Each month Wedding and Party Network will be picking our favorite pictures and themes that have been submitted into our photo gallery by YOU. It may be wedding cakes, party cakes, wedding reception decorations, party decorations or wedding bouquets. This month we have chosen party cakes! There are lots of fun and creative party cakes that stand out. So, we hope these party cake pictures give you some inspiration. Enjoy!

Football Shaped Helmet
This party cake is actually shaped into a football helmet. Representing his favorite team with chocolate covered strawberries surrounding it. Great for a guy's birthday or a groom's cake.

Designer Party Cake
A single tiered cake with brown fondant features this girl's favorite designer. It has the LV logo all over it with her best friend on top. A wonderful happy birthday cake.

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It's often hard to come up with themed party ideas for the boys between the ages of ten and fourteen.  I suggest asking the child what type of party he would like.  Between these ages, the boys are forging closer guy friendships and may or may not be into having girls around.  Speak with your son and ask him who he'd like to have at his party.  Most young men of this age will choose a smaller party with close guy friends.

A few close friends works really well with a basketball themed party.  Some suggestions I can offer would be to rent out the local community center, and let the kids play basketball till they drop.  If you go this route, I wouldn't do a lot of decorating. Instead, buy some t-shirts and have your son come up with a name for his and the opposing team. Also, buy basketballs for each party guest (you can get Jr. basket balls for under $15.00) as a fun party favor they'll be able to take home.  Use a sharpie and on each ball write:

Timmy's  10th birthday

9/23/10

Give the boys some sharpie markers and have them sign each ball. These balls are now commemorative balls, of your son's birthday party.

If you can't rent out the Community center, you can make a court in your own yard for the kids to play on. If you don't have a basket ball goal,  you can rent buy or borrow one.  You can buy tiny basketballs at the party stores and decorate your home with these.

For party food, you can serve them hot dogs, pizza, sodas, chips or whatever the birthday boy likes.  Keep the theme going with a basketball cake or basketball cup cakes.

As I stated before, at this age they are trying to be all grown up and still be boys.  Choosing to go with their favorite sport is  great way to have  grown up party for tween boys

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When planning a wedding the most important details are the perfect wedding location, reception venue, photography, party food, wedding cake and of course, the dress.  We all know that the groom truly cares about the wedding and marrying the love of his love, but he leaves the small details up to you.  So brides tend to forget about the one thing that is truly catered to the groom, his groom's cake.  He has dealt with your "bridezilla" moments, so why not think of him.  Even after the wedding, offering up a great birthday cake will truly melt his heart.  Here is a great idea for any guy:  sports themed cakes!

Showcasing his favorite sports team logo on a sheet cake is fine, but take it to the next level!  Your local bakery will do an amazing job creating 3D cakes, tiered cakes or a shaped cake.  There are endless possibilities when creating a groom's cake.  Your guy is a huge sports fan.  Whether it be baseball, football, basketball, hockey or soccer; they can create it.  He deserves an extraordinary sports themed cake for his birthday and especially his groom's cake.

The Football Guy

First off, when you think of football, you think of tailgating.  Have a great bakery create a birthday cake or groom cake shaped as a cooler!  How amazing!  A sports cake created to look exactly like a cooler is so unique.  Have his favorite sport's logo put on the outside of the cooler with his favorite beverage placed inside.  He will absolutely love it!

What about a stadium cake?  A replica of his favorite college or pro football stadium sounds absolutely unreal.  Replicating the football field, lights, scoreboard and fans will make this cake over-the-top!  A sports cake shaped like a football jersey, football or football helmet will make for a great cake too.  Your great guy will love any of these sports themed cakes for a groom's cake or birthday cake.  He'll truly appreciate the thought that came from you.

Fun Sports Themed Birthday Cakes

The Baseball Fanatic

Again, tons of great ideas for the baseball fanatic too.  Sports cakes created to look like baseballs, bats, jerseys, hats or the mascot will send him over the top.  If you really want to do the trick, create a replica of the baseball stadium!  Amazing bakers can create the actual baseball field with the bases and home plate.

Surrounding this sports themed cake with the bleachers, scoreboard, dugouts and perfecting the stadium details down to the very last.  Every brick, column, fan and color will be created with exquisite detail.  He will truly be amazed that you thought of this, whether it be for his birthday or groom's cake.

More Sports?

Of course, your guy may not be a huge fanatic of football and baseball so your local baker can cater to him too.  Golf, hunting and car racing might suit your guy better.  So have your baker create his a golf ball, golf club or even a replica of a golf course.  So neat!  With hunting, there are endless possibilities.  Create hunting guns, deers, antlers, ducks or even a hunting field.  Your outdoor guy will absolutely love that.  Again, there are endless possibilities when creating cakes.

You have the perfect location, delicious food and your dream cake; now give the groom something.  Guys aren't big on details and are not fans of having all the attention focused on them.  So cater to what they enjoy and wow them with a sports themed groom's cake or sports themed birthday cake that they'll never forget.

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Sure Miss Manners may not approve, but what's wrong with throwing your own birthday party?  In my opinion, not a single thing.  Let's look at all the pro's of throwing your own birthday party.

1. You know what theme you want.
2. You know the exact type of cake and food you want.
3. You know all the people you want at your party.

I could go on, but I think you get the point. It's all about you and what you want, and who better to give you the perfect party than you?

Let me take you through my birthday party, given to me by me! First, the invitations: they are Scooby Doo (yes the cartoon character), which is my party theme. Yes, I know I'm an adult and Scooby Doo  is for children.  However, not if it's what I want.  And I want Scooby Doo. I chose Scobby Doo as my theme based on a few reasons: First – Scooby Doo is a great cartoon character. Second – the year of my birth 1969, was when Scooby Doo first aired.  I plan on having all my guest dress as Scooby Doo characters.

Now for the Scooby snacks. I will have spinach dip with chips and label it Shaggy's dip, Great Dane subs (cold cut sandwiches) and mystery van wings with ac-7 sauce (spicy chicken wings with ranch dip). And of course, I can't forget a huge Scooby and friends cake complete with Velma, Shaggy, Fred and Daphne ….yummy! Did you know they have a cocktail called the Scooby? You can bet that will be mixed and consumed at my Scobby Doo theme party!

Throwing your own party can be easily done, and the ideas translate to many things you might find from your childhood.  Now all I have to do is decide if I want to be Scooby, or do I make a better Scrappy Doo?

Photo courtesy of Fricker on Flickr

This party idea post is sponsored by Jacksonville, FL, party cakes.

Stumped on a theme for your 4 or 5-year old's party?  Throw them an alphabet party! Use every letter of the alphabet from A to Z.  Start off the alphabet party with colorful alphabet invitations. Decorate your party location with all the letters of the alphabet by purchasing alphabet streamers, confetti and other alphabet-themed decorations. Get creative!

You can buy letters and streamers at a party supply store or an office/school supplies store. Don't forget balloons!  Make sure they carry the theme and have letters or the alphabet on them.

Utilize your local bakery for alphabet cupcakes, cookies or crackers.  If you don't want cupcakes, order your child a birthday cake using his or her name.  You can spell out your kid's name or you can use just his initials.

Ask your favorite deli if they will make letter-shaped ham and cheese sandwiches.  If not, you can buy letter cookie cutters and make your own ABC peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

For party favors, buy alphabet flash cards or letter magnets that match the guest's initials. Some party stores have age appropriate, ready-made alphabet party favor boxes.

A great party game is Pin-the-Letter on an item/person, played like the game Pin-the-Tail on the donkey.  Using heavy duty craft paper, cut out the letters of the alphabet.  Have the birthday boy or girl pick a letter out of a box. He or she then has to find something or someone with a name that starts with that letter and "pin" (I suggest using tape) the letter to that object or person.

Wedding and Party Network is a proud sponsor of this children's party theme.

Though I'm an October baby, I felt like September deserved some love too. So, I've put together this list of the  top 5 birthday cake photos for the month of September. If you have a birthday coming up or know someone getting ready to celebrate another year, consider styles of birthday cakes like these when visiting your local bakery.

*Cajun jazz music introduction*

#5  Carly's Delightfully Pink 16th Birthday Cake

Young ladies of a certain age (16) are on the verge of something great. They deserve a sweet sixteen birthday cake that lives up to their "grown up but still play young" attitude. This cake does all of that and more! It is hot pink with pink beaded icing accents. It has crazy, colorful stripes on top and a fun cake topper that announces to the guests just how old but young at heart the guest of honor is.

This fun 16th birthday cake photo is provided by Bake My Day, a cake bakery in Louisville Kentucky.

#4  Wild Side 16th Birthday Cake

Again with the magic number 16 but it's not the sweet sixteen birthday theme alone that makes this cake so impressive. The colors of this birthday cake are vibrant. Bright blue complements black and white zebra stripes. Together, the two colors with black ribbon accents at the base of each tier form three tiers of delicious birthday cake that is almost too attractive to eat!

This unique 16th birthday cake was created by The Party Place & Bakery, one of my favorite cake bakeries in Heber Springs, Arkansas.

#3 Baseball Birthday Cake

It's worth having a son or a lady softball player if for no other reason than baseball birthday cakes like this. This birthday cake features a baseball hat, baseball bat, and a baseball with a number written in icing that lets us know how old or young the birthday child is. In this case, it's a baseball birthday cake for a one year old! How sweet!

This baseball birthday cake photo was provided by Gourmet On The Go, talented caterers in Victorville California.

#2 Starry Night Birthday Cake

It was hard not to choose this as the number one birthday cake photo. Even if you aren't a fan of Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" painting, you have to admire all of the hard work and tedious detail that went into this Starry Night birthday cake. Beautiful, artistic, and a true work of art in the birthday cake world!

This "Starry Night" birthday cake was created by Sue's Sweets, an artistic cake bakery in Rahway New Jersey.

#1 Rocking, Contemporary 21st Birthday Cake

The happy lady that received this 21st birthday cake can strut her stuff knowing she's an in-style lady with friends who have fabulous taste. Each layer is hot pink and black, white and light pink accents. This is three tiers of fun and intricate details. No two tiers have the same style. One is striped. One is floral. One is polka dots. Who doesn't love a polka dotted birthday cake? All of the fun styles and unique colors combined with a fabulous cake topper make this the month's #1 birthday cake bar none.

This 21st birthday cake for girls was submitted by Just Ones Cakes & Catering, an awesome bakery in Albuquerque New Mexico.

Grab a slice for yourself! Are you planning a party for someone's birthday or have some birthday cake photos of your own? Feel free to share them and they may become one of the top 5 photos next month on WeddingAndPartyNetwork.com!

Ask The Celebration Advisor:
I was wondering if you did specialty order cakes? Also, how much do your cakes run? I was wanting a special and pretty specific cake for my daughter's 3rd birthday this coming May(2010). I can give you more details about it after I find out if you make them…thanks! April in Sheridan IN


Celebration Advisor Reply:
How exciting a 3rd birthday. Although Wedding and Party Network is a great place to plan your birthday party, we don't actually provide the services or products. Instead we have a network of professional local businesses who provide everything you need for a party in your area.

There is a fantastic bakery near Sheridan IN, who is one of our members. Classic Cakes is a bakery in Carmel IN and just 19 minutes from Sheridan. They create some awesome children's birthday cakes like the one below.

Their Princess Birthday Cake is one of my favorites. No two of their cakes are alike. They can custom create a cake for any occasion – birthday, anniversary, wedding or special event. You can even select different flavors or fillings as well as different designs. So give Classic Cakes a call  and they will help you work out all of the details.

Good luck. Please come back after the party and share pictures with us.

Ask the Celebration Advisor: I read your post titled "Birthday Cakes in the Shape of What?" and I was wondering how do bakers create such realistic cakes? My brother who lives in Lawton, OK is having his birthday soon and I want to get him good with a specialty humorous birthday cake.

The Celebration Advisor: Birthday cakes have evolved from their primitive box-shape cousins to an array of elaborate and creative styles even Charles Darwin could be proud of. As the focal point of a birthday, birthday cakes should be proud structures that stand to commemorate the recipient, rather than cower close to the table. In Lawton, OK bakeries have taken this new trend of birthday cakes to the next level with the use of some special techniques and materials.

Of course the first step to designing a birthday cake is to have the appropriate canvas. After the cake base is baked and left to cool off, expert bakers will coat the cake in an even coating of butter cream frosting. Now is the point where a cake starts coming to life before your eyes. Just like a sculptor, bakers will form small edible figurines out of gum paste. Gum paste is an edible sugar dough that when formed into a shape will appear to look porcelain or ceramic. Any figurine you can imagine can be a tasty addition to a birthday cake.

A humorous birthday cake from Lawton, OK would be great for your brother. You have the perfect opportunity here to pull his leg a bit and give him a birthday cake that he'll remember for a lifetime. Some of the funniest cakes I have seen include toilets, skeletons, Chuck Norris, hamburgers and horse dung. It would be great to see the look on his face when he meets cake Chuck Norris' kung fu stare.

With the adaptation of special materials and artisan techniques, cakes have been made into an edible art form. Thankfully for your brother's birthday cake, Lawton bakeries have the tools and expertise to bring to life any humorous themed cake you can imagine.

Ask the Celebration Advisor: Whenever I am at a birthday party, I find that birthday cakes can sometimes be sloppy and plain. For my son's 10th birthday I would like to have a cake made that is very creative and looks like someone used a bit of effort to make it. Are there any bakeries in Chattanooga, TN that prepare birthday cakes with flair?

The Celebration Advisor: Its very true that some cakes tend to be bland and messy looking. Sure you can shyly say that the cake has character, but that is just a 2 cent compliment. Wouldn't it be great if cakes can be inspiring to the imagination and visibly show an attention to detail? They in fact do exist and themed birthday cakes from Chattanooga are rising in popularity as people see how amazing these creations can be.

The variety of different birthday cakes that can be made are only limited by the imagination of the baker. Literally every genre that exists in pop culture, sports, music, TV, fantasy, and automotive can be represented in a cake so realistic, some are ashamed to cut into these little "works of art". I like to say that dough to a baker is like a ball of clay to a sculptor. It is malleable, easy to form and when in precise hands any creation can appear to come to life.

There are lots of very unique and funny birthday cakes I have seen from pictures posted on the web. Some cakes have real working lights and bakeries have incorporated them into cakes shaped like doll houses or emergency vehicles. Even for pranksters, there is a cake catered to their forte. Cakes with embarrassing photos of the birthday boy printed on the frosting or one that unmistakably looks like a stack of dung have graced birthdays across the US.

Your son's birthday this year is especially important to him because it'll be his first time in the double digits. A themed birthday cake from Chattanooga bakeries would be the perfect gift to commemorate such a big event and congradulate your son on his new milestone.

Ask the Celebration Advisor: My daughter's 8th birthday is coming up soon and I am looking to have a themed birthday cake made for her. Some of her favorite things are fairies and shopping and I think her cake should match. Are there any bakeries in Meridian, MS that can help me out?

The Celebration Advisor: Themed birthday cakes are growing in popularity and it is great you would like your daughter's cake to be one of these cool creations. There are many cakes in the genre including the types of things your daughter loves. Bakeries in Meridian are more than qualified to prepare a birthday cake for your daughter that will be not only be delicious, but also a work of art.

Try to picture a birthday cake as a malleable ball of clay. It is able to take many forms only limited by the extent of one's own imagination. Themed birthday cakes from Meridian have been known to transfix onlookers by their colorful designs and statuesque qualities. A cake in the form of dancing fairies or stacked designer handbags is completely possible and will be created with the intent to appear realistic. So much so that hopefully you would be hesitant to cut into such a delicate and detailed pastry statue.

However half the enjoyment of a birthday cake is from stuffing your face with the soft, moist dough. When you meet with a Meridian Baker, I suggest you bring along a glass of milk because samples of cake will most likely be available. Flavors of cake typically include vanilla, strawberry and chocolate (which is most popular). A strawberry flavored cake, provided you enjoy the taste, can be a creative way to add more vibrant pink to the overall design of the birthday cake. Above all if the cake looks great, it should be equally as delicious.

Your daughter's birthday themes are great for young girls. She would enjoy nothing more than to be able to stare into the eyes of fairies dancing across the dining room table. Your idea for her birthday cake will come to life with the help of Meridian, MS bakeries. I am glad you are taking the extra care in preparing for your daughters big day. She will no doubt have her best birthday yet.