Bows & Pearls Wedding Cake

I am so excited to post these photos! I am very proud of how this cake turned out...it was a challenge to my design skills! My bride brought me several magazine photos of cakes, and we narrowed down the elements that she liked the most from each photo. Then I combined the elements into this design. She was very sweet to trust me to create something elegant, traditional, and "Cinderella-like" (her words). This wedding cake was 4 tiers and served 135-150 guests. The cakes were covered in ivory fondant and all the decoration and detail was completely edible (no- not the hydrangeas, but everything that I put on the cake was edible!)

On the "bow" layers, I made the bows by hand using additional fondant. On the "pearl" layers, I molded fondant gems in a chocolate mold and painted them with luster dust. The strings of pearls I made with a really cool tool using more luster dust and fondant. I then added gold dragees around the gems to give them a little more "bling". I saw the idea for the jewelry-like pendants hanging between the swags in a (what else?) Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, and I thought it was a cool update on a traditional look.

The construction of the cake was a little different since I wanted the gap in between the double layer cakes. I actually had to use the old plastic pillars to separate the cakes! But thank goodness the fresh hydrangeas covered the pillars completely (there's a difference between traditional and "old-fashioned"!) And I used royal icing to pipe the designs between the layer cakes and to attach all the details.

I thought that the whole design really captured what the bride wanted and I was really happy with the outcome. The best part was that I actually was there at the wedding and got to see how the cake was received by the guests, the family, and the bride & groom too (I got to coordinate the wedding as well!) It was very satisfying to see the cake as the focal point in the reception, and field questions from guests ("do you know who made the cake?" It's beautiful!) However, I don't know how I feel about having to see the caterer CUT my artwork up after a couple hours! (It was like a cake knife to my heart!) But when everyone was complimenting the taste as well, I got over my heartache! It was a beautiful night, and for such a wonderful family. I'm really glad I got to be a part of it. Congratulations Rachel & Seth! Best wishes to you both.