I have made no secret of the fact that I harbour a dream to quit the medical sales rat race one day and make a living from baking and cake decorating. I do in fact have something of a game plan for this, but have a little superstition (founded from blowing out the birthday cake candles I fear) that if I speak my goals out loud they will fail to come true. Maybe one day I shall surprise you all with the big reveal when it happens, and be all nonchalant .."oh yes, I planned this all along"...
Anyway, I digress. When I first started this whole cake decorating/ recipe developing/ blogging malarkey back in September, a very dear friend of mine approached me and asked me to make her wedding cake, for the big day in June 2013. At that time, my cake decorating skills had pretty much started and ended with this...
... pretty huh! None-the-less, I have a terrible character flaw in never saying 'No' to anyone, and more importantly, my gorgeous friend had a seemingly bottomless supply of faith and belief in me, something which I will never forget, and will cherish for the rest of my life.
The wedding was last weekend, and after months of planning, taste testing, sharing photos and ideas, and colour matching buttercream, not to mention a 16 hour mammoth baking session, the finished cake took its place amongst the stunning vintage-style floral displays and table decorations.
The brief was this: A selection of vintage style cupcakes, displayed in a tower, with a small one tier cake on top for the cutting the cake ceremony. The wedding colours were a selection of pastel lilacs, pinks and ivory, and the wedding flowers included memory lane roses, sweet avalanche roses, and frilly lisianthus.
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| Colour-matching buttercream using paint colour charts! |
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| Memory Lane Rose Image |
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| Sweet Avalanche Rose Image |
The Creative Process...
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| Sugarcraft Flowers in Production |
And here are a selection of photos of the finished display...
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| The finished display installed at the venue |
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| The display had 6 different cupcake designs, with each design in 3 colours |
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| Edible pearls added to the 'Vintage' theme |
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| Additional sugarcraft flowers and leaves were added to the stand as decorations |
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| We used these adorable shimmery lace cupcake wrappers for a more elegant feel |
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| How cute are the personalised Lego Bride and Groom!? |
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| The cake was 8 inches, with a mini 3 inch cake for the Bride and Groom to stand proud |
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| Handmade sugar eucalyptus springs added some greenery to the display |
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| The stand was decorated with strings of pearls too |
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| There were a mixture of buttercream and fondant topped cupcakes |
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| The edge of the cake was decorated with ribbon and lace, and embossed with edible pearls |
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| A very vintage inspired wedding cake and cupcake tower! |
Without sounding self-indulgent, this whole process was so exciting, and rewarding, and has totally re-affirmed my desire to do this and only this for a living. From the original planning, right through hand-making the flowers, and finally assembling the tower and seeing the vision come to life, I loved every moment, and would do it every day if I could. Thank you so much to my amazing friend for giving me the trust and the opportunity to do this, and I'm so pleased that you loved it! xxx
Is it possible for the cake decorator to get post-wedding blues too? My dining table seems very bleak now it is no longer covered in sugar roses!
