`Farmer florist` grows and designs wedding bouquets > INSIDE

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ALSO
‘Farmer florist’ grows
and designs wedding
bouquets > INSIDE
Local seamstresses
improve on
perfection | T3
Picking hotels that
are good to your
guests | T4
Findlay’s new
chapel of love | T6
T2
W EDDING SHOWCASE
THE COURIER
FRIday, aPRIL 10, 2015
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‘Farmer florist’ grows, designs wedding bouquets
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By SARA ARTHURS
Staff Writer
ELIda — a rose is a rose is a rose,
but a dahlia or peony or sweet pea is
something quite different.
Many area brides are following the
national trend of getting their flowers from a local grower, which allows
them to use varieties of flowers they
couldn’t otherwise.
Susan Studer King, owner of
Buckeye Blooms in Elida with her
mother, Kay Studer, said the local
food movement has led to “a growing
national and global movement. ... We
call ourselves farmer florists” as they
both grow and design flowers. She
said brides who want a “green, ecoconscious and sustainable approach”
may be seeking out locally grown, inseason flowers.
Buckeye Blooms provides flowers for weddings and other events
throughout the region. They have
become particularly popular among
brides in arlington, which King attributed to word of mouth.
arlington High School alumna
amanda Russell Ngur, now a resident
of Toledo, used Buckeye Blooms for
her wedding. a family friend knew
Studer and King and suggested checking them out. Initially Ngur thought it
would be “more of a flower stand” but
she liked what she saw, both for environmental reasons and because she
was hoping for “a more distinct look.”
She had peonies in her bouquet and
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SUSAN STUDER KING (right), owner of Buckeye Blooms, is shown with
her mother, Kay Studer, at the Elida farm where King and Studer tend
close to 150 varieties of flowers.
a variety of flowers in centerpieces
and on the reception table. Ngur was
married in Jenera in June 2012, an
outdoor wedding at her parents’ farm.
“We got a lot of great compliments
on all of it,” including the flowers’ fragrances, she said.
Peonies are one of Buckeye
See BUDDING, Page t15

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THE COURIER
W EDDING SHOWCASE
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raNDY rOBertS / the Courier
KARLENE BRACHLE works on a wedding gown at Seams Fitting, which she operates with business partner Patti
Spears. The seamstresses work on about 150 wedding dresses a year, altering or embellishing them. The business
also makes custom-made bridesmaids’ dresses and mothers’ gowns.
alterations
make the perfect
dress just right
By JEANNIE WILEY WOLF
Staff Writer
It’s the lucky few who can take a
wedding gown off the rack and have
it fit.
For everyone else, alterations are
called for.
That’s where Karlene Brachle and
her business partner, Patti Spears,
come in. The women own Seams Fitting at 117 W. Sandusky St. a lot of
their business is devoted to helping
making the wedding day a special one
for brides.
“We did 150 weddings together last
year. We’re anticipating at least that
many this year,” said Brachle. “We’ve
altered dresses, made custom-made
bridesmaids’ and mothers’ gowns.
and we have orders for two custommade wedding gowns for this year.”
Brachle said it’s not unusual to
need some alterations on a wedding
gown.
“Typically it’s a side seam. a lot
of the times we sew in the bust cups
for them so they don’t have to worry
about remembering a strapless bra,”
See ImPROvINg, Page t16
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2219 N. Main St., Findlay
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9:30-5:30
Sat. 9:30-2:30. Evenings by appointment
www.DecorationsPlusOnline.com
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W EDDING SHOWCASE
THE COURIER
Be good to your guests
Reserve hotel rooms
to smooth the way
for visiting family
and friends
By SARA ARTHURS
Staff Writer
Weddings are special not just
because they mark the start of a
new life for the bride and groom, but
because they bring family and friends
together for a joyous occasion. an
important consideration when inviting guests is the availability of lodging
for all.
Couples wishing to reserve a block
of hotel rooms for their wedding have
many options available here, but are
encouraged to do so earlier rather
than later.
amanda White, front desk manager and banquet sales coordinator
at the Findlay Inn and Conference
Center, said sometimes people do
request blocks of rooms on short
notice.
“If we have the room available,
we’ll book it,” but it’s best to give as
much advance notice as possible, she
said.
The Findlay Inn’s rate for room
blocks this year is $94 for standard
rooms, with deluxe and suites costing more. It’s possible to reserve anywhere from 10 to 80 rooms. White
said the hotel tries to set aside blocks
of rooms neighboring each other if
possible.
The Findlay Inn also has a venue
available for wedding receptions. The
maximum capacity is 250 people.
Wedding receptions are held in the
hotel’s atrium with a side conference
room available for a disc jockey. The
cost is $300 and a deposit is required
to secure the room. The Findlay Inn
is responsible for all the catering and
supplying all the drinks, with a cake
or cupcakes the only food items that
are permitted to be brought in.
Paul Whitson, manager at the
Country Inn and Suites, said people
generally block six to eight months
out, with guests given up until 30 days
before the arrival date to book their
room. The hotel gives a discounted
rate if they can get 10 to 15 rooms
in a block, and sometimes has larger
groups of as many as 25 rooms.
Whitson said often people will say
they want to request every one of the
Country Inn and Suites’ 73 rooms. He
generally replies that they aren’t likely
to need them. Often, he said, couples
make the mistake of assuming that
out-of-town family members will come
who aren’t able to make the trip, or
that someone who lives in a nearby
community would prefer to spend the
night in Findlay rather than driving
home. The general rule of thumb is
to take how many rooms you think
you’re likely to need, then divide it in
half, Whitson said.
Whitson, like White, said occasionally people will contact him
saying they plan to get married in a
month and a half. Whether the hotel
can accommodate them may vary, as
sometimes there may be, for example,
several soccer teams that have already
booked rooms for that weekend. So,
again, it’s best to reserve earlier rather
than later.
Country Inn and Suites does not
have a space for wedding receptions.
However, there is a small banquet
room that can be set aside for couples
to open up packages or have brunch
the day after the wedding.
Whitson still remembers the first
wedding the hotel hosted. The guests
were so few that they did have a reception in the hotel’s banquet room, and
hotel staff lined up and applauded as
the bride and groom came through
the door. Whitson said the couple sent
pictures to the hotel.
The Holiday Inn Express and
Suites does not have a guaranteed
package of rates, as rates “depend on
our weekend availability and what is
going on in the area for that given time
frame,” said Brittany Haas, director of
sales and assistant general manager.
See Be good, Page t14
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THE COURIER
W EDDING SHOWCASE
Got kids? Make your
wedding a family affair
By SARAH WOLFE
AssociAted Press
When angelina Jolie wed Brad
Pitt in one of the most publicized
nuptials of the 21st century, she
wore a jaw-dropping silk and satin
gown designed by donatella Versace.
Embroidered on her floor-length
veil were colorful drawings by the
couple’s six children. One even read
“Buttock Fatock.”
Eldest sons Maddox and Pax
walked Jolie down the aisle, daughters Zahara and Vivienne tossed
flower petals, and daughter Shiloh
and son Knox were ring-bearers. Pax
baked the wedding cake.
It all sounds very Hollywood. But
it’s not just Brangelina.
Many brides and grooms have
children from previous relationships,
and are going beyond the traditional
to find ways to incorporate them into
their weddings.
yes, the kids add cuteness. But it’s
often more about blending families.
“The need to create a family bond
early is vital to stepparents’ success,” says Stacey James Wheeler,
a California-based family dynamics
researcher and author, whose wife
had two daughters when they married more than 12 years ago. “Involving the children in our marriage was
a great way to do that.”
The girls were flower girls, and
received an engraved locket and a
verbal commitment from Wheeler
after he proposed to their mother.
“I let them know I was committing
to be there as a parent and to raise
them as my own,” he says.
Like Jolie and Pitt’s brood, many
children take part in the ceremony as
flower girls, ring bearers and readers,
while others walk their mother down
the aisle.
Children also can help light a
“unity candle” or participate in what’s
become known as a “sand ceremony,”
in which the bride, groom and children pour different-colored sand into
a container to symbolize a new union.
San Francisco physician Kyra
Bobinet and her fiance, Josh Leichter,
designed wedding bands with a diamond for each of their four children.
“Our kids will be our only bridesmaids and groomsmen, setting them
apart as special attendants to the
wedding,” Bobinet says. “We’re inviting them to offer words of support
for our partnership, so it gives them
a voice and a choice in the matter.”
Instead of having a traditional
processional, event planner Sandy
Sloane and her husband, Bob
Czworka, danced down the aisle
with their four children to the song
“Love is Strange.” all four kids stood
with them under the Jewish chupah,
or canopy, during their ceremony in
Sunrise, Florida, and at the reception
sang a song written by two of them.
“I gave my daughter and two
‘bonus daughters’ necklaces that said
‘daughter,’ and my son a commemorative keepsake box,” Sloane says.
Chicago -area event planner
amanda Morris created a semisweetheart table for a newly married
couple and their 4-year-old daughter.
The little girl sat between her mom
and dad at the reception, and each sat
in a chair with signs that read, “I’m
his,” “I’m hers” or “I’m theirs.”
Morris also created a “favorite
things” station instead of a traditional dessert table. “What was cute
is that it even had items like mini
Heinz ketchup packets and Starbucks
pink cake pops because their daughter loved both,” she says.
Cupcake stations are another kidfriendly dessert idea. The children of
the bride and groom can play “host”
and help other kids decorate cupcakes during the reception.
and then there’s the first dance.
Not between bride and groom, but
between each of them and their children and/or stepchildren.
“Make sure to bring the tissues,”
says wedding planner Stephany
allongo in Palm Beach, Florida.
“This is usually a tearjerker.”
Online:
http://www.c1revolution.com
http://www.themajesticvision.com
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T6
W EDDING SHOWCASE
THE COURIER
New wedding
venue offers
many options
By JEANNIE WILEY WOLF
Staff Writer
There’s a new place in Findlay to
say “I do.”
The former First Church of Christ,
Scientist, located at the corner of
South Main and Third streets, is now
home to the Findlay Wedding Chapel.
Recently opened, the chapel has been
the venue for two weddings so far, said
manager anne Spence, who is hoping
to see that number increase as more
people learn about the offering.
“Some people are looking for
bigger, but I do think that we have the
opportunity to serve our own niche of
people, too, who are looking for a nice
wedding experience,” she said.
The chapel can accommodate
up to 95 guests. Rental fees include
the use of the reception hall that can
accommodate up to 50 seated guests,
said Spence. She also offers a range
of catering, professional photography
packages and a Bluetooth speaker
sound system.
The brick building at 1137 S. Main
St. was constructed in 1957 with the
first church service held in 1958. The
church celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010, but membership dwindled in recent years, Spence said, and
members opted to turn the building
back over to the owner, Findlay attorney Charles “Chuck” Weasel.
See ChAPEL, Page t19
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raNDY rOBertS / the Courier
ANNE SPENCE, manager of the Findlay Wedding Chapel, is shown outside
the chapel on South Main Street. The chapel, which opened late last year,
seats up to 95 guests and has seated reception space for up to 50. The
business can provide an officiant, catering and other services.
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THE COURIER
W EDDING SHOWCASE
Break from tradition
Brides show short wedding gowns more of the love
By LEANNE ITALIE
AssociAted Press
NEW yORK — Helen Bradley
isn’t one of those women who fantasized about her wedding as a girl, so
when the time came to tie the knot
on the 10th tee of a golf course, she
wanted to be relaxed, comfortable and
economical.
a short gown was just right for her
September nuptials, said the 27-yearold bank employee in Madison, Wisconsin.
“I had tried on a few long dresses
and none of them felt like me. I’m a
very practical person. My mom picked
out the short dress from a sale rack
and it’s rare that I would like anything
that my mom picks out,” she said with
a laugh.
Once the domain of older or remarrying brides, short gowns are enjoying
a little more of the love, from luxury
brands like Monique Lhuillier, Oscar
de la Renta and Marchesa to more
affordable offerings at david’s Bridal,
which has a bustling retail website and
about 300 stores around the country.
The short looks aren’t just stand-in
dresses originally intended for bridesmaids or cocktail parties. designers
are offering a greater range of shorter
styles as more brides break from tradition and personalize their weddings.
“a lot of people are doing more
intimate settings, so a shorter dress
just feels more appropriate. If they do
the big wedding, some change into a
shorter dress so they can dance and
have a good time,” Lhuillier said.
Exactly how short is up to the
bride. There are minis, high-low hemlines (high in the front and lower in
the back), knee lengths, tea lengths
below the knee and so-called “trans/EWEEd KE^h>dEd
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Kendra Nickel
Independent Consultant
419-957-6325
[email protected]
www.touchstonecrystal.com/kendra
formers,” where a long train or sheer
skirt detaches to show off a short
dress underneath.
designer Zac Posen put his own
sister in one of the convertibles — in
red — for her 2004 wedding.
Long gowns remain the clear
majority of the $2.6 billion-a-year
bridal gown market, noted darcy
Miller, editorial director for Martha
Stewart’s bridal site, Marthastewartweddings.com. But “more and more
brides seem to be seeking no-fuss,
lightweight and easier silhouettes,”
she said. Some “want a dress they can
run on the beach in or travel with to
their destination wedding.”
at david’s Bridal, 26 of the 75
gowns launched for spring 2015 are
short, said anne acierno, executive
vice president for design, merchandising and product development.
Posen creates luxury short looks
but also includes a few in his Truly Zac
Posen collection at david’s Bridal. He
see BrEAk, Page t9
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Associated Press
THE MODEL is wearing the Opal,
a silk white re-embroidered lace
short-sleeved mini-wedding dress
by the Monique Lhuillier fashion
house.
Special Occasions Catering
offers hall rental with Findlay Elks/
Northridge Banquet Hall
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Modern handicapped accessible building capable
of seating up to 400 guests.
• Free convenient off-street parking
• Free set-up & clean-up
A lovely garden area with a sunroom and an
elevated deck overlooks the club grounds.
900 W. Melrose
Findlay, Ohio
419-294-3088
Banquet Facilities
Northridge Hall • Findlay, OH
[email protected]
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T8
W EDDING SHOWCASE
App happy: Wedding help
in the palm of your hand
Technology to help
with every step of
the wedding
By DIANA MARSZALEK
AssociAted Press
doug appleton’s grandparents
couldn’t travel to his New york City
wedding last October, but the techsavvy Floridians were as present on
the Big day as anyone could be from
1,000-plus miles away.
Thanks to FaceTime, the two-way
apple video-calling app, Gerald and
Jacqueline Sherman watched by video
stream as appleton, 27, and Lauren
Becker, 26, tied the knot. The newlyweds even have a picture of the ceremony that captures the Shermans’
faces on the iPhone that was used to
connect them.
Next, the Shermans joined in the
post-nuptial festivities via Wedding
Party, an app that instantly uploads
photos taken by guests to a website
that posts them in chronological
order. That allowed them to watch
the celebration unfold in real time.
“My grandparents get this stuff,
which is great,” says appleton. “They
loved seeing what was going on.”
applications that can be downloaded to smartphones and tablets are
part of many weddings today, from
the initial planning to the honeymoon.
The hectic pace of life has encouraged planning. also billed as a one-stopthe trend, says Leila Lewis, an indus- shop for the betrothed, it offers shoptry expert and founder of Inspired By ping and planning platforms as well as
info on trends, from ‘70s-style dresses
This, a wedding website.
“In this day and age, the digital to serving doughnuts.
bride is planning the wedding on
• Evernote. a nod to keeping you
the go, which means planning from
and your betrothed
a phone or tablet,”
on the same page
Lewis says.
“In this day and age,
during the wedding
“Brides want to
planning process.
the
digital
bride
is
be planning, searchThis organizational
ing and experiapp — you can snap
planning the wedding
encing weddings
pictures, make lists
on the go, which
conveniently. They
and take notes —
want quick access
syncs on devices
means planning from a
to an abundance of
so that everyone
phone or tablet.”
information, and
knows what’s going
that’s what apps
on.
a nd technolog y
- leilA lewis
•
We d d i n g
provide.”
Party. One of the
The proliferaapps designed to boost the experition of wedding apps can make choos- ence of the day itself by allowing
ing which ones to use overwhelming. guests to use their phones to share
Here are just several worth noting:
photos, videos and comments. about
• appy Couple. Sharmeen Mitha- a week ahead of her wedding, Becker
Sehgal created this app after the asked guests to download this app so
nerve-wracking experience of trying they could help the Shermans get in
to keep track of her sister’s wedding on the action.
itinerary — a wedding in Mumbai,
• WedPics. Lets couples create
India — using various invitation and
social media websites. appy Couple personalized photo albums of all the
aims to provide all wedding-related events surrounding their nuptials,
services on one platform. It helps from bridal showers to honeymoons,
manage RSVPs, send e-mail invites using pictures and videos uploaded
and create a schedule of events. Guests by friends.
can use it to book travel, share photos
• Tiffany & Co. Engagement Ring
and submit song requests to dJs.
Finder. The jeweler’s app helps you
• Lover.ly. Lewis likes this one for choose the right diamond.
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THE COURIER
THE COURIER
W EDDING SHOWCASE
T9
Break
Continued from page T7
said red-carpet trends influence some
brides, and these days they’re seeing
more short, fancy dresses.
among high-profile brides to go
short recently were fashion “it” girl
Olivia Palermo and actress Cheryl
Hines, who married Robert F. Kennedy
Jr. last august in a strapless, white, tealength creation by Romona Keveza.
Vera Wang makes short gowns too,
in a range of pricepoints that include her
White collection for david’s Bridal.
“I think you should wear what you
feel most beautiful and most comfortable in, and also what is most you, most
individual,” Wang said.
Shorter dresses can be less expensive — a huge factor for Bradley at her
country club wedding before 125 guests.
The reception was in a cozy room with
a big fireplace, wood floors and sconces
all around.
Her dress cost $400. She spent
another $100 on a chunky glass statement necklace with matching earrings,
and $99 for a pair of 4-inch Calvin Klein
heels in dusty gold with a T-strap and
side buckle.
“I’m an accessory person, so I knew
when I saw the dress it was a blank
canvas,” Bradley said. “I could go out
and pick the perfect necklace and the
perfect shoes and you could see them.”
But embellished, hand-sewn,
custom short gowns aren’t necessarily
cheaper, depending on the materials and
designer.
Emmy Mitchell, 33, of Columbus,
Ohio, wore custom when she went short
for her 2011 wedding. She had originally
planned to modify the 75-year-old, long,
ivory satin gown worn by her mother
and grandmother, but a mishap with a
seamstress left much of the fabric unusable.
She regrouped, found another seamstress and was able to salvage some of
the original fabric for the bodice of a
new gown, inspired by the strapless, full,
Vivienne Westwood design that “Sex
in the City” character Carrie Bradshaw
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STEW MILNE / Associated Press
ACTRESS CHERYL HINES wore a Romona Keveza cocktail length dress
for her wedding to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in Hyannis Port, Mass. The short
looks aren’t just stand-in dresses for bridesmaids or cocktail parties.
wore when Mr. Big jilted her at the altar
in the first movie based on the TV series.
Unlike Bradley out on the golf
course, Mitchell wore her short gown
for a church ceremony.
“Everyone asked me, ‘aren’t you
worried about the church? Is it long
enough? ’” the freelance graphic
designer said. “I was, like, no, I’m not
worried. We wanted it to be fun, but we
didn’t want it to be too casual.”
Mitchell’s advice for others who want
to go short?
“Go with your gut. Just go for it. It
was the best decision of our wedding. It
made everyone loosen their collars and
say, ‘OK, this is a fun event. We can all
cut loose tonight.’”
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T10
W EDDING SHOWCASE
THE COURIER
From the venue to the menu,
how to save on wedding food
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Flexibility yields the
greatest results
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By MARLEY JAY
AP Business Writer
NEW yORK — Weddings have a
way of getting expensive: any detail of
a ceremony or reception or party can
be blown out to epic proportions. But
the good news is that whatever your
price range, there always opportunities to save money.
Here are some ways to lower the
cost of catering your reception, which
is typically the biggest single item on
a couple’s wedding budget.
Brooklyn wedding planner Jove
Meyer boils it down to one word:
flexibility.
“If you’re flexible, there are definitely many ways to save on catering,”
he says.
think outside the catering hall
Meyer’s company, Jove Meyer
events, has planned about 130 weddings over the last six years. He says
couples should consider renting out
a restaurant or having a restaurant
prepare and deliver their food while
hiring a staffing company to serve
it. Both options can be cheaper than
having a full-service wedding venue
cook and serve your food, and restaurants already have the staff and the
know-how.
“you can buy out a restaurant,
everything’s included — food, staff,
catering — so it comes in much
cheaper,” he says.
If you live in an area that’s wellserved by food trucks, you can also
give those a look. you might be able
to book several of them for less than
the cost of a traditional caterer and
catering hall.
Focus
you might be tempted to provide
a slew of options so everyone gets
something they love: salmon for mom,
steak for dad, salad for a vegetarian
friend, veal for grandpa.
you don’t have to do all that, and
you’ll save money if you narrow your
choices. Consider offering one meatbased dish and one vegetarian option,
possibly paired as a single entree. If
you have simple tastes, consider serving comfort food instead of a fancier
banquet.
stay away from plates and
silverware
disposable goods cost less than
rentals. Meyer says bamboo and faux
metal plates can be “gorgeous” and
cost less than traditional ceramic
plates, and while paper cups will cost
less than washable mugs or glasses
and plasticware is less expensive than
silverware. The downside, however, is
that you’ll create more trash.
scheduling
Most weddings take place on the
weekend for obvious reasons, but if
you’re able to get married on a weekday instead, you’ll likely save money.
Don’t overdo the bar
“The number one markup for caterers is alcohol, so if you find a venue
that allows you to bring your own
booze in, you can get alcohol at cost,”
Meyer says. In addition to the cost of
liquor and items like garnishes, an
open bar means you’ll spend more on
staff. Instead, you can provide beer
and wine, possibly augmented by a
specially chosen signature cocktail
that reflects your tastes.
Meyer also advises ordering less
coffee, another drink that’s not a
priority for most wedding-goers. He
says you can get away with ordering enough coffee to serve half your
guests.
skipping dinner
The traditional wedding meal
is a sit-down dinner, but you don’t
have to do a large meal with multiple
courses. Consider a cocktail party
with passed hors d’oeuvres, or serve
your food buffet- or tapas-style. If you
provide three or four themed stations
to choose from, you can provide food
that will satisfy a big crowd with varying tastes. Or don’t throw a dinner
at all. a late-morning brunch or an
afternoon lunch may cost less while
still allowing you to provide a satisfying meal for your guests.
thinking outside the cake
Many people love the idea of cutting into a giant cake and getting the
photos that come with it. But if you’re
not a cake fan, other dessert options
like cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts,
or a dessert bar may cost a lot less:
Meyer says a cake made in New york
City might cost anywhere from $6
to $20 a slice, compared to perhaps
$2.50 for a doughnut or cupcake.
That’s because wedding cakes can
come with a bunch of fees, and plating
and serving them also costs money.
If you serve a different dessert, you
might not need anything except plates
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Bubbly? Maybe not
you can save yourself the cost of
three to five cases of Champagne or
Prosecco if you don’t do a Champagne
toast, Meyer says. Since your guests
will probably already have a glass of
wine or a cocktail, or both, let them
toast with whatever drinks they have
on hand.
“Eight-five to 90 percent of all of
that champagne that gets poured all
goes in the trash,” Meyer says.
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601 N. Main St., Bluffton, OH 45817
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