Some clients really pull it off!

This adorable yet bold, black/white/pink cake was made for a favorite customer of mine for a bridal shower she was hosting. She lets me just do whatever I want for her cakes but usually has it based on the invites or decor she's using at the parties. Upon delivery to the venue, we see she has the place fully decked out in coordinating and complimenting party ware. It looked great. Apparently she hosts quite often and has become very good at it. She finds it very rewarding and enjoys the fun part...but from the twinkle in her eye I can see she enjoys the DIY Party Planner thing too.

For this particular party, she used these cute bridal invites from PeekABooPumpkin. She sent me a sample set of what she received so I could use it for cake ideas. As you see, I went pretty literal with it, but we love how it turned out. The ribbon roses at the bottom of the heart cake were so cute! Oh wait, we're talking about my client's skills...she also used some paper products and decor ideas from a site I hadn't heard of; Rosemary Company to pull the decor together a bit more.

Using your invitation as inspiration is always a great idea and one that always works. It allows you to really pull elements together at the party, no matter how small or big your budget. Hmmm, I think they used to call that a "theme"? didn't they? wink* Hey, it also comes in handy for when you attend an event at a venue with more than one party going on...just go to the recognizable decorations! LOL

Now, we all know I'm a big fan of incorporating design elements from invites. I've been doing it with my partner in crime, Erin of Bride Design, for a few years now. We're like super heroes...fighting bad themes and promoting great taste in Syracuse - get it...great TASTE! sigh, sorry. So Erin and I provide what we consider to be the best of the best in our local area, custom cakes, custom invites and coordinating stationery, a great team for helping you pull it together.

But my favorite client whom this post originated about proves every time she calls with an order, that if you can choose only one area to splurge, you can do the rest of the event beautifully with a bit of research, a bit of planning, a bit of online ordering...but always with taste. Pick your priorities people! If you can't afford an elaborately expensive cake, don't get one! Dare I say...it's just cake! If you want the cake to shine (I<3U) reserve some funds elsewhere by purchasing something other than custom, hand made products. If you do want the best of the best for your paper products then go to my friend Erin and cut your corners elsewhere.

It just goes to show, you can have great taste and share it with your guests no matter what the budget or style. And hey...if you're driven by that DIY Party Planner bug that my client has - go for it! You can do it! Great job Carolyn, and thanks again for having me do your cake!