Ingredients to  Make Chocolate Dipped Tuxedo Strawberries

First of all, of course, you’re going to need some large strawberries that are in good shape that still have the leaves and stems attached.

You can get these at the grocery store, but they will cost a little more than the strawberries with just the leaves on them. But, pick whatever kind you want. Then, you’re going to need about 8 ounces of white chocolate chips and semisweet chocolate chips for dipping your strawberries, about a tablespoon of shortening for each, a toothpick and a piping bag. If you don’t have a piping bag, then a ziplock with one corner cut out will work just fine!

How to Make Chocolate Dipped Tuxedo Strawberries

Heat the white chocolate chips in a double boiler over hot water, and add in 1 tbl of shortening, stirring it until it’s nice and smooth. Then, dip each strawberry into the white chocolate and cover about 3/4 to the stem of the strawberry. Put the strawberries on a tray with wax paper and refrigerate. While they’re cooling, heat the semisweet chocolate chips with 1 tbl of shortening in a double boiler over hot water until it’s smooth. Then, dip one side of the already white strawberry into the semisweet chocolate, and once all strawberries have been done, chill for about 10 minutes, pull the tray back out and dip the other side into the semisweet chocolate until you have V shaped look on the front of the strawberry to look like  a shirt and jacket, and stick them back in the refrigerator. Once they’re chilled again, take your toothpick and dip it into the semisweet chocolate, and make three dots for buttons on the white part. Once you’ve done all the strawberries, empty the rest of the semisweet chocolate into your piping bag or ziploc bag, and make little bow ties a the top of each “white shirt”. Ta da!! Your strawberries are all dressed up and ready for the occasion!

Dipping Techniques

If you’ve never made chocolate dipped tuxedo strawberries before, it can be easy to get overwhelmed if the chocolate isn’t working with you, or if you don’t know these helpful techniques. First of all, don’t use wet strawberries. If you need to wash them, then dry them off very well because any water droplets will keep the chocolate from sticking to the berries.  When you’re dipping the strawberry, it’s important to remember that once the berry is completely out of the chocolate, give it a little spin/twist to swirl the excess chocolate off of the berry. This will fill in any places you missed and give you a nice even line of chocolate at the base.

Chocolate dipped tuxedo strawberries are really simple to make, but they leave such a fantastic impression on anyone that sees them. If you’re planning a DIY wedding, then this can be a great addition to any party, reception or even wedding cake.

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Chocolate Dipped Tuxedo Strawberries

Dogs in Weddings – The Ringbearers & Flowergirls

I guess the most popular places for dogs in weddings are as the ringbearer and flowergirl. This works really great if you have a male and female dog. You can find some great outfits online for dogs, including tuxedos, tutus and other kinds of dresses which aren’t that expensive. For the ringbearer dog, just attach the ring to a pocket on the collar of the pooch, and have him sit at the feet of the groom. Quick note here…if you’re afraid that your ringbearer dog will run away during the ceremony, don’t attach the ring to his collar or you could have a huge mess on your hands! For the flower girl dog, dress her up in a tutu and have a flower girl child walk the other dog down the aisle on a leash, throwing flower petals as they go.

Dogs in Weddings – At Your Feet

If you don’t really want your dogs to have a job in your wedding, then another popular option is just to have them laying down at your feet. Dress them up of course because it is a formal event and they need to be presentable, but train them to come and lay at your feet during the wedding ceremony. What a great way to take your wedding vows, surrounded by everyone you love, including your pets.

Dogs in Weddings – Helpful Facts

Deciding to have dogs in weddings should not be a list minute decision. Once you decide to include your dogs in your wedding, you should start training them for what  you want them to do, so your animals know what is expected of them at the ceremony. Also, while it may be tempting, do not hang flower arrangements around the necks of your animals, or even on top of their heads. Many flowers are poisonous to dogs, or allergens, and the wire holding the arrangement together could hurt the dog if it’s messed with. Also, be prepared for the unexpected.

Dogs in weddings can be a great way to share your special day with everyone that you love. Dogs in weddings aren’t an impossible task, and with the right training and jobs, you should be able to pull it off  without a hitch.

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Dogs in Weddings

Wedding Cakes Toppers are Memories

One thing I love about wedding cakes toppers is that you can keep them around the house after the wedding, which will serve as a constant reminder of your wedding, and wedding cakes toppers are just something that you’ll want to keep forever. You can reuse them for anniversaries or other special occasions. Personally, I still have our wedding cake topper in a drawer, and plan on using it for anniversaries, or just an elegant presentation for an everyday cake, but then again, our wedding cake topper is slightly different from the standard figurines of a bride and groom.

Popular Wedding Cake Toppers

Wedding cake toppers used to be the standard bride and groom standing side by side in their wedding dress, but that is no longer the case. Of course, if you’re going for this more retro look, these figurines are still widely available, but now your options for wedding cake toppers are much wider. Perhaps the most popular kinds of wedding cake toppers that you can find these days feature the initials of the bride and groom, or just the initial of couple’s last name. Other popular wedding cakes toppers include crystal figurines, flowers, and humorous wedding cake toppers. Some of the humorous wedding cake toppers that I’ve seen are the standard bride and groom figurine with some variation, such as the groom with a ball and chain around his ankle, or the bride with a cell phone and shopping bag in her hand. Also, wedding cake toppers that go along with a certain wedding theme are also popular, and you can find any kind of unique wedding cake toppers to go with any wedding theme as well.

Wedding cakes toppers are really the perfect way to personalize your wedding cake, and the right topper can make your cake look extra elegant and luxurious, humorous, or any other way that goes along with your wedding theme or preferences. If none of the ideas for wedding cake toppers have helped you decide, then try to go with something that you both love. There are so many options for wedding cake toppers that you can find nearly anything to match just what you’re looking for. NO matter what kind of wedding cake toppers you choose to use for your wedding, they’re sure to make your wedding cake memorable for everyone involved.

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Wedding Cakes Toppers

Why Use Wedding Cake Toppers?

Wedding cake toppers are a great way to personalize your wedding cake. It seems a little crazy to say, but wedding cake toppers can add some fun and excitement to any kind of wedding cake.

Not only that, but they are kind of fun to hang onto as keepsakes, perhaps to use at anniversaries in the future, or just as a fond memory. Wedding cake toppers are a great glimpse into who the bride and groom really are, as well as what kinds of tastes in decorating they have.

Personalized Wedding Cake Toppers

As I mentioned above, I wanted to have a wedding cake topper, but I didn’t want it to be the tried and true bride and groom. Instead, I went with a monogram of our new family. Little did I know I was going with a pretty popular theme in wedding cake toppers.  You can also have wedding cake toppers made that actually look like the bride and groom, by sending in current photographs of yourselves. Our personalized wedding cake topper is something that we’ll keep forever, and perhaps use again at one of our milestone anniversaries. It’s nice to know that we have it. There are other ways to personalize wedding cake toppers for your wedding. If both of you like a particular sport, cell phones, or some other fun story you’d like to emphasize, you can find it or special order it on the Internet.

Humorous Wedding Cake Toppers

When I mentioned that wedding cake toppers were a glimpse into the couple’s lives, I was thinking about some of the humorous ones that I’ve seen out there. The wedding cake topper with the groom in a ball and chain, the bride and groom kissing, or the bride with a lasso around her groom’s leg, dragging him away. Humorous wedding cake toppers will always have your guests cracking up, and will liven up the reception.

Other Wedding Cake Toppers

While many brides may choose to use some wedding cake toppers featuring a bride and groom, other brides choose to use different kinds of wedding cake toppers entirely. Many brides will use flowers to adorn their wedding cakes, chocolates, petals, fruit and a variety of other items that will help to add to exactly what they want to have at their wedding reception. For more great ideas, check out my other article on wedding cake toppers!

Wedding cake toppers should be something fun that you can add to your wedding reception, something that both you and your husband will enjoy shopping for. Think about what kind of statement you want to make on your wedding cake, and then hit the Internet for some great wedding cake toppers!

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Wedding Cake Toppers

Fresh Flowers

Flowers are always a popular choice for wedding cakes. They add grace and beauty to your wedding cake as well as having the added benefit of giving off a bit of color to match your other wedding colors. Fresh flowers are something you can work out with your florist to handle. You can have flowers on top of your cake as well as cascading down the side, or placed on each layer of your wedding cake. The choices are endless, and if you want to go this way, talk to your florist and bakery, and they will have plenty of ideas of what you can do, and what they have done in the past.

Your New Monogram

This is something that my husband and I used on our wedding cake. I visited several sites on the Internet and ordered letters to create our new families monogram. Then, it was very simple to just push it down into the cake, and the effects were beautiful. The only thing you need to consider here is how wide the letters are, and the circumference of the top layer of your cake. If you look at the picture above, that is a picture of our wedding cake, and what the monogram looks like on the cake.

Miscellaneous

One thing that brides love to do today is to make everything unique to them. I’ve seen firefighter brides stick small fire engines on their wedding cake, and I’ve even seen fruit used as wedding cake toppers as well. Colored leaves for fall, plastic cranberries and pine cones for a Christmas wedding, and even a small cowboy hat for a cowboy wedding.

Wedding cake toppers are beautiful, and they really add a lot to your wedding cake. Many people today are also choosing not to have a wedding cake topper at all. Depending on the kind of wedding cake that you choose, you may not need a wedding cake topper. See my article on Wedding Cake Designs or check out Wedding Cake Toppers for other ways you can decorate your wedding cake. Consider your wedding cake, your tastes, and what you love before making your decision. As always, if you need more information or advice, feel free to comment and let me know!

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Wedding Cake Topper

Best man toasts are typically 2 -5 minutes in length, depending on how comfortable you are with speaking in front of people. You should probably start with welcoming everyone and thanking them for being there. Identify yourself as the best man and tell them how you know the groom. Then, you can tell some great stories from childhood, talk about bad habits, how the groom told you he was engaged, and other potentially funny events from your past. Helpful hint, stay away from anything that could potentially hurt feelings, embarrass the bride and groom, or start any fights! That would make for a memorable best man toast, but not in the right way.

After talking about the groom, talk a little bit about the bride, about the first time you met her, or other fun stories from everybody hanging out. If you were there when they first met, then share the story with the wedding guests, whether the story is romantic or not. Talk about them together as a couple, things that you’ve witnessed.

It should be easy to add some humor into your speech. Make a comment about how you are the “best” man and stop and grin or tug on your lapels, or after you say best man add in, “well, the best he could find anyway”. You could also talk about how nervous you are getting up in front of so many people, and how you practiced in front of a group of toddlers and they started crying. Use your imagination, but be careful with humor as some jokes can fall flat.

Always end your best man speech with something sentimental, such as, “I’ve known you for a long time, and am proud to call you my friend. I pray that in 50 years you’ll be as happy as you are today”. Be sure to ask everyone to raise their glass and toast the happy couple. Then walk over and shake hands with the groom and kiss the bride, and you’re done.

If you have any fun best man speeches you’d like to share, a good idea or how you’ve bombed, comment and let us know!

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Best Man Speeches and Toasts

Assistance with General Decision Making

While the bride and groom are responsible for making the majority of the important decisions regarding the wedding, the maid of honor is there to give opinions, offer support, and lend a hand wherever and whenever needed. This does not mean that she should stay glued to your hip from engagement to wedding! Phone conversations, email, and brainstorming girl’s nights are a great way to get another viewpoint without ruling your maid of honor’s life.

Planning Bridal Showers and Bachelorette Party!

This is probably one of the most fun parts of being the maid of honor! Coming up with fun bridal shower ideas and games, putting together guest lists and organizing parties is a huge part of their duties. Also, the maid of honor is expected to attend and help the bride by making notes while she is opening gifts on who gave what for thank you cards.

Assisting the Bride Before the Wedding

Whether it’s helping the bride scout out great locations for the reception, helping address and mail wedding invitations, calling for quotes, or even helping make some great wedding favors, the maid of honor should try to make herself available for whatever she can do to lighten the load of the bride. This even includes showing up before the ceremony to help decorate the ceremony and reception location, if needed. Another great idea, try to take the bride-to-be’s mind off of wedding details to help preserve her sanity!

Being the Right Hand Lady!

One of the most important responsibilities of the maid of honor is that she’ll be acting as the bride’s assistant and right-hand lady for whatever the bride needs on her wedding day. She does much more than just stand by the bride and hold her flowers during the ceremony. Helping the bride with her dress, hair and make-up, running messages to vendor and other wedding participants, typically the maid of honor is also one to sign the marriage license after the ceremony, secure any money given to the bridal pair during the reception, giving a speech during the reception if necessary, and being a point of contact for other guests are just a few of her possible wedding day duties. An important task of the maid of honor is the maid of honor speech she is expected to make at the reception. To help out with this, see my article on Maid of Honor Speeches.

After Wedding Duties

The maid of honorary typically is in charge of taking care of the wedding dress once the bride leaves, as well as any gifts that are left, and sometimes helping take down decorations and any other duties defined by the bride.

The duties of the maid of honor are usually vaugely defined since they differ from wedding to wedding. When they are poorly communicated, it can cause problems, so make sure you are upfront about what you need from your maid of honor, while understanding that she does have a life outside of your wedding. Remember, that no matter how much of a treasure your maid of honor may be, she still has limits, so treat her well.

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What are the Duties of the Maid of Honor?