A wonderful way to make a wedding cake just a little bit sweeter is to think about unique ways to have it displayed at your reception. Everyone knows that the wedding cake takes a pretty large chunk of the wedding budget. Brides and grooms dream about their wedding cake as much as the flowers, the location and the wedding attire.

One thing that brides and grooms might not think about is new and different cake stands. Spend some time thinking about how to display your wedding cake. After all, you spend so much money on your wedding cake … why not add something to give it a little extra attention?

Photo credit: www.countryliving.com

If you are having a rustic country wedding, try incorporating some natural accents to accentuate your wedding cake.

Photo credit: www.freshhomeblog.com

Monochromatic cake stands are a very modern way to share sweets with your guests.

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These cake stands say country chic with a modern twist.

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If your are having cupcakes instead of a wedding cake, think about using a variety of cake stands to create more of an impact.

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If you are having a traditional or romantic style wedding, you can create a dessert buffet using antique and vintage cake stands such as these.

Photo credit: www.stylemepretty.com

Whether the choices for your cake stands are black, white, pastel … mo...

My husband, Jim, and I are very concerned about the health of our planet and made many eco-friendly choices throughout our wedding planning process. We also wanted our gift registry to reflect our shared environmental values. With a little research we were able to find so many great alternative gift ideas, some of which I am excited to share with you in my first Eco-Friendly Friday post.

From Left: Ceramic Platters at KirstenBassion.com, "Farther Than Far" Oil Painting by TinaSotis.com, Hand Blown Glass Cups from TandemGlass.etsy.com

I believe that one of the best ways to be eco-friendly is to support local businesses and artists, as this reduces the travel distance of your gifts, thereby reducing CO2 emissions. Have you been eying a painting at a nearby gallery? Perhaps there is a local potter that makes the best dish sets, or a glass-blower who makes unique drinking glasses? Most artists will be more than happy to work with you in creating a custom gift list for your guests to purchase from.

Tree of Life Tapestry at Ten Thousand Villages

There are also many options for shops that offer alternatives to your typical gift registry items. While we registered for some traditional house wares (blender, rice cooker, towels, etc) at a big department store, Jim and I also decided to create a gift registry at Ten Thousands Villages , a nonprofit fair trade organization with retail stores throughout the United States and Canada, as well as an online shop. They sell handcrafted products made by artisans in 38 countries. The items are usually made with earth-based or recycled materials and have a handcrafted, natural look. The local artisans are also supported with fair prices for their handiwork, which appealed to our social conscious as well.

Bamboo Towels at VivaTerra.com

In choosing our registry items, we also paid attention to the materials in the items we listed. We tried, when possible, to stick to recycled or renewable materials, such as the bamboo in our towel set. We were happy to find many eco-friendly material options at conventional stores as well as specialty stores.

Many of your guests will want to stick with traditional items, but some will really embrace the concept of alternative gifts. Since we are trying to build up our garden, we requested potted plants and gardening materials. Jim’s cousin re-potted plants from her garden into decorative containers and included a basket of fresh eggs, hatched from her very own chickens! We were so excited to receive such a thoughtful and personal gift, and enjoyed the delicious eggs at brunch the next morning.

Photo Credit: pshab

I recently learned that New American Dream has created a great gift registry service at AlternativeGiftRegistry.org . They offer a completely different approach to the usual material gifts. You can request second-hand books, recipes, items for your reception or simply spending time with your guests via a home cooked meal or a da...

Live moss can add a touch of the natural outdoors to your wedding decor. These handmade Etsy finds all incorporate moss and other woodland elements which bring a green, eco-friendly feel to your event.

For the Ceremony

Ring Bearer Pillows …

Photo Credit: TheTreasuredPetal

Photo Credit: AprilHilerDesigns

Photo Credit: AprilHilerDesigns

Welcoming monograms for your ceremony doors:

Photo Credit: SpottedLeopard

Beautiful Woodland Hairpiece for the bride and/or bridesmaids:

Photo Credit: Cultivar

Forest-Inspired Boutonnieres:

Photo Credit: EcoLecticEvents

For the Reception

A personalized card box as a unique touch:

Photo Credit: AprilHilerDesigns

You can easily create your own terrarium centerpieces, or find some beautiful ones on Etsy :

Photo Credit: DoodleBirdie

Photo Credit: MissMossy

I can picture these moss covered stones incorporated into your escort cards or used as a simple addition to your table decor:

Photo Credit: TheRoomNextToYours

Table Numbers and chair signs:

Photo Credit: SpottedLeopard

Photo Credit: BraggingBags

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