I think sugar bells should be on the way back in--In the sense of what's old is new. Sugarbells rock. Large, small, all kinds. Meet me at the church on time. Churches have bells. Work with me here people.

I think that's gonna be a trend someday.

Once again good thing I stay safe in within the confines of the bookshelves and small coffee shop n the little store I get to manage.

I've been in and out of cake deco due to burn out. So I was out of cakin' at the time all the decorative fountains came in for our homes & stuff--the yard sale fodder that is on tables outdoors all across the land now that came out a few years ago. Well I was pissed that cool fountains were out and I am still amazed that nobody much made cool cakes with those.

I still see those cloud/fog maker dealies--It takes all of my will power not to snatch one up and design a cake!

Brings back memories of my first wedding. I too had the stairs and the fountain with blue water. At the time, it was beautiful, and I received many compliments on it. I opted not to go with the wedding people and had doves on the staircases and topper. What's funny is you can still buy that same topper. Michaels, AC Moore, Hobby Lobby all have it available. I personally hate the tuk n ruffle. I just don't get it. I suppose there is a place for it, but it just seems so dated. As for the foutains, I've had many brides request fountains, and I talked them out of it. There was only one bride that stood firm. The pic is in "My Photos". I thought it turned out well and doesn't have the 80's look to it. I've had brides request that particular cake, but I suggest doing the top three tiers without the fountain.

Unless I was doing an architectural model-type cake, I will not 'do' stairs on a cake.
I was at the cake supply store last week and their ante-room was chock-a-block w/the plastic bridesmaids/groomsmen and stairs and I had to control my gag reflex.
As for the fountain aspect...if they wanted a water feature, have that somewhere else (like their home?!), the cake is the thing, and I prefer my 'special effects' to be of the edible variety.
The thing that I think is the most gag-tacular would be the 'country & western' rope heart topper w/the lil' cowgirl bride and cowboy groom...and I am from Texas...and all of the requisite ruffles and ribbon associated. Oh, and the teddy bear 'couples' make me spew, too. Is this a wedding of grown ups or a party at a pre-school??? Honestly.
Okay, off to work on a ballet-themed birthday cake for my aunt!
Peace out - and let's be careful out there...just say "NO!!!" to tuk-n-ruffle and stairs and...

Wendl

A cake with a fountain was top of the line back a generation n a half ago.

Tuk n ruffle does softly nauseate me though, makes my food come back in my mouth erp.

AND OMG I went to help a fellow caker recently while she was recovering from some health issues and she still used it. Cahhhn't breathe, legs weak, aghhh hhh.

While I am shamefully guilty of using it when I first started I most always used real lace trim from the fabric store.

Thanks, indydebi. That photo just made me laugh! I can't imagine a bride coming to me today and asking for a cake like that! I can just imagine all the big-haired 80's girls walking past that cake and saying how "it's like so totally awesome."

All this has me trying to think back 30 years ago to the cake from my wedding but for the life of me I can not remember anything about the cake. It was the best bachelorette party the night before Now I will have to go look for the wedding photos since out anniversary is in Oct and would like to copy it now that I can do cakes.

I dont remember much about the plans for my wedding finally just gave up when my mother kept changing everything. Nice that the brides now a days have an idea what they like and usually dont bring mom to the tasting or to pick out the cake.

I have only made 5 wedding cakes and all just gave me a color scheme and what type of flowers and how many tiers and square or round. Then they just let me do it and have all been pleased so far. I always ask for one of the invitations also to try and incorporate anything from that.

Most ones I do are for friends and they need less stress and are on a budget. Since I just do for friends and family and donate cakes to a childrens charity.

Off to go find my wedding pics to check out the cake!!!

You are all tooo funny!!

All I have to say is "Have you seen The Wedding Singer?" with Adam Sandler. I love the movie, especially the music, but every wedding has the big cake, everything is color cordinated right down to the groomsmens royal blue ties!! I was a child of the 80's, but yes, what were we thinking??!!

My BFF was the first one of us to get married and her wedding was teal and peach and she had a huge cake with the fountain and stairs with little bridesmaids and groomsmen. At the time it was cool. I got married 5 years later and by then, those big cakes had made their way out!! Just think what we'll be doing 5 years from now.

A lot of brides STILL order these horrid fountain and stairs cakes! And Wilton STILL SELLS Tuk n Ruffle and fountains and stairs...oh my! Why, oh why?

why does Wilton hate us?
(of course, I only use their tips/couplers, goodness knows their fondant is worse by far than even the stairs...the plastic attendants prob taste better!)
LOL!
Wendl

Hmmm... I'm still getting lots of requests for pillars, or fresh flowers between the tiers.

Usually brides bring me a Martha Stewart clipping, with the 3 stcked tiers, and then I show them how it would look (using cake pans). I also ask how high the ceiling is in the hall/hotel room. Usually 10, 11 feet. They usually like to add some height to the cake. I usually hide the pillars behind the fresh flower arrangement.

I find the direct stacked look would be lovely (and proportional) for a restuarant reception, but we still seem to have these 150 -200 people-sized receptions up here. People will be looking across the hall some 30, 40 feet, and want to make sure the cake is noticable.

I also agree-- any style can be dated (even, dare I say, some of today's).

What's classic on a cake is also classic on people. Minimizing lots of food color dye (or, eye make-up and hairspary), emphasizing hand-made sugar work over plastic (same goes with jewelry!), and using fresh flowers -- these are classic looks that never goes out of style.

But, hey, if we didn't get the trend setters, we'd have a more boring world, I suppose!

Maybe a good thread would be for everyone to post pictures of them with their wedding cakes - if the picture was taken at least a decade ago.

I got married in 1989 when my hair was bigger than my waistline! Of course I had the the beaded headband with the toile pouf on the back of my head. Permed hair with the "rooster tail" bangs! Fitted, very beaded dress and a bow bigger than my butt.

However, my cake was pretty understated. The bottom two tiers were stacked and the top tier was separated by pillars. I think the pillars had cherubs on them. I never could decide on a cake topper. Instead, my friend who was also my florist, decorated the entire cake, including the top, in the same flowers used in my HUGE cascading bouquet that gave me carpal tunnel by the end of the day. I think it weighed more than me!

Oh, and I can't forget to mention the bridesmaids' teal, drop waisted, taffeta dresses! Aaaggghhh!!!

I just might start the thread myself. Gotta dig out the pics first and scan a couple. No image CDs back then!

Kim, good idea! I wore a hat in my '88 wedding ... with the tulle-stuff out the top and back! My kids still make fun of it. While my oldest daughter wore my wedding dress when she got married, she drew the line on wearing the hat! (What? What? I looked pretty hot in that hat!)

I don't own a scanner, but I may have my daughter do the big scan thing for your thread! This could get fun!

you gals made my day!

what made me really laugh was the brown paneling in what was obviously the church reception hall of cake on a table....how funny!

i got married in 1992 and we had a stacked affair....i can't even recall putting much thought into choosing the cake....who would have ever guessed i'd be making cakes when i cared so little back then?

let me see if can post my wedding photo...

sally

OK I will lead off with the wedding cake cutting photo 1978!!
I swear I had nothing to do with choosing this cake. I checked my sisters cake (she got married 10 years before me and it was a 5 level tier with pillars between each level) my mom was adament about doing things just like my sister had but my cake was totally different than hers and yes there are sugar bells!!

No laughing ( at least not too much) what was I thinking with the two tone tux's - at least you can not see the peach dresses. Reeption was held at the Sheraton that had just been built and was the big thing at the time ( 30 years later it is a holiday Inn!!)

minorfan -- What a lovely picture! You loook so nice! And the cake -- classic and lovely. I am not a big fan of the two-tone tux (it does seem to match the wallpaper well)....but really, looking good!

It was really bad that I did NOT remember the cake at all. But what is worse is I mentioned this to my hubby and he was able to tell me what the cake looked like!!! We will be married 30 year in Oct.

I am the one who always forgets anniversaries and he even remembers the date of our first date, the day we got engaged everything!!

Alright cut me some slack here.

This Christmas it'll be 30 years ago. Yep December 25th is our anniversary.

My little Momma made my dress and my invites (God bless her so much). Mom made the invites on the new wrap around technology that had recently come out, the word processor. Friends decorated. Pop walked me down the aisle.

I did the cake. Umm, the bottom tier shoulda been two layer I didn't think anyone would show up. It really was pretty and glowyfied with that candle lit in there. Trust me on that.

Thanks k8memphis, glad to not be the only one posting the picture and Looks like our husbands got there tuxes in the same place!!

My father wanted me to get married on Dec 25th, Since that is my birthday he said it would make it easier for everyone (husband) to remember our anniversary!! No way it was bad enough being born on xmas had no plans to get married that day also.

Your cake looks great - no staircase or fountain!! There is no way at my wedding and I was 18 to make my own cake. I did my daughters cake but can not imagine being the bride and doing the cake. You have more guts than me.

Gotta love it. I can't believe my bridesmaids put that flower loop around the cake and made that backdrop, the decorator TOTALLY got the wrong color, and if memory serves, I added the blue flowers to the two-heart plastic topper. Oh, if only I knew then what I know now -- I would have made it myself!

Well there's a close second for gutsiest with Hawkette posting STAIRCASES!!!! Agh!!!-- But dang that's a really pretty spread. Too bad the youngsters don't have the eyes to see the beauty.

H-you look stunner too!

What year was that, Hawkette?

I'm not a fan of the stairs or fountains, although I liked them back then.

I couldn't remember what mine looked like, either. I knew it had purple flowers & heart shaped satellites. The cake decorator called me that day (it was 105 F) & said that the bc flowers would not stay draped on the sides of the cake, like I had wanted. I told her I didn't care, just throw them on top & get it to the church.

This was 1993 & was my dream wedding, with my Prince Charming!