HAPPY HALLOWEEN

There are many potentially scary things that can happen with weddings. There are the stories of downpours and bee infestations. There are tent mishaps, dress mishaps, decidedly inappropriate toast mishaps. And of course we've all heard about the horror of Bridezillas. Some of us have even crossed paths with them and have lived to tell.

Then there are simply the brides with frightful taste, like one bride I met who wanted a “diamond shaped” bouquet in pink, red, yellow, blue and who knows what else. This was the same bride who was much more concerned about her brother's boutonnière than the groom's..?!

Another spooky occurrence I encountered was when a bride purchased her own votive candles for her wedding – that were scented! When I opened the first case of them I thought my hair had blown off, for the smell was so overwhelming. Always use unscented candles for events. Let the fragrances of the flowers and aromas of the food be enjoyed and not overpowered by a fabricated smell.

Potentially horrifying things can happen with weddings at other times of the year too. One very hot day - hence not the best condition for placing anything precariously on a butter cream iced cake - we were to add a few flower accents around a figurine the bride had bought to top her cake. The figurine was of a Bride and Groom in a seated position to be placed on the edge of the top tier with their legs hanging over the side. It was heavy, not intended for cake decoration and with nothing to stick into the cake to secure it. Needless to say, as soon as the caterer placed the figurine on the cake it tumbled down the entire side creating quite a gash.

Surprisingly, the caterer then tried to place it on the other side and, of course, now there were two sides of the cake completely wrecked! Apparently already having a bad day, he stomped off to attend to other issues in the kitchen. We waited for him to return to fix the icing before we placed the accent flowers, but he didn't. With just moments left before the guests were to enter the room, we quickly decorated the cake liberally with flowers. I must say, it did turn out boo-tiful! Happy Halloween!