Specialty sweets tables are a big deal for weddings right now. Color-coordinated candy extravaganzas, vintage candy-store displays, gourmet chocolate spreads—sweets are not just delish, they invoke childhood memories and symbolize a sweet union.

Candy not your bag? Here’s an alternative: cookies! They’re small, they’re simple, they’re darling to look at and comforting to eat. Really, who can say no to a cookie? Especially when it’s your grandmother’s chocolate-chip-pecan recipe, or crisp, buttery shortbread, or colorful dipped fortune cookies bearing messages of love, or sugar-dusted Mexican wedding cookies lookin’ like perfect little snowballs of yummy. We like cookies stacked on tiered stands or passed with shots of ice-cold milk. Heck, we like cookies pretty much any way, any time.

All Photos: Monkey Tree Photography

Thursday, June 30, the Houston chapter of Wish Upon a Wedding had its official launch. I am one of the board members of this fabulous organization, and so proud to be involved.

If you’re not familiar with it, Wish Upon a Wedding is the nation’s very first nonprofit charitable organization set up to produce weddings, at destinations across the United States, for couples facing a life-threatening illness. Its unique mission makes Wish Upon a Wedding the world’s first nonprofit wedding-wish-granting organization. It’s also quickly becoming the wedding industry’s charity of choice.

Attended by more than 150 Houston wedding industry professionals and brides, the launch reception, generously underwritten by the Westin Galleria and overseen by catering director Adam Rineer took place in the hotel’s Monarch Ballroom, with its beautiful views of the city. The talented Rob Smith and staff of Events in Bloom decorated the space stunningly with stylish lounge furniture. Guests enjoyed the impressive buffet and desserts prepared by the Westin chefs, along with sinfully delicious miniature wedding-cake truffles from Cakes by Gina. Both,  I personally and everyone on the board of Wish Upon A Wedding are so grateful to the wonderful Houston wedding professionals who donated their time and services to make the evening a success.

Houston chapter president Heather Hamilton-Sims of Simply Jubilee Events shared the vision and objective of Wish Upon a Wedding, and the accompanying video clips left not a dry eye in the room.

By the end of the evening attendees could not wait to volunteer their services and time as wish grantors for this most worthy cause, which provides weddings for couples in need regardless of sexual orientation. Houston brides, here is an opportunity to share your good fortune with someone a lot less fortunate who wants nothing more than to be married….just like you. As President Hamilton-Sims put it, most of us are planning weddings and events one, or maybe two or three years from now, but for these couples facing a life-threatening illness that time line does not exist.

So how can you help?

Watch this short video clip to see just what Wish Upon a Wedding has done and visit Wish Upon a Wedding. To donate your services, please sign on as a Wish Grantor. Blog about it. Talk about it. Become a Facebook fan and follow Wish Upon a Wedding on Twitter. In lieu of favors at your wedding, please consider making a donation to Wish Upon a Wedding and spread the joy. 
But most of all, just GIVE.

WUW:: Rehanna + Christian from bliss productions on Vimeo.

In addition to her heroic work saving Three Brothers after the onslaught of Ike, NAWBO honored Jucker for leading a group of vendors to provide IT services to Reliant Park, where Katrina evacuees were being housed. Those services allowed evacuees to connect with family, friends and loved ones during a time of unprecedented crisis.

So isn’t it just fitting that Jucker’s 60-year-old family bakery creates certified Kosher, certified delicious desserts and other sweet indulgences for many of life’s most important family reunions? And isn’t it lucky for us that she specializes in gorgeous, too-divine-to-decline-a-slice wedding cakes??

Speaking of cakes, Jucker, who got her start at New York’s famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, has been tracking wedding cake trends, and she’s got the inside scoop, plus great suggestions for the cake-shopping bride.

Here’s what she says…

About flavors: “Flavors seem to be moving back to comfort flavors. The top flavors chosen by our brides are a white genoise with amaretto buttercream or caramel buttercream (caramel is dairy, but it can sit out because it is cooked already), and a yellow cake with a fudge filling and buttercream icing. When we do a fondant I always try to steer our brides toward a filling with buttercream, so they get the best of both worlds.”

About colors: “We’re seeing gold again, which I love, for I feel it is so very elegant.
Coral and deep purple (eggplant) are definitely colors to highlight at weddings. Black and white are also still quite prominent, and bling is always in.”

About decoration: “Toppers are moving out. Spirals of sugar flowers are gorgeous. Nothing is more beautiful than handmade roses. I’m also developing a new affinity for magnolias–they are big and bold. I love them. Technology has allowed us to be able to take a pattern and cut it with great precision to create great patterns on cakes. We can work with some of the most intricate patterns now.”

About groom’s cakes: “My husband loves grooms cakes because he gets to design something fun. He is a master builder and can create mechanical accents as well. Two years ago he designed an 8 ½-foot oil derrick that shot 3 ½ feet of fire and chocolate oil!”
Jucker, who is healthy, happy and looking forward to many more years of baking, says her favorite part of working with wedding couples is hearing their stories. “I like to ask the brides how they met their fiancé. I love looking at their dresses to gain inspiration. You really get to know them.” She sighs, “I just love weddings.”

We couldn’t agree more. Congratulations, Janice. You’re our hero!

Campbell’s Catering
14775 Memorial Drive
Houston, TX 77079
Sat. April 10
FREE

For more info call 281.589.5555 or e-mail campbellscatering@sbcglobal.net

Moving on from food to fashion, we recommend the Angel Sanchez trunk show at
Maison de Mode, this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April. 9-11. Reps of the design house will be lavishing personalized attention on attending brides as they show off beautifully made gowns from the celebrated Venezuelan bridal designer. Expect plenty of lustrous silk, romantic tulle and delightful touches such as metallic thread, handkerchief hems and impeccable embroidery. Brides who purchase their gowns at this special event get a 15% discount…and the ability to say with pride that they’re getting married in Angel Sanchez. Très chic.

Maison de Mode
2431 Rice Blvd
Houston, TX 77005
Fri.-Sun. April 9-11
FREE

For additional details call 713.527.8285 or e-mail maisondemode@hotmail.com.

Angel Sanchez

Angel Sanchez

What’s not to love about this lovely peony-theme, three-tier stacked cake? We are crazy about that dreamy watercolor effect, and the romantic topping of multi-hued pink blooms. Perfection!

Weddingbee.com

Smooth stacked tiers, slick grosgrain ribbon, a stylized gumpaste flower and an oh-so-au-courant purple-and-green color scheme make this cake from Austin-based Must Eat Cake, a chic choice for a stylish spring or autumn bride.

Musteatcake.com

Cake artist Simon Lee, turned out this stacked square cake, which has a crisp, formal feel that’s softened by accents of black-centered poppies. Picture a cake like this at a simple, elegant outdoor reception or in an intimate, black-tie ballroom setting—beautiful, no?

Stellaalesi.com/wordpress/

And speaking of white cakes, how about these fresh-as-springtime beauties from Chicago’s famed Cake Girls? We love how sisters Mary and Brenda Maher manage to make cakes that are both classic and cutting-edge. No wonder their clients have included Bono, Ashley Simpson and, none other than renowned wedding guru, Colin Cowie. Wowie!

Thecakegirls.com

If any of these cakes catch your fancy, feel free to forward a link to your Houston cake-maker. There’s nothing a cake pro craves more than a bride who comes with ideas!

Courtney Campbell of Campbell’s Catering sure thinks so. And she and her culinary crew are catering to wedding couples who share her passion for food that looks elegant and exciting, and delivers fabulous flavor and fun in equal measure.

Sound good to you, Houston bride? Here are a couple of Campbell’s specialties, which are, she notes, “elegant and unique without breaking the bank”—what a concept!

“We have encouraged many of our recent brides whose receptions are taking place at 8:30 p.m. or later to go with some very upscale and unique passed hors d’oeuvre, such as our duck wontons served with a spicy mango chutney, our Italian chicken lollipops, and our Spanish shrimp cocktail shooters garnished with guacamole and blue corn chips.” Uh, yum. “These are all very hearty and elegant at the same time.”

To add a dynamic and delicious interactive element to the festivities, Campbell suggests her signature Gourmet Potato Boat Bar, featuring dressed-up potato skins filled with fun “theme” goodies. Our faves?

The New Yorker, topped with sliced Italian sausage, and sautéed peppers and onions, and topped with fresh mozzarella.

The Califonia Fresh, loaded with fresh sprouts, homemade guacamole and shredded Monterey jack cheese.

The Mojo, topped with rum-sautéed shrimp and zingy Cuban mojo sauce.

The BBQ, filled with barbecued pulled pork and topped with barbecue sauce and sliced scallions.

Campbell says the Gourmet Potato Boat Bar, with 25 themes to choose from, is especially “great for weddings that have two different nationalities being combined,” and a nice icebreaker for rehearsal dinners where guests are reconnecting or meeting for the first time.

And now if you’ll excuse us, we have to go dab the drool from our chin.

But we don’t blame you if you’re fantasizing about gorgeous towering cakes and debating fondant and buttercream. After all, what Houston bride (or wedding guest, for that matter) doesn’t love a great wedding cake?

We haven’t met any.

We have, however, met quite a few Houston brides—and wedding guests—who can’t get enough of the wedding cakes and other goodies at Three Brothers Bakery.

We can see why: For five generations, this family-run bakery has been whipping up some of Houston’s finest baked goods for bar and bat mitzvahs, family and corporate events, and oh yes, weddings. Though Three Brothers suffered some pretty serious damage during Hurricane Ike, they’ve rebuilt and are better than ever, giving brides a touch of personal attention you won’t find at many other places. Give them a picture of your wedding dress, your china pattern, or even the ballroom where you’re getting married, and Three Brothers will design your cake to match. Check out some of the cakes in the slideshow below:

Tell Three Brothers all about your fiancé’s most serious obsessions—oil, Houston Rockets basketball, Vegas—and they’ll create a groom’s cake so over-the-top that you might not want to eat it.

But you should! Every cake at Three Brothers is made-from-scratch and, oh, are they tasty! And if you or your guests keep kosher or need a dairy cake, this is the place to go.

The cakes aren’t the only reason we love Three Brothers, though. We also love this hometown bakery’s charitable ways. After Hurricane Katrina, Three Brothers’ owner Janice Jucker worked to get telecommunications equipment donated so that evacuees could track down their friends and family. And Jucker—herself a breast cancer survivor—is a big supporter of the Susan G Komen Foundation’s Houston affiliate. The bakery even sells pink ribbon cakes, cupcakes, and cookies.

So when Jucker—who runs the bakery with her husband Robert and his Aunt Estelle—was named Woman Business Owner of the Year by the National Association of Women Business Owners in October, we weren’t the slightest bit surprised. But we were very happy to see someone who’s helped give so much to Houston brides get a little something in return. You go, girl!

Bring you mother, sister, maid of honor, fiancé…or the whole crew, and enjoy cocktails, gourmet nibbles, spectacular tablescapes, gorgeous cakes, a stunning bridal fashion show, door prizes and special treats. And while you’re at it, take advantage of the chance to chat one-on-one with some of the best wedding talents in the business.

Tickets for this once-a-year luxury showcase of the best in Houston weddings are only $20—that’s less than the price of a single manicure!—for a full FIVE HOURS of wedding ideas, inspiration and goodies galore. And guess what? They sell out. Every year.

We’ll definitely be there. Make sure you are, too!

While most weddings feature alcoholic beverages in some form—a full premium bar, beer and wine, champagne, alcoholic punch or a signature cocktail—there are always going to be wedding guests who prefer to abstain. Do you really want to leave your nondrinking guest—whether a recovering alcoholic, designated driver, teenager or simply someone who chooses to forgo or limit her consumption—out in the cold?

In addition to sparkling water and sodas (for extra panache, you may want to throw in a selection of fancy or retro-looking bottled fizzes such as IZZE Sparkling Juice, Thomas Kemper Vanilla Cream Soda, Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry Soda, etc.) there are plenty of perfectly celebratory nonalcoholic “cocktail” options you may choose to feature at your wedding. Your caterer or bar service may specialize in certain no-booze beverages, so be sure to ask what’s on the menu. And make sure your bar is stocked with the necessary juices, syrups, mixes and garnishes to make a great nonalcoholic drink should a guest request one.

In the meantime, here are two of our favorite festive, fabulous nonalcoholic “cocktails” to wet your whistle:

Madras

Perfect for hot-weather weddings, the Madras is a refreshing blend of orange and cranberry juice. Just omit the vodka that usually goes into this vibrant cocktail, serve in a highball glass with plenty of ice and an orange-slice garnish, and you’ve got a perfect beverage for a sunny al fresco or tented reception. Tip: Sub grapefruit juice for orange juice and you’ve got an alcohol-free Sea Breeze; sub pineapple juice for orange, and, voila, it’s a Bay Breeze!

Nojito

This one takes a little work to prepare fresh to order, but it’s well worth the effort. Fill a pint glass halfway with ice, add a handful of clean, fresh mint leaves, add 3 ounces of fresh lime juice and 1 ½ ounces of simple syrup. Gently muddle the mix with a wooden pestle. Add more ice, top with club soda, and serve with a mint/lime garnish. Delicious! Tip: You can prep the mint leaves and squeeze the lime juice ahead of time, but DON’T muddle the mint beforehand, or it will blacken and wilt. Ick.

Java Pura Coffee Bar

Your fave coffee has been the unsung hero in planning your wedding, keeping you going as you’ve stuffed envelopes, freaked out over the seating chart and flipped through bridal magazine after magazine in search of the perfect up-do. So, why not give your liquid sidekick a special part at your reception by offering a full-service coffee bar?

Our vote for the honor goes to Java Pura, a local coffee roasting and catering company that does events for heavy-hitters like Neiman Marcus, The Houstonian Hotel Club & Spa and Tootsies, and is quickly becoming a must-have vendor among Houston brides.

Hire Java Pura for your big day, and they’ll send their professional barista—commercial grade espresso machine and grinder in tow—to your reception to serve up made-to-order specialty coffee drinks, like crème brulé (latté with caramel), almond joy (latté with dark chocolate and almond syrup) and espresso. Your guests can even opt for frozen cappuccinos, Italian sodas, hot chocolate and an assortment of teas.

Summer brides-to-be, worry not: Java Pura can put any drink over ice, so you can justify the coffee bar as a way to keep your guests cool and caffeinated for plenty of dancing.

And yes, we’re sure your guests will use the coffee bar, no matter the season. Even if you’ve somehow made it to your big day without several dozen carmel macchiatas, at least half of your guests like coffee, says Java Pura co-owner Richard Colt.

And they’ll like it no matter when you serve it during your big day. Java Pura’s first brides just wanted to serve coffee with the wedding cake, but now lots of Houston brides are opting to offer a coffee bar throughout the reception. (Some guests even forego cocktails for a cup—or three—of java!) Speaking of which, a coffee bar makes a fun drink alternative if you’re having an alcohol-free wedding.

If you want to really wow your guests, try this idea from an event held at River Oaks Country Club: Java Pura set up two coffee bars—one in the main area, the other near the exit, so guests could grab a to-go cup for the road. You could even sweeten the send-off gift with a personalized coffee sleeve or mug that reminds guests of how you caffeinated them with care. Your guests will thank you for it. We know we would.