Fabulous Weddings in August

Hi everyone - I hope you're all well and enjoying what Summer we have left! Get ready because Winter will soon be on its way!

I thought I would blog today about three very different weddings in August. Firstly, the much publicised wedding of Miss Kimberley Kardashian to Kris Humphries. Filmed exclusively for their E! show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, it was always going to be a large affair with over the top details.

Kourtney, Kim and Khloe all in Vera Wang

Kim in her first (of three) Vera Wang dress "The Princess"

Second, the wedding of Petra Ecclestone, daughter of Bernie (Formula 1 mogul). Think, even bigger than Kim K's! This is the little princess of someone who could buy the Kardashians ten times over. Set in Italy (I think in the same venue as Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise).

Petra arriving at the ceremony with her Father, Bernie

Petra the morning after the ceremony in what looks like a tea party come tennis dress

Petra's sister Tamara in Vera Wang

Finally, the almost private and understated wedding of the German contingency, Georg Friedrich Ferdinand Prince of Prussia and Sophie Johanna Maria Princess of Isenburg. Not quite Kate and Wills but hey, I love a good (almost) royal wedding whoever it is!

Enjoy! Please do leave me a comment if you like any of the photos!

More cakes!

Hi everyone. 

Following the recent post about the 90th birthday cake I made for a fab lady, I thought I'd share with you two more culinary creations. One, Christening cake and a 60th birthday cake. These too took many hours of research, planning, baking and the decorating itself. 

The more I make, I do however find them easier and I am getting quicker! I still love the two main cakey ladies in my life, April Reed and Mich Turner. These are dedicated to you! x

What makes a wedding for you?

What has been your priority when planning your wedding? For some, fashion, the dress and shoes mean everything. For others, its the perfect venue, music or food. For me, personally, it was a bit of everything. 

Growing up pretty much the youngest in my entire extended family I've attended my fair share of weddings. From age 11 to the wedding of the people who bought our family home to sisters, cousins, friends and aquiaintances. 

I've seen perfect flowers only for it to be let down by the soggy brown bread with butter as a starter. I've seen stunning gowns yet drinks receptions that last waaaay beyond 2 hours. 

My fiance laughs at me because I genuinely want this to be the best wedding the guests attending have ever been to. A pretty tough gig you might think. I don't have a spare £50k, Hello! deal or Vera on hand for my dress but I have lived and breathed weddings for around the last 15 years and have probably spent more time researching, designing and planning than I have in my full time job since getting engaged.


I've tried to consider everyones opinions and needs, (although the child-free debate runs on!) trends, personal choices, unique ideas and heart warming touches. 

This week, I bought two blackboards in the shape of speech bubbles. I saw them at the National Wedding Show in Birmingham a while ago being an add on when renting a photo booth. I bought them for £13.50 each from ebay. I'm also in the process of designing and ordering invites (though with divorced, remarried, deceased parents the wording has proven to be tricky thus far!). I really love an individual Order of Service and Menu card at weddings. These little details, in my opinion, make all the difference. 


Other ideas include a 'family wedding' display. Not on a tree or in frames but mismatched black and white arty shots mounted in a huge white Habitat frame on an easal. When I can find an easel! 


Please do let my know what your priority has been when planning your day and what you've done differently to make yours special! x

Cake Decorating

I was asked to make a cake for a very special lady's 90th birthday. I had free reign to do anything but she likes purple and flowers I was told. I looked at some designs, websites and magazines but pretty much bought some paint and came up with this myself as I went along!

I thought it would be fun to document the entire process. I probably make celebrations cakes about 2 - 3 times a year so its always helpful to remember what you did and where to improve! Enjoy. If you have any questions or comments from your own experience please use the box below.

I made three 10 inch vanilla sponge cakes in my Invicta tins. Baked for about 40 minutes each on 150 degrees. I let them cool and shaved off any parts that had risen in the oven so that they were all perfectly flat and even. I added buttercream and strawberry Bon Maman jam to a layer each.

Above you can see my scales I got from an antiques market in Leicestershire. I actually ended up using these properly to weigh my ingredients because my trendy John Lewis ones ran out of battery at the crucial stage! Also important is to have a good quality, long and heavy rolling pin for your fondant icing.

All my little bits and pieces - vanilla essence, lavender and green colouring, silver balls, glue, alcohol, brushes and pen.

 

There are my scales that failed me : ( along with icing sugar, self raising and plain flour, baking powder, vanilla essence and golden cane sugar. (And some lucozade in the rack for energy).

 

Invicta tins 10 inch, grease proof paper, cooling racks and a kebab stick for testing that the cakes are cooked properly.

Now the fun part, covered in buttercream, stacked and cooled over night. There is jam in there somewhere too!

My favourite piece of kit...the turntable. I had to roll the white fondant out to about 16 - 17 inches in width to cover the whole cake as it was quite chunky with the 3 layers. Cover hands and arms with flour, lift like a fork lift truck spokes and quickly place centrally on cake. Spin turntable and cut excess off as you go! 

One I made earlier - cover the silver base with a contrasting fondant icing if necessary - I used this olive green colour almost as a 'garden' to then tie in the with floral theme 'growing' from it. When moving the cake, use a palette knife or fish slice type tool to lift quickly and place centrally on board.

My essential tools - small knife for cutting edges of fondant, large for moving the cake around, cake slice and palette knife for buttercream.

I mixed a small amount of the green powder colouring with the alcohol £1.69 for tiny bottle (you can use vodka or gin from home) mix using 5mm brush and paint on as you wish! I did use the pen first to slightly mark on the design but be careful because it can mark and still be seen after painting.

Then I did the same with the purple. Can you spot the error? The green stems were supposed to be the same olive green as the base fondant - oops.

I mixed very thick green royal icing and piped around base of the cake. Wish I had a larger standard nozzle but the only one big enough was this 'star' shaped one which I now think looks a tad 80s!

I made small and tiny purple flowers using a cutter, sprinkled lilac glitter and glued silver balls inside.

See piping around the base and flowers glued on!

A little break for the chef. x

.....and the finished article! With white, then lilac royal icing piped on top!