Woodsy at the Graves 601?

There are many adjectives that come to mind about Graves 601 Hotel in Minneapolis, Chic, Modern, Elegant, Sophisticated all come to mind. "Woodsy", not so much. So what do you do when you're an outdoorsy couple who embrace all the wonders of nature but you also want your wedding reception at one of the finest locations in the Twin cities? You hire Mimi designs, and book the Graves. I was astonished with the transformation of what I'd always considered the Ultra-Mod hotel for this event. The Mimi's (as we like to call them) created the perfect blend of natural design scheme with the modern understated elegance of the space. What resulted was the first "urban woodland" wedding I had ever seen...and it was stunning!

Onto the cake. In staying true to the woodland theme, the bride brought us a photo from Martha Stewart Magazine of a chocolate panelled cake that had been textured with a woodgraining tool in white chocolate. The bride decided to reverse the colors so that the cake would look more birch, and less like realistic wood to lend itself to the urban setting. As is common at the shop, we created every last chocolate panel using the tools and instructions from Miss Martha's magazine. Then, after they were complete, I went home, looked up alternatives on line, and decided to remake every one of them using a different tool, technique, and material (yes, I'm a joy to work for). The final result was an Ivory fondant, painted with woodgrain for a much more stylized and modern feel. Of course, I sent a photo of the two panel options to the Mimi's who hands down agreed with my choice (little did they know I had already completed the first round of panels, but they wouldn't be surprised at all, they know I'm neurotic).

Anyway, the final result...one of the most interesting and Graves 601-Worthy cake I've ever produced. The best part, the awesome catering crew at the Graves cut the panels into strips and garnished each slice with a pristine strip of wood-grained fondant. I just love it when the caterers carry through the look of the design in such a creative way. Kudos guys!