The Engagement
Roasted Pig
I decided against a roasted pig at first. Although I'm not vegetarian, it made me sad imagining a pig carcass at my front door. But after I learned how many were disappointed, I reversed it. The roasted pig is rooted deep in the Vietnamese culture and presenting a roasted pig with its head, feet, and tail symbolizes wholeness or totalness, which is the type of love you give to one another during marriage.
Food
My mom and my aunts will mostly be making Vietnamese comfort foods. God bless them and their cooking hands because they are literally domestic slaves to make our day extra special.
Engagement Cake
I was looking for a very specific baker who would be willing to forego buttercream icing for swiss meringue icing, a French taste my family really enjoys. The problem is that it requires refrigeration so many bakers do not offer this.
We decided to go to a family friend who can do swiss meringue out of her kitchen. She has made my parents' annual anniversary cakes so getting our engagement cake from her would be an extension of a family tradition. We couldn't be prouder!
Our cake is a two-tiered round cake, filled with whipped cream and raspbery and apricot, decorated with piped brown icing for the branches and fondant for the cherry blossoms.
We decided to go to a family friend who can do swiss meringue out of her kitchen. She has made my parents' annual anniversary cakes so getting our engagement cake from her would be an extension of a family tradition. We couldn't be prouder!
Our cake is a two-tiered round cake, filled with whipped cream and raspbery and apricot, decorated with piped brown icing for the branches and fondant for the cherry blossoms.
Cake Knife and Serving Set
I fell in love with this heirloom-quality cake serving set from Wedgewood's Vera Wang With Love. We hope that it will be a timepiece from our family history from the time we were refugees after the Vietnam War to the day we established our family in the United States. I would be very happy if our future kids used these. On the cake server we are engraving:
The [last name] Family
Established [our parents' wedding year]
The [last name] Family
Established [our parents' wedding year]
Cake Accessories
While we're not going to do this, I'm smitten by the way the mosquito netting falls over this cake! IKEA's BRYNE net would be a great way to create this look.
Drinks & Alcohol
We are not going to personalize the wine bottle labels, but if we were, we'd love these from A Wedding Less Ordinary from the UK at 0.85 Pounds each.
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Planning Tips
TIP: Fillings come in an amazing variety. But I have read enough stories to learn that it's best to stay away from the common allergen peanut butter, even if the baker will bake separately and use separate utensils and all. Better to go that extra mile to take care of your guests.
TIP: Plan to have about 15% less cake servings than actual guest counts to incorporate those who may leave early or those who don't like cake. But if you know everyone loves cake, then by all means!
TIP: Plan to have about 15% less cake servings than actual guest counts to incorporate those who may leave early or those who don't like cake. But if you know everyone loves cake, then by all means!
Resources
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