Sunday, February 7, 2010

Sparkle!!


The exciting part of planning a wedding, the ring! I'm going to shamelessly plug one of my favorite jewelers in this post, Diamonds by Lauren (http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/). They are based out of New York (where else??), and they really do some fabulous pieces!!


If you are looking for a ring with character, something different, unique, or just a fabulous ring at a fabulous price, I highly HIGHLY recommend this company!!

What you're looking at in these pictures is a Henri Daussi Cushion Cut stone set in a split-shank halo setting. The center stone is a M color, VS1 clarity, but because of a strong blue fluorescence, the center stone looks anywhere from a pale yellow to a white (G-H color) depending on the light.

I want to add some advice here ladies....it's not about the ring!!!!! Of course we all love sparkle, big diamonds, etc, but I want to caution you to remember what an engagement ring stands for, not what it looks like. It's a token from your fiance', partly because De Beers tells us we have to have one (!!), and because he wants the world to know that you belong to someone, and are off the "market", so to speak. Our society puts too much emphasis on the material things, and so many couples don't really KNOW each other when they get married, because they focus on the ring, the party, the dress, and not getting to know each other, discussing EVERYTHING possible (and here is where pre-marital counseling is extremely important! Something big you never thought of may come up, and it could be a deal breaker, you just never know), and agreeing on things before marriage, instead of waiting until you hit a brick wall.

My biggest piece of advice? Marry someone for who they are, not for who you want to make them into. And talk talk TALK before walking down that aisle!!!!

A post on sparkle, ends up in some philosophy! I suppose I'm just adding some wisdom (not sure if it's good, but it sounds good!) as I sit here watching the sun break over the snow-capped mountains. Such a gorgeous morning!

Cheers!

Julia

P.S. If you need a ring, call Diamonds by Lauren!!!

Let them eat cake!


2010 has been a pretty wild year so far (all exciting, and I have fully embraced it all!), and January started off with a bang for us, mainly in the baking department.
We did this elegant 2-tier fondant covered cake with freehand "squiggles" for a recent birthday party. The ribbon is edged in blue sequins, and we matched the accent color (the blue) to the color of the sequins. We did two different tiers, White Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling on the bottom, and Chocolate Chocolate Cake with Raspberry filling on the top, smaller tier.

Something like this would serve 35-40 people, and would be approx $125 with free delivery within the High Desert area. Please contact us if you live outside of the High Desert, as we DO deliver all over Southern California, and you will find that our delivery costs for Wedding & Special Event cakes are minimal.


This simple Chocolate Buttercream covered Chocolate Chocolate cake is a simple 2-layer 9" cake with a textured icing, instead of smooth.

Perfect for a small event, this cake yields 15-25 slices, depending on how you cut it.

Pricing for a cake this size starts at $20, and goes up depending on how elaborate you wish it decorated, type of icing (fondant is slightly higher), and delivery charges (we deliver free within a 10-mile radius)

In addition to the simple silver & gold (not pictured) covered display plates, we can also "stage" your cake, do custom cake stands, etc. This is something we discuss with you during a consultation, and having an idea for your decor, event space, and personal style.

Contact us to schedule a complimentary consultation, and we are even able to arrange tastings on occasion, if we have enough notice. Our basic pricing for Wedding Cakes is by the cake, NOT the serving, and we don't charge double if your wish is for a cake to be covered in fondant. We make all our icings & fondants ourselves, so in addition to looking beautiful, it will taste fantastic. We never freeze our cakes, and bake fresh within 24 hours of scheduled delivery.

E-Mail: adairweddings@gmail.com

Phone: 760.812.0574

Next post....keep an eye out for more updates! I'm working on updating back events, getting more pictures on here, and we're still working on the new website!!

Cheers!

Julia

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Cake Balls!!!



Thanksgiving, 2009, I went a little crazy with the Cake Balls. Not that anyone complained or anything!! It was actually a bit of an experiment, as I wanted to play with some flavor combinations, colors, luster dust, and see how long it actually took to dip & decorate 350 cake balls (not as long as I expected!!)
I did 5 different flavors, and they all pretty much went off without a hitch.
White Chocolate Eggnog
White Chocolate Cake, Buttercream Icing, Eggnog (the kind with REAL brandy!), dipped in White Chocolate, and dusted with pink luster dust
Kahlua
Dark Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Icing, Kahlua dipped in a
White Chocolate and dusted with either Gold Luster Dust or
a chocolate "K".
Rum
Dark Chocolate Cake mixed with a Coconut-Pecan mix, and Rum dipped in semi-sweet chocolate and dusted with gold luster dust.
White Chocolate
White Chocolate Cake mixed with Butterream and dipped in a white chocolate. No embellishment, as I needed to distinguish between alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
Chocolate
Chocolate Cake mixed with Chocolate Buttercream, dipped in milk chocolate. No embellishment on these either.
The new flavor combinations were a hit, I think the Eggnog were the favorite. I have since done some other alcoholic combinations, using Bailey's Irish Cream (with white chocolate!), Amaretto (also with white chocolate!), and am going to experiment with Grand Mariner very soon!!!
A couple of weeks ago I was making Red Velvet Cake Balls, and got this insane inspiration to add Cinnamon to the mix, and use chocolate chocolate instead of the white chocolate. Mmmm, it was AMAZING. It was the "extra" thing I felt it needed.
Back to the kitchen to create more exciting treats!! Watch for updates after Valentine's Day, as we are going to be busy busy busy baking in the kitchen!! Cake, Cake Balls, it will be a sugar fest!
Have a lovely weekend, and go find your sweetie something sweet and amazing for Valentine's Day! They deserve it!!
Cheers!
Julia

2010!!

Wow, welcome to a FABULOUS new year!! We have been busy out here in Southern California, baking, arranging, and planning events this upcoming year. There are many changes along the way for Adair Weddings & our crew, but we embrace it, and look forward to all the many challenges ahead of us!

Did you know that 2010 is THE year of love and romance? So, all of you 2010 brides out there, congratulations! The Chinese New Year starts on Valentine's Day this year, AND it is the year of the Tiger, so it's going to be a good one!! A fun thing to do? Check your date, see if it's auspicious or not! Here's a website I have used...although of course, if you really want to plan your wedding date around the Chinese calender, you have to actually see a wise woman (or man), and they will take your birthdays, your names, and come up with a list of dates that are "lucky", and there are various types of "luck". If you want financial success, get married on a specific date, if you want a house full of children, and it goes on and on. A couple who married last May did this, and that was why they picked May 2, 2009. (and that was a rainy weekend! still a beautiful wedding, and they ARE happy)

Red Apple Tree (they also do feng shui, if you are decorating your home!)
www.redappletree.com/chinese/astrology_horoscope.htm

Chinese Fortune Calender
www.chinesefortunecalender.com

I am not affiliated with either of those sites, just a couple I have used in the past for a little bit of fun.

There are other HUGE changes on the way here at Adair Weddings, and we have a BUSY week ahead of us, with Valentine's Day!! I realize I haven't updated some of the events we did at the end of last year with posts, photographs, etc, and I apologize! We are working on some technical difficulties, so I'm behind. We should have the new website up in the next couple of months, along with some exciting news & information!

I will endeavor to post some pictures from the Red Hat Valentine Tea this coming week, and of course we're making LOTS of cake balls around here!!! I am also going to be making heart "boxes of chocolate" this year, the cake that sort of started it all!!! Which I am excited to share with more people this year, and of course get some photographs on here!

Until next time, eat lots of cake, wear beautiful shoes, and remember, 2010 is going to be a FABULOUS year!!

Cheers!

Julia