Bag A Bargain

Super pleased with myself

So... Me and the hubby to be have a meeting with a caterer on Sunday, to discuss our menu and some prices. No Way in hell am i paying £5 for a piece of cake for 80 people a head, do the maths, its ridiculous.

So... I have decided that the logical thing to do is place a dessert table in the marquee with loads of cakes, chocolate, profiteroles, cheesecake, cupcakes etc. That way it will be 10 million times cheaper, and it will all be fresh because it will all be homemade cooking. My mums ace at making banana cake (my fave cake in the whole wide world) I have a best friend who makes cakes and cupcakes for a living, I'm sure she wont mind lending a hand (it can be her bridesmaid duty) my nan is famous for her fruit cake (i cant stand it, so this is said from others) and i must admit, I'm a dab hand too at a bit of baking myself.

Any way

Like i said, i want to set out a table all by itself allocated as the afters table. i have this idea of a long rectangular table covered in lace clothe, with vintage inspired cake stands and plates and trays filled to the brim with sweet treats.

Off course... as I'm not willing to pay, something stupid like £30 for one vintage themed cake stand. i have decided to sort the china wear myself ( aka, charity shop hunting)

I love charity shops, i don't do the clothes or shoes, and especially not the underwear from them, no thank you. i love the little nit bits you can find, a pleasant candle holder, amazing books, frames, they are the best for vintage cast iron mirrors, as my bedroom walls can tell you. In fact yesterday i even managed to talk the better half into buying me a beautiful cast iron white filigree themed mirror out of one for Christmas :)

I also found, wait for it... a stunning set of china wear, with the most amazing paintings and filigree on them. PERFECT

I managed to get

• 5 large plates
• 4 smaller plates
• 6 saucers
• 6 dishes
• 5 cups

all for .......... £2 (the biggest bargain i have ever snapped up!!

And I'm just so IN LOVE with them

The full range

The 3 sets of plates

Cup and saucer

Plates and cup

plates, cup, dish

Every Rose has its Thorn (apart from fabric and edible ones)

I love Roses!!!!

Once again, another thing i have tattooed on me, this time a 3/4 sleeve of them up and down my left arm.

I just love their elegant, romantic look, and the such fibrant blocked colours they come in...

So off course i want to incorporate this into my wedding

I already had them at my engagement party, in terms of decoration on the cake. My best friend, Natalie Overhead, is a fantastic cake maker, and she loves decorating them, so much, shes made it her job. Check out her very own blog at

http://nattiscupcakes.blogspot.com

On top of our cake, i wanted their to sit a Birdcage that me and Luke bought while shopping in Norwich. (raven theme again) I just gave it to Nat and she made these lovely roses out of fondant icing and placed them inside the cage...

then sprinkled lots of edible glitter over them, they really were outstanding and sparkled.

What i loved the most about this was that i could keep it forever, as it only just gets harder and doesn't go mouldy or anything. A really nice keepsake from our engagement party.

Anyway, it now resides in my bedroom hanging from the ceiling in a corner with a shelf below it, with some of my keep sakes, like three dried roses from the first bunch of flowers Luke ever bought me.

And the roses inside it just make it that bit more prettier.

.......................................................................................................................................

I don't want to spend ridiculous amounts of money on flowers for the wedding, just to have them die and be thrown away, not when there is so much other important stuff to put money into. So i have decided to use fake flowers for the decorations (not the silly, cheesy fake silk/plastic ones you get from these budget stores) I am talking about beautiful hand made (by me) fabric flowers, stitched and sewed by my own to hands.

I have yet to try this out and make one...

but i have always been handy with a needle and thread and have been doing my research online and tutorials and picture etc.

Anyway...i hope to start practicing this in the next few days, i have yet to purchase some material, but i am hopeful, and once again if its something that works really well, its elements of our wedding we can keep forever, and share out to family members as little keep sakes too.

So watch this space for upcoming pictures...