October Weddings - Part 1

First, thank you for the kind words and wishes after my previous post.  Don't cry for me, everything will be just fine :)

October was here and gone in an instant.  It ended up being one of our busiest months for weddings, special events, a holiday, two bridal shows, and on top of everything I had two Le Cordon Bleu interns to corral.  Culminating with a fun night out for Halloween, I don't think I could have picked a more appropriate costume as The Crazy Cat Lady - I was feeling pretty loopy!

As you will see, the weddings this month ran the gamut from bright and colorful to tonal texture...

Photo courtesy of Shannon Marie Photography

Photo courtesy of Shannon Marie Photography

Photo courtesy of Shannon Marie Photography

The monogram was taken from the couple's custom printed napkins.  You may also recognize the vine piping from the jade wedding earlier this year.  The small picture shows the three tiered version with the center band and monogram.  By altering the design to reflect the wedding colors and the couple's preference for square cakes, the new look is summery and bright with a dash of preppy coolness. 

Imagine all white, minimalist, asymmetrical architecture, and floor to ceiling windows looking down into Minneapolis' Sculpture Gardens.  That was the backdrop for this next cake at the Walker Art Center Skyline Room.  It may look like a simple cake, but the getting the piping perfect is still a challenge.  To create the quilted buttercream look on the bottom tier, I have to first etch the lines on hard buttercream with a rounded fondant tool (about the width of a pencil eraser), and then soften the edges with my [clean] finger.  This is a new technique a taught myself just this year.  Prior to, I thought the only way to create quilting was with fondant.

I'm a huge fan of Marah Cole Floral Designs, and you have to see the centerpieces she did for this wedding!  Those are veggies in the water! 

Photo courtesy of Marah Cole Designs

This is a fun little fall two tier that was accompanied by cupcakes.  I met the bride at a wedding show last year.  Leah really liked my dummy cake with fall leaves and pumpkins, and we made it topsy turvy for an unexpected twist.  I really enjoy the subtle texture of the buttercream with the uneven layers - it makes the look less stark and adds movement.

 So, this last cake is from yesterday, so technically it isn't from October, but who cares.  The colors are autumn perfection.

The bands are fondant on buttercream.  This is a tough design to pull off, keeping the lines perfectly spaced, balanced, and clean.  I'm proud of how it came out - go me! - and it would be fun to do it in so many different color combos.  Fresh flowers were the perfect touch of romance for such a modern design, but it could go many directions. 


Part II of October Weddings will include some very unique cakes...stay tuned!


- Rachel