Touched

Without sounding totally up myself- I receive allot of beautiful thank you's from clients. I am often so surprised to receive their kind words, having taken the time- often in the days immediately following their wedding to call, email or post me a thank you.
I do what I do because I love it- not because I expect my clients to be so grateful and appreciative that they take time out to let me know how much they (and their guests) enjoyed the cake.
Each year I make so many cakes, but I find it almost uncanny how I can remember the bride's and groom's by the cake they have chosen.
I am in the midst of completing a new fan dangled website ( hopefully be ready in a couple of weeks- I have over 600 images to label which is painful for me as a slow typist ;) ) and I completed a Testimonials section yesterday- it is so important to many potential clients to see that your past clients expectations were met, that choosing who's thank you's to include was super hard.
I think I may include a section of recent Thank you's- just to let you all know how much it makes my day getting your lovely messages, pictures and cards. If being commissioned to make your wedding cake isn't thanks enough in itself- your written thanks are the icing on the cake.

So after being taken by your kindness- I thought I would include some of the latest "Thanks" right here on my blog.

My first Thanks isn't a picture one, but last weekend a received sup rise visit form Katrina and Nigel- who were married on the 24th April. Katrina is the sister of Karen from Bliss Floral, and her and Nigel took the time to come over and personally give me a gift, and a hand written card expressing their thanks.
I was totally surprised to see them, then the goosebumps and teary eyes came over me just from their sheer thoughtfulness and appreciation.
You can see some of Katrina and Nigel's wedding in their photographers blog

This next Thank you from Heidi an Matt ( march 09) had me in tears at my computer

Hi Sarah-Jane,

There are not enough adjectives to describe how sensational the cake you made for our wedding turned out! We had female guests squealing with excitement over the cake…and then of course me and my bridesmaids when we saw the mini cakes you had made for the bridal table. Just gorgeous. My sister, chief bridesmaid, loved the mini cakes so much she begged to take one back to Melbourne with her to show her friends. She traded her necklace for the cake which was hilarious but a huge compliment to you!

On the Friday before the big day, I showed the photo you sent me to my florist. As a surprise on Saturday she included loose red rose petals to scatter on the cake table because she thought it would set the cake off even more…and I think she was right. It looked incredible.

When it came time for the cutting of the cake, we had every guest up with their cameras - we posed for about 15 minutes just so everyone could get a shot. Then came the hardest part - actually cutting that magnificent cake!!!

When tea and coffee time came - the guests were all in agreement that the two layers we served out-shone the dessert from the meal. I didn't get to try the cake on the night, but had many samples the next day on Recovery Sunday! So yum! And of course, our mint mud top layer we savoured over the next week.

The compliments for the cake are still coming through from the guests and also from friends and family that didn't make it to the wedding but who have since seen pictures of the cake.

I am determined to get a better photo for you, but I haven't met with the wedding photographer yet. I've attached a photo sent to me from one of the guests. It is now the wallpaper on my computer because I love it so much!!!! Another picture attached inside the marquee with the fairy lights and chandeliers lit. It was all just perfect!

Thank you Sarah-Jane for the stunning cake and the mini cakes. It truly made the wedding a day to remember!!!

Heidi xo

The Next is the gorgeous Brendan and Jen form a couple of weekends ago- I did ask before I posted this pic- I love it so much! It is totally fun!

Hi Sarah-Jane!

I just wanted to send you a quick email to tell you how thrilled we were with the cake! It looked fantastic and I can't tell you how many comments we had about how different it was. The actual cake was divine and I was sooo happy that there was some left over for us to devour today (and over the next couple of days)!

Anyway, I have attached a couple of photos of us with the cake. We had an absolutely amazing day and seeing the cake when we got to the reception just topped it all off.

Thank you again and I can't wait to have another special occasion so that we can have another cake!

Jen and Brendan Hoyle

p.s. I hope that you enjoyed your m&m's!


I still haven't eaten my M& M's- I am saving them for a rainy day ( what a coincidence??)

The Next I received just this morning form a Wedding on Friday. I have never met Lisa- she organised the whole cake via email- so I was double excited to see what she and Michael looked like.

Hey Sarah-Jane


Have attached a few pics from the wedding day once I get the professional shots of cake etc i will email them on to you. Thank you so much again the cake was sososososo perfect everyone loved it!!!

The next couple- Clare and Paul- were referred to me by a couple ( Julia and Vasili) that I will never forget. Whenever I get referral clients - it almost feels like family.

Hi Sarah-Jane,

Just a really quick email to say thank you so much for the wonderful cake you made for our wedding - the feedback was fantastic and all the guests loved both the design and the taste! Unfortunately both Paul and I missed out on a piece during the reception so will have to wait until our first anniversary to taste the top tier!

I have attached a couple of photos - sorry for the quality of the cake-cutting shot - it isn't a professional one rather just one my mum took!

Thanks again and kind regards,

Clare


And last but not least this kind thank you

Hi Sarah-Jane

Now that I’m back to reality after our wedding and an amazing 5 week honeymoon, I wanted to write you a quick email to say thank you for the beautiful cupcake wedding cake you made us. The cupcakes were absolutely delicious and we have had so many comments from our friends about how yummy they were. We can’t wait for our first anniversary so we can try the top of the cake! You were also very professional and lovely to deal with, which made things so easy for me (one less stress!).

I’ve attached a few photos of the cake (and us with the cake).

Thanks again, and please let me know if you ever need me to provide a glowing testimonial for you!

Best regards

Josie


So this is what makes my day! It makes my crazy weeks worthwhile, and makes my appreciate my sugar coated work areas even more ;)

Thank you to all of my clients, recent and not so recent- for making my job that bit more special.

<<<<< Rewind<<<<<

Whoops! A huge apology for jumping this weekend's cake blog in front of last weekends, wedding season must be catching up on me.

OK, so the following are from the ANZAC Day weekend- notice the "long" missing form between the word day and the word weekend- well I think the fact that the public holiday fell on the Saturday caught a few people out, as I had 3 weddings on the Sunday, which is unusual seeing as through it was a regular work day on Monday.

Anyway- there was Weddings, Birthdays and Christenings this weekend.

I will start with my favourite for the week- this set of luscious lips was the center piece for a 50th Birthday celebration.


Inside this set of glistening lips was a Citrus mudcake coated in Lemon white chocolate ganache, then finished with a bright red rolled fondant! Sensational- I loved the sheen!!

Next was a Christening cake- a layered vanilla cake, with vanilla bean buttercream and white chocolate chards to finish.


Poor little Nixon was probably way too small to partake in apiece of cake, even with such a delicious center.

My week started early with a Thursday wedding- out at Icon at Raby Bay, this cupcake tower matched in with the Red and Black theme.


Simply iced cupcakes in black papers, with a cartoon couple on top, sweet and simple.
I often wonder if you are all thinking- "why is the bride shorter than the groom?" or " did she not measure the toppers together while making them??" but the truth be told- each couple is made to mimic the real couple- so in this instance the Groom is more than a head taller than his bride, so had she been a similar height- then they would have been a generic couple that didn't reflect the actual couple themselves.

The beautiful Karen from Bliss Floral's sister Katrina was Married on Friday the 24th April- out at Woody point's Belvedere Hotel, the reception room looked AMAZING- not just the gorgeous floral centerpieces, but she had a candy buffet!!!!! I am so having one of these at my 33rd birthday this year :))



OK- so with the table full of pink themes sweets aside, the cake was beautiful too. After originally choosing a plain iced design, Katrina opted for another cake that I had previously done with Karen, the "Pearl Lines" design. Elegant and all together very "wedding" indeed.

Topped with the bouquet flowers, which had little diamontes studded in the stephanotis- it looked so good. It was almost as nerve wracking as making a cake for a celebrity when you make a cake for an industry colleague (or their family) you want everything to be just perfect- and more.

Last but not least- it was my Mum's birthday on the 21st April, and as duly noted by some staff at her work " this is the first time in 4 years your daughter hasn't bought a cake to you at work..." Yes I got the message- I did personally deliver her flowers, so I wasn't all terrible.
I redeemed myself on the Friday night when we had a family dinner by making her a chocolate creation.
I had been wanting to do a wrap cake for a while- and what better person to try out a technique on than your mother. Yes cakes get a little OTT for birthdays with friends and family- as this is when I get to make whatever I like.


So this two tier cake is wrapped in long pieces of white chocolate, then the "gaps" are filled with fresh strawberries, all dusted with icing sugar.
So apologies for the mix up with the weeks, we should be back on track now!!!!

Wonderful.........Simply Wonderful

I have had a great week this week. I had some truly beautiful clients- who chose gorgeous cakes, and as a whole my week was just dandy.

The first cake is one that has been booked in for more than a year. Normally I do not take bookings until 11 months out from the wedding- but the Lovely Jen and her now Husband Brendan- were headed off on an overseas adventure before getting married, and wanted to get all of the wedding details sorted before leaving on their journey.
But it was less than 3 short weeks ago when I met with Jen- and her lovely mum, and finalised the details for the cake. The design shape was to remain the same, but instead of dots over the cake- Jen decided to have her invitation patten replicated over the design.

I was excited. Something new, different and Oh So Beautiful. This cake was elegant, yet contemporary, and tied in with the theme perfectly.


Did I mention how lovely Jen was? Seriously, when I delivered the cake- for only the third time ever- I received my own little Bombonniere!!!!! I was super excited!

Now not only was it a tiny cube of black and white M&M's- they were personalised too! "Jen & Brendan" on some and "3rd May 2009" on others- just adorable. I LOVE M&M's but I don't know if I will ever be able to eat them.
Before the emails start coming in- you can only get the M&M's if you live in the States- or know someone who does- as the company will only deliver to a US postal Address.

The next cake was the first cake I delivered on Saturday- a huge 5 tiers all the way out to Mt Cotton Rainforest Gardens. Delivering a cake is not always as simple as taking the cake from its box and placing it onto the table, there are often obstacles. When we arrived at the venue ( this was my first time to deliver there) the cake was to be set up in a Marquee- that was set over a patch of long green grass- on a slight hill. As the ground was slightly sloping- this meant that the table too was on an angle- something that isn't advisable for any cake- let alone a big 5 tier cake. So with help from the event decorators we scooted about to find something to level the table before putting the cake in place. Luckily I had spare boxes in the car, which we broke down to make the table level and stable enough to support the cake. In my terms and conditions I have the stability and level of the cake table clearly noted as a requirement, but more often than not- this is something that is overlooked and not discussed with the venues. Giving a brief description (especially for large cakes) of your cake design to your venue will help them ensure you have a table fit for its purpose.


Five tiers of White cake, with sugar draping, roses and crystals- fit for a princess.
This cake is a version of one I made for my great friend's Gianni and Cherisse- it is also featured in the latest Discerning Bride magazine too.

Keeping with the draping theme this next cake features the pillar style- with drapes and roses, and pillars to give added height.


Set up in the Ballroom at the Stamford Plaza, the added height added a touch of grandeur to the design.

I often get asked "What do you mean by 'Plain iced' cake?" ....

...well this is it, a cake that is iced, with no decoration added, bar a bit of ribbon around the base. The strung pearls are also included in the plain iced price. The clients were adding their own fresh flower topper to this cake, but you could add anything you liked, or leave it as is.

Black and White has cemented itself as the latest colour theme for sure.
This next cake has a bit of "Bling" around the base of each tier, cute couple on top and a Little cartoon dog too! Really cute indeed.


The cake was for Upstairs at the River Canteen at Southbank- a hidden Jem of a venue- right on the river- fabulous food and wine, and the Parklands at your doorstep for photo's, or even the ceremony too!

As you may know as a regular reader- I do allot of weddings with Karen from Bliss floral. It was only last weekend that I made her sisters wedding cake, and I saw her again this weekend to collaborate on the next design.
It was certainly the weekend for last minute changes, as this cake design was a mixture of of two the bride and groom had on their quote.
The twisted tiers met with angle topped chards to create this White chocolate creation.

Last but not least is this Butterfly cupcake tower, With a colour scheme of White chocolate brown and olive green, this cupcake tower came together with a mixture of different butterflies and four flavours of mini and regular sized cupcakes.
I just realised that I haven't posted about last weeks cakes yet!!! Oh well- the blog will be a little out of whack, but I will post about the ANZAC Day weekend cakes sooon............. woops!

Lena and Brett's Wedding

Almost 2 weeks ago now- My husband and two good friends of ours- headed almost 3 hours north West of Brisbane- to my School friend Lena's Wedding.
LENA and Brett were married on Lena's Parents property in Merlwood- just outside of Murgon.
It was such a beautiful wedding. After a week of heavy rain in Brisbane- the sky was a perfect blue out at the Cuttler property for the big day.

It was my pleasure to create a cake that not only suited Lena and Brett's bush wedding theme- but also their personalities. Lena is a very down to earth kind of girl- who isn't into "pink" or "fluff". Both she and Brett had planned a wedding with a black and Ivory colour scheme, with a real "bush" element, incorporating where they both live and grew up.
The cake design not only depended upon the reception theme- but its ability to travel for 3 hours in the car too. With close to 150 guests at the reception there was going to be a fair bit of cake indeed!


I took inspiration form the table centerpieces- which were in a shiny black box filled with natives. So with this in mind- I conjured up around 7 or so designs and emailed them through to Lena and Brett for their thoughts. Lena and Brett were keen for alternating Chocolate and Ivory sugar paste- and decided on the design with the natives filling between the layers.

In April there is allot of native foliage around but the beautiful bush flowers are mostly out of season. I ordered A vareity of Leucodendrons and some gum, and then from my parents abundant garden- I sourced white Grevillia flowers and red gum nuts.
I was nervous about the design - I was concerned it would be too "fluffy" for Lena and Brett's taste ( even though they had seen a drawing prior) and I was worried that there would be too much- with all the different colours and the different leaves etc...

After the long squishy trip to Merlwood- we unpacked the cake and put it together. This style of cake takes around an hour just to stack together- and while I was stacking- Steven (my Husband)- My Best school friend Tanya- and her Husband John helped me by cutting the flowers, and also helped Lena's family with the final set up and preparations for the wedding in a few hours time.
The Reception was held in a shed on the Cuttler property- that Lena's dad- Barry- had hand concreted (using a hand mixer) especially for the reception.

The "wishing well" an old dairy can.

Lena's family moved to this property about 6 years ago after selling their Dairy farm- not far from where their new property is.
The New Cuttler property was a picture perfect venue for such a beautiful wedding.


150 white chairs sat ready for the guests to fill and watch the nuptials- which were performed by Lena's mother (Maria) who is a Civil Marriage Celebrant.
The ceremony was filled with allot of love and bought a tear or two to the eyes. The ceremony also included a song written and sung for Brett and Lena, by Lena's Brother in law.


Tanya, Lena and I at the reception.

The reception was a great party, with a Camp oven banquet followed by the Wedding cake as dessert.


A huge thank you to both Lena's parents and Family who are such wonderful warm and genuine people- who hosted a truly unforgettable wedding, and an even bigger Thank You to both Lena and Brett, for not only having me as a guest at your reception, but for allowing me to create your wedding cake for you.




What was inside you may ask????? The Chocolate iced layers wee a rich chocolate Hazelnut cake- and the other two tiers were a tier of White chocolate Mud and the top tier Fruit cake.

Congratulations Lena and Brett- may you both have many years of Friendship Laughter and Love ahead!!!!!!!!!!!
Looking forward to seeing your pro pics ;)