Link Love: Cake Wrecks

I've found a new website to obsess over.....http://www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

It is too funny! This blog is a collection of terrible "professional" cakes. Think misspelled words, tacky colors and just plain ugly.

Here's an excerpt:

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-think-ive-just-been-punkd.html

If you guys thought the first wedding disaster cake was bad, hold on to your pantaloons.Alright, let's set the scene: here's what the bride asked for, only in all white with minor green accents.Now, I would tell you to take a moment to prepare yourselves for the horror you're about to witness, but frankly no amount of time would be adequate. So just go ahead and scroll down now.I'll give you a moment.[whistling]Back in your seat now? Good. Because believe it or not, there's more. Aw yeah.1) The top tier still had the Springform pan under it.2) The cake "base" is a metal sign.3) I swear I am not making this up.Ok, so the bottom levels are covered with a fondant lumpier than the Bearded Lady's thighs, and the top tier is the wrong shape and isn't even iced completely. I see all that, and yet you know what the funniest bit to me is? Those green lines up the sides, which I can only assume are attempts at "ribbons": not only are they as unlike ribbons as icing can possibly get, but they don't even line up! Somehow that last bit of lunacy just sends me over the edge.(This post is also the first in a new category: Missed Marks. Because nothing is quite so wrecktastic as when you see what it was supposed to look like.)Now like you, I'm sure, I was highly skeptical about this being a "professional" cake. However, the e-mail came from the bride herself, and she seemed outraged enough to be telling the truth. (Yes, a replacement cake was procured at the eleventh hour.) I can only assume the icing and generic tips in the photo were purchased to try and "fix" the cake after it was picked up. In fact, Vicky C., if you're reading this, you might want to chime in on the Comments section now, just to back me up here.[crickets chirping]Vicky? Er, Vicky, c'mon now, this isn't funny.[crickets still chirping]Seriously, Vicky: tell the people I'm telling the truth. Vicky? Er...Vicky?Vicky?!?UPDATE: YES!! Vicky the bride has spoken!!! Check the Comments section for her assurances of this cake's validity. (You'll have to scroll waaaay down; you guys are certainly letting your voices be heard on this one, aren't you?)

Link Love: DIY Bride

You've probably seen the book, but did you know there was a fabulous blog to go along with it?

Check out http://www.diybride.com/ for inspiration, how-to's and great wedding advice.

Here's an excerpt from a post from several months ago that for some reason really stuck with me:

http://www.diybride.com/index.php?option=com_wordpress&Itemid=1&p=330

As the recipient of many, many, many wedding and shower favors, I feel the need to speak up about the bad ones. Don’t get me wrong here - I’m not being ungrateful for the sentiment of thanks that a favor represents. What I’m talking about is when the favor is poorly executed or that feels so much like an afterthought that it’s offensive (i.e. “Thanks for coming. Here’s an after dinner mint for your trouble.”). Some favors are just way overdone. Some have dubious legal origins. Some are just destined to end up in the garbage.
My Top 10:
1. Jordan almonds (especially wrapped in tulle). I know these have long been traditional wedding favors because of the bitter-sweet symbolism. I can dig that. However, the truth about Jordan almonds is they’re horrible. I have never, ever in my life heard of anyone saying “Oh man, I just got the worst craving for Jordan almonds.” The teeth-shattering pastel-colored coating isn’t tasty. The almonds are merely “eh”. Why bother when there are 10 million other sweet treats that are far more yummy? Plus, lots of people are allergic to tree nuts.
2. CD favors. I get the appeal. You have the music. They’re easy DIY projects. You wanna share your favorite looooove songs. Rock on. However, the legal foo surrounding unauthorized distribution of music is troublesome. But what really bugs me is crappy song selection. Sure, you love these songs but it’s unlikely that your 100+ guests will share your exact taste in music. Of the 6+ wedding favor CDs I’ve received, I’ve only kept 1. The others got a one-way pass to Garbage Can City, baby. That’s a lot of work, money and materials to just be thrown away.
3. Spoons with chocolate. There are two types of these. The first is spoons dipped in melted chocolate. The other, is a Hershey’s kiss placed in the bowl of the spoon, wrapped in tulle with a cutesy poem. About the dipped spoons: I guess they’re ok for the guests that drink coffee and want chocolate in it. For the rest of us, sucking on plastic spoons to get some chocolate isn’t all that interesting or appetizing. About the Kiss spoons: Just give me the candy. Don’t put more unused plastic products into the universe and, pleasefortheloveofjeebus, stop it with the cutesy poems!
4. Bubbles. They’re waaaaaay overdone, messy, and not all that fun. Can you think of any better way to thank your guests? No? Just skip the favors, then.
5. Seeds and plants. I want to love these. Truly, I do. For green or garden weddings, I think they’d be awesome. Why don’t I ever want to see them again? Like many guests, I will never plant the seeds and I will likely kill the plants. You just wasted a couple of dollars and perfectly good seeds/plants.
6. Framed pictures of the bride and groom. I’m not sure what to think of couples that do this. Narcissistic? Overbought on their engagement shot package and trying to find ways to get rid of the extras? For guests that know you REALLY well (re: your immediate circle of friends and family), this is probably ok. For the rest of us, what the heck are we supposed to do with your picture because it’s sure not going to be displayed in our home or office?
7. Scented candles. I loves me some candle-y goodness (Illumination$ is my friend in a big way) but, like most people, I’m pretty particular about the scents I like. (Lavender, I kid you not, makes me hostile.) Sitting in a reception hall with 150+ highly scented candles (of any flavor) is nauseating and I’m not all that sensitive to that kind of stuff. If you’re gonna do candles, go unscented. Gracias.
8. Bath salts/bath bombs/handmade soaps. Completely inappropriate for a wedding favor and kind of offensive. (Not to mention the scent-factor.) Toiletries are best suited as personal gifts or as shower favors unless your wedding guests are particularly stinky and need a really big hint to wash themselves.
9. Lottery tickets. Ugh! A waste of paper and your hard-earned dollars.
10. Edibles of poor quality. I adore edible favors. They’re one of the best favors you can give - if the quality is good. If you’re going to make edibles, please use ingredients that are at least of passable quality. If you’re giving pre-made goodies, give stuff that’s actually tasty. Your local supermarket likely has fresh, quality ingredients and goodies if you can’t afford artisanal products. Always check expiration dates. And, please, be sure to taste your favors before you decide to give them away. In recent years I’ve received waxy, bland chocolate truffles, cookies that were sickeningly salty and infused olive oil that was rancid. Ewwwww! A little quality control goes a long way.

Link Love: Grace Ormonde Wedding Style

My absolute FAVORITE wedding magazine is Grace Ormonde Wedding Style (sorry, Martha)! Well her website, http://www.weddingstylemagazine.com/ is just as good. Seriously, her decor and tabletops are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! So, go check it out and prepare to be impressed.

Here's a preview:

Link Love: Retail Me Not

I love coupons! And I love http://www.retailmenot.com/!

This website is dedicated providing online coupon codes for over 20,000 stores. Simply type in the website name and viola! You have coupon codes!

Here is the direct link to some wedding related coupons:

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/mygatsby.com

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/save-on-crafts.com

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/beau-coup.com

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/theknot.com

Link Love: Style Me Pretty

It’s time for another Link Love, this one is for Style Me Pretty: The Ultimate Wedding Blog. Let me assure you that the “ultimate” in the name is well-deserved. The website is full of gorgeous photos, it’s sorta like wedding porn!

The style of the weddings featured are usually classically beautiful with a twist; think Martha Stewart meets Grace Ormonde. Here is an excerpt from one of my fave posts (zebra+wedding=theinartisticbrideinlove):

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/12/02/zebra-inspired-wedding-by-caplan-miller-events-ii/

Okay, I admit it. Add a little zebra into a chic, sophisticated palette and voila. I am in love. Then throw in touches of coral, green and a bit of orange. Well, it’s pretty great to say the least.
If you know anything about the girls of Caplan Miller Events, you know that they approach each event with a modern sensibility paired against a timeless style. Every detail is thoughtfully executed, every element designed to compliment the whole.
I have so many more pictures and details from this gorgeous event on the way, but in the meantime, definitely check out Caplan Miller’s galleries for hours upon hours of inspiration!

Link Love: Ugly Sheet Cake

Need a humorous break from wedding planning? Well, roll on over to http://uglysheetcake.blogspot.com/
It's a collection of the ugliest and most disgusting cakes ever...seriously the dark humor is too funny!

Here's an excerpt from one of my favorite posts:

http://uglysheetcake.blogspot.com/2008/03/nerd-alert.html

i can only imagine the binge drinkin rockin rollin key swappin scene that happened at this party. its nearly as exciting as my friend's Dora/The Little Mermaid party for her 2 year old a month ago.

Link Love: The Preppy Wedding

Next up, is my first wedding blog, http://thepreppywedding.blogspot.com/. That's right, this website was the first wedding blog that I followed right after getting engaged!

The author is a total prepster, a southern belle and has a great eye for all things stylish!

Here's an excerpt from a post about her own wedding:

http://thepreppywedding.blogspot.com/2007/04/preppy-wedding-details.html

I'm going to share some detail pictures of the things we did for our perfectly preppy wedding. Next week, I'll talk in more detail about some of our ideas for all you DIY girls out there.Here goes ...Keep in mind the overall theme tying this wedding together was SOUTHERN CHIC.Some of you asked about our flowers. The wedding really was a hydrangea fest. I carried 6 bunches of blue hydrangeas while the maids carried 4 bunches of ivory. This saved us money, as hydrangeas are imported this time of year. (Also - the imported hydrangeas are supposed to be more hearty) As you can see, I also had a picture of my mom's mom and dad's dad (who are both deceased) dancing. I love this picture, so I went to Ritz camera, shrunk it to locket size and had my florest tie it onto my bouquet. That way, I had a constant reminder of their prescence.

Check it out and let me know your preppy thoughts!

Link Love: Stupid Wedding Crap

I've decided to start something new on this blog for all my readers (all 6 of you, thank you google analytics). That's right, I'm going to do a spotlight on the websites that I love.

We'll get things started with the HILARIOUS http://stupidweddingcrap.com/

I love this site, the bride-to-be searches the internet for terrible wedding products (a denim wedding dress?) and provides wonderfully sarcastic commentary on the awful wedding junk. Seriously, I had tears rolling down my face as I was re-reading her entire site tonight!

Here's an excerpt from my favorite post to date:

http://stupidweddingcrap.com/archive/65

The Wedding Outlet is your one stop shop for all of those wedding day must-haves. What is a wedding day must-have? It is something like this bell-shaped piece of plastic that has been filled with sand and shells and hot-glued with an organza ribbon. Everyone needs an unringable bell (just $6.90 each, minimum order of 5).I found this gem on Wedding Rumors, which appears to be a blog about wedding accessories but is really just a clog (a.k.a, corporate blog) for the Wedding Outlet. After all, what blogger could, with any seriousness, write about the necessity of non-working plastic bells filled with sand and sea shells? When it comes to expensive, non-edible favors, I find that I can only write with derision. Well, derision, wit, and complete incredulousness.

Seriously, go check it out! If you are not laughing hysterically, well, there is something wrong with you.

P.S. As an internet addict, I'd love to hear about your fave sites.