Wedding: Designing Your Cake (and eating it too)!

One of the most enjoyable parts of planning my wedding was undoubtedly designing our cake! There are three kinds of people in this world - those who don’t really get excited about cake, those who don’t even like cake (and may instead choose a ‘wedding cake’ made up of different types of cheese or pork pies *gasp*), or those (like me) who get giddy at the mere mention of cake, butter cream, frosting.. mmm!

As most of our wedding was pretty classic the cake was something that I wanted to get really creative with and make a unique feature. My idea was that cutting the cake would symbolise the end of the formal/ traditional part of the day and the beginning of the party! With all the speeches done everyone could relax and really have fun!! 

I consulted with a number of different cake designers to hear their ideas, taste the cakes (of course!) and get quotes for what I had envisaged. I think it is really important if you want an individual cake (rather than choosing a set cake from a portfolio) to meet with the designers and see their style. I was looking for someone who could create a showstopper, but in a sophisticated way that would be in keeping with the rest of our wedding. As well as making the cake itself I also wanted someone to design and put together a whole sweet table with cupcakes, cookies and other treats to make it a feature of the evening. 

The designers I met with were all fantastic in their own ways. There are so many amazing wedding bakeries in London that I thought it would be helpful to put together a mini-guide based on my experience:

Peggy Porschen – world famous, golden standard of wedding cakes! Stunning, classic cake designs, but definitely on the high end of the budget. Lots of designs to choose from, but customisation is expensive. Their sugar flowers are the best I have ever seen! 

Cakes by Krishanthi – lovely range of designs with lots of creative techniques used. Mid range and flexible with pricing, especially for cakes with less detail. 

Rosalind Miller – beautiful, unique designs to fit different themes. Mid to high end pricing depending on the level of customisation.

Little Venice Cake Company – breathtaking, grand designs, huge variety and experience. If your budget allows they can do anything! They also do great chocolate cakes!

Maisie Fantaisie – absolutely lovely! Cakes are on the more classic side, but all details are beautiful and intricate. Pricing at mid-level and lots of customisation available. 

 
While many of these designers had great ideas when I met Ceri of Olofson Design I immediately knew that I wanted her to make the cake for our wedding! Apart from being incredibly lovely Ceri is so creative, talented, hardworking and an absolute perfectionist. She understood exactly what I was asking for and described it to me a thousand times better than I could have ever put it myself. She designs every cake bespoke by working closely with the bride and groom to create something individual and completely unique. I remember when we first met she said she would feel bad ever copying a cake (or creating a catalogue of designs for brides to pick from in the way many other brands do) as it would feel like giving away a part of that couple. We had so much fun during the design process and Ceri was such a pleasure to work with as she is so genuinely passionate about cakes. Rather than giving me a precise quote she asked what my budget was and what I wanted and designed the cake and all the little extras to fit within it, which was a huge relief. After I had shown Ceri a heap of photos that had inspired me with accents of Rococo, Marie Antoinette, Faberge, English rose gardens and colour schemes she put together a special pinterest board with her ideas for the cake. 

I was so excited to see that many common themes were emerging and Ceri had used the multitude of images I had collected in such a clever way. She had even picked out details from our venue that would be mirrored in the cake such as the filigree from one of the rooms in Syon House (above). We added to this with a monogram that I had designed for use in our stationary and photobooth picture motifs. The last piece of the puzzle was to use a Faberge egg on a nest of fresh flowers instead of a traditional cake topper. She even made the egg as a mini replica of the Faberge eggs we gave to our guests as favours! Adorable!

Before seeing the first design of the cake I was so nervous as I had such high hopes, but the second Ceri gave me her beautiful watercolour drawing I was absolutely astounded at how well everything had come together and how she had incorporated so many aspects of our wedding into such a beautiful design. 

While Ceri is very much design orientated I can't forget to mention that she is an incredible baker and her flavour combinations are phenomenal. We had such a hard time choosing from all the delectable options on offer, but finally decided on:

- Madagascan vanilla cake with berry preserve and vanilla buttercream
- Vanilla chocolate marble with caramel buttercream and chocolate ganache
- Rose with raspberry buttercream and lemon curd
- Traditional fruit cake

We also had red velvet and white chocolate and raspberry cupcakes.

For the Anges de Sucre macarons we chose: Pistache Vera, Damask Rose, Raspberry Ripple, Cheeky Cazzamella and Fruit of the Orchid.

It took us almost a year to put everything together, but we had so much fun doing it! From my constant surfing on ebay for the perfect candy jars, bespoke sweetie bags and cupcake stands to the delicate Anges de Sucre macarons and gold dipped apples, which we had made as a compliment to the cake. Seeing the cake and full dessert table on the wedding day was definitely one of the highlights for me and undoubtedly worth all the effort.

Despite being 5 tiers high I can honestly say our guests loved how amazing the cake tasted (as well as how it looked). In fact, it had all disappeared in half an hour so I sadly only got to try one piece. After cutting the cake I went to get changed and twenty minutes later the cake (and the cupcakes etc.) was all but gone! I am so glad we saved the top tier and am very much looking forward to enjoying it on our anniversary in just over a month!!

If you are looking to have a showstopper of a cake at your wedding, or are simply bored of traditional cakes and want something quirky and unique I really recommend that you check out Ceri’s website. She is honestly the loveliest person and so immensely talented. She is always enthusiastic and happy to give her advice. Even when I couldn’t decide on the napkins (and emailed her far too much) she never once lost patience and always replied quickly with her expert opinion.

Ceri’s designs range from the super girly (like our cake) to really innovative art deco and gritty urban designs. She has so many techniques and styles at her disposal that I really do dare you to imagine something she can’t create!

 

Wedding: Precious Petals - Preserving Your Bouquet!

Planning your wedding is a huge task that can feel totally overwhelming! However, I think that the more effort you put in the more amazing it feels to know that you have created a beautiful event that all your friends and family can enjoy. I would encourage everyone to make sure they pick the best photographers and videographers as the day goes by far too quickly and it is so important to be able to have those memories to look back on. Many brides can feel a little lost following their wedding, but I am super sentimental so I made sure I would still have a few wedding related projects to look forward to after the big day. One of them was my beautiful bouquet, which I had preserved and framed so it could have pride of place in our living room.

Personally, I loved organising my wedding as I am a complete perfectionist so I wanted to create all the unique aspects of our day to reflect us as a couple, as well as my personal style. Although our wedding was pretty traditional all the elements were unique as I made sure to research everything thoroughly and then very specifically design details to fit together. This may sound rather ‘Bridezilla’ to some, but as I worked with a lot of small, independent suppliers it was very much a collaborative creative process. I know lots of people wouldn’t want the stress and would rather pick a cake or set menu from a directory, but that just wasn’t for me. All our suppliers were amazing and as they were genuinely passionate about their art they were enthusiastic about creating new pieces for their portfolios. One of the aspects I loved learning about the most was the flowers! I had seen so many beautiful arrangements, but as we had a number of tricky spaces to fill (our church was very large and we had different rooms for our champagne reception, dinner/dancing and bar/ cake/ coffee areas) I had to design arrangements that would look impressive and fill the space, without being garish... and all within our budget. The flowers looked beautiful on the day and I was very sad to leave them behind at the venue so instead we gave away most of the smaller arrangements to our guests and donated the rest to a nearby children’s hospital. 

I was so happy to have arranged for my bouquet to be preserved so I could keep it as a memento! After doing some research about freeze drying flowers I came across Precious Petals. There were different options available on their website including keeping the bouquet in a cube, having the flowers pressed, or preserving a select few flowers in a paperweight. I chose a 3D method that would let my whole bouquet be preserved in a frame that I could hang on the wall. Precious Petals did an amazing job! After keeping my bouquet in water overnight I sent it to them on the Sunday following my wedding. The process does take 12-16 weeks as they have to disassemble the bouquet and preserve each flower individually before rearranging and framing it, but this just means you have something to look forward to long after all the photos are seen and the thank you cards sent!

If you are getting married I would highly recommend getting your bouquet preserved as a special memory from the day! I was so pleased with the service from Precious Petals and would definitely recommend check them out!

Wedding Series: Update!

I am so happy to say that, just like me in the photo below, our official wedding photos are finally ready and are on their way! 

Though I was a little bit disappointed to have to delay the wedding series posts I promised you, due to our photographers having a backlog of photos to edit after the busy Summer season, I hope they were worth the wait! Here is a sneak peak of two of my favourites...

Please let me know if you have any particular requests. I can't wait to get started on the posts and I hope you enjoy them! xxx

My wedding makeup!

Among all the tutorials, forums and posts on the internet wedding makeup has to be the most requested and hotly debated! I have done a few bridal themed looks in the past, but planning your own makeup can be quite the challenge. I opted for a defined, but classic look not too different from my every day (but a lot more neat and product heavy) as I wanted to look like myself, but the best version of myself... I personally don't think your wedding day is the right time to try anything new or risky and I despair a little when I see brides who never wear makeup suddenly decide to try that dark smokey eye they had always admired in magazines. Not to say they don't look beautiful, but you don't ever want to look back at photos and think that you don't look like yourself.

The most important things to consider are the weather (opt for long lasting, oil free products in the hotter months), your location and wedding style. If you are going for a boho Summer wedding a red lip and lashings of eyeshadow may not look quite right, but may be perfect for a Winter Wonderland theme!

Our wedding was quite a traditional, classic summer wedding with lots of flowers and a neutral palette of blush pinks, ivories and a hint of silver. I therefore went for a classic look with clean skin, defined eyes, rosy lips and cheeks. However, not taking my own advice with regards to preparation in the hurricane of wedding planning it was a week before the big day when I realised I hadn’t even planned my makeup! I had booked an MUA for my bridal party, but hadn’t planned what to do for myself… Luckily being a hoarder I managed to shop my stash and only had a few essentials to pick up. I did a quick (half face) trial the weekend before the wedding and just hoped that my nerves would be steady enough to execute liquid eyeliner on the day!

My top tip for any special occasion makeup where you will be photographed is to go for a base that has little or no SPF and a powder that doesn’t have too much titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, silica or mineral sunscreens. These are the culprits of the intense white glare that you get with flash photography! For longevity you may also want to consider oil free products that verge on the matte or velvet rather than dewy or glowy finishes.

(Quick selfie after I finished my makeup - with flash)

I primed my skin with Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and used Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk Foundation which gave a lovely finish without being too heavy. Summer weddings are definitely the most difficult to prepare for in terms of skin as you want to have flawless makeup that will last through the heat well into the night without looking too heavily made up, especially in the day and in bright sunlight. I therefore chose an oil free foundation with buildable coverage and used layers of powder to ensure longevity rather than piling on too heavy a foundation.

For concealer I used various textures on different areas of my face. Under the eyes I used my favourite L’ancome Effacernes mixed with Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer. I find that the L’ancome concealer is pigmented, but light enough in texture to be used under the eyes without too much creasing. It also has a peachy tint that helps to counteract dark circles (and having been woken at 5am on my wedding day mine were awful). The Sensual Skin Enhancer is a much heavier, waxier texture that I used sparingly on top (mainly because it is a much lighter shade) to add some highlight to the under eye area. On the rest of the face I used MAC’s Studio Finish Concealer (from the PRO Conceal and correct Palette) which has great coverage and staying power.

(No flash)

 
To set I used Clarins Mineral Loose Powder pressed into the skin with an old fashioned powder puff. Getting married in July with oily skin I would definitely recommend copious amounts of powder!

For a little contour I used MAC’s Sculpt and Shape duo. I would say this is an absolute must not only for photographs, but also because on your wedding day you are wearing one solid block of white or ivory so your face needs a little dimension to overcome some of the reflection. This duo is great as it contains minimal shimmer so the highlight will not create glare when using flash. I used MAC's Dame as my blush for a cool toned pink flush.

For my eyebrows I used MAC’s brow shader and set them with an old mascara wand sprayed with a little hair spray.

Contrary to the order of this post I actually did my eyes first (except for the mascara) to ensure there was no eyeshadow fallout. I primed with my longstanding favourite Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden and used Urban Decay Sin shadow all over the lid. I then used a MAC 219 pencil brush and MAC Quarry shadow to define the crease and a MAC 217 brush with Wedge to blend it out. I then dipped in and out various soft brown and muted grey tones to ensure the crease was well defined and blended. I used Urban Decay strange (from the NAKED 3 palette) as my highlight with a tiny bit of MAC Phloof! at the highest point of the Arch. I then finished off the eyes with MAC’s blacktrack fluidline and L’ancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Waterproof mascara (on the lower lashes).

 (Close up from my mini trial)

Given my natural eyelashes are absolutely tiny, and I definitely wanted a more dramatic lash look on my wedding day, instead of risking false lashes that could start curling off in the corners (like they did in our engagement shoot) I had eyelash extensions. These were done by the wonderful  and super talented Asma at her Boudoir Lashes Parlour in Shoreditch (my previous review of her eyelash extensions can be found here with detailed photos). Unfortunately as I was still working all the way up to my wedding day I had to have my lashes done a week before so they were not at their best, but they still looked so much better and more natural than falsies. I was also happy knowing that I didn’t have to worry about them in the heat and through any tears!

For the lips I used my trusty MAC cremesheen lipstick in Crème cup, which is a very natural blue toned pink.

To ensure longevity I touched up my t-zone just before leaving with MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish Natural and sprayed Urban Decay’s All Nighter Setting Spray. The wedding was at 2pm and given I had to finish my makeup by about 11.30am (so I could do last minute prep and have enough time for hair) I was impressed that it lasted well over 12 hours of rain, sun, smiling, crying and dancing. I touched up with powder twice throughout the day to take away shine, but other than that it was pretty much worry free!

I hope this helps if you are planning your wedding day makeup. I would say a trial is the most important thing - get your makeup done in the morning and see how it lasts throughout the day and night and make sure to take some flash photos in the meantime! Please do let me know if you have any questions. 

Always happy to help! xxx

D&M Wedding

I just wanted to take a little moment to share with you some photos from one of my best friends' weddings in the beautiful French countryside this July. As so many of you have been asking me about wedding preparation I thought that you would enjoy these photos and if not for inspiration, then purely for the beautiful imagery.

 The reception venue was an old Abbey set in the French countryside near Versaille.

 Getting ready in the bridal suite... I did my own and bridesmaids' makeup :).

 Something blue? Louboutins of course!

 The gorgeous Caroline Castigliano dress (honeycomb) and veil with blusher (apologies for my ridiculously long arms ruining an otherwise perfect photo)!

 Confetti cannons!

 The wedding party (and me trying to hide the fact I'm as tall as the groom).

 The lake created such a stunning backdrop!

 Luke and I stealing a quick moment alone during the drinks reception.

 The wedding breakfast. The table numbers and place cards matching the laser cut invitations by Intricate Creations.

The cake was a custom creation by The Cake Parlour to match the lace in the wedding dress and shipped all the way from London!

Wishing all the best to my dear friends D and M in their future life together!!! 

 xxxxxxx