Your North East Wedding - Page number 73 - November/December 2021 (Issue 47)

FESTIVE BAKES We’re having a Christmas extravaganza wedding and want an impressive cake that will wow our guests. Do you have any ideas of how we can achieve this? Here at Sticky Sponge Cake Studio, we create many extravagant and unusual cakes that add the wow factor to any big day. Festive-themed bakes are very popular with Christmas just around the corner. The designs can be anything from a stylish Christmas tree to snow-covered mountains. Pull together the theme, wedding decorations and colour scheme, while still adding that personal touch to make the day even more special to you both. To create a showstopping cake, we find a non-traditional sculpted or painted cakes catch peoples’ eyes and the details will get everyone talking. Anything is possible when it comes to creating a cake that ties into your venue and a festive theme, so it’s a good time of year to let your imagination run wild! Graeme Venus | Sticky Sponge Cake Studio| www.stickysponge.co.uk IN BLOOM My wife-to-be wants to create a winter wonderland for our December wedding. What flowers do you suggest we look for? A winter wedding can be a sophisticated paradise for any couple and the type of flowers used can vary. White bouquets are popular in the colder months, though a touch of colour can make the blooms stand out even more against your dress. A cascade style can mimic a snowdrift and look beautiful in photos, while crystal bouquets are a popular floral alternative to add to the wedding’s icy ambience. Holly or pine boughs are often the preferred greenery for floral arrangements in winter. Or use copious amounts of Gypsophila balls sprinkled with iridescent glitter sat on tall-silver candelabras dripping with sparkling jewels. You can have luscious white hydrangeas along with silver birch trees and white Mondial roses sitting amongst the branches. Each one would have a water source and, of course, the addition of fairylights. Karen Woodhams | Cream & Browns Florist | www.creamandbrowns.com THE PERFECT FIT I’ve found my dream gown, and my first fitting is just around the corner. What advice can you share with me to make the process easier? Arrive with your dress in a full-length gown bag, which is helpful for storage and minimises handling during the alterations process. Ensure you bring the correct underwear and shoes for the first fitting, as these will affect your posture and how your dress will fit. You might feel more comfortable bringing a companion along to help you in and out of the gown, which gives them valuable practice for the big day itself. However, the seamstress expects physical contact for them to do their job; they’ll do their best to make fittings private and relaxed. Whilst it is often helpful to have someone who can assist the bride, always enquire about bringing extra people along. Where alterations are required to several bridesmaids’ dresses from the same group, it’s helpful that the bride is the companion at each fitting. Your measurements will be taken and maybe your weight at your first fitting unless discussed and agreed otherwise. The seamstress will not expect any significant variation from the original measurements between fittings. If the bride is trying to lose weight for the wedding, it will cause issues with the fit of the dress if the weight loss continues beyond the first fitting. The team might want to capture before and after photographs of the gown to help with their work. If the seamstress wishes to use this publicity, you should be asked for consent. Norma Arthur | Amble Pin Cushion www.amblepincushion.co.uk www.get tyimages.com EXPERT ADVICE 73