Ice the Cake.co.uk: November 2012

Monday, 26 November 2012

Chocolate Fountains, Candy Buffets & Fruit Palms... the perfect start to the week!

Based in Luton, Bedfordshire, Boi t de Chocola t provide yummy chocolate fountains, delicious fruit palms and scrumptious sweet buffets. We are delighted to announce that they will be exhibiting in the 'Vintage Zone' at our Spectacular Wedding Show on 13th January 2013. Today it is my pleasure to introduce you to the company's owner Venesa Coodien...

Who inspires you?

My customers. I like the comments I get and suggestions from them all at each event. Without them I wouldn't really have known what to build on and how. Also the suppliers i have worked with. The comments from them and advise they have given.

What makes you unique?

I think our presentation. We are perfectionists. I like everything to look perfect including how any of the dipping items are cut and displayed on a plate. I like it to be kept clean and tidy so we offer staff as part of the deal as standard. That way the fountain is kept clean, looks lovely all night and the venue are happy with the place not being covered in chocolate.

What influences you?

Again our customers, how they react, the comments we get. Without them none of this would be possible. They let me know what they want and how they want it. The reactions are what make me think forward and what i can do next.

What is your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement to date is the reputation i have made for Boit De Chocolat. Guaranteed at every fountain job i have been to that someone will say its the best fountain they have seen and tasted. From that word of mouth has spread and we have been so busy, supplying Whipsnade Zoo with all their fountains as well as doing big corporate events again from recommendations from previous customers and venues.

A Message from Boit de Chocolat to our readers...

A big hello to everyone. Looking forward to working with all you lovely suppliers, events people and brides. Please get in contact if i can help you in any way. Chocolate fountains are our specialty but we do also do Candy Buffets and Fruit palms.

Do you have a current special offer for Ice the Cake readers?

Yes, until the end of the year December 31st 2012, if you book (deposit of £50 only required) any of our all inclusive packages you get a free candy buffet for said event.

Thursday, 22 November 2012

The Wedding Whizz... A Massive Thank You!

Every so often something happens that leaves you completely overwhelmed and speechless and I was lucky enough to have just that happen to me at our Awards ceremony last week...

At the end of the ceremony, Helen from Sweetness & Delight Wedding Cakes and Emma from Signature Flowers by Emma Newman took to the stage with the most stunning bouquet of flowers, a gorgeous card made by Kathryn Deeley signed with wonderful messages from lots of our members, an amazing gift of a collection that had been raised for me to treat myself and a wonderful poem written for me by Jo at Bespoke Verse.

I cannot thank everyone enough - there would be no cakey family without everyone making it feel so special and I am truly blown away by the support everyone has given me since starting ITC in April 2011. It was a magical evening... so I just wanted to share this InCREDIBLE poem written by the Winner of this Years Most Innovative category - Bespoke Verse...

Thank You Sue

A constant source of inspiration

Sue’s full of fun and motivation

Network meetings, selling wares,

Forum, Facebook, wedding fairs

Photo shoots and blogs and press;

Does this woman ever rest?

Christmas fairs, supplier training

Advice on weddings, entertaining

Mobos, marketing, awards

No wonder she is so adored.

She juggles lots of spinning plates

Yet never seems to make mistakes

She’s always there to answer questions

And wows us with her great suggestions.

We make new friends, we get more biz

Thanks to Sue the wedding whizz

And not just that, but all the while

She does it with a cheerful smile.

So... thanks for everything you do

To Ice the Cakes’s amazing Sue!

Thank you so much xxxxx

Wednesday, 21 November 2012

A Little Bit of Sunshine to Brighten a Gloomy Day

Founded at the beginning of 2012, Seber Weddings & Events take a fresh look at planning weddings. We offer inspiration, advice and support within our part and full coordination packages. With a different approach to planning, you only pay for the amount of time you need us. An Introduction to Your Wedding gives you an exciting head start if you want to do the planning yourself, and gives you 3 hours of one-to-one support, providing you with the tools you’ll find invaluable when organising the most amazing day of your lives.

Yellow is such a cheery colour isn’t it? The colour of sunshine (when we get it!), lemon drops and of course the glorious sunflowers that feature in our gorgeous photo shoot. The Three Locks Golf Club in Great Brickhill, a beautiful village in the Buckinghamshire countryside, provided the perfect backdrop for our Bright Yellow and Sunflowers photo shoot. With lakes, mature trees, a canal-side setting and a beautiful new clubhouse, this relaxed, countryside venue complimented our fantastic models.

Inspired by the bold colours of nature in Summer, we wanted to create a bright, pretty and natural theme. We started the day with hair and make up in the accommodation suite at the Three Locks with pageboy Charlie and bridesmaid Chloe providing plenty of entertainment for the team! The sunny patio area provided a beautiful shoot location for our table settings – bold sunflowers, creative stacked bowl centrepieces, pretty sunflower and ribboned place tags, a scrummy cake and dark wicker furniture. Our lakeside shots across the tee really brought to life the natural theming, and one of the most stunning veil shots was captured here, along with chalkboards, rugs and a very relaxed Bride and Groom.

Further beautiful spots were discovered during the day were an avenue of pretty trees perfect for the little models to play! A great yellow balloon provided much excitement too and there’s no doubt these two are complete pros!

We finished the day on the picturesque steps of the main house at the Three Locks, accompanied by the gorgeous 1930’s ivory and champagne Beauford convertible, just fabulous for emphasising the close ups of the Bride’s make up and the oh-so-pretty bouquets. There was just time for a shot of the little models with the most gloriously colourful umbrella and it was a wrap!

The Creative Team:

Styling - Seber Weddings & Events

Photography - Olivia Bea Photography

Flowers - Creations Flowers ‘Taylor-Made’ For You

Hair - Mon Amie Hair

Make Up - Make Up Artist Boutique

Venue - Three Locks Golf Club

Cake - Sweetness & Delight Celebration Cakes

Stationery - Kathryn Deeley Wedding Stationery

Bridal Boutique - Xquisite Bridal

Bridesmaid Dress - Frockalicious

Suit hire - Fogarty Formal Hire

Favours - Charms by Joanna

Shoes - Jazzle Designs

Crystal Bouquet - Crystal Bouquet Boutique

Car - D&K Chauffeurs

Models – Jeb Potter, Kelly Louise Sandford, Charlie Seber and Chloe Moyes

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

The Credible & Incredible Supplier of the Week is... Ultimate Wedding Magazine

Ice the Cake have are excited to welcome the Ultimate Wedding Magazine as one of our new suppliers. The magazine has been going from strength to strength since it started and we are lucky to find out a little bit more about the owner, Tina.

Who inspires you?
My Mother is my greatest inspiration and critic. My father died when I was 2, so Mum raised me to be the person that I am. I am eternally grateful to her for the strong morals she installed in me, and the ethos to never give up. She is now suffering with Lewy Body Dementia, and our moments together are precious. Aside from Mum, my children inspire me hugely to be the best that I can be. Outside of my circle, I admire people who are polite, respectful and determined, and more importantly happy. Money doesn’t buy happiness, contentment comes from within.

What makes your Magazine unique?

We are free! Bridal parties pay enough, they should not have to pay for good advice. We have amazing competitions and features, great celebrity bloggers, and we offer our suppliers a unique service with a complete pr/advertising package. Plus, if our suppliers do not get a good response from their advert, we look at why not, and then work with them to ensure that they get excellent return on their spend. We distribute more magazines into the Home Counties than the National magazines, so if a supplier wants to promote their business to local brides, we offer exceptional value. Plus we are number 2 on google, above the nationals!

What do you feel makes the perfect mix for a wedding magazine?

It must be informative and fun. Be suitable to all, and embrace life as it is today. It must offer variety and something for the bridal party, not just the bride. We have great competitions, which everyone seems to love, and they even pop up on national money saving websites! We love to work with charities, and are currently supporting the Alzeihmers Society. It is also very important to show options for variable budgets, so every bride, groom or broom can have the day of their dreams, at a price they can afford.

What is the magazine's greatest achievement?

We are now working on our birthday issue, and that is an achievement in itself! A year ago this was just a dream, now we have amazing visitors online, great readers, lovely suppliers from big brands to sole traders. We just want to keep going and deliver a quality publication that brides and suppliers love. Oh and our Christmas message last year, don’t get much better coverage than Piccadilly!

A Message from Ultimate Wedding Magazine...

Hello to fellow ITC members, from the team at UWM. I say team, there are only 2 of us! We very much look forward to working with you over the coming months, some of you are already part of the UWM family. We are a local publication for local brides. Stylish A5 handbag mag featuring the best from our lovely Home Counties. We offer a complete pr/advertising package, and work with you to look at maximising your exposure to brides.

Do you have a current special offer for Ice the Cake readers?

As an ITC member, you get preferential advertising rates. Plus we have 2 major announcements over the next week, that you will get to know first!

Wednesday, 14 November 2012

16 Fabulous Finds to Decorate your Home this Christmas!

Here at Ice the Cake we are counting down Christmas by showing you some of our fabulous suppliers. Today we have some lovely ways in which you can decorate your house with flowers and alternative displays.