Lynchburg Living

2010 Hitched

By Miranda Canady

Poor wedding cake – all it wants is to be the center of attention. Once respected as the ultimate in Big Day sugar rush, it is now competing with the likes of upscale cupcakes, candy bars and caramel apples. In many cases, these once frowned upon alternatives are even upstaging the traditional cake at modern weddings.

With more and more Virginia brides taking advantage of the beauty of each of the Commonwealth’s four seasons, Lynchburg Living decided to take a closer look at these new, sweet trends, and even went so far as to match each up with an appropriate season. So, whether you’re getting hitched in the spring, summer, winter or fall, you’ll have an abundance of options for your reception, sure to please one and all.

SPRING

CANDY BUFFET

A reoccurring rage at weddings has been the interactive candy buffet. Not only does the candy buffet keep guests entertained while they await the wedding party, but it also doubles as a wedding favor. Most candies can be bought in bulk and the wide variety allows you to pick and choose suitable favorites to match your wedding theme – proving to be both cost-effective and visually flattering. The candy buffet also makes for a straightforward, do-it-yourself project – simply collect glass jars, candy containers and metal scoops. You can even go the extra mile by having candy custom-made. Check out My M&M’s at, www.mymms.com, where you can choose from a variety of colors that include your wedding date, name and even pictures!

Local Favorite: Liberty Catering (www.libertycateringevents.com), $3.95-$4.95 per guest for 5-7 selections, which include Gummy Bears, Gummy Apples and Peach Rings, Jelly Bellies, Hard Candies and chocolate covered espresso beans, peanuts, cherries and blueberries.

PASTRIES

Pastries are perfect sweets for brunch or afternoon wedding receptions. They are light, airy, individually portioned and come in a huge assortment of fillings and styles. They are also a great way to showcase your heritage. For example, a Greek wedding may include baklava, while cannoli could be served at Italian weddings. You could even take a lesson from the French and re-create your wedding cake to resemble a Croquembouche, which is a cone-shaped tower of cream puffs filled with pastry cream.

Local Favorite: Bill’s Pastry Shop on Bay Street (www.billspastry.com) features baklava, danishes, fig and date ravioli, creamy fig and peach squares, cointreau chocolate colettes, petit fours and chocolate covered donut holes, just to name a few.

FRESH FRUIT

Fresh fruit is an inexpensive delicacy with lots of potential. It is also a gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly option, which will satisfy guests with specific food requests. Serve them on kabobs for a picnic-style reception, set out with coordinating dips for a buffet or have them decorated in arrangements for an elegant affair. Fresh fruit also makes for great centerpieces!

Local Favorite: Edible Arrangements in Wyndhurst (www.ediblearrangements.com), $29-$89 per arrangement, with options like peanut butter chocolate dipped apple wedges, two dozen berry chocolate roses in mixed chocolate and the “Sweet Indulgence” platter.

SUMMER

ICE CREAM SUNDAE BAR

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Ice cream sundae bars are a great way to cool off on those sticky summer days. This year, ditch the chocolate fountain for a unique and fun new take on a seasonal favorite. While the dinner menu might not suit everyone’s fancy, an ice cream dessert bar allows guests to customize their own creations. The bar also sets the stage as a great conversation starter. You can choose to have your ice cream bar catered, with vendors who set up and dispense the ice cream for guests, or you could convince a friend or family member to help out. Personalization reigns for a toppings bar. Choose toppings that match your theme, break out childhood favorites or include a smorgasbord of the most delicious treats you can think of – just be sure to include whipped cream and a cherry on top!

Local Favorite: Mountain Frost Creamery in Wyndhurst, $23-$25 per gallon. Flavors include vanilla, chocolate, chocolate chip, cake batter, cookies and cream, cookie dough, black cherry and more!

FRUIT TARTS

Often flying under the radar, this up-and-coming reception dessert is earning its place on the table of treats. Fruit tarts are dynamic because they often come in individual servings, allowing each guest to indulge in their own. They are also lighter than chocolate or other dense pastries and provide another opportunity to showcase locally grown fruits.

Local Favorite: Magnolia Foods on Rivermont Ave. (www.magnoliafoods.com), $26 (serves 12). Try the Very Berry Tart full of raspberries, blackberries and strawberries with a lattice crust.

PARFAITS

Parfaits are nice, healthy options for guests who are watching what they eat. They are refreshingly sweet on a hot summer day and come in many flavors. The list of toppings is also lengthy, so choose layers carefully for an eye-catching appeal. Popular parfait toppings include, but are not limited to, fresh fruit, dried fruit, granola, candy and whipped cream. More decadent (and less healthy) parfaits can be made of ice cream, pudding or whipped cream. They are best served in petite cups or glasses with spoons.

Local Favorite: Crown Sterling on Fort Ave. (www.thecrownsterling.com), $3.25-$5.95 per parfait. Choices include: Crown Sterling Parfait, Crown Sterling Double Parfait, Creme De Menthe Parfait, Godiva Chocolate Parfait.

FALL

CUPCAKES

The cupcake craze has hit American weddings with full force! Unique flavors, low cost, easy clean-up and a variety of designs make it hard to see why a couple wouldn’t serve cupcakes in place of, or in addition to, a wedding cake. The biggest appeal of the bite-sized desserts is in their easy customization. For example, cupcakes can be made to match your wedding theme by frosting color, sprinkles and cupcake liners. They can even be monogrammed with fondant, covered in edible flowers or dipped in chocolate. To keep with a fall theme, you could incorporate cupcake flavors like pumpkin spice, salted caramel and s’mores, but really the sky is the limit when it comes to these petite sweets.

Local Favorite: Taste Selects on 9^th Street (www.tasteselects.com), $2-$3.50 per cupcake. Choose from chocolate, mint chocolate, red velvet, zesty orange, fresh strawberry, carrot cream cheese and more!

PIES

Pies make for great seasonal and regional treats, and apples, pears, blackberries, raspberries and pumpkin are all in season in Virginia between August and November. Plus, pies have flexible crusts that can include elaborate designs. Consider swapping a traditional wedding cake for a comfort food that highlights the location of your wedding with good ol’ southern pies.

Local Favorite: Culina’s in the Boonsboro Shopping Center (www.culinasinc.com), $9.95 per pie. Flavors include chocolate meringue, blueberry, cherry, apple, coconut meringue, pumpkin, pecan and lemon meringue.

CARAMEL APPLES

Caramel apples are a classic fall treat. Popularly coined as “gourmet,” they make for fancy wedding desserts. Not only does this give couples another opportunity to use an in-season, locally grown favorite fruit, but the eye-catching apples look beautiful and taste great as well. Choose from a wide array of “dipped” flavors, then customize them to match wedding colors, or have them decorated as mini brides and grooms.

Local Favorite: Taste Selects, $10.99-$13.99 per decorated apple. Caramel coconut, M&M, toffee nut, triple chocolate and turtle are just a few of our favorites.

WINTER

COOKIES

Ready for a cookie comeback? Wedding reception cookie tables are most commonly linked with Pittsburgh, PA, as a tradition that invited mothers, aunts, grandmothers and in-laws to bake cookies for a bride’s wedding reception. Brides all over the country have since adopted the “tradition.” Typical cookie plates are covered in an array of classic favorites like ladylocks, pizzelles and buckeyes, but the versatility of the cookie is so extensive that brides can easily become overwhelmed by the selections. Recent trends in cookie plates have leaned towards customizable creations like French macaroons, fortune cookies with personalized fortunes and sugar cookies decorated with royal icing.

Local Favorite: Bill’s Pastry Shop which features an exhaustive list, including Lady Kisses, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Lady fingers, Cappuccino Swirls, Praline Pavlova, Chocolate Hazelnut Galettes, Italian Glazed Lemon Rings, Golden Ginger Macaroons, Black Russian Cookies, Almond Orange Cookies, White Chocolate Snowballs and Secret Message Cookies.

CHEESECAKE

Cheesecake is a perfect wedding cake alternative during the winter months when a denser, heavier dessert is appreciated. Cheesecake is very dynamic in form and appearance and allows couples to choose between serving full-size cheesecakes, personalized mini cheesecake squares or even chocolate dipped cheesecake bites. This elegant alternative to the traditional is also truly decadent in flavor.

Local Favorite: Main Street Eatery & Catering on Main St. (www.mainsteatery.com), $36-$45 per pie. Choose from Bananas Foster Cheesecake, Boston Cream Pie and Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake.

FUDGE

The versatility of fudge makes it a true standout. Fudge can be molded into numerous shapes and packaged in cute and coordinating designs like miniature boxes, colorful ribbon and gift bags. Because it is so rich, it is also cost-effective since a little goes a long way.

Local Favorite: Fabulous-Fudge on Fort Ave., $5.98 per half pound/$11.95 per pound. The choices here are nearly endless with flavors like Wonderful White Raspberry, Strawberry Dream, Rocky Road, Caribbean Coconut, Bada-Bing Cherry, Jamaican Banana Rum, Pinwheel Peanut Butter, Dreamsicle and more!

Of course, it’s likely that none of these options will ever truly displace the beauty, elegance and downright tastiness of a traditional wedding cake. For many brides, they are still the ultimate in a sweet finish to the Big Day. And who are we to argue? After all, we’ve never met a sweet we didn’t like!

PLUS:

Groom’s Cake Ideas

A groom’s cake is a Southern tradition, initially given as a gift from the bride to the groom. They are unique in form, flavor, shape and appearance and usually reflect the taste of the groom – sometimes literally!

With groom’s cakes, anything goes! Stuck on where to start? Here are a few ideas:

• Sports – Is your sweetie a sports fanatic? Did he play sports in college? Is there a spectator sport he never misses? If so, consider adorning his cake with his favorite team’s colors or transforming his cake into a shape like a soccer ball, stadium or golf course.
• Career – A humble way to highlight your future husband’s career achievements is through a career complimenting cake. If he’s pushed his way through med school, volunteered to serve in the military or saved lives as a firefighter, a profession-themed cake is the perfect way to showcase his achievements.
• Alumni – If he’s proud of his alma mater, has a family history with a certain school or just really loves a college sports team, then a college-themed cake may be the way to go. Consider getting school logos printed on the cake, incorporating the team mascot and embellishing the cake with coordinating school colors.
• Childhood Favorites – Add a touch of nostalgia to his cake by including some of his childhood favorites. Perhaps he was a Lego collector? Loved toy trucks? Maybe he even grew up wanting to be Batman? All of these childhood favorites are fun and unique things to incorporate into his cake and display the younger side of his personality.
• Home – Integrate a touch of home, especially if he has since moved away. If he is a farm boy transplanted into a big city, perhaps a barn-shaped cake will help him remember his roots. Did he grow up in Virginia? Consider a cake in the shape of his home state. The possibilities are endless.
• Hobbies – Here is an opportunity to really get creative. Highlight one (or a few) of his favorite things and build your cake around them. Avid hunter? Photographer? Drummer? Watch as your cake takes the form of his favorite things!