A Beautiful Vintage Summer Wedding

She did it...she got married! My baby sissy got married. I was so happy for her! What a beautiful wedding it was. The bride had the vision and my Rock-Star of a sister, Heather helped to pull it off. She's a genius, really. She came down from Missouri and spent a month planning and executing. And the results speak for themselves... 

The stunning images that you see here are from my other two sisters that came up from California,  Crystal Ruby Photography and  Melissa Jewel Photography.They are amazing, are they not? Make sure you double-click on the image to enlarge it so that you can see the high quality resolution photos. Trust me...it's worth it. ;) 

First, the cake... Can we just talk about this?? I love, love, LOVE that she wanted a chocolate cake. It just fit perfectly with the whole style of the wedding.

I added these gumpaste leaves that I dipped in gold luster dust. They are SO easy to do. Simply roll out a ball of gumpaste very, very thinly, then cut them out with a large leaf cutter. Then you are going to use your veining tool to mark the veins in the leaves. After they are COMPLETELY dry (sorry I yelled, it's just that it's kind of important), then you dip them in a gold luster dust and vodka mixture (don't worry, the alcohol will evaporate). I always get my luster dust from Orson Gygi's. They have the best.

 The groom hand-carved the cake topper. How cute is that?

Now onto the rest of the wedding...

Stu-ning! is the word that I used to describe this bride. And the DRESS?! She flew to Maryland and together, her and my genius of a seemstress sister sewed it together. 

Dragees

Dragee. Fancy word, right? It's really just a little sugar-coated piece of candy used in cake decorating. I love dragees so much. There is so much that you can do with them and they come in silver, pearl, gold and just about every color that your pretty little heart desires. Did you know that Dragees originated from sugar-coated pills that you would find in an Apothecary? A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, right? Like I always say, Cake was meant to be medicine for the soul. :) Here are some cakes that I have done to show you how you can use Dragees at home. Happy Drageeing!

LOOK! I even used dragees here to add some bling to this gumpaste bow. :)

For a link to the tutorial for theses cute, easy gumpaste flowers on this pink ruffle cake, click here: 

http://apothecakery.blogspot.com/2011/05/gumpaste-flower-tutorial.html

Happy Halloween!

Every year, I get my kids dressed as soon as they get home from school so that we can hit that "Golden hour" before trick-or-treating. It makes magic every time...

Here is my Zombie Princess. I can't get her to be anything beautiful or girly anymore. She must be something dead or gruesome. Oi vey... 

So regal, yet so dead...

How can someone be so creepy and so beautiful all at the same time?

Let's just stop and savor this little love for a minute... Seriously. I can't even stand it!  

 Wait...it gets cuter if you can believe it...

Ok...WHEN did this posing start happening? At this photo shoot, that's when. I was cracking up.

Watch out...There's a new Witch Hunter on the loose.

Ahoy. (I think this is his 3rd? year being a pirate)

My fav shot, EVER. These kids are a hoot. 

Lips and Mustaches Bridal Shower

Lips & Mustaches...

My baby sissy is getting married!!! Isn't she stunning?! I mean, really. Taking their engagement pics was so fun.  They were a blast. :)

I was honored (and so stinkin' excited!) to be able to throw a bridal shower for her. Between the photo booth, games, and the Italian Soda Bar, fun was had by all. 

 The Cake...we always start with the cake. ;) Houndstooth just seemed to be perfect for this "Lips & Mustaches" theme. This cake was so, so simple. Just a quick coat of fondant (it totally doesn't even have to be perfect) then slap on some Wilton sugar sheets that you can find at Walmart or any of your local craft stores that carry cake decorating items. Trim off the excess and you are done! Does it get any easier? I say that it does not. :) Add a ribbon and a topper and you are a Rock Star. 

Italian Soda Bar!! Always so fun for conversation. Aaaaand...it's kinda delicious.

I mean...how adorable does that look? The drink is gorgeous all by itself but slap on some custom stickers and it pumps it up to the next level. 

 The dessert table. I went simple this time. 3 different kinds of popcorn and cake. These frames were from Hobby Lobby and they were the inspiration for this theme. The groom is obsessed with mustaches and the bride is obsessed with make-up and pretty things. A match made in heaven.

 Chalk-board fans do double duty. They were used for writing our answers for the "Almost Newly Wed" game and they kept us cool in the summer heat.

Sister's new Mother in law. She is a sweetheart!

 PHOTO BOOTH!

Nothing is funner than a photo booth. All kinds of fun happens when you put someone in front of a camera with a bunch of props. 

 SISTERS!! They are what make the world go 'round. :)