Kara and Greg's NYC Films Wedding ACT ONE

So this is the first of what will hopefully be several blog entries chronicling the progress of Kara and Greg's wedding cake. Their exciting theme...films shot or set in NYC. Each of Kara and Greg's centerpieces will depict a different film - is that the coolest idea or what? They're not having boring old table numbers, they're using their favorite movies!! I will post as I'm able to...but obviously I'm a bit busy with the actual cake ;-)

The part I'm showing a glimpse of now is the seemingly endless construction of the edible (technically) but non cake parts of all of their 16(yes, SIXTEEN) centerpiece cakes each with film canister cakes (not shown since I bake fresh and we're not there yet) and then on top of each a pastillage film reel with filmstrip matching the movie poster on a pastillage plaque that will be positioned on each reel. There will be a little bling and a bit more strip than shown in these photos, but that's all in due time. A little tid bit of info client's don't know about is that for every cake order there is at least one piece of decor that can and will be done ahead of time, but there are so many that just can't be done until the cake is baked. Whether it's hand painting on a fondant covered cake, or in this case, positioning very fragile strips of fondant "film" with printed icing sheets to duplicate a favorite scene from the movie, many things just can't be done ahead. Because we want an unwinding effect, the last strips of film for each cake will have to be placed when the cakes are done while the fondant film is fresh and pliable; this means I can't make that part until the cakes are ready for it. It's this type of work that usually leads to very late nights and sometimes very long set up on site when cakes are delivered.

Want to see just how much was involved in making the parts for that centerpiece above? I've been taking just a few photos of some steps that were necessary to get there. And yes, that means I actually left out some steps!! Pounds upon pounds of pastillage had to be made, drying forms had to be constructed, dough rolled and cut, dried on forms, parts painted, "glued" with icing in sections, more parts added...each step with significant drying time allowed...

click to see a larger view of the shots.

I'll try to add some shots of the "film" being made when I make those additional strips toward completion of the cake.The centerpiece cakes are not the entire order, but you'll have to check back for the rest of this exciting wedding cake story! Until next time...

Be My Bridesmaid Cookie

You've got good taste in friends...that's why you ask them to stand up with you on the most important day of your life! But how do you ask?

We've got the perfect answer for you; our Be My Bridesmaid cookie greeting. So different - because you are a trend setting bride, so unique - just like your girls, so yummy and fun - they'll eat it up! Our exclusive poem greeting and your choice of illustration and ribbon/box combo on the best tasting cookie greeting out there! What more could a girl want? Oh, and don't forget it comes with a cardstock copy of the invitation to be part of your wedding memories so that they won't forget just how special you think they are!

Each 4x6" cookie is baked from scratch when you order so that it will be the freshest possible. Each greeting is lovingly packaged and shipped directly to your maid of choice. We can also send the cookies to you if you will be personally inviting your girls to be by your side. Of course they can't say no to you with their mouths full!

The Be My Bridesmaid cookie pictured in this post is a featured item here in my blog, just click on the "buy now" button in this post to complete your purchase or you can also head over to Sweet Talk Boutique to view and purchase the greeting with your choice of illustration and ribbon/box combo. Go now! This unique way to ask your bff's to share the love is too delicious to pass up!

$20 per cookie includes shipping, NYS tax, more illustration and color choices at Sweet Talk


Sweet Talk Featured Item!
Be My Bridesmaid lilies/purple/black combo...20$

Attention Please...Not All Fondant Tastes Like Crap...

There! I've said it. And it's true dang it!

Here are a few other little bridal cake bubbles I'd like to burst for you.

• The "Get a fake cake and serve a few sheets" thing the magazines perpetuate to frugal brides...not liking that little myth at all. In an effort to debunk this little beauty, I will elaborate later, but the long and short of this one is that in an effort to save a few bucks all you will probably up with is cheap. There are of course exceptions, but I can count them on one hand. And you might not save any money either; no really, it's true.
  
• "Nobody eats cake anyway, don't waste your money". Nobody eats BAD cake and BAD cake gets left on a plate. GOOD cake doesn't go uneaten. And not all wedding cake is bad.
  
• "Don't use the W word, it will cost extra". Contrary to popular belief one will find in chat rooms and magazines, not all wedding cake vendors are out to rip you off. Most professional, experienced designers will take our years of experience and talent into full consideration and ADD those elements to our cost and overhead when we dictate our pricing structures.
• "It's just flour, sugar, and eggs...anyone can DIY a wedding cake". Yep, and anyone can spend the last two days before your wedding day chained to a kitchen covered in said flour, sugar, and eggs. Do you really want it to be you and yo' momma? (and two days is IF you've already done a practice run or two...or four...)
• "Let them compete for your order". Ok, who started this little bit of rudeness? Sending a mass email without the benefit of blind cc to every cake vendor in your area asking for our best price is not going to get us to compete for your business. It may however get your contact info quickly thrown into the trash.
• "Butter cream is better. Fondant tastes like crap". Nope, not always, and like I said...Not All Fondant Tastes Like Crap. And while we're on the subject; some fondant designs can be done in butter cream, but some can't. You better check the portfolio of whoever promises you that they can to see if they can put their dough where their mouth is.

Look for a future post with my take on cake...I'll give you the run down on some things to expect and what to look for when cake shopping. Just think of it as one more piece of advice from one little cake designer to help you make your choices a bit easier. Everyone is different but having some basic info should prove helpful to your planning. The biggest tip I can give is to pick your priorities and do your research. You know...cake research...the kind of research where homework is doing a taste test! But really people, every wedding may need a cake, but not every wedding needs the most expensive cake. Find what you're comfortable with in your budget range, but know your range before you shop and know what your priorities really are.

Your guests will remember if you had a drop dead gorgeous cake that tasted like crap. They'll remember if you had an amazingly delicious cake that looked like crap. They'll remember an amazing cake that tasted as good as it looked every time but what you WANT them to remember is that the day was amazing and the food, including the cake, and company was great.

PS...my fondant is yummy.