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Show Advertising Supplement B2 Thursday, February 18, 2010 L c i k 6 Budget Cake, Luxe Flavor, Here's how to get the most cake for your money By Christopher Adamson CTW Features of fondant icing or sugar flowers also can bump up the price, as can custom colors if the decorator chargers for hand coloring. If you don't watch it, the wedding cake can quickly become a huge expense. Splurging onfivetiers with multiple flavors and sugar flowers in every bite isn't worth the high cost for everyone, so here are some inexpensive ideas for a cake that's right on target. "To keep costs down, choose simple, round and white," says Fayard. She recommends adding your own decorations just before the reception, going with fresh flowers, lace or ribbon. They're not hard to work with and make a big impact. Flavor Doesn't Have to Be Frugal Price Tiers The first and most important thing to remember is to be honest and clear about the budget you have in mind. If you're having a bakery prepare the cake, be sure to tell them about your budget concerns up front at the tasting. Some bakeries also have price minimums, so it's a good idea to get the cost issue squared away first. "When I ask my [clients] about their budget, I'm not asking this to see how much I can get out of them," says Keli Fayard^the co-owner and chef at Vanille Patisserie in Chicago. "I'm asking this so I can design a cake that they will love and they've budgeted for. I like to come up with a design that includes a splash of color and a little wow-factor yet still falls within their preferred price range." When planning the cake of your dreams, the general rule is that the more time-intensive it will be to make, the more it will cost. This means adding flavors, tiers, or even changing the shape from round to square will increase the cost. Heavy use One thing that you should not skimp on, however, is the taste. "No one should ever sacrifice onflavor,"says Cheryl Kleinman of Cheryl Kleinman Cakes in New York. "The cake should always taste really, really good. The couple and the guests should be very satisfied." She suggests getting a small, tastefully decorated two- or three-tiered cake for cutting in the ceremony, then sheet cakes to serve the guests. This way, you won't have to skimp on ingredients. "The money should go into having a great-tasting cake/' Kleinman advises. "Lower-end-bakers aren't using the best ingredients, but the high-end ones are, even ingredients on an organic level." Your guests will remember the taste of world-class chocolate more than they will the intricate details of the sugar flowers. Plus, it's not going to last forever - you're going to end up eating it anyway. " . '"".'5' - ••• ' . 1 . '-•afV - ' ' • (c) CTW Features Fashion The Best Dress For Your Budget How much do you plan to spend on your gown? $1,000?$500? Something in between? Whatever your price point, there's never been a better time for chic, affordable bridal fashions stepping out, including Ceec Design and Alix & Kelly, infusing their collections with influences from contemporary fashions, and finding reception with equally minded boutiques. By Nola Sarkisian-Miller CTW Features 'Splurge and Steal' Just five years ago, if a bride wanted to spend $1,000 or less for a wedding gown, most often she was relegated to designer sample sales or mass-market bridal discounters. Enter the tanking economy, the ensuing recession and the subsequent wedding budget crunch, and designers and manufacturers are quickly hitching their companies to a new trend: creating up-market gowns for under a grand.Bridal lines such as Watters are prominently highlighting the category on their Web sites and in their magazine ads. Others have unveiled new secondary lines, such as Alfred Angelo's Niki Bridal. And new, modern designers are The category certainly got a boost when destination weddings became the rage in the last decade. Brides sought more sandfriendly gowns that could billow before the ocean. Companies like Nicole Miller and J. Crew have benefited from that trend. From there, some brides became more attuned to ready-to-wear looks and have embraced the high-low mentality of pairing expensive, designer duds with mass-market accessories or vice versa, says Maria Prince, vice president of Dallas-based Watters Brides/This is a generation of'splurge and steal' buying," Prince says. "She'll buy a $1,000 gown and splurge on $700 shoes that she can wear again and again.'As a result, the stigma of Courtesy CTW Features penny-pinching when it comes to wedding planning is in freefall, say wedding experts/'There may have been a stigma in the past where brides maybe felt the more you spent on a wedding gown, the 'better' it was, but the change in economy has opened everyone's eyes to the quality and style that can be found at lower price points," says Melissa Akey Drayer, owner and designer of Thread.If a bride feels like she's giving up something at this less stratospheric cost, most designers insist that they're able to deliver on craftsmanship without sacrificing on styling. Even those brides interested in their fairy tale moment can find less expensive ball gowns, which typically cost more due to extra fabric. Wtoo Brides offers an A-line look with waist beading at $990. For their spring offerings, designers don't seem to be cutting corners. There's a return to romance for designers, says Michael Shettel, head designer of Alfred Angelo. Brides will find gowns with floatier fabrics, like crinkle chiffon, satin organzas and airy taffetas. Body hugging styles with dropped waists and trumpet skirts are in, as are one-shoulder looks, a trend brought to the forefront with Michelle Obama's inaugural gown. Dimensional flowers are getting played up along with beaded sashes and new textured ornamentation, like newly shaped stones at Wtoo. Anxious brides can take heart in a new feature offered on dresses/'We're adding side-slit pockets to some gowns for nervous hands," Shettel says. "It's like their good luck charm." The Wedding Dress Experience Should a bride stick to a $1,000 wedding dress budget, most designers say she'll still get the red-carpet treatment when buying her gown, from making an appointment to working with a wedding consultant through the entire dress-buying process. Unless she visits a bigger bridal chain store where she can buy off the rack, she'll most likely have to order her dress, which can take up to three months. Some purchases can be trickier, like buying J. Crew gowns, which are sold only online. Under each dress description is a note to contact J. Crew's wedding specialist for help with the gown purchase. A few stores,' such as Tom's Bridal in Anaheim, Calif., may charge for gown fittings but will deduct it from the purchase price of a gown should a customer buy it. "We don't look at how much she spends," says Aubree Cummings, a sales rep for Celebrations Bridal, a Las Vegasbased bridal gown store in business for 22 Fitted strapless satin gown in champagne from Faviana. $258 years. "Whatever she spends, we treat the customer the same. A bride walks in the door, and whoever greets her stays with her through the entire process/Vendors say the growing category is opening new doors of distribution/'Retailers all over the country that used to sell gowns for thousands of dollars are looking for vendors to give them the same quality that won't break their budget," says Omid Moradi, CEO of Faviana, which designs special occasion gowns, including a White Collection of wedding gowns. "We've recently met with a couple of national stores who are interested in our line." If Your Budget is $1,000 ... Here are a few highlights of the season grouped by price point. Some of the best gowns available at the $1,000 and under price point (not including tax and alterations) include: Saja Inc.'s empire waist gown made of crinkle chiffon and lightly dotted with handbeaded glass and crystals at the bust line. $925. Ceec Design's strapless. gown in silk georgette with cascading tiers and a silk charmeuse bow on the back. $950. Wtoo Brides' pleated tulle, trumpet gown. $940. JCrew.com's limited edition confetti dress, made in Irish linen with a tulle overlay sprinkled with tiers of delicately embroidered disks. $995. Nicole Miller's stretch metal and silk gown. $880. If Your Budget is $800 ... Drop down a few Benjamins and brides can look great in these gowns priced at $799 or less: Wtoo Brides' floor-length baby-doll style with pleated flowers and pockets. $725. Alfred Angelo's charmeuse over satin dress adorned with rhinestones, pearls & sequins with a chapel train. $799. Saja's sheer panel v-neck dress with a v-back. $790. Alix & Kelly's spaghetti strap tealength dress in silk taffeta with gathered tulle trim. $650. Not a Penny Over $500 ... So, how low can you go when shopping for a dress with bespoke allure? Some designers and companies are rolling out options that are under $500, including: Thread's one-shouldered floor length gown with a high-waisted skirt in matte silk. $480. Niki Bridal's lace and chiffon gown with crystal beading and sweep train. $429. Faviana's chiffon gown with beaded empire waist. $300. JCrew.com's silk tricotine v-neck gown with cap sleeves. $395. (c) CTW Features % |
