Julia and Kenny

Julia and Kenny were wed at the Calhoun Beach club. Now, usually we don't have the pleasure of seeing our brides on their wedding day (which is a good thing, as cake ladies are usually not too terribly presentable by delivery day, after a week of long decorating days/nights). Typically, we are at the reception site while the wedding is happening elsewhere. But every once in a while, we have a one-location wedding/reception, and we get to see our brides in all of their splendor. Now, Julia knew that we'd be hiding out waiting for the room turnover, to set up the cake, so she told us to go up one floor to "the library" room that overlooks the Boulevard room so that we could watch the ceremony.
Not many people know this, but I was not always an Evil Cake Genius. I started out as a photographer, and have seen lots...and lots of weddings in my time. Am I jaded? Guess not, as I still love that incredible moment, where two people get up in front of all of their friends and family and make that incredible committment to each other. I get choked up every time, and this was no exception.

Now, onto the cakey goodness...
Julia and Kenny's wedding was an elegant affair with a modern-tailored feel. It was a blend of lavish and simplicity in the same event (no, really, you can have both).

We based the cake on their pale silver and white color scheme, incorporated their beautiful monogram, and copied a beautiful brooch that the bride wore on her gown. The bow on top came from a pair of shoes that she was planning to wear, we fell in love with, and then they turned out to be unwearable...but still cakeable!


We made the brooch entirely out of gumpaste and silver dragees, and the bow as well, so everything on the cake was edible. Not only edible...delicious. These two came up with their own cake flavor combination, Devil's food cake filled with dark chocolate ganache vanilla mousse and fresh raspberries.
But the best part of working with these two was this...they really got it. Wedding planning should be fun! From our first appointment to when they picked up their invitations, to the time they walked back down the aisle, these two were grinning ear to ear and having the time of their life. It's a real pleasure to work with couples like this, and I will say that I get more than my fair share.

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Grasslands at the McNamara Center

So if you've been to the McNamara Alumni Center at the U of MN, you know that it is one big sexy piece of architecture. But, it wasn't until I sat down with Rachel to plan her cake for her reception at the McNamara that I really "got it". The decor and structure of the building represents Minnesota in all of its elements. They've captured the Iron Range, the 10,000 lakes, the Northern lights, and the north shore. So, Rachel kept everything about her decor (including the cake) organic in design. We started with a magazine photo of a cake covered in shimmering frosting grass, but by the time she left, we'd made the design a little more, shall we say, Rachel (which, by the way, is happily, a lot more Gateaux).

By the time all was said and done, that cake contained individually cut blades of frosting grass made by a total of 4 people. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, anytime anyone had a spare second, they made grass. I have a newfound respect for mother nature on this one. Besides the grass, we added beautiful frosting Anemones, tiny ladybugs, dragonflies, caterpillars, a frosting cardinal, and (no, you're not seeing things) a pair of bumblebees donning a tophat and veil.

Never doubt my clients when it comes to FUN.

Parrot Head

So I get this phone call from a bride looking for a wedding cake that will reflect the fact that she's marrying a Parrot Head. Now, I don't know much about Parrot Heads, but I know that love can overcome anything, even what sounds to be a horribly disfiguring disorder.

Okay, so maybe I was a touch off-base with the terminology, but much to my relief, a Parrot Head is simply the term for a Jimmy Buffett fan. Well, that makes the cake design a whole lot easier than I thought!

Ann and Tyler had a great party planned for their wedding. The reception would be held on a the Padelford Riverboat "Betsy" on the Mississippi on what turned out to be the most glorious late spring day of the year. The groomsmen wore hawaiian print vests of a black background with painted sage green tropical leaves and little Parrots, Cockatoos, and Toucans intermixed in the foliage. I immediately wanted to copy that fabric. The centerpieces on the tables incorporated bamboo and fuschia orchids...done and done! Add a couple of frosting flip flops, some seashells, and a two tier waterfall (the groom's idea) and we were ready to cruise!


But, a Parrot Head's cake would not be complete without a little hidden humor, so Tyler suggested that we add a bottle of Landshark beer, and a pair of board shorts and bikini top littering the back side of the cake (after all, they are married now).

My full-timer Jenna was all over these details, she hid the bikini top from me until it was finished so that I could get the full effect (or maybe so that I wouldn't micromanage, you decide) and it was perfect! Our new girl, Kim, came up with the method for shaping the bamboo, and she and Jenna had a stockpile of it by the time I painted the leaves for the cake.
Overall, it was one of those blissful decorating days, where, everything I was unsure of, just came together. Aaah, those don't happen too often. Must be that laid back Parrot Head vibe coming through.
Ann and Tyler finished off their reception with an all Jelly Belly candy buffet. They chose several Jelly Belly blend recipes, and we mixed full jars of them (you know, One Orange Juice jelly bean plus one Cherry, plus two Margarita beans equals Tequila Sunrise). It was quite the hit!
Thanks Ann and Tyler for once again, reminding me that I have the Best Job Ever.