Cake is perhaps one of my favorite wedding foods - especially GOOD wedding cake! (And, yes, I said perhaps - blame it on my love of Jane Austen books) We'll start with some info on the traditional wedding cake and then talk about other options (because, yes, you can do something besides the traditional cake!) Photo by Mary Claire Photography The Top Tier Traditionally, the top tier is saved for the couple's 1 year anniversary. You do need to wrap it really well to freeze it and enjoy it at your one year anniversary. Your baker should be able to give you instructions on this or Google is always your friend. If you go this route, make sure you have enough servings on the other tiers to serve your guests. Also let the caterer or whoever is cutting your cake know to save the top. Some bakers are switching to provide a separate anniversary cake so there is no chance of the top tier accidentally being served. You can also ask your baker for a "credit" to come back in a year and get a fresh cake from them What about cake flavor? Well, the best news is wedding cake no longer is just one flavor - there are tons of options! The flavors available will depend on the cake baker/artist you hire. We've had some amazing flavors and it's hard to pick a favorite. Lemon and blueberry, Marble with maple frosting, chocolate with peanut butter frosting, cookie butter cake (think Biscotti in cake form) - so many delicious flavors! Some cake artists will allow you to do a different flavor on each tier - you'll just need to check with your chosen baker. Photo by Hillary Leah Photography Pretty Cake You want your cake to be delicious AND pretty - that's not too much to ask, right? Nope - not at all. There are lots of amazing bakers that make delicious and beautiful cakes. Each baker will have their own style, so make sure you look at their work. But great cake artists love a challenge, too - so don't be afraid to send them inspiration that you don't see on their website. Current trends lean toward buttercream icing instead of fondant. If you have ever had fondant, you are probably thrilled with that trend! Fondant can make an extremely smooth cake and is used to create figures but buttercream icing has it beat in taste! Cake decorations can range from fresh flowers, edible sugar flowers, buttercream "painted" designs and so much more. If you are planning on fresh flowers, those typically come from your florist so make sure you connect the two vendors. Cake Cutting This piece can be tricky depending on your venue or caterer. Your cake baker will deliver the cake to your venue, but they do not stay to cut it. You need to make sure your caterer, coordinator or venue staff are lined up for that job. Check to see if there is a separate fee for cake cutting or if it's included. You do need someone who knows how to cut a wedding cake correctly to get the right amount of servings out of it. (See, who knew there was a special way to cut cake?) Photo by Kaptured Photography It doesn't have to be Cake!
If you aren't a cake fan - that's ok. Your wedding should reflect you as a couple, so go for something else! We've seen donuts, pie, cobbler, cookies, mini dessert assortments - so many options. There is no rule that you have a wedding cake. As long as it's sweet and delicious, your guests will enjoy it. - Becky
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Catering is typically the biggest wedding expense after the venue. It makes sense - you are serving dinner (usually) to 100+ of your closest friends and family. Even if you took them all to Chick-fil-a, you would have a big bill! Let's talk about the different options for catering. Appetizers After the ceremony, you, your new spouse and family are wrapped up in pictures. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the number of pictures, how large your family is (and how well everyone follows directions!) Your guests are mingling at this time, waiting for dinner and sometimes wondering what they are supposed to be doing. The bar usually opens up at this time, so it's a great time to offer them so food also. It can be as simple as cheese and crackers or an elaborately curated appetizer. Whatever you choose, it's a good idea to have something to keep your guests happy until dinner time. Photo Hellen Oliveira Photography Dinner We are focusing on a dinner timing but we've had brunch weddings, heavy appetizers, etc. Choose what works best for you as a couple. Catering menus can range from 1 meat and 1 side to LOTS more options. Your guests will have a variety of food preferences and, even, restrictions. Offering a few options helps everyone fill their plate. Most of our couples offer a menu with two entrees, two - three sides, and bread. Kid Options Check with your caterer to see if they offer a kids option or if they let you provide separate food for kids. Most 4 - 9 year olds won't eat a plate full (unless it's a plate full of macaroni and cheese and a roll - yep, seen that). A simpler option may save money and keep any young guests happy. Photo Andy Calvert Photography Late Night Snacks Some trends are totally worth it - like late night snacks! After your guests have been dancing and drinking for a while, loading them up on some snacks before you send them off is a great idea! We've seen fried apple pies, cookies, donuts, bbq sliders - so many options. Your caterer is a valuable resource with this as they can estimate how many guests may still be there at the end and want a late night snack - you don't usually need to plan for your full guest count on this one. Catering is more than just the menu options. You want a caterer that has done weddings before so they understand the flow. They should have all the equipment and staff needed to get the food there and keep it hot, keep buffet filled or serve plated meals, clean tables and more.
When you are comparing costs, make sure you understand if tax and service fee is included in the initial price. If not, that adds 20% - 30%. Most of our preferred caterers fall in the $30 - $55/person price range. That includes non-alcoholic drinks, tax and service fee. It adds up quickly when you have 100 - 200 guests, but it matches up with what you would pay at a good restaurant. And you want good food for your wedding! Check out our Vendors page for some of our preferred caterers! -Becky Photos Capture Thirteen Photography Floral Stems Atlanta Coordination Winey Blonde Events Catering Prestige Cake My Cake Lady Lynne Venue Pleasant Union Farm The first time Ashley and Nick planned to tour the venue, they were stopped by a snow storm! A few days later, the snow had melted and they made the tour to book their date. Winter weather is an interesting part of searching for wedding venues in Georgia! Thankfully, there was no snow at their September wedding!
Ashley knew she wanted lots of flowers and Stems Atlanta delivered! A stunning bouquet, ceremony under an arbor of flowers, and gorgeous tall floral arrangements filled her request. You can find Stems Atlanta's work in many wedding venues in Georgia, but we think her gorgeous work filled with locally grown flowers is the most beautiful here. Capture Thirteen worked with them on their gorgeous photos. Late September is a beautiful time at the venue with tons of greenery, blooming gardens and views of the blueberry rows. The bridal suite provided a gorgeous, light filled space for bridal portraits. They captured all the details that made their wedding unique - flowers, the rings, shoes and more. After dinner, the guests enjoyed dancing on the large covered porch. With views of the farm and string lights surrounding the dance floor, it's the perfect way to enjoy Fall nights. When you are looking for wedding venues in Georgia with indoor and outdoor space, come take a look at the farm. With the rustic indoor space, large sliding doors that open to the outside space, gardens, lawn, and porch there are plenty of space options to enjoy. The couple was relaxed throughout the day and we love that Nick pulled out his favorite ball cap for the reception. Be yourself at your wedding! From Ashley: "From the wedding planning process to the day of I could not have asked for a better venue! Becky was so sweet and helpful throughout the entire process and was very easy to work with even with all of the current uncertainties brought on by COVID. She kept me updated throughout the whole process and checked in often to see if there was anything she could do to help me with the planning. On my wedding day she was there bright and early setting up and helped ease my anxiety all day long with her calm, friendly demeanor. The venue itself is absolutely beautiful and they even have a fire pit and outside area for dancing which was a big hit! I looked into dozens of venues and this was one of the best priced by far for what you get, I couldn’t recommend this venue enough!" We are excited to share this guest post from Stems Atlanta! Getting married is an exciting time.There is so much to plan and so many fun thing to do. From dress shopping to popping the question to your bridesmaids to picking a wedding date, the list goes on and on. Undoubtedly, you have waited for this moment a long time and are ready to dive in to this thing called marriage. But first, let’s get prepared for the biggest party of your life! It’s so important that you not only have an amazing celebration, but that you also understand how to plan an amazing celebration. Today, I will be sharing 5 tips and tricks to having a successful floral consultation from start to finish. Hillary Leah Photography Ready? Let’s dive in… #1 The first thing you need to do is your homework. Research florists in the area of your venue or ones that would be willing to travel to your destination. Pick a few that not only service your area, but also fit within your budget. Many wedding websites and florist websites will give you a good guideline to florist minimums and package pricing Ginger Snap Studios #2 Decide on your budget Before you determine your floral budget, it’s a good idea to figure out your overall wedding budget. You can best do this by asking newly married friends. Find a friend or two who just got married and who had a similar style wedding to yours (ballroom, reception hall, wedding barn, etc.) Ask they what their overall budget was and you can expect yours to probably fall within $2-3,000 of that. Your floral budget will comprise about 10% of your overall budget and if you are adding in draping, lighting, furniture rentals, etc., it may be closer to 12% Shannon Ford Photography #3 Pinterest it up! Designers need to get inside your head. When I meet with clients my number one goal is to get to know them and their wedding vision. We talk about their partner, about how they met and what kind of wedding they foresee themselves having. Have you heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”? Well, nothing is more true in design. If you are able to show images of what you like and designs that fit your aesthetic, a designer can quickly interpret that to fit the needs of your budget. #4 Determine your areas of impact Areas of impact are where you focus you decor budget for drama. Some clients have an amazing ceremony installation that they choose to spend a good bit of their floral budget on. For others, it is the estate table at the reception or the lush and full bridal bouquet. Pick 1-2 areas of impact and tell your designer that those are where you want to focus your budget. Camille Wilson Photography #5 Don’t wait.
If you know you love the designer and they agree to the price-point you want to stay within, put down a deposit for your wedding day. I can’t tell you how many times I have done a consultation and the client does not respond to the proposal within the allotted time, thus opening up my calendar for that day. When they call to book weeks down the road, their date has been reserved by someone else. While many florists can accommodate multiple events in one day, the larger events require more staff and may cause that date to become blocked off and unavailable. I hope these tips have been helpful to you in your planning journey and I hope to walk this journey with you, too! ~Heather www.stemsatlanta.com Wedding invitations - where do you even start? In general, we don't send paper invitations or even mail to people much anymore. So now that you are faced with sending paper invitations to a huge list of guests for your wedding, it can be overwhelming. We've pulled together a few tips to hopefully take some of the stress off of you as you plan your North Georgia wedding! Save the Dates are Great These allow guests to start planning in advance to be at your wedding. Save the Dates go out three to four months before your wedding. Include the names of the couple and wedding date. If you have a website for more information, feel free to add that on! This is just to put a placeholder on their calendar, so you don't need all the details listed. Save the Dates are extremely helpful for any out of town guests travelling to North Georgia for your wedding. Invitation Timing Invitations should go out six to eight weeks before the wedding. This gives guests plenty of time to plan for travel, accommodations, etc. Ask for RSVPs about a month before the wedding so you can give final counts to your North Georgia wedding venue, caterer, cake, etc. And be prepared that not everyone will RSVP, so you will have to follow up. Photo Shannon Ford Photography, Invitation Typo Boutique Who is Invited The names on the invitation let guests know exactly who is invited. Mr. & Mrs. Smith is just the adults, not the three children. Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Family includes everyone. Miss Jane Doe is just Jane - no date. Miss Jane Doe and Guest means she can bring a plus one. Photo Mejia-Jones Photography, Invitations Ms Peach Plus Designs Dress Code Dress code details can be included in the lower right-hand corner of the invitation or on the RSVP card. Stick to standard types such as "Black Tie", "Cocktail Attire" or "Casual Attire". Your guests will always appreciate knowing the dress code! Spell It Out Make sure you spell out everything on the address - Road, Street, etc. Abbreviations are fine for Mr. and Mrs. but they shouldn't be used in the address. Photo Camille Wilson Photography That's the quick and easy version of wedding invitation etiquette! If you work with a custom designer, they can help you with wording. Larger companies like Minted make it easy also with standard wording you can customize with your details.
One additional tip, consider a calligrapher or other professional to address all the invitations - your hands will thank you! - Becky Does the image of an intimate backyard dinner with string lights, garden style centerpieces, good food and great conversation make you smile? Us too! We are giving you tons of ideas to bring that elegant but laid back backyard dinner party vibe to your wedding. Bring on the String Lights You can't beat the warmth and atmosphere that string lights bring to an evening party. They provide just enough glow as the evening begins and create a canopy overhead. Andy Calvert Photography Add a Lounge Area Bring the comforts of home outside with some soft seating for your guests. Add a couple sofas and chairs, a rug and a few side tables to hold their drinks. Perfect for cocktail hour and for guests to rest their feet from dancing. Think More when it comes to Dessert Choose a few different desserts instead of one traditional tiered cake. Add a mix of cakes, pies, cookies - whatever your heart desires! Your guests will love the selection. Kaptured Photography Add Color and Pattern to Tables Consider unique table linens for cocktail tables, guest book table, etc. It will add a pop of color and elegance to the display. Anchors Aweigh Photography Drape Some Greenery Add greenery to porch posts or walls behind a head table. This will continue the greenery of the landscape on the built elements. Syd & Lex Photography Lawn Games are always Great Whether is Giant Jenga, Cornhole, ring toss or more. This keeps your guests entertained and adds to the fun. Hillary Leah Photography Small Details Make a Big Impact Think place settings, garden inspired centerpieces, and more. Great table scapes encourage your guests to linger and enjoy conversation. Kaptured Photography Add Comforts of Home Blankets for chilly evenings or paper fans for warm days will help your guests enjoy the weather outside. Serve Seasonal Fare Think home grown and farm to table with appetizers, cocktails and more. Early spring? Consider strawberries in a salad. Moving into summer think blueberry lemonade or berry gazpacho. Fall is a great time for sweet potatoes and apples. Hillary Leah Photography We hope this sparks some creative thoughts for our wedding and how to capture that elegant backyard dinner vibe. We would love to see your vision at our venue!
- Becky The guest list. It drives so many parts of the wedding - including the venue choice and budget. But it can also be VERY stressful. These 5 tips will help you create a guest list for your North Georgia wedding. 1. Make a plan on how you are dividing up the list You will quickly find out in wedding planning it's not just your day! Your parents and your fiance's parents have also been looking forward to this day and celebrating you with people important to them. One way to divide up the list is 50% of the guest chosen by you and your fiance, 25% chosen by your parents and 25% chosen by your fiance's parents. This can shift and often will - especially if you or your fiance have a big family. Talk through this early on so everyone is on the same page. 2. Dream big and then narrow it down Start off listing everyone you would love to invite - don't worry about budget or Georgia wedding venue size now. This gives you a master list if you decide to add on guests later. From there, determine what you can realistically fit based on budget and North Georgia wedding venue. Narrow down your official list to this size and start sending invitations. 3. Create guest list rules Determine a few guide lines for guests who don't make the list. Haven't talked to them in more than 3 years? Probably not. Neither of you have ever met them or heard of them? Nope Don't think you will still be talking to them in a year (or after you leave your current school/job/etc)? Uh uh. Figure out what makes sense for you and your families and use these rules. 4. Make and A-list and a B-list This helps you make the most of your guest count. Send out the A-list invites and ask for RSVPs early. If you have several that can't make it, then you can send out your B-list invites. Make sure these have a later RSVP date so they don't realize they were on the B-list! 5. Fill out names on the RSVP cards
If you want to make sure your guests don't add to your list on their own, go ahead and prefill the names on the RSVP cards. This will cut down on adding children, plus one's, etc. and help you stick to your guest count. Is the venue a blank slate where you bring in all the elements or do they include decor? The answer to this question will impact your budget and your wedding style. Does the venue include any draping or specialty lighting? These elements can be the most costly and time intensive to add, so if they have them available (and it's part of your wedding vision) it can save big for you. Our venue includes draping at the doors and outdoor porches along with plenty of draping string lights! What about table decor and settings? Does the venue have a decor closet or inventory you can access? Do they include place settings or does the caterer? Access to a decor inventory can save you big time! All those little lanterns, votives, etc. can add up quickly. Plus, if they are already at the venue, you don't have to bring them in, take them out and figure out what to do with them after the wedding. Our packages include place settings with porcelain plates, flatware, glassware and cloth napkins. It sets an elegant backdrop for dinner. Come for a tour and see more of our decor inventory to start dreaming about your wedding!
- Becky Make sure you find out if your venue has a list of preferred or approved vendors. Are you required to use these vendors? Is there a fee if you use an outside vendor? Florals by Stems Atlanta Preferred vendor lists are a great resource for vendors that have proven themselves and are familiar with the venue. At Pleasant Union Farm, we have preferred vendors for floral, DJ, coordinators, photographers and more. These are vendors we have worked with and we value their service and quality. We have exclusive vendor options for catering and bar service - these two items can make a big impact on the wedding day. We know the vendors we use will ensure your day runs smoothly! Cake by My Cake Lady Lynne Catering by 61 Main You can find a list of our preferred vendors under the Wedding tab on our site!
- Becky Having your ceremony and reception in the same place can save on your budget and is definitely easier on your guests. Make sure you ask the venue if there is a space for the ceremony. Also, if you are looking at an outdoor venue, ask about the rain plan. Is the ceremony location easy to get to for your guests? Some ceremony spaces have beautiful views, but may require a bit of a walk to access. Is there a separate fee for the ceremony? Sometimes there are fees for the additional setup, chairs, arbors, etc. The majority of our weddings have the ceremony and reception at our venue. The outdoor ceremony space is just outside the main reception space and is easy to access. The surrounding gardens and forest provide a gorgeous backdrop with views of the blueberry fields. Our large, covered deck provides a backup plan separate from the reception space. Of course, you could choose to go through with the outdoor ceremony in spite of a pop-up shower like one couple did and it provided really cute pics! Our all-inclusive packages include ceremony decor, a custom built arbor and all setup and breakdown. We would love to have you come for a tour and see the ceremony space for yourself!
- Becky |
AuthorPleasant Union Farm is a family owned wedding venue in North Georgia, about an hour north of Atlanta. Archives
June 2023
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