Calamigos Ranch, Malibu Weddings, Sam + Samantha | Table7 Events

These two take LOVE to an entirely different level.  Together since childhood and withstanding all of the bumps in the road, some couples are just destined to be together, Sam squared was just meant to be.

"Then" by Brad Paisley

Venue:  CALAMIGOS RANCH

Wedding Coordination:  TABLE7 EVENTS

Photo Credit:  MELANIE SHELTON PHOTOGRAPHY

Videographer:  LUNCH PAIL PICTURES

Florals:  FLORAL FIELDS

DJ / Lighting:  FEET FIRST ENTERTAINMENT - DAVID KRIEGER

Officiant:  RABBI LAURA GELLER

Lots of Love and a Little Bit of Luck,Table7 Events

714-343-0707 | hello@table-seven.com

Instagram:  @Table7Events

Southern Sundays: The Groom's Cake Part 3: The Design, Wedding Traditions | Table7 Events

Now to the fun part of the groom's cake!  What exactly should this cake look like?  This answer is going to drive you Type A bride's absolutely nuts.  This cake has absolutely nothing to do with the theme, style or color of your wedding.  So, if you need to hide it in hallway to make you sleep more easily go for it.

The easiest part is deciding what is going to be happening on the inside.  First of all, it should be HIS favorite flavor for sure.  The old rule was chocolate because the wedding cake used to always be made of white cake, but now those rules are out the window.  I love the idea of infusing the cake and/or filling with his favorite alcohol such as whisky, Baileys or bourbon.  Maybe his favorite candy bar is a Butterfinger, so that can be incorporate in the filling.  Majority of my groom's love, love, love spiced or carrot cake which is a great option.  If your man loves white cake, have the batter dyed his favorite shade.

Now comes the hard part, based on everything your groom-to-be loves, what is this cake going to look like?  The exterior should reflect his interests, hobbies, career, personality, alma matter, or a mixture of everything he loves.

Now tell me that you are as unsure about this banjo being a cake as I am!!!  

Thanks so much for stopping by our blog.  If you missed parts 1 and 2, you're in luck, here's the links:  The Groom's Cake Part 1:  The Origin |  The Groom's Cake Part 2:  The Facts

See y'all next Sunday!

Photo Credit:  Southern Weddings Blog & Pinterest

Southern Sundays: The Groom's Cake Part 2: The Facts, Wedding Traditions | Table7 Events

We left off with The Groom's Cake Part 1:  The Origin with a few unanswered questions:  What day should the cake be served?  Where should this cake be placed?  What time should the groom's cake be served and by whom is it served?  Let's clear this all up right now...

What day should the cake be served?

There are two options for the day the groom's cake can be served.  The first being at the wedding which is customary, but some couple's choose to serve it at the rehearsal dinner.  I love killing two birds with one stone, so my vote is for the rehearsal dinner.  The groom takes a bit of the spotlight at the rehearsal, since his family traditionally hosts this event.  I feel it is the perfect time to present the cake to your groom.  Secondly, you most likely will be serving dessert at the rehearsal, so why not serve the groom's cake. (Side note:  The rehearsal is a great place to allow an "open mic" for toasts, as to not have too many speeches at the wedding.  Click Here for a guide to toasting from Table7).

Where should this cake be placed?

The placement of the cake is up to you, but because it does not typically compliment the style of the wedding, a lot of bride's choose to give the cake its own "special" space.  If you have a venue with some nooks and crannies to work with, use those to showcase the cake.  If you are working in a standard, rectangular ballroom, I would suggest utilizing a corner.

What time should the cake be served and by whom is it served?

The groom's cake should be served whenever you choose.  There is not a formal "cake cutting" associated with this cake, but customarily the cake is to be cut and served by the groom's family.  There are some different options when it comes to the cutting.  The cake can be cut and plated along with the wedding cake so your guests have another flavor option, the cake can be cut and boxed for the guests to take home as a favor, or you can use this as your late night snack for those that are hanging on until the bitter end.

Join us next week for The Goom's Cake Part 3:  The Design.  This will be the fun part you have all been waiting for:  the flavors, the design and some new twists.

See y'all next Sunday!

Photo Credit:  Southern Weddings Blog

Southern Sundays: The Groom's Cake Part 1: The Origin, Wedding Traditions | Table7 Events

Over any other Southern wedding tradition, the groom's cake is by far my personal favorite.  The typical groom does not get to make a whole lot of decisions when it comes to his wedding, but I love that this is all about him even though his bride-to-be most likely chose every detail that went into it.  The groom's cake is a gift from the bride to honor her new husband and is all about his personality, hobbies and interests.

I love this wedding tradition so much that I have divided this blog into a 3 part series:  The Origin, The Facts, and The Design.  Let's get started...

The Origin:

Actually, the groom's cake is not necessarily a Southern tradition, but they are the group that we associate with this custom.  The origin of the tradition started in Rome, but became more popular in England.  The English groom's cake was a dense fruitcake that was sliced, packaged and given to the unmarried women who attended the wedding to take home.  The women would then take their slice of cake, place it under their pillow that night, and have sweet dreams of their future husband.

Unless you came from the South or have a family that has brought this tradition into your heritage, most of us probably had our first encounter with the groom's cake in the movie "Steel Magnolia's."  I remember being about 14 and seeing that hideous gray armadillo's tail being chopped off and thinking.  I think that was my first introduction to red velvet as well.  I bet it was yours as well!!!  Remember this little fella?

Join us next week for The Goom's Cake Part 2:  The Facts.  We dig into the day it is served, the placement of the groom's cake and the timing of service.

See y'all next Sunday!

Photo Credit:  Southern Weddings Blog

Southern Sundays: The White Bible, Wedding Traditions | Table7 Events

Since all of these earthquakes have been rattling Southern California, I have heard a lot of prayers to make the shaking stop.  These prayers sparked my "wedding focused brain" and led me to my current post, The White Bible.

This is a sweet little Christian tradition stemming from Ireland in which a bride carries a white bible instead of the bouquet down the aisle.  Typically this bible is a family heirloom that has been carried throughout the generations.

As I read a bit more about this tradition, I also discovered that some families host a White Bible Ceremony instead of the bridesmaids tea.  During this ceremony, it is the families hope to put the focus back on the spiritual meaning of the wedding versus the chaos of the details.  The ceremony starts as the mother-of-the-bride (the groom's mother can do this as well or a grandmother) presents her daughter with the white bible that was present at her wedding and passes on a bit of advice.  Then each person presents the bride-to-be a flower symbolizing different aspects of life and marriage:  red carnation signifying important decisions such as where to live and whether to have children, a yellow rose for sincerity and a white carnation for purity of heart.  Then greenery is added to represent Christian growth and the groom's mother binds the flowers together.

Even though I don't see a lot of California brides giving up their bouquet for this tradition, I love the idea of taking a few minutes before the ceremony to incorporate a White Bible Ceremony just before walking down the aisle.  The white bible with the flowers can then be placed by the guest book or even brought into the ceremony by the Maid of Honor and placed at the alter.

See y'all next Sunday!

Photo Credit:  Southern Weddings Blog

Content Credit:  Southern Weddings Blog and The Decatur Daily

Southern Sundays: Cake Pulls | Table7 Events

Since Mardi Gras is quickly approaching I thought that cake pulls would be the perfect tie in.  Have you ever heard of the New Orleans Kings Cake?  It's a popular custom during Mardi Gras stemming from the Feast of the Epiphany (12 days after Christmas, January 6th) to bake a baby charm (representing the Three King's bearing gifts to the Christ Child) into a cake.  The person that receives that slice of cake with the charm is to continue the celebration by hosting the next King Cake party.  These Kings Cake parties continue throughout the  Mardi Gras season. 

Cake pulls, which are good luck charms with a ribbon attached are used during wedding showers and luncheons.  Traditionally the bride would push these charms into the cake, post baking, and her single friends would pull the ribbon to predict their future.  Nowadays, all female guests are given the opportunity to pull a charm right before it is cut.

The meanings/fortune behind the pulls are just as fun!  A Starfish (life filled with friendship), feather (at peace with the earth), a tree (financial security), and of course the diamond ring (next to be married).

How much fun would this tradition be to incorporate into your So. Cal party!  It's something that no one does here and there are some great shops on Etsy to purchase your pulls.

See y'all next Sunday!

Photo Credit:  Southern Weddings Blog and Pinterest