Free entrance to the Weddings & Debuts Bridal Fair 2012 at SM Megamall

One of the most crucial things couples do when preparing for a wedding is scouring for suppliers. That would either entail searching the web or the phone book, and making cold calls to photographers, florists, caterers, cake makers, and the like. But there's an easier way to do it, and it's attending a bridal fair.

A bridal fair is a big event wherein various wedding suppliers converge in one venue to offer their services to brides- and grooms-to-be. Participants range from wedding venues to event planners, from couturiers to make-up artists, from event stylists to invitation makers. Since they are gathered in just one place, searching for the perfect wedding supplier becomes an easy task.

Here in the Philippines, bridal fairs are aplenty. And one bridal fair you should not miss is the Weddings & Debuts Bridal Fair 2012 to be held at SM Megatrade Hall on February 17, 18, and 19.

Weddings & Debuts Bridal Fair 2012

Organized by The Wedding Library, it will feature more than 300 exhibitors of the country's best wedding suppliers. What's great about this event is that it will be raffling off a lot of prizes, including PHP25,000 cash for an on-the-spot booker and PHP10,000 each for 3 couples who book on-the-spot during the first day of the event. And most of the time, the exhibitors give great discounts on their services when couples book during the bridal fair.

Entrance is free for those who pre-register, so best to head to their website to register today. Who knows, you just might find the ideal wedding supplier at this event.

Wonderful wedding cakes

Whoa, I didn't notice it's been quite a while since my last post. My apologies for not being able to post as much as I want to. It's been some pretty busy months.

But enough with the excuse.

Browsing through my tags, I realized I don't have an entry about wedding cakes. One of the most important and traditional elements of a wedding and I haven't talked about it yet?! Well, better late than never.

They say that the wedding cake traditionally symbolizes the couple's fertility and luck in marriage. It's also the symbol of their love and sweetness towards each other. The tradition of having a wedding cake predates to the ancient times: the Romans created cakes to be broken over the bride and groom's heads. Whoa! The crumbs that fall -- for the guests to pick up -- symbolizes good luck.

Also, do you notice that most wedding cakes come in layers? That's because during the olden times, the height of the cake is symbolic of their social status. The higher the cake, the more popular the bride and groom. Interesting bit there, huh?

The tradition of cutting the cake symbolizes the union of the bride and groom. This is considered the first act of the man and woman as husband and wife.

I've heard of a tradition wherein the topmost layer of the cake must be preserved for the couple to eat on their first anniversary. Not sure what that meant, but we never did that.

Traditionally, wedding cakes come in white, also symbolizing the purity of the bride. But nowadays, more and more couples are opting for multi-colored cakes, especially if they want their cakes to match their theme or motif.

They also include toppers for additional pizzazz to the cake. It can be figures, silhouettes, little buntings, or monograms.

Others have elements like crystals, edible beads, or even flowers, may they be real or fake.

Also, some weddings feature not exactly cakes, but cupcakes. This makes it easier to distribute the "cake" to the guests. Some couples who opt for wedding cupcakes but still want the traditional cake cutting ceremony include a small cake for cutting.

There may be lots of meanings and traditions behind the wedding cake, but one thing is for sure: the wedding cake is one of the main attractions of the festivity. That's why a lot of brides and grooms make sure that they're not just delicious to eat, they're also wonderful to look at.

Photo credits: Nevie-Pie Cakes, Vienna Cakes, My Sweet and Saucy, Kikuike (via Etsy), Perfect-Wedding-Day, and The Cake Parlour.

Black bridesmaid dresses

Here in my country, the Philippines, the elders frown upon black as a wedding color. It represents mourning, they say. But today, more and more couples are doing the bold move of using black for their wedding motif.

A few days ago, I stumbled upon a forum member asking how to pull off black for her bridesmaids. She was worried that their black dresses would look drab in pictures. That got me thinking about black bridesmaid dresses and how the girls can still look pretty even in that color. See what I found on the Net:

Top, left to right: Alfred Angelo, Alyce Designs, Eden Bridals, Nordstrom.
Bottom, left to right: Barry Jay, Jordan Fashions, JLM Couture, Sophia Tolli.

I say, it's an elegant color, especially for evening or glamorous Hollywood-themed weddings. By itself, paired with jewels or matched with other colors, black can be an elegant color for your bridesmaids.

Hope this got you inspired!

Celebrity wedding: Kate Moss and Jamie Hince

I just can't stop ogling at the wedding photos of Kate Moss and The Kills guitarist Jamie Hince released at Vogue.com.

Kate Moss and Jamie Hince as photographed for the Vogue feature

Their wedding was a mix of vintage glam and country chic. Utilizing lots of whites, the overall vibe was simple yet utterly elegant. Check out the details:

Kate and daughter Lila Grace

Groom in Yves Saint Laurent, bride in John Galliano.

The reception

Tablescape details

The wedding cake

Looks like a fashion ad, don't you think?

Their wedding is a great inspiration for those wanting to do a rustic vintage wedding. Hope this got your minds stimulated.

Images from Vogue.com and MarieClaire.co.uk