right hand man for the bride! :D

And ME, (yea for being a bridesmaid!!!) just a crazy girl who is once again focused on weddings! XD

And so, armed with gathered wedding knowledge and advice pouring in from all fronts, Miss Boa prepares for wedding bliss!

ONWARD HO!

Because I'm a Weddingbee Addict...

There's another set of Weddingbee icons out! :D

Behold the Carnival icons!

Now these are cute, however I think the brunch icons would have been more fitting for me. (However I wouldn't mind being Miss Funnel Cake! :D)

But if my wonderful bf saw them, I know which one he would insist that I choose.

My silly boy calls me a bunch of silly animal names just because it makes no sense whatsoever and he knows that bugs me, lol. (What I would give to have a normal pet name, lol.) And one of those names...is 'seal'. So nothing would make him happier than for me to be, officially, Miss Seal. XD

Just saying. :)

Conquering the DIY Wedding Cake: Decisions, Decisions

So, you read my first DIY wedding cake post, and you still feel that you have what it takes! Good for you! Here are some of your options:

1) The tiered cake


I would only recommend this option to the seasoned baker or pastry chef. The simple fact of the matter is you have two options: Last minute assembly before the reception, or nail-biting transport of the cake.

This is due to the fact that a tiered cake will have seams in between each of its layers, so decoration of piping, fondant strip, flowers, etc. will be needed to dress up the area where the tiers meet. If you do this all beforehand, are you really going to guard that 4-tier cake from every bump on the road on the hour car ride to your reception!? Transporting a cake with the tiers separated makes sense for transport.

However then the question is who is going to assemble the tiers once you get it safety to the venue? And who could you trust to do it right? This is why I would personally stay away from this DIY option, if you can help it.

But if you can pull it off, you have the most grand option at your wedding for a fraction of the cost! The real question here is whether all that trouble is worth it.

2) The tiered display cake


This cake would be similar to this display cake constructed by Weddingbee's own Mrs. Deviled Egg. (I thought this was an original idea of mine, just goes to show every wedding idea has been done! lol) This is a cake made of mostly Styrofoam, covered with fondant, with one cake layer for the cake cutting event.

This is a great option for a DIY bride because this can be done in advance. You and your handsome groom will be the only ones to eat this cake, so if you wanted to make it a week beforehand, go for it! This one gives the bride the most room to breathe. You can either order plain sheet cake from a bakery or you could make the sheet cakes yourself, but at least you wouldn't have to worry so much about decoration when dealing with the sheets, just (relatively) match the base color of the cake, and tada! No one will even notice.

The main issue with this option is making sure that the display cake will still look the same after it's been sitting around for an extended period of time. No one will spill anything on it, dust will not dirty up your pristine white fondant, the humid summer air will not melt your buttercream flowers, etc.

Since most of the cake is Styrofoam, you could glue the layers together (minus the cake layer!) for added stability with transport. A tiered display cake assembled in this way will have much more stability than any real cake. If your still worried about the cake layer falling off, make a partial cake layer by cutting out a portion of the Styrofoam and fill it with cake layers. Now every layer can be securely glued together! Just remember where you put the actual cake for the cutting! :)

3) The tiered cake deconstructed

Photo copyright and courtesy of B. Scott Photography
This is what I am considering doing for myself. Instead of dealing with the stress of assembling/transporting a tall, tiered masterpiece, do a more modern twist of the wedding cake and do deconstructed, separate layers with varying sizes. Extremely similar to what Weddingbee's Mrs. Pencils did with her cakes.

This way, one doesn't have to worry about having a "fake" display cake, and have all the cake out there for all to see. But this wouldn't be as hard to transport with the individual layers and could be done a couple days in advance as well! The only setup with these cakes would be placing each on a cake stand, which should (hopefully) be easy enough for any helper :)

Another note: Ever heard of the budget saving tip "Don't tell your vendors it's a wedding?" Well it doesn't always work out so easily, (*cough* venue! *cough*) but with this deconstructed style, you can have your cake and at a discount!!! Say it's for a fancy birthday party, 50th anniversary, whatever. Since it's not the usual style of a wedding cake, they won't think twice about it.

4) Small tiered cake with cupcakes or sheet cakes in the back


Very similar to the previous choices, but now the fancy decorated cake is much smaller, making it easier to manage for a new-comer to baking. Smaller pieces of fondant are easier to drape over cake, less decorations are needed, less worries about the structural integrity of the cake, all equals less stress for the bride!

Similar to the display cake, the sheet cakes do not have to be lavishly decorated, and cupcakes described below will only need minimal decoration, making their execution much easier. This can also be done a couple days in advance.

5) A homestyle cake buffet


This I believe is the easiest for any bride to do because you don't even have to do anything professional looking! You're going for the homestyle, comforting, straight-from-Mom's-kitchen look, so just swirl your frosting around or smooth it a bit and be done with it! Pick a variety of different flavors to make more interesting! Very stress-free, and great for any causal daytime wedding!

6) Mini-cake favors


Probably the most time consuming option, giving all your guests their very own mini wedding cake. It doesn't seem that way at first glance, but realize that unlike cupcakes, your doing all the steps involved with one full wedding cake. So while it's a really fun idea...make sure before you start that you can handle doing something as time consuming as stacking, cutting, frosting, rolling fondant, covering, and decorating 50 times over and not go crazy. XD Which is why I would highly recommend recruiting help for this project!

If one does dare to attempt this, it would truly be a hit with your guests!

I would ask your baker if this would cost more or less than doing that tiered cake you may be considering, however it may end up costing more just due to the amount of labor. But you never know.

(This could also be a good candidate for the "don't mention it's a wedding" tip)

7) Cupcakes


This can be one of the easier options if the right elements are chosen. The main goal for this is finding a way to dress them up enough so they look like "bridal" cupcakes. A fancy garnish for each one, some pretty piping, or some lacy cupcake wrappers, will all help elevate your cupcakes to fit in with your wedding.

So if the difference between making your cupcakes "bridal" and "ordinary" are these complicated tiny sugar orchids you're supposed to make yourself...yes, cupcakes will be difficult. If it's adding a small edible flower to each one, then yes, they will be easier. Remember, everything will have to be done 50+ times over!

Another option is filling your cupcakes with special tip made for filling pastries and a pastry bag with some yummy jelly or buttercream. This will help give your cupcakes a special something and make them more like regular wedding cake.

As I'm sure many of you brides know, bakery cupcakes are usually cheaper than traditional bakery wedding cakes. You could also use the "don't mention it's for a wedding" card here, although since they're becoming more popular for weddings, it may or may not be harder to pull off.

8) Dessert buffet


Not a cake person? They DIY may be perfect for you! Go crazy doing anything from pies, to cheesecakes, to a whole dessert assortment! Your only limited by your time and resources before the big day, (ask for help for multiple desserts!) so make sure you do practice runs for this option as well, and set aside time wisely!

So that's the list, I hope I was through enough to include all wedding cake options, and I hope you can find something that's a great fit for you!

o.0 A Gorgeous Inspiration Board!

Even though lovely winter weddings are dancing through my head, purple weddings will always and forever speak to me. And make my heart skip a beat <3

So I can't stop staring at this board by Weddingbee's Mrs. Rainbow:

I would say more but I'm still staring.

o.o
<3

I Have to Get Engaged NOW!!!

Just so I can submit my application to Weddingbee and get a BRUNCH ICON!!!

You have no idea just how much I love food, especially brunch food, especially sweet brunch food!!! (yeah I have a major sweet-tooth :P)


I could be Miss Cinnamon Bun or Miss Waffle or Miss French Toast or Miss Pancakes or Miss Crepe or Miss Tartlet or even Miss Pain Au Chocolat!

AHHHHHH!!!

(Well, I kinda wouldn't be able to apply anyways, because an applicant's wedding is supposed to be less than 8 months away, and I highly doubt we would get married in 8 months from now, XD)

(And I'm not really serious, this is more of a post displaying my love of food and my love of really cute Weddingbee icons)

End of silly fan-girl moment!

The Tastiest Flowers...

...are made of cupcakes! :D


Thanks to Ms. Locket from good ol' WeddingBee, another adorable idea comes forth!

(Not to mention that Ms. Locket is a central New York gal, :) love hearing about the rest of New York state for a change! It's not just New York City people!)

Too bad the cupcakes are just too casual for the shindig I'm planning...

Or I would so do it :D

Speaking of tasty flowers, I have been bouncing around the idea of including fresh edible flowers into the mix: in drinks, on desserts, etc.

In addition, purchasing or learning how to make gum paste flowers for the cake.

There is a great site for affordable sugar flowers, DiscountSugarFlowers.com. Most of the flowers are just around $1, and they look fantastic!









(I have an unhealthy fascination with orchids lately...they're expensive! They are a fundmental budget no-no...more on that later)

Fresh edible flowers online are a bit harder to find. Most sites suggest you either grow your own (and never, ever use any pesticides on them,) or get them from local farmer's markets.

But I have found some places online that sell them, some even for a decent price:

Sid Wainer & Son, 50 pansies for $18, plus required overnight shipping. Turned out to be $36 for my location:


Sid Wainer & Son, 50 edible orchids for $16! But if you get 100 of them they are only $68 total with ship!


(also available 100 for $78 at Marx Foods.)

The Chef's Warehouse, 50 Wild Hibiscus Flowers in syrup for $31.50:


I love these because Mrs. Cola mentioned they looked like Seymour from the musical Little Shop of Horrors! 8D Anything to get a musical reference in, lol!

Sid Wainer & Son again!, 50 lavender wands for $13, $49 total with ship:


And if you don't care what type of flower you get,
Marx Foods has 400-600 assorted flowers for just $61!!! 8D


for that price I would just buy them and pick out the purple ones! XD

Overall, great fancy touches for your already tasty wedding noms :)

Flying Purple Petals = Gorgeous!

It's confirmed:


Photo taken by Shoot Me Now Photography
The rose petal aisle is a fan-frigging-tastic idea!!! :D

I thought about this before, but now I know: I WANT IT!!! :D

This tidbit of lovely inspiration thanks to WeddingBee's own Mrs. Cola!

The Best Kind of Buffet? A Cake Buffet of Course!

Yet another WeddingBee post that caught my eye: a wedding cake buffet!

Really it was a wedding cake deconstructed. Instead of having the usual tiered cake, Mrs. Pencils had 6 separate lovely cakes displayed on her cake table, and I think it looks fantastic!


Photo copyright and courtesy of B. Scott Photography
I kinda really love this because:

1) This would be easier to DIY because you don't have to worry about stacking layers and/or transporting a tiered cake.
2) I think it's a nice modern twist on the traditional cake, and it's not cupcakes!
3) I can have lovely variety with each cake being a different flavor!
4) Multiple cakes are always better than one XD

Only problem is that I would have to have a better idea/plan for the design of the cake table, and probably spend more money on the presentation of the cakes.

I know I have seen these before, but I think this is the first one I have seen where the cakes look professional and polished, instead of the homemade cake buffet look:


I guess I love that Mrs. Pencil's cakes all had the same style, so it looked more put-together and cohesive!

Now how many cakes should I have?
*wonders*

:)

Bit By The WeddingBee...

(Note: I know that bees don't bite, but I like my title anyways :) :P)

Ever since I started looking for cute purple shoes, and reading about fun-loving Mrs. Sea Breeze and her shoe woes, I have been really interested in WeddingBee.com.


It seems to be an extremely popular wedding site, and I can see why.

This blog doesn't just have one bride, they have over 30 brides-to-be, plus all the posts of brides who have been "bees" in the past. And most post almost daily about their wedding adventures! (sure makes me feel nervous about my posting habits, lol)

There are a wide variety of brides on the site, with different locations, themes and budgets. Plus I can't stop sifting through the dozens of DIY pages oozing with creativity and fabulousness!

And, (when I actually start shopping for wedding items,) they have a glorious classifieds section, full of wedding items that brides want to get rid of!!! Not to mention this is a fantastic way to get some money back after the wedding's said and done!

All of this (and more!) makes WeddingBee.com a goldmine!!! :D

So I guess this explains why I can't go a day now without looking at the new posts

XD