Tag: preserve

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How to preserve the top tier of your wedding cake and enjoy it on your anniversary

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Some wedding traditions are unique and pretty unusual. One of these is the practice of preserving the top tier of your wedding cake, and to share and enjoy it on your first anniversary. This age-old tradition is quite odd, since cake tastes best when eaten fresh. It is even more surprising that this tradition dates back to the 19th century, a time when there were no refrigerators. But, as most traditions have a reason behind them, so does this.

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In those days, it was often assumed that a couple would have a child within the year that followed their wedding. So, the intention of preserving the cake tier was to use it at the christening of their child. Though this doesn’t really have much significance today, couples still choose to save the first tier of their wedding cake and relish it on their milestone anniversary.

Before refrigerators were available, cake preservation was possible only in the case of rich fruit cakes,which had a long shelf life. Today, we are not limited to fruit cakes, as technology allows us to preserve more varieties. Since it is highly unlikely that you will be serving fruit cake at your wedding, let us look at what you can do to ensure that your wedding cake stands the test of time and is edible and safe a year after it was made.

Choose the right flavor

Some cakes store better than others. Chocolate, hazelnut and carrot cakes are examples. Avoid cakes with fresh fruit and whipped toppings as these tend to dry out and do not taste nice when chilled.

Pack and move your cake promptly

Soon after your wedding, have your cake boxed and sent home immediately. Once home, uncover the cake, remove the decorations and place it in your refrigerator for a couple of hours. This allows the icing to harden. Don’t leave it near foods with strong odors (like onions or garlic), as the cake may absorb the odor and smell and taste of it.

Wrap in plastic and store in an airtight container

Once your cake is chilled and the frosting is hard, wrap the entire cake in several layers of cling film or plastic wrap. Next, place it in an airtight box. You can either choose a plastic container or a cardboard box, as long as whatever you choose will insulate and isolate the cake well.

Freeze in a ventilated section

Once again cover the cake with plastic wrap for added protection and place it in a well-ventilated section of your deep freeze. Always remember that your cake is in the freezer and don’t allow it to thaw and refreeze at any time. This can make it spoil. Should you have to take the cake out at any time, move it into a freezer immediately, so food safety isn’t compromised.

Enjoy it on your anniversary

Mark your calendar or set an alarm to remind you to take the cake out of the freezer on the day before your anniversary. Thaw it completely and enjoy it with your husband on your first wedding anniversary. Enjoy how all those memories of your wedding day flood back, as you do so.

To choose a splendid wedding cake or for any of your other wedding-related requirements, make sure you visit us at Best for Bride.

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How to hold on to your wedding bouquet by preserving it

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You invest a significant amount of money, time and effort in choosing your bridal bouquet. So, don’t you think it is sad that the blooms that played a huge part in transforming you into a bride, can wilt and be lost forever, after the day?

Fortunately, there are ways in which you can prevent this, and in fact save your wedding bouquet as a keepsake for the years to come. Here are the different ways you can do this.

Silica-drying

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You can have this done by a professional, or try your hand at it yourself. The technique involves brushing powdered silica gel all over your bouquet (sparing no inch of it), and placing it in an airtight container. The gaps in the container should then be filled with silica gel. It is then left to dry for a week to ten days. Once dried, the color is fixed using a fixing spray, and the bouquet can then be displayed in a glass box or flower vase in your home.

Freeze-drying

This is an expensive method, and one that has to be done by a professional. It can take up to three months to complete. The flowers are treated with starch and then freezer dried in the original bouquet style itself. The benefits of this method are that the bouquet looks pretty similar to how it did originally, but it is perhaps the most expensive of all the other methods.

Preserve it after drying

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All you have to do is to hang the flowers upside down in a safe area till they are fully dry. Although the flowers will lose the original look, it will still be a memorable keepsake of your milestone event.

Press and frame

Here, you basically remove the flowers from the bouquet and either save all, or a few. You can flatten the blooms by placing them beneath a heavy book or something similar. If you are good with your hands, you can then arrange them in a frame. The alternative is to have them professionally pressed and framed. Either way, you can transform your wedding flowers into a work of art that can be displayed in your new home.

Apart from these traditional bouquet preservation options, I found many more fantastic ideas at Pinterest. Let us take a look at some of the most brilliant ones.

Create a Christmas ornament

This idea by Wedding Party is ideal for those of you who are short on space and time. Just grab a few flowers from your bouquet, dry them and pack them into a transparent bauble. Close it off with the cork of a wine bottle used at your wedding, and add your wedding date to the glass ornament. You now have an ornament which you can fondly bring out and display on your Christmas tree every year.

Use it in a paperweight

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The Flower Preservation Workshop company suggests having your wedding flowers converted into a beautiful paperweight. Take a look at how the end result looks, and I am certain you will fall in love with it. Brilliant!

Now, tell us which of these will you be using? If you haven’t thought about it yet, it may be a good idea to do so now. For more wedding tips, advice and fun ideas like these, keep visiting us at Best for Bride.

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The unusual origins of some wedding customs

Traditional weddings brought together numerous wedding customs, many of which continue to this day. While we continue to practice several traditions that began ages ago, how many times do we actually consider where these practices originated? Today we will explore the tales and trivia behind some of the traditional customs. I’ll tell you this much before we begin, some of them are not only unexpected, but at times even bizarre. So, be prepared for some surprises along the way.

The wedding bouquet

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Brides today have a tough time choosing between nosegays and posies, tulips and roses, local flowers and international blossoms. Would it have been easier if we kept to the original practice of carrying a bouquet of garlic and chives as we walked down the aisle?

Believe it or not, this was the original bouquet, and the herbs were believed to ward off evil spirits and keep away germs. Isn’t it a lot better today, when the bouquet is beautiful and smells more pleasant?

Bridesmaids and their dresses

Modern brides may have so much more to worry about bridesmaids stealing the limelight, so imagine how it would have been if they belonged to the Victorian age. During those days, bridesmaids dressed up to look just like the bride, dress, veil and all. The belief was that this would confuse the evil spirits of who the bride was, and thus keep her out of harm’s way.

“Do you TAKE this woman as your wife?”

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Up until the 18th century, brides were kidnapped by the groom, and hence the relevance of this saying. How Stuff Works mentions that the bride and groom went into hiding for a whole month following the abduction by when all the din surrounding it would die down. This interesting practice is also associated with the concept of the Honeymoon that follows the wedding.

The White wedding dress

The white wedding dress was originally introduced by Queen Victoria, when she was married to Prince Albert in 1840. Before this, brides just wore one of the best dresses they owned, on their wedding day. Following Queen Victoria’s wedding, the idea of white symbolizing virginity and purity became popular, and it became the favorite wedding color. This practice continues to this day, and most brides have difficulty associating any other color with a wedding outfit.

The tiered wedding cake

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There are several traditions that relate to the origin of the tiered wedding cake. The one we found to be most interesting was the French practice of piling up cake to as high a height as possible. The married couple would have to kiss above the cake to be assured of a successful marriage.

The practice of preserving the top tier of the wedding cake also has a story to it. During those days, it was expected that the couple would have their first child in the year that followed their wedding. So, the cake tier that was preserved would serve as the christening cake for the baby and avoid extra expense that way. Fruit cake was the choice at the time, as it was one of the few flavors that wouldn’t spoil.

Hope that was an interesting read. For more wedding related stories, advice and shopping tips, visit us at Best for Bride.