Cake Wrecks- My Redneck Wedding, Anyone??

Wow! Spring cakes are already in the works!

Gorgeous Fall cake by Pink Cake Box!

Perfect for a Halloween Wedding

Fall 2010 Trends

     Just like latest couture wedding dress fashions on the runway, the style and trends for wedding cakes are continually evolving. With so many new fads to follow, it can be difficult to narrow down some of the choices posed by selecting the perfect wedding cake for your big day. Here are some of the latest trendy evolutions in the world of wedding cakes!


     Fresh Fruit - These days many brides are opting to ditch the flowers in favor of berries and other elaborately cut fruits. A skilled cake decorator is able to arrange and display cut fruits just as artistically as some of the most detailed sugar or fondant work. Many fresh fruit cakes layer fruit on the tiers or have cascades of fruit swooping down the sides of the cake. A fresh fruit cake is also an excellent alternative if you know some of your guests are calorie conscious or have gluten allergies. Even if they don't eat the cake, at least they can enjoy some of the yummy toppings!

     Butter Cream - Fondant was all the rage because of the clean sophisticated lines it created, however the texture and taste didn't always hit the mark with every bride (or her guests)! Now butter cream is making its come back! With the ability for either a smooth, satiny finish or a piped texture, butter cream frosting is still visually appealing and many brides prefer the taste and texture.

     Cupcakes (or Individual Cakes) - Make couples are opting for a different style of cake that's not really a cake at all! Cupcakes and individual cakes are making a big splash in the wedding world. Artfully arranged, cupcakes can be tiered to have the look of a wedding cake while offering you more flexability and choice. Can't choice from 8 different flavors of cake? Have a mix of flavored cupcakes! The sky is the limit with style as well, since every cupcake (or tier of cupcakes) can have a different decorative style. Cupcakes or individual cakes are also the perfect project for the DIY bride! Family and friends can all contribute to your wedding cake - making it a truly personal touch to your reception! Just remember to plan ahead when opting for cupcakes and individual cakes. If you still want to do a traditional cake cutting make sure to have at least a small round cake for yourself.

     Black & White - From classic to contemporary, black and white is making a big impact on the wedding cakes of 2010. Elaborate scroll work, damask designs, and ribbon borders are the hip new trends. Simply black and white can be quite minimalist and modern, or decorative floral work and piping in vintage and lace patterns make for a classical and romantic cake. With the timeless elegance of the black and white combination it is easy to make this trend work with any style wedding reception.
     While trends are ever changing, these hip new styles provide you with many options to add your own personal flare to your wedding cake. And don't forget the proverbial "icing on the cake" by selecting from a number of wedding cake toppers to add that extra special touch!

Facebook Page

Our Facebook page is currently undergoing some really cool upgrades.  Check it out and like us!!

Jo & Chris

Thanks for all of the work you put into my cake.  It was wonderful, absolutely gorgeous!  -Jo & Chris

Fake Wedding Cake

     Having an artifical or fake wedding cake is the perfect solution if you want an elaborate wedding cake to show off as a stunning centerpiece. Many wedding couples still want their big dream wedding, so wedding cake rentals are now beginning to take off.
     Fakes cakes are made Styrofoam and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some popular shapes are round, square, hexagon, heart shape, rectangular, singular, tiered, oval and even lopsided whimsical tiered shapes. The fake cake is usually frosted with an icing that is made from gum paste and fondant and beautifully finished off and decorated with either fresh flowers or elaborate sugar artwork.

     After the cutting of the fake cake, comes the serving of the real cake. Real pre-made wedding sheet cakes are made in advance and are hidden in the wedding reception kitchen ready for cutting and serving.
     Sheet wedding cakes are the most cost effective of wedding cakes. They are made in your chosen flavour and professionally frosted - without the tier assembly labour, sugar flower decorations and intricate cake decorating costs. So you still get to serve delicious designer wedding cake to your guests minus the added extra costs. Your wedding guests will be none-the-wiser.

     Rent a wedding cake and have sheet cakes made and served by the wedding reception staff. Rental cakes are made to look like real cakes, then real wedding sheet cakes are used to serve to the wedding guests. A neat trick, but it works a treat.
     Although renting fake cakes is a more recent idea, they can be custom made and designed to suit the bride's individual taste and needs.

http://www.perfect-wedding-day.com/fake-wedding-cake.html

The Car Barn

Outdoor Reception

Movie theme

How awesome does this look?  Photos taken @ The Car Barn.

Web site maintenance

Our web site may experience some technical difficulty over the next few days as we are moving to another server.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  If you experience any issues, please check back again later.
Thanks,
Casandra

Special Announcement!!

We are happy to announce our partnership with Sweet Tooth Bakery to offer one stop ordering for your wedding cake. Now when you rent a cake from Illusions Cake Rentals, we can set up your display cake and deliver the sheet cakes to the kitchen at the same time!

Book your dream cake now and get a free 6 inch cutting/anniversary cake! (offer good through April 30)

We have a Winner!!

Congratulations to Kala Cooper of Birchwood, Tn.!! She is the winner of the $100 Gift Certificate drawing! It will be our pleasure to provide her dream wedding cake. 

Our schedule is filling up fast, book now to get the wedding cake of your dreams!

Formal Affair Bridal Show

     Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth to see exactly "how you rent a cake".  Our booth looked awesome and was ideally located in the hall.  It was a great day with a lot of positive feedback and plenty of interest in our cakes. 

    

     Thank you to all who entered our drawing.  The winner of the $100 gift certificate will be notified by Friday of this week.

     Our schedule is filling up so call today to book your dream cake!

Meet Us There!!

We have a booth at the Formal Affair Bridal show.  Come by for an up close look at our cakes!  We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Formal Affair - A Bridal & Event Expo February 21, 2010 - Chattanooga Trade & Convention Center Brought to you by the Chattanooga Times Free Press Formal Affair

Wedding Cakes: to bake or to fake?

The wedding cake was $1,200.00, the result of 2 full days of the baker’s art and skill. It was so breathtaking that many commented that it was a crime to see it cut, as the bride and groom edged out their tiny piece from the back, feeding each other bites to scattered applause from the guests and the flare of camera flashes. And in fact, if you happen to be the type of person who reflects upon this sort of thing, it did seem rather barbaric, this wanton destruction of its glorious, delicate beauty, matter-of-factly hacked to irregular pieces in a matter of minutes, reducing it to a wasteland of crumbs and plastic-like shards of fondant. With the exception of a few children who had been anxiously awaiting the sugar of this moment, 90% of the guests immediately lost all interest in the marching rows of cake slices advancing across the serving table; and the focus of the celebration moved on to the couple’s champagne toast.

The following night at the same venue, the ritual was repeated. This time the cake was spotlighted on its own round table covered in a beautiful damask cloth that fell to the floor. Again, the fragile intricacy of its beauty was a joy to behold. And again, the newlyweds carefully worked their small slice onto a plate, while the guests craned their necks to catch any twinkle of mischief in the couples’ eyes that might foretell whether they would be genteel and feed it to each other gently and tenderly, or kick off their celebration by laughingly throwing dignity to the winds and smashing it in the general vicinity of the other’s face. Again the cameras flashed and the guests laughed and cheered. As the couple moved on to their champagne toast, a pair of attendants moved with quiet efficiency to the sides of the cake table and wheeled it into the kitchen for cutting. By the time the couple had finished their arm-entwined toast, plated portions of precision-sliced cake were beginning to be set out on the serving table.

In each case, one of those camera-flashes resulted in one of the most key and treasured photographic memories of the occasion. But the second memory can be treasured for about $1,000 less.

Why? It’s a fake! Don’t believe it? Don’t believe nobody noticed? Well, it’s true. While Aunt Doris was in the kitchen slicing 3 delicious sheetcakes, each serving at least 40 people (remember, many will not want cake anyway), Aunt Marian had tossed out the waxed paper that had held the couple’s pre-sliced piece of cake, and was swathing the gloriously-iced masterpiece in bubble wrap before sliding it back into its shipping crate for return to the rental “bakery” in the mail the following week. Where’s the photographer now? Because this would be something to see!

On wedding blogs, it seems that many feel a faux cake is a terrible affront to tradition. I think it’s a very clever way to have the tradition and eat it, too. Still others say, well, if you can’t afford a REAL cake, why not just admit it? Why not get a clumsily-decorated grocery-store cake if that’s all you can afford? Why go to so much effort "just for show?" Well, aren’t weddings essentially “just for show?” Because if they’re not, then everybody who’s ever walked down the aisle needs to admit right now that they would be no less married if they’d simply gone to City Hall. The cake is a major focal point of any wedding, so it’s not unusual that a bride might have visualized something spectacular for her special day–and if this helps her afford it, why shouldn’t she have it?

We’re recycling everything these days–how many wedding gowns get a second life from Craigslist or a consignment shop? Are those brides any less beautiful? As to the cake, why should all that artistic labor be wasted? Why shouldn’t several brides proudly display these masterpieces of culinary art, which are no less fabulous the 4th or 5th time they are trotted out? The same people who turn up their noses–would they not rent 200 dinner plates, stemmed water goblets, and 15 banquet-sized tablecloths? Do they think their guests think they own this stuff? No; it’s a given that it’s rented; what’s the difference? Do their groomsmen not rent their tuxes to give everyone a uniform look?

Why does everybody care so much what somebody else does that they need to pass judgment and condemn? How many of them have even researched “fake cakes”? These things aren’t made of Play-Doh and a glue-gun. Of course, when confronted by the idea of a fake cake for the very first time, nobody is going to imagine themselves at a “cake-tasting” session, saying, “I’ll take the styrofoam and latex.” Apples and oranges!

So I’m not saying every bride MUST have a fake cake; what I am saying is, many a bride is cutting every possible corner these days to get as much wedding as possible for her dollar, and these cakes can give you a designer-quality look at literally a fraction of the price: $80 and up (plus shipping) for rental, or if you have one made custom just to your specifications, about $250-$300 to purchase (then stick it on Craigslist afterwards).

These elegant cakes show that they are certainly a valid consideration for taking a slice (pun intended) off the price. And if your cousin recoils in horror when you tell her, ask yourself if her engagement ring isn’t probably a cubic zirconia anyway. Let them eat cake!


by Clairsie Dotes   Factoidz.com

Fake Wedding Cakes: Budget Minded Brides Can Have Their Cake and Eat it Too!

Wedding cakes come in all shapes and sizes, from the traditional three tiered confection to elaborate designs that feature bridges, minature lakes and multiple sections. Like everything else, the cost of a wedding cake - be it a round three tiered beauty or a major work of art - has soared to record highs. Even a simple, traditional three tiered cake can cost a minimum of $200 to $250 dollars. Elaborate cakes can cost much, much more.

There is a solution, however, so that brides can have the wedding cake of their dreams and eat cake as well. Faux or fake wedding cakes are the answer and these cakes are becoming increasingly popular. Most fake wedding cakes have a secret compartment where an actual slice of cake can be placed for the bride and groom to share. A simple sheet cake can be bought to serve guests a slice of the special wedding cake at a much lower cost.

Unlike actual wedding cakes, fake wedding cakes are made of soft foam and are frosted with an icing like substance that is made from gum paste and fondant. Although it is similar to real cake icing (and is edible in case someone swipes a lick or two), no one can tell the difference just by looking. Fake cakes can be custom designed to suit the bride's individual tastes and although renting cakes is a more recent idea, faux cakes have been available for sometime. Before, however, brides to be had to shell out the money to buy a fake wedding cake, something that no one would ever have another opportunity to use. By renting rather than purchasing a fake wedding cake, brides get the benefit of having a beautiful cake to show off at the wedding reception but by saving money.

 Faux cakes can be rented from many bakeries and new companies, many of which are online. Or, if fake wedding cakes haven't yet made it to the bride's home area, many brides are renting display cakes from a local bakery for the occasion. Fake cakes can often be custom designed to match the bride's color scheme or tastes with anything a real cake can be decorated with including pearls, flowers, and candles. A custom fake cake may cost a little more to rent than a standard rental faux cake but the savings can make a great deal of difference to wedding couples.

Switching fresh for articial is not new for brides. Today, it's much more common to find brides carrying a silk bouquet of flowers rather than fresh flowers because of the cost. Just as silk flowers look as lovely as real flowers but cost less, a fake wedding cake can do the same.

Couples can put the savings toward their honeymoon trip or making a major purchase for their first home.
Few if any wedding guests will notice that the cake is not real and every invited guest will still enjoy delicious cake from an inexpensive sheet cake that can be cut into pieces.

Brides to be, mothers of the bride or groom, and wedding planners should consider this inexpensive option to create a dream wedding and reception with a lower cost by choosing a faux wedding cake over the real thing.  It's one way that brides can really have their cake and eat it too!

By: LA Byline   associatedcontent.com

A Guy's Take on Display Cakes

Fake Cake At Your Wedding? Are You Seriously Considering It?
by Donald Pennington    Factoidz.com

Fake cake at a wedding seems like an odd predicament to a backwoods boy like me. Where I’m from it was at weddings that most of us ever got cake anyway. It was at a wedding that my cousin said loudly "Yes! I do want to have my cake and eat it too. What’s the point of cake if you’re not going to eat it?"

Which is exactly the point we’re beginning to look at right now in regards to fake cake for weddings: You’re not actually getting to eat them. Sitting there across from you, at the reception hall’s north wall, is a baker’s version of "My Love/No You’re Never Gonna Get It," by En Vogue . . . but the point is that what looks like it might be good to be eaten–alas, ’tis not to be. It is fake cake at this wedding.
But all is not lost. That yearning for apple cinnamon rum flavor is not in vain. You’ve been a good boy, you sat, you stayed, and as the wait staff first serve the couple, of course, then the remaining slices of wedding cake come out to the other guests, your tail is wagging!

So since you’ve reached your near carb-coma-dream-state that you so doggedly pursue, you finally come to understand the fake cake across the room might have served a purpose. After all of the dancing is done you finally get a chance to talk for a minute with the groom…and even he’s smart enough to refer you to the new Mother-in-law (or in-love).
You find yourself totally enamored with the secondary woman-of-the-hour: the Mother of the Bride. Sure. She’s talking her ear off so fast you can imagine the warble you might hear were you under water, but it’s hers to brag about. She put this wedding together . . . she and her maternal in-law (in-love) across the room. She put it all together.

"Oh! The fake cake? I’d love to tell you about it," she says. So as you listen, you come to realize the amount of knowledge on this one individual subject alone tells you, that your buddy just married the internet. Good to know it’s good info.  She carries on:

Fake Cake Facts Number One:
The fake cake is brought in on a rental or purchase basis (depends on who you use) and the couple/planner has the caterer serve much less expensive sheet cake from behind the scenes. Most weddings are planned by family. Most families are broke. Weddings need to be done as cheaply as can be for the sake of the new marriage itself.

Authentic wedding cakes can run into the thousands of dollars! Fake cakes can be thrown together in any design for no more than maybe $50 to $100 if they’re professionally decorated. The caterers are always willing to create the myth of the illusion for the guests.

Fake Cake Facts Number Two:
Fake cakes can be ordered as a huge multi-tiered structure, with all of the details, including what looks like a pre-cut slice. Brilliant! Sometimes a customer using a fake cake chooses to decorate the cake themselves too, to add to the authenticity of the thing since the mother in law (in-love) can honestly claim to have decorated it herself.

Fake Cake Facts Number Three:
Frosting swipers need to be caught fast! As soon as one of ‘em feels the Styrofoam or plastic of the fake cake itself, come on it doesn’t feel like cake we all know, they’ll ruin the secret for the whole family. In times past it would also be embarrassing. But these days, the family would get a round of applause for saving the money! Still, let the guests enjoy the illusion. They brought gifts. Let them enjoy themselves.

That is…everybody but the frosting swiper zooming in on your fake cake! Some fake cakes look pretty tempting. How do you think I learned it was fake? That frosting was nasty!

Fake Cake Facts Number Four:
If you’re making your own and you need to frost it with real frosting, add a ¼ cup of salt to each standard sized, store bought frosting containers that you use of frosting and mix thoroughly. The salt helps prevent spoilage of the frosting as salt is mostly microbiologically unfriendly. It might last so long the cake might get a second usage of it.
Fake Cake Facts Number 5:
Of course, the best option around was, to simply purchase a $10 "recipe" book on how to make your own fake cakes for your wedding. This way, there’s still a strong sense of involvement, and ‘labor of love’ going into the making of your daughter’s wedding fake cake.

So, now that the Mother-of-the-Bride has explained eveything you could ever need to know about fake cakes that you could ever ask, you ‘get it!’ The fake cake was to save money. You can’t really blame a family for that in this economy.

Get Married Unveils the New Top 10 Bridal Trends for 2010 -- ATLANTA, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ --

Get Married Unveils the New Top 10 Bridal Trends for 2010 -- ATLANTA, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ --

What to know what is hot for 2010? Check out this article!