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Saturday, 22 June 2013

The Tale of a Wannabe Wedding Cake Decorator

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. 

Colour-matching buttercream using paint colour charts!

Memory Lane Rose Image
Sweet Avalanche Rose Image





 The Creative Process...

Sugarcraft Flowers in Production
And here are a selection of photos of the finished display...

The finished display installed at the venue

The display had 6 different cupcake designs, with each design in 3 colours

Edible pearls added to the 'Vintage' theme

Additional sugarcraft flowers and leaves were added to the stand as decorations

We used these adorable shimmery lace cupcake wrappers for a more elegant feel

How cute are the personalised Lego Bride and Groom!?

The cake was 8 inches, with a mini 3 inch cake for the Bride and Groom to stand proud

Handmade sugar eucalyptus springs added some greenery to the display

The stand was decorated with strings of pearls too

There were a mixture of buttercream and fondant topped cupcakes

The edge of the cake was decorated with ribbon and lace, and embossed with edible pearls

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! 

15 comments:

  1. Wow this looks absolutely stunning! Fantastic Victoria, you should be so proud :)

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    1. Thank you so much! I loved this cake like a child! ;-) x

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  2. Such beautiful cakes, I'm sure the bride was very impressed. Fingers crossed you can find a way to make cake decorating your life in the near future. You've got a real talent for it :)

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    1. Aww thanks Jen :-) I have a plan as they say (evil laugh) so we'll see what happens! x

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  3. Oh, those are really gorgeous, I love them :) I've done a couple of wedding cakes (including my own), but the pressure of doing it for friends is huge so it's something I'll only take on when I have a LOT of time spare. I think you did an awesome job.

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    1. That's so kind thank you :-) It is a lot of pressure, I don't think I realised how much until the relief washed over when it was done, but I wouldn't have changed a second of it!

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  4. Really beautiful Victoria - as Jen said, you're really talented at this, so I hope you do achieve your dream. I'm sure you'll love it! :)

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    1. Thank you Susie! I'm so lucky that people put their faith in me, makes it all worthwhile! :-) x

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  5. Stunning, simply stunning! Your dream is completely feasible, you should go for it! Put your all into it and realize your dreams! :)

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth :-) there are a few logistical issues I need to sort first and then it's full steam ahead! Thanks for the support x

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  6. This is amazing! Absolutely flawless! Well done :) Plus, LOVE the lego bride and groom!!

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    1. Thanks! They are really cute aren't they! :-)

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  7. Really lovely!

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  8. These cakes are the stuff of dreams! Marie Antoinette would certainly improve!

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