English Tea Party Wedding!

My son Jon and his lovely bride Sarah were married in Cheltenham this Summer - and of course, I did their wedding cake.
They had decided on an English Tea Party theme for their wedding and so I chose to make their cake tie in with the bunting they had in their marquee.
The cake was ivory and tiered and I shaped the bunting (made from icing) to drape over it. To add to the theme, I also hand-crafted some tiny butterflies. It's one of my most favourite cakes that I've ever made...

Rugby Themed Wedding!

I always think it's a great idea for bride and grooms to have a theme for their wedding - whether it be a tie-in with the wedding colours, or something that they are interested in, when a theme is done well it can make all the difference.
Mark and Mary called me this summer when, after ringing around scores of wedding cake makers, they could not find one to meet their goal. Their problem? They wanted a cake shaped like a rugby ball.
The couple are die hard Leeds Rhinos fans and even had the Rhinos at the wedding. Never one to shy away from a challenge, I signed them up. And here is the result, a rugby ball cake with little MM (Mark and Mary) cupcakes in the Leeds Rhinos colours.

Jon And Sarah's Wedding

My son Jon and his fabulous bride Sarah were married in Cheltenham in August. They had a splendid day - it was themed around an English tea party in a marquee.
And yes, the little cake with bunting on was one of mine :-)
For those who are having trouble viewing, it can also be found here!
http://tinyurl.com/y9e4mdl

Brides Seeking Inspiration !

With so much else to think about on the big day, it's no wonder brides get a little stumped sometimes when it comes to the cake.
A select few brides have an exact picture in their minds of what they want, but some seek inspiration from the unlikeliest of places.
A new trend in wedding cakes really puts us crafts people to the test - instead of colour matching, which was en vouge in 2008, an increasing number of brides are wanting their wedding cakes to match their wedding dresses.
The results are breath-taking. I viewed this wedding dress and took inspiration from the flowers and sash at the back of the gown, for this simple but effective cake.
Everything on this cake (apart from the beads in the middle of the flowers) is made by hand, the swooping 'fabric' with its marbled effect is icing, as is the petals, the flowers and the button trim at the back.

Wonky Wedding Cakes!

For those bride and grooms who want something a little more quirky, I have been working on a range of Wonky Wedding Cake Cookies!
They add a fun element to favours and can be customised with any design or colour on the icing.
These hand-crafted treats are sure to be a talking point on your big day - I love them. They make me smile every time I see them.

Mini heart cookie favours!

When it comes to favours, times change. At one time, bride and grooms were happy with a little box of mint imperials on their tables...
...but now, they want more. They want something different, that they wouldn't be able to do themselves.
They want a talking point, that will makes guests smile. Something they can enjoy.
One thing I am trialling at the moment is this fresh take on favours - cookies. Here are some mini-hearts, to show you what I mean....the best part is they can be customised to fit your theme!

Thinking outside the box...!

When a couple has lasted together for 50 years, then they deserve something special to mark their anniversary.
Something eyecatching and different. My take on it is this a different view on a traditional square cake. Baked as a square, I went for a more abstract take on the shape by building it up afterwards.
I trimmed it in gold ribbon and gold lettering, with some crafted swirls on the top to add extra interest.
The options are endless but I really love the new shape this cake creates.

Floral birthday cakes!

Some of the most favourite cakes I have made have been for birthdays. I have done everything from a woman made of icing bursting out of the centre of it, to a classy 50th with an art deco theme when I baked the cake around a cup and saucer.
Birthday cakes are easy to find inspiration for - just think of the person's hobbies and interest and we can take it from there.
Occasionally though, families draw a blank. And so we have set about designing a range of classy cakes with would be appropriate for birthdays.
We kept them minimalist, trimmed only with ribbon..but as ever the artwork has gone into the crafted icing flower that sits on the top.
A real eye-catcher!

Colour-match wedding cake!

When a bride plans a wedding, she knows everything has to be perfect. The dress, the flowers, the favours, the cake all work together to create a consistent theme for the day.
The cake is arguably one of the most difficult things to get right, to fit your theme. One of the most popular decisions a bride and groom takes is to colour match their wedding cake to an essential part of the day - the bridesmaids dresses; the flowers; even the chair covers.
In this case, we colour matched to a taupe and coffee coloured theme - it's nuetral but classy. Each decoration, from the hearts, to the drapes, to the petals on the flowers is crafted from icing and is entirely edible.
Enjoy!

Burlesque Corset Cookies!

Every now and again, I am challenged to do something different.
It's what I like best.
From creative wedding cakes, to show-stopping favours, I love to work with a new concept.
When the people at Dolly Photography contacted me for some promotional favours for a wedding fair, the corset cookies immedietely sprang to mind.
The hot pink and black reflects the company's colours and, best of all, they add a funky element of a tongue-in-cheek nod to what the company does (they are boudoir photographers.)
Even more exciting, is that I realised this type of cookie could just as easily transfer to a wedding. Use decadent golds and ivory and you have the perfect design for a wedding corset cookie, perfect for favours!
Above are the corset cookies in action on the stand at Brooklands Wedding Fair - they were handed out to 60 potential customers.
Here is a close up showing the tiny flower detail on the lingerie. Each element of decor on the cookie is hand crafted, right down to the teeniest detail.

And here you can see the emboss and sparkle efffect that we added to the icing for that extra va-va-voom!