Cakes | Say I Do In Peru

In Cakes/ Say I do in Peru/ Wedding tips

2021 Wedding Cake Trends

2021 is almost over but we want to make a list of the best wedding cake trends that bride and groom have been following this year.

The use of isomalt in wedding cake as topper or at the side of the cake. Isomalt is a sugar substitute, often used in the pastry industry to creat translucent and magnificent sugar scultures. The effect is extremely dramatic and cakes will look amazing!

Mixed wedding cakes: we have seen several mixed sweet wedding cake this year. The most used sweets are macarrons, cookies, candies, doughnuts and cinnamon rolls. They are quite common

The use of edible flowers: the use of flowers in cuisine is quite common and this year we could experience the use of real blooms in wedding cakes. So let’s put aside the traditional flowers made of chocolate, fondant or sugar, and let’s go for edible flowers.

Brush Strokes cakes: They are brush strokes made of chocolate and edible colours, refrigerated and used to decorate the cake. The effect of this decoration is awesome!

Single-serving wedding cake: This has been a very good option during the COVID-19 pandemic, in line with safety restrictions, since each guest will have his mini wedding cake at his place.

One-tier wedding cake: Due to COVID-19 restrictions people sitched from big wedding with more than 100 uests to small weddings with 20-30 guests. So bride and groom often opt for small 1-tier cake.

Skinner multi-tier cakes: This is connected with the need to have smaller cake without giving up to the classic multi-tier cakes. The advantage is that they are extremely elegant and sofisticated.

So the trend for 2021 wedding cake can be resumed with less is more, since couples preferred to opt for smaller cake without compromising elegance, sofistication and colours.

October 4, 2021 By sayinperu

In Art deco/ Cakes/ Catering

The Ultimate Wedding Catering Check-list

Choosing your wedding caterer is a very important decision. Always remember that when it comes to food for your special day you must think twice before making a decision, and firstly you must taste the food. Food is essential for wedding reception, it is something that your guests need to enjoy, so have a big eye opened on this during your wedding planning process. Remember that the food has to be delicious and mouth watering for your special day!

Also, keep in mind, that usually your wedding caterer will not only provide the food for the reception, but they will also supply the tableware, silverware, they will stock the bar and manage the flow of the lunch/dinner.

Here a list of things you should consider when it comes to wedding catering:

Are you looking for a specific kind of food for your wedding event? If this is the case just select a little group of caterers that can provide that food. For instance if you opt for organic food, or vegan food or only fresh/raw food, or fast food style meal, or food trucks style meals, etc. These are filters you should definitely apply in case you have clear the kind of food you want to offer to your guests.

Once you are almost sure on your caterer decision, start asking for references. It is important that you understand what kind of chefs they have in their staff, as well as the waiters they have, how do they handle last minute issues (there are always issues to solve when it comes to wedding), what are their management and planning skills, among others. If there are negative comments on one or more of these elements, do not choose this catering company and keep searching the perfect one for your event.

Make a decision on the kind of meal you want to serve. Do you prefer a served meal or a buffet style one? This decision is important for your caterer, it makes a big difference in terms of organization, equipments and also for your budget.

Once you book the catering supplier, always revise the contract carefully before signing it. And try to negotiate some items if you do not fully agree with them well in advance.
Have a tasting included on the final price you are paying. It is your right to taste all the food they are going to serve on your wedding day free of additional charges, from the appetizers to the desserts.

If you are planning a destination wedding it is important that you consider that your guests coming from abroad would love to taste traditional food of the country you have selected for your wedding, so include some traditional dishes, but still do not forget to include some basic continental-style dishes that your guests are familiar with, in case they are not brave enough to try a foreign dish.

Do you have people with food allergies, vegan guests, vegetarian guests, guests who can only eat gluten-free food or no diary food? You should comunicate well in advance this to your caterer and provedie special menus.
Are there kids? Prepare a list for your caterer so that he/she can supply enough meals for kids, including french fries, hambueguers, pasta, pizza, basically things that kids love and eat pleasantly.

Prepare a list of beverage and cocktails you want to serve to your guests and make sure that the bar is properly stokked based on the number of your confirmed guests.

Ask your caterer to have some late night snacks ready and coordinate with them the exact hour you want them to serve the snack. The snack could include little hamburguers, french fries, or some kind of little canape. This is totally up tou you and your caterer skills.

Always keep in mind that without good food, any celebration is basically incomplete. So have a big eye open on the catering choice during your wedding planning process.

August 8, 2019 By sayinperu

In Cakes/ Decorations/ Wedding Trends

The Ultimate Guide To 2019 Wedding Cake Trends

Eating cake at a wedding reception is something that will never go out of style! The wedding cake is en essential part of a wedding celebration, it has to be a beautiful cake, ideally in line with the wedding theme and at the same time it has to be delicious, let’s say as delicious as it looks! In the last couple of years we saw several cake trends, very far away from the idea of the white and classic 3-tier wedding cake. We have seen unique creative ideas, such as the naked cake for 2018 weddings. The aim of this blog is to focus on the latest 2019 wedding cake trends for the upcoming wedding seasons. So if you are planning to get married soon, get on board and read this article, which we consider the ultimate guide to 2019 wedding cake trends.

-Colourful cakes: the use of colors is definitely a new trend for wedding cakes. You will see intense or light colors, such as blue, green, pink, coral among others on cakes this year. It is also common the use of hand-painted cakes, especially for cake covered by fondant. The use of gold and metal details is becoming a trend again this year as well, also black fondant cake are common this year. So in other words colors are a must! Our tip: stick with your wedding color palette!

-Geometrical shapes: another trend is to use geometrical shapes instead of the classic rounded cake. For instance it will be easy to find 3-tier squared, rectangular or hexagonal cakes. Or you will also find structural and contemporary design with geometrical details on it.

-Flower details: wedding cakes are now topped with real flowers arrangements, greenery and foliage, the use of edible flowers is also very common.

-Non-traditional wedding cakes: another trend for 2019 wedding is to have cake in line with a country traditions, basically no-wedding cakes. For instance we plan wedding in Peru and it is very common that bride and groom ask for a traditional Peruvian dessert made as wedding cake. This is happening more and more often everywhere. So, get rid of fondant or buttercream, and go for a delicious pavlova, a turron de Doña Pepa cake, a classic sponge cake with whipped cream or an Italian millefoglie.

-One-tier cake: forget the high wedding cakes construction, 3, 4, 5 tiers of cakes. This year will be very common to have simple one-tier minimalist wedding cake. Simple doesn’t mean boring taste or decoration. If you are afraid that a one-tier cake will not be enough to feed all of your wedding guests, you can have a bigger cake inside of the same flavors and taste to slice and serve.

-Alternative cakes: the use of other elements instead of real cakes, such as donuts or macaroons towers are also very common this year. Also the cheese cake is a real trend this year, with the cake tiers made with actual wheels of cheese topped with fresh fruits. The cheese wheels cake is a good option for couples who are not into sweets, served this fromage cake with jams, fresh fruits and nuts.

-Letter cakes: this is also a new trend for 2019 weddings. So opt for bride and groom’s initials shaped cakes topped with fresh cream/whippedcream/creamcheese (this is actually up to you) and decorate with fresh fruits or flowers.

Remember that choosing your wedding cake is a very important decision of the wedding planning process. All your guests will be eager to have a slice of cake at the reception and the cake cutting is a very important moment of your wedding day, a memory taht you’ll cherish forever. Also some additional tips: think about using a selection of wedding cake photos to show the cake designer and make sure that he/she has understood your idea and schedule a cake tasting few months before the wedding to make sure that the combination of flavors is the one you are looking for.

For more wedding trends stay tuned since we will share them soon on our blog!

June 10, 2019 By sayinperu

In Beach wedding/ Cakes/ Decorations/ Destination weddings/ Elopement/ entertainment/ peruvian style/ Venues/ Wedding Trends

The best of our 2016 weddings

So the 2016 is over and it was a great year, full of challenges and successful destination weddings in Peru. Me and my team worked extremely hard to satisfied and fulfill all of our bride and groom’s requests. At Say I Do in Peru we believe that we cannot start a new year without looking back at what we have done so far and making a point on what we have done well or wrong, what we have learnt and what we have achieved the past year.

In 2016 we have learnt that there are no obstacles impossible to overcome and we actually worked hard to achieve our couples wedding goals. We have learnt that each couple is different, each couple has their special point of views and it has a special way to deal with the wedding planning process. I have grown up a lot this year personally and professionally and I am extremely proud of what I have achieved and the wonderful weddings I have planned in Peru’s most amazing destinations!

The idea of this article is to collect the best moments, details, decorations of our 2016 weddings and it is indeed an opportunity to make you people understand what is my work about!

So here the most amazing sweet table from a wedding I organized in November, with French macarons, decorative macarons towers, chocolate truffles, tarts (lemon, chocolate, pecan), traditional “alfajores”, a Peruvian sweet filled with “dulce de leche”, and much more. This special table, placed at the entrance of the reception area, was decorated with white orchids, glass vases filled with water and white candles, the impact was awesome and the sweets were deliciousssss! The theme of the wedding was Art Deco so the decorative elements added were in line with it, therefore we can see geometrical patterns structures, black, white and gold color scheme and white orchids, the bride’s flower choice for the entire wedding event.

Here the most amazing scenery of 2016, this picture say it all. This is an elopement in the middle of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, organized in a beautiful property nearby the Urubamba River. We found this stunning venue for this lovely couple after a visit in the area and we felt in love with this colonial church and the beauty of the well-maintained grounds. On top of that, the presence of the Andes makes this venue even more charming. The tent structure was actually really simple, since the aim was to preserve the beauty of the place itself. We add few flower decorations on the tent and we opt for this elegant white wrought iron chairs. The result was amazing, as you can see.

Here the most elegant ceremony tent for this couple who wanted to get married in a beachfront location. We selected Paracas as destination and it was easy to create this elegant and sophisticated wedding atmosphere there. White, light grey and taupe were the main colors for this wedding celebration by the Pacific Ocean. The white chairs, the elegant chair decorations, the white petals on the aisle and the white and greenery tent give the setting a magnificent elegance, enriched by the Ocean breeze and the light blue clean sky.

This is without doubt one of the most amazing wedding shot of 2016, we love the symmetry of the elements and how the colors combined with the background. This snapshot absolutely summarizes what an Andean wedding is, what are the mysticism and intimacy behind this kind of ceremony and the brightness of the colors of that moment. The venue selected was located in Cusco, it was a ground area rounded by Incas walls, a very quiet place, ideal for this kind of intimate ceremony.

The wedding cake has always a special place in a wedding celebration, it is a decorative element so it needs to be beautiful, but of course it also needs to be delicious! Here one of our favorite from 2016 wedding, this wedding cake was actually an art piece, with the perfect flowers decorations and the two doves as topper, to represent the romance and kind of the bride and groom’s love. In Greek mythology doves are associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who was always depicted with doves fluttering around or on her arms; we really loved the romance and the idea beyond this unique wedding cake.

We also loved this romantic entrance of bride and groom to the hacienda we selected for their wedding. This was a beautiful country wedding nearby Lima and we loved how all the rustic and country elements combine between each other to recreate the perfect atmosphere of a Peruvian Hacienda wedding. This white carriage was the cherry on top of the cake, and all the wedding guests were totally amazed by the beauty of the horse and the carriage’s flower decorations.

This is just a little part of our 2016 weddings and I feel extremely proud of the job I have done, and happy to be part of these couples’ life forever… but now let’s start focusing on the 2017 weddings, I need to get back to work! 😀

February 6, 2017 By sayinperu

In Art deco wedding/ Cakes/ centerpieces/ colors palette/ Wedding Trends

Chronicles from an Art Deco wedding in Lima

Few weeks ago we had a wonderful wedding ceremony and reception in Lima. Bride and groom were looking for an unforgettable destination wedding in Peru and they were in love with Art Deco style. Everything needed to be inspired to the 20s and to the style of that time, let’s say “The Great Gatsby” style. Do you know “The Great Gatsby”? If not have a look here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby) and read the book. It will literally transport you in the 20s and you will enjoy the reading.

So what is this Art Deco style about? Art Deco was one of the most fashionable, iconic and pioneering international design and architecture movements in the history. This style was characterized by geometric shapes, such as triangular, trapezoidal and zigzagged ones, smooth lines, chevron patterns and elements that bring us back to the Greek and Roman classicism. As for colors, Art Deco introduced neutral colors, black and white were a must, as well as grey and beige…let’s say that monochromatic approach is another Art Deco’s feature. Also the key to recreate this style is to add bright metallic elements, for instance using color splashes of gold and silver. Being a wedding planner also means research and investigate to make couple’s wishes come true!

This wedding was all about black, white and some gold accent. We found the perfect venue with black and white floor tiles, perfectly in line with the style bride and groom were looking for. Checkerboard floors are very versatile and with the right decoration elements can also create a cozy atmosphere. The decorators added many white orchids and moss for the table decoration with glass vases filled with water and white candles, several types of tables of different shapes and dimensions, different kind of chairs and tablecloths, as well as different kind of centerpieces. The tablecloths used were basically striped in black and white, or total black or total white.

There were different types of chairs and cushions, transparent chairs with white cushions and gold chairs with black and white striped cushions, which help creating an elegant and sophisticated atmosphere. As centerpieces the decorator decided to opt for white orchids with a combination of glass vases filled with candles or water, moss and tree branches, in some table they also placed a tree (a real one!!!) rounded by moss. It was like being in a fairy-tale, the reception area was really beautiful, and although they used very different decoration elements they managed to create a charming harmony. The atmosphere they recreated was fantastic with the right balance between cold and monochromatic colors, gold accents and natural elements (trees, moss and flowers). When you stepped into the wedding reception area you totally forgot about the world outside and the idea was to make guests feel transported in a different age and in a charming “Art Deco fairy tale”, where bride and groom were the main characters.

The sweets table was a great success, in perfect style with the Art Deco patterns. Main colors used were black, white and gold, with geometric shapes and smooth lines, triangular pyramid of French macaroons, gold pyramidal structures, mirrors, white orchids, glass vase with water, moss and white candles.

The wedding cake was also amazing, a three-tiered square cake covered with fondant and enriched with gold and white geometric decoration.

The lighting in the entire reception area was perfect, a soft and dark lighting with accent on the sweet table, guest’s tables and especially the long squared groom and bride’s table. Bride and groom choose to share the table with the wedding party and close friends.

This wedding was a total blast, we loved organizing every little detail, working closer with the decorators to make real what bride and groom had in mind and we really loved how the decoration perfectly fit the beautiful venue.

November 25, 2016 By sayinperu

In Cakes/ Decorations/ Flowers/ peruvian style/ Wedding Trends

Peruvian-style Wedding Cakes

When planning a destination wedding main goal is to stick with traditions, culture and customs of the country who is hosting your wedding celebration. To my experience, it is always very important for our couples to include the “Peruvian essence” in their wedding ceremony and reception. This is extremely important since your guests will be travelling here and they really want to go back home with a full idea of what Peru can offer in terms of traditions, customs, lifestyle, people, language, food and most importantly they want to know how a wedding in Peru looks like, how do we organize wedding ceremony and reception here, how do we decorate the venue, etc.

For instance some couples choose to have a traditional Andean ceremony in a beautiful site somewhere in the Andean mountains, usually the Sacred Valley of the Incas, other couples choose to have traditional Peruvian music for their ceremony with wind instruments such as panpipes and flutes or stringed instruments like the “charango”, we also had brides who decided to wear a wedding dress enriched with a typical Peruvian embroidery or couple who wanted to use Peruvian-style decoration for their ceremony and reception, such as Peruvian fabrics used to decorate the reception venue, Peruvian flowers or cactus as centerpieces. There are many ways to recreate the “Peruvian essence”, but there is only one “sweet” way to do so: go for a Peruvian-style wedding cake!

The wedding cake is one of the main actors of the wedding reception, apart from bride and groom of course. So it is actually a brilliant idea to have a Peruvian-style wedding cake to enrich the reception setup and to add a Peruvian touch to your wedding celebration! Usually the cake is placed in the middle of the reception area on a table covered by a beautiful tablecloth in line with the wedding color-palette and with some lighting decorations or candles.

There are different ways to set-up the wedding cake table, you can add decorative elements, candles, petals, special lighting, special tablecloths, decorative birdcages, etc. … decoration is really up to you! However I can swear that if you opt for a Peruvian-style wedding cake there will be no need to have any other decorative elements, since they could weigh the cake table down. Peruvian decorative patterns are so eccentric, colourful, vibrant that you will not need any other details than the cake itself.

You can opt for a different kind of Peruvian decoration, you can add typical Peruvian flowers or flowers of traditional colors, such as red, blue, purple and orange. These colors are the ones typically used in the famous and beautiful Peruvian fabrics sold in the market all over the country, as well as exported worldwide. As decorative elements you can also use colourful ribbons to round each cake’s tier or rustic ribbons to give the cake a country-style touch. It is also very important to choose the right topper for your cake. If you are up to a Peruvian-style wedding cake you can use a beautiful bouquet of Peruvian flowers as topper, or traditional Peruvian characters or two little llamas.

A part from white fondant you can also consider to use colourful fondant with typical Peruvian patterns decoration. Every Peruvian region has a specific pattern and design used in fabric and other handcrafts, for example in Arequipa we have big and colourful flowers, in Cusco we have little geometric patterns and so on. But the truth is that all of them are actually beautiful! This way your wedding cake will look like a traditional Peruvian fabric and your guests will definitely stair at it.

As for the flavors you can actually go for everything you like, but to stick with Peruvian tradition a cake with Brazilian nuts, raisin, candy fruits and pecans filled with “Dulce de leche” could be an option, a traditional chocolate cake filled with fudge is also another good option.

Dulcefina, one of the supplier in our network, has extensive experience preparing beautiful and elegant wedding cakes with Peruvian-style decorations, Peruvian flowers and much more. She uses to work with foreigners who wants to tie the knot in Peru and they perfectly understand all our clients’ requests. She has always fulfilled all of our couples’ requests and special requirements so far and she is extremely reliable. She has many experience in the market and we totally trust in her work. The cake models shown in this blog article are all made by Dulcefina. You can find more information on her work here http://www.dulcefina.com.pe/.

November 4, 2016 By sayinperu