Plan Wedding Showers Like a Pro...

Planning a wedding shower? If you are, you know that choosing and mailing invitations is on your list of things to do. Many hostesses feel that they have to order expensive invitations from the printer or settle for the cheap pre-printed invitations in their local discount store. This just isn't so.

With the help of the Internet, you can make some unique and classy invitations that won't break your wedding shower budget.

Why Make Your Own Invitations?

There are many reasons to make your own wedding shower invitations. For starters, they're unique. When you make invitations, you can give them the look and feel that fits the bride-to-be. You no longer have to search for hours looking for just the right card that has the right font, the right wording, the right colors, and the right feel for the type of shower she wants.

When you make your own, you choose all your design elements right from the start and custom make them especially for the bride.

A second reason for taking the time to make the bridal shower invitations is sentimentality. Scrapbooking is a popular hobby these days. By making the invitation, you have an invitation that is worthy of scrapbooks or beautiful bride memory books. The handmade invitation becomes a memory your bride will cherish.

One of the best reasons to make your own invitations is to save money. You can easily cut the cost of invitations in half by printing them yourself. And with home computers, printers and the help of the Internet, your invitations will look anything but homemade. With the help of Internet invitation sites, your guests probably won't be able to tell you printed them yourself.

Planning a shower gets expensive. You start by trying to stick to your budget, but it's easy to lose control. By making your own wedding shower invitations, you'll have invitations your bride will love and you can stay on track with your budget.

Posted by Patti at 4:19 PM | Permalink

If you're hosting a wedding shower for that special bride-to-be, you want the shower to be just as special as she is. However, if you're on a budget, bridal showers can get expensive. To cut costs, consider making cupcakes instead of paying for an expensive wedding shower cake.

With these tips and a little practice, you can make professional-looking cup cakes that will impress everyone - especially the bride-to-be.

First Impressions

First impressions are important - even with cupcakes. You'll get that great first impression when you ice your cupcakes professionally. To do this you need to start with a great icing. For a great tasting icing and one that professional bakers use, make this buttercream icing. It's easy, tastes great and is less expensive than ready made icing.

Buttercream Icing

2 sticks butter (softened to room temperature)
2 cups shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 pounds confectioner's sugar (sifted)
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Mix softened butter, shortening, and salt for about 5 minutes
2. Add vanilla, butter and almond flavorings. Mix
3. Gradually add half of the confectioner's sugar. Mix
4. Add the rest of the confectioner's sugar gradually until well mixed adding a little milk if needed

Now that you have your icing made, let's ice the cupcakes. You can get a great look by using an icing bag and icing tip. Don't let this intimidate you - it's really simple. All you have to do is buy the supplies. You can get them locally at Wal-Mart, your favorite craft store or order them online. You'll need an icing bag and #1M Tip , or you can buy a starter kit that includes more icing tips for a wider variety of decorating.

Put your tip in your bag, load the bag with icing and decorate. For the best look, start near the edge of the cupcake and go in a spiraling circle. If you feel you need more detailed instructions, visit Wilton's website.

Once you have your cupcakes iced and looking great, don't stop there. Use pretty wedding shower cupcake papers. There's a wide variety of papers to choose from, just pick one that coordinates with the wedding shower colors or theme.

To top off your great looking cupcakes, use a special topping like sparkles or sugars. These toppings are the finishing touch that take your cupcakes from basic to beautiful.

So, now you have some great looking cupcakes. To show them off and make them the centerpiece of your wedding shower food table, display them on a cupcake stand or make an arrangement using different height cake plates. Either way, your cupcakes will look great and you'll make a great impression with your wedding shower cupcakes.

Posted by Patti at 11:56 AM | Permalink