Thursday, December 1, 2016

The Honeymoon Destination You Never Considered

By Kelsey

You’ve just used most of your budget on the wedding day. Hey, it’s understandable, it’s the biggest party of your life! But now you need to book a honeymoon. You want something cheaper than an all-inclusive resort, but a bit nicer than a trip to Gatlinburg. Well, I have a recommendation that I bet you didn’t consider: Canada!

Okay, so Canada doesn’t sound like the most exciting place in the world. It’s definitely not sunny Jamaica. However, spare a minute for me to argue the pros of this awesome honeymoon destination. Specifically, we’re talking about the Niagara Falls and Toronto area of Canada.



1.       Niagara Falls isn’t the only waterfall – Yes, of course you need to go to Niagara Falls if you’re visiting this part of Canada. But this area actually has tons of smaller waterfalls. Especially in the early summer, it’s great for romantic hiking with your new husband. 




2.       It’s inexpensive and close to home, but you still need a passport. You can drive there from Tennessee in a single day, yet you’re still getting out of the country.
Dundurn Castle


3.       Canada has castles! That’s right. You never would have thought that this gorgeous castle is right near Toronto. 


Casa Loma - Toronto, Canada

4.       Wineries – No, Canada isn’t exactly known for its wine. But there are lots of cute little wineries just waiting to give your tours and tastings.


5.       Actually, the Chinese food in Toronto is pretty decent. 


6.       Finally, in Canada, milk comes in bags instead of cartons. Seriously, you need to see this at least once in your lifetime. 

Monday, November 28, 2016

How to Save $300 or More on your Wedding Cake

By Kelsey

The average cost of a wedding cake for 150 people is about $600, and we can all name brides who have spent WAY more than that. Wedding cakes are a beautiful part of your special day, but it is a lot of money to spend on something that will be destroyed before the night is over.

If you’re on a budget, your wedding planner will tell you to pick two or three aspects of the wedding that are most important to you. You’ll spend more money in these areas and make cuts on the others. If a 6-tiered masterpiece cake is the most important item on your list, then stop reading now and go for it! I’m sure it will be awesome.

If, however, you would like to save some money on the cake, then we would like to present an alternative: Nothing Bundt Cakes.



Nothing Bundt Cakes offers two-tiered cakes that serve 30 people for $65 each (prices from Cool Springs location website). You can get 5 cakes to serve 150 people for $325. That’s over $350 in savings!



That also means that you can try 5 different flavors (I’m in love with the white-chocolate raspberry, while my husband loves the red velvet.) A lot of guests will wait around just to see the cake-cutting and have a slice, and there’s nothing worse than a bad tasting wedding cake. Well, I can promise you, these cakes taste amazing. But beware, if you have multiple flavors, guests will want to try them all. You’ve saved so much money, maybe you can afford to buy a bit extra.



Worried about a plain looking cake? Well, if An Elegant Encounter is doing your flowers, we can order extras for the cake. Your cake(s) can match your bouquet! Besides, “naked cakes” are all the rage right now. Check out some of our favorites on our Pinterest page.


With Nothing Bundt Cakes, you can still have beautiful cakes for your pictures, while actually enjoying the flavor. It is a literal case of having your cake and eating it, too. Trust me, your guests are going to RAVE about these cakes.