If you missed out on attending the “Let Them Eat Cake” event this past weekend, it was an afternoon full of sweets, eye candy and a cake competition like no other!  Put on by V.I.B. Productions {Very Important Bride}, the idea was to showcase Sacramento’s premier cake designers in a Marie Antoinette themed competition.  Brides in attendance judged the cakes on appearance as well as taste!

Congratulations to all who participated, your hard work, dedication and talent was quite, quite impressive!

Check out some of the awesome work featured:

The event was held at Antiqute Maison Privee, a new venue located in midtown Sacramento.

This whimsical carriage featured above by can be rented along with two white horses from: Vintage Carriage.

Gorgeous cakes!

The winner based on appearance went to…..River City Cakes!  Congratulations!

Best overall table display went to…. Sweet Cakes by Rebecca!  Rebecca’s table was so cute!  From cake bits to white chocolate dipped apples and apothecary jars filled with candies, it was a feast of eye candy.  Signage created by the awesomely talented Stephanie J. Designs!

Best cake judged on taste went to…..Pastry Heaven! Congratulations!

Other cake designers who participated:

The Sweetest Things:  Lisa Marie’s cake was a tower of fondant which resembled a gown Marie Antoinette would wear!  Finished off with jeweled brooches, it was stunning!

Shelton’s Wedding Cakes:  This cake had intricate molding around the edges, and the shimmer finish was lovely!

Village Cake Shoppe:  This cake had an out-of-the-box interpretation.  Cupcakes were wired around the cake like a full skirt a lady from Marie Antoinette’s era would wear!

Babycakes Bakery:  This towering powder blue cake was also very intricate with detail and fondant draping!

Sugar and Spice: Carissa’s cake was covered in sugar flowers!  Much hard work and dedication!  Her table was covered in hand-made edible treats from macaroons to mini cupcakes with lemon topping!  Yum, Yum!

Music helped keep the fun vibe going, thanks to Sound Image Entertainment.

Gorgeous and super tasty candy display created by Shelley Larkin with Pizzazz! Event Planning.

Aren’t those linens pretty, pretty?  Contact Mimi & Co. to take your linens up a notch!  Everything they do is couture, custom and in-house.

The Calligraphy Girl made name tags for each of our guests to wear along with the sweet girls from Invitations Ink.

Thanks to Carmen Salazar Photography for the wonderful photos!

Couture LeFleur is a collection of bridal floral jewelry and accessories.  For the bride who is looking for the perfect embellishment to her hair or a couture piece to carry down the aisle, these precious florals are hand-crafted to reflect your personality.

Below are a few images of our latest additions to the collection:

This birdcage veil is embellished with spray roses and feathers to add a vintage feel.

This cuff bracelet has green hypericum berry embellishments giving a rocker cuff look.

A woodsy feeling headband is accented with green foliages, berries and a little sparkle.

This pearl and organza choker necklace is accented with peach spray roses. A helleborus blossom is added to a pearl headband for a dainty accessory.

This partial head-wreath is created with a variety of foliages, helleborus blossoms and green ribbon which drapes down and is filled with love knots.

Thanks to Carmen Salazar Photography for capturing these images.

Wish Bridal Consignment for the gown and model.  Kristina with Wish Bridal is the other half of the jewelry designs and inspirations with Couture LeFleur.

Here’s a fun idea for a centerpiece or a lovely accent to your guest book table.

This vintage feeling metal bird cage is accented with two love birds inside and is adorned with a peach gerbera daisy, leucadendron and kumquats!

Serving the Sacramento area as well as all of Northern California “Couture Le Fleur” is like no other…

Conceived by the desire to blend their craft of fresh flowers with cutting edge trends and fashion inspiration. Audrey Gardemeyer and Kristina Smith have created this exclusive collection of couture botanical bridal accessories. In a world looking for the personal and authentic, Couture Le Fleur allows their clients to tell their own personal stories and capture their most precious, memories hand crafted specifically for their special day.  Call today for a private showing and see first hand for yourself the design and crafsmanship that make Couture Le Fleur the hautest thing in floral design.

{Love, love, love this dress}

Just a few weeks ago one of our good friends, Kristina with Wish Bridal Consignment was featured on Channel 13’s Morning Show.  As part of the feature, we were also showcased, providing bouquets for all of the models to carry.  It was quite a fun experience, and we were so happy to help out!

Check out the footage HERE.

Above and below are a few photos captured by the awesomely sweet and talented Carmen Salazar Photography.  Special thanks to the following people:

Wish Bridal Consignment

Carmen Salazar Photography

Definition Beauty

Beth Anderson Hair

Antiquite Maison Privee

{The gorgeous models posing with Kristina of Wish Bridal and Julissa Ortiz}

{A purple bouquet}

{Bronze with feather bouquet}

{Tropical flair with kumquats and peach to orange tones}

{The girls: Leslie with Definition Beauty, Kristina with Wish Bridal, Shelley with Pizazz Event Planning, Audrey with Botanica Floral Designs and Beth with Beth Anderson Hair Design}

If you haven’t already R.S.V.P.’d, make sure you do, this event is going to rock!  Sacramento’s best cake designers in a competition that is Marie Antoinette themed!  And the best part?  You, as a bride are going to judge it!  Yes, you will judge these cakes based on appearance and taste!  What better way to celebrate a Sunday!  And, if you are looking for a cake artist, what better place to see all at once!  Here’s the invitation and information so you can check it all out yourself!

Sunday, February 21st

Antiquite Maison Privee

2114 P Street, Sacramento, CA

Admission $10 at the door

R.S.V.P. to wish_bridal@yahoo.com

Or call: 916.969.9721

See you there!

I meet with many brides each year to provide them with a complimentary consultation where we can better see what their floral needs are and also provide them with accurate pricing to reflect the look that they desire.

I will be honest in that I cringe when I hear a bride is just price shopping, they’ve met with four florists, and they are “waiting to make a decision.”  Not that researching pricing is bad, no, I think it is something that absolutely should be done.  As most brides don’t know how much flowers cost, this is understandable, but there is a difference between shopping for price and finding the perfect match when deciding on a floral designer.

Here’s a few reasons why you shouldn’t shop solely on price:  And, this can be applied to hiring a wedding planner, photographer, caterer, or other wedding vendor:

1.  There is no way to compare two florists’ bids.  Even if you show two florists a photo, they may both interpret what you are looking for in a different manner.  One may make your centerpieces larger than the other, one may use more stems of flowers, one florist may include the rental cost of vases and vessels, while the other does not.  There’s just no way to compare apples to apples.

2.  What are you really getting?  Are you settling for a lower price point and having the quality of work compensated?  Will the flowers be less than premium quality?  Will your delivery and set-up be included, or will this be tacked on after a contract is signed?  Are there additional fees for rentals?  Before deciding or signing a contract, you need to know the details.

3.  What kind of experience, or added benefits are you getting?  Has the designer been working in the industry for many years, do they have any credentials or is this just a hobby they do every now and then.  Having experience and a portfolio to back this up is essential.  You need to see their work, and ask many questions to see if they are a good match for you.

4.  Are they going to devout the time to you and your needs?  Will they be prompt in returning emails and phone messages, or do they have other priorities.  Sure, designers are busy, but making time for you is essential in having a stress-free bride.

My advice:

1.  Qualify florists before meeting in person.  Browse their websites, designs and read their backgrounds as well as their philosophy.  Make sure they are a good match for you first.  After reviewing their portfolio, you may find that you don’t even like their work.  You don’t want to waste your precious time nor theirs if you don’t get excited when looking at their website.

2.  Follow-up after receiving an estimate.  Chances are, you may have forgotten what you discussed.  If the estimate is out of your price range, suggestions can be made as to other options.  Many changes and additions or deletions are made before a contract is signed with clients.

3.  Most importantly, during your consultation did you have a connection with the designer?  Did you feel that they could make your vision come to reality, or did you have hesitations and didn’t feel very confident after meeting with them?

Your wedding day is the most important day of your life, you want to make sure you hire the perfect vendors to make your day spectacular!

I am a romantic at heart, I love love, and what better day to celebrate than Valentine’s Day!  I found a few vintage Victorian Valentine’s cards to share with you on this day of love!  Hope you and yours are enjoying a day together!

Today’s featured bouquet showcases all shades of purple!  From light lavender scabiosa to deep purple-blue anemones, this bouquet would look gorgeous against a purple dress for your bridesmaids.

The stems are finished off with a bold purple embellishment brooch to dress this bouquet up just enough!

One of the leading trends emerging in 2010 is getting that eclectic vibe going!  The vintage feel is certainly in, but we are talking about mixing things up, creating interest to your tables and your designs.  Using different styles of vessels, say all in one color, but having them in different shapes, forms and textures to make a statement!  Here’s a few photos captured by  The Memory Journalists of an event we did this past year with this eclectic type feel we are talking about.

Held at Le Rivage Hotel in Sacramento, this event was all about FUN!  Working along with Aimee Wendell of 2 Chic Events and Design our vision was to dress up a casual afternoon mixer into a colorful and fun outdoor soiree! We used green and blue glass along with textured green votives to bring out an eclectic feel to the table decor.  Brightly colored flowers made these hues “pop” off the white drop ceiling.

Interesting vessels add a unique look, even though they aren’t being used to display florals.

Teal and Green Damask Plates tied in with our colors.  Get them at: Classic Party Rentals

Recycled wine bottles seemed to fit right in with the look and displayed a few floral blossoms.

If we had done plain clear glass for this event, it wouldn’t have been near as interesting, but the colors chosen, the variations within the glass, and the added “pop” of yellow florals simply said FUN!