We owe the architectural presentation of the pièce montée to Marie-Antoine Carême (born in Paris in 1784 and died in 1833), a pastry chef and cook with a passion for architecture.
Presented in the form of a pyramid, tray, basket or cornucopia, it is made of cream puffs assembled with caramel.
It is necessary to count between 2 and 6 € per person for 3/4 choux: from 70 centimes to 2 euros the choux.
This is a series of cakes often abundantly filled with cream, arranged in a pyramid or on a tiered display. The price depends on the nature of the cakes.
After a wedding meal, guests often have little appetite left when it’s time for the pièce montée. It can be a good compromise to accompany a traditional cake with less filling (1 choux per person) with another one made of fruit, much easier at the end of the meal.
The wedding cake can be topped by a subject representing the bride and groom. Often very classic this figurine can also be quite original, movie characters, Playmobils, Simpsons …
It is up to the bride to serve the first part, helped if she wishes it by her husband. It was said that if this rule was not respected, the bride would be sterile. All the guests must taste it and must be careful not to make the figurine representing the bride and groom fall.
The actress Eva Longoria during her wedding in Paris with the basketball player Tony Parker had the wedding cake made in Los Angeles. It was transported by plane, comfortably installed on a seat in first class and accompanied by a bodyguard.
The memory of your wedding ceremony will be present throughout your life, immortalized by the photographs taken throughout the day. It is therefore one of the most important elements and you will see that the choice of the photographer is to be done with much seriousness.
This is one of the most difficult areas of photography because it encompasses many of the specialties of photography. A wedding photographer will wear several costumes on the day of your ceremony, he will go from reporter to portraitist, passing by fashion photographer
All this in a rather sustained rhythm and trying to be the most discreet and not to intervene on the course of the day, only the moment of the series of photo after the ceremony will allow him to work by directing the poses of his subjects.
The photographer will follow you throughout the day and will realize a series of photos immortalizing all the stages and all the events of the day. He will be able to start this reportage with the preparation of the bride or the groom, or both if he works in team, which can be a considerable advantage, in particular when the bride and groom prepare themselves on their side, discovering each other only at the church or the town hall. Some photographers propose to cover the entire wedding, from the preparation to the end of the ball.
The photographer will intervene to photograph the strong moments of the day, arrival of the bride, exchange of the wedding rings, kiss of the bride and groom… He will realize at the end of the ceremony a series of photos of the bride and groom as well as the traditional (but not really fashionable) group photo.
Depending on the photographer’s way of working, he will propose you different packages including a certain number of elements:
The price of the shooting service will depend on the events of the day that you will have chosen to have covered by your photographer:
Between 300 and 600 euros to cover the religious and civil ceremony
200 to 300 euros more for the preparation of the ceremony
From 200 to 450 euros more for the cocktail party or the evening
Photos on DVD in High Definition with transfer of reproduction rights: cost between 150 and 450 euros
Photo book: cost between 75 and 300 euros depending on the number of pages, the quality of the prints and the binding
Thank you cards budget: from 50 cents to 4 euros per card depending on the quality, format and number ordered
The prices of the packages vary between 600 and 1600 euros and cover according to the photographer and the options chosen:
The shots.
The images on CD or DVD whose resolution varies between the possibility of a display on screen and prints of various formats (from low definition to high definition)
One or more photo books
A series of thank you cards
Whatever the photographer and the options chosen, demand a contract describing in detail the service to be provided and the price of additional options (new prints for example).
In the digital age, forget about film, whatever the contract between you and the photographer, he will keep the negatives, obliging you to go through him to obtain new prints.
Finally, if you hire a professional photographer to cover your wedding, remember to make sure that he can work in good conditions. With the democratization of digital cameras, many of your guests will be eager to take on the photographer’s costume. They will rarely have the skills of the professional and will therefore only hinder him by taking his place and appearing on all his photos in places where they are not supposed to be, which will spoil a good part of them. So remember to warn your guests photographers Sunday to stay in their place and take their photos in all discretion.
It is traditional to top the cake with figurines representing the bride and groom. These small characters, edible or not, also called subjects, are usually chosen by the bride and groom. If you are superstitious, beware! Watch your figurines because if a guest drops them before the service of the wedding cake, misfortune will fall on the couple!
There are all kinds of figurines, from the most traditional to the most original, full of humor… Their choice is limited only by the imagination of the bride and groom and it is a great opportunity to bring a nice personal touch to the ceremony.
The most common of these subjects remain without doubt the inevitable brides in white and grooms in black. In very classical positions, holding hands, looking at each other or even embracing, they give off all the rigor of traditions.
The subjects remain classic but it is their poses that bring a note of humor, sometimes well supported. From the married couple to the very suggestive pose, even naughty, through the image of the bride catching up with her husband, you will have a great choice to bring your touch of humor.
This is an opportunity to have fun by using miniature characters to make your wedding cake. Characters from movies, comics or toys from our childhood like playmobils or legos, you have the choice! Nothing is easier than to illustrate with humor the personality of your couple (and yes, at this moment of the ceremony you are already one!).
There are many websites that specialize in selling wedding accessories, but don’t limit yourself to them, look for sellers of movie-related products, miniature websites and toy stores.