Top That

I am having some real issues figuring out how I want to top our cake. I just cannot decide what look I want to go with - figurines, or pennants? Or, something else entirely? There are entirely too many options!

To give you a sense of how what the topper will be placed on, we decided to go with the multiple cake rounds look, rather than cupcakes. They will have floral decoration on them, because I need flowers on everything, but I do want some sort of cake topper to go one one of the cakes.

{Photo by Greg Blomberg Photography/ Cakes by Sugar Bee Sweets/ Floral Design by Bows and Arrows/ Via Style Me Pretty}

I just am having trouble figuring out what, exactly, that topper should be. A little help?

Pennants/ Bunting
First, could someone please explain the difference between pennants and bunting? I think they're the same thing (or, at least, a bunting is made of little pennants??), but could be totally misusing those terms. Kthanks.

{Flag Banner Cake Topper by TheDaintyWoods, via Etsy}

I fell in love with the below little numbers after finding KiKiLaRue on Etsy. That was way back in the day when Etsy was still a semi-new site (it was to me), at least, and wedding planning was just a distant nightmare. Ahem, I mean dream.

They are just so different (well, they were when I first found them! Ha), fun, and definitely a step away from your typical cake topper figurines. Plus, I think they would look really great with the whole multiple-cakes-on-pretty-stands look. They also give me a bit more of a Victorian, turn-of-the-century vibe - they had lots of bunting and flags back then, right?

{Maddi Cake Bunting by KiKiLaRue, via Etsy}

{Pretty detail, again from KiKiLaRue, via Etsy}

I also think this would be a cool way to go, because I think I could (maybe? possibly?) do this myself. Or not. I don't think I could ever get it to look as pretty as hers. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not the most crafty of Bees.

{Brianna Cake Bunting by KiKiLaRue, via Etsy}

Pros: Victorian-esque (although I think this may just be in my little brain). Should be simple enough for me to DIM (do it myself). Key words = "should be."

Cons: Too child-like/ not fancy enough? And, doesn't exactly scream "cake topper" to me (although that might be a good thing).

Also, just to note that KiKiLaRue is currently on maternity leave, so who knows when she'll be back! In case you had your heart set on one of her buntings specifically.

Wooden Likenesses

This was actually my front-runner when I started the whole planning process she-bang, because I found the fabulousness of GooseGrease somehow when I first joined Etsy. I love the style of these figures, and wanted to buy a bunch of cute ornaments in our likeness, but Mr. CA thought that would be weird since we were only dating at the time. So, I just filed the site away as a favorite, vowing to come back and visit once I was engaged and in need of a cake topper.

{Custom Cake Topper by GooseGrease, via Etsy}

{Custom Cake Topper by GooseGrease, via Etsy}

I also like this idea because after the wedding, I would screw in some hoops that would instantly create beautiful Christmas ornaments. Presto! Wedding keepsake and Christmas decor in one! Awesome.

Plus, I just love the style of the GooseGrease toppers. I think they are super cute. Mr. CA doesn't like that the eyes are on the side of their heads, though. 

There are also tons of non-Goosegrease versions out there. I particularly like these:

 {Custom Wooden Star House Cake Toppers by urastarhouse, via Etsy}

{Custom Cake Topper by lollipopworkshop, via Etsy}

Pros: Totally adorable, and (in theory) unique, because they are very customizable - different hair color, lengths, dresses, suits, genders. The possibilities are endless! There are also semi-custom options, which are cheaper. Also, could turn into a Christmas tree ornament.

Cons: Pretty pricey, even with the semi-custom option. The completely custom option is super pricey. Some of the custom work can take around 4 months, which, ahem, I don't have at this point. (Oops. Candy Apple fail.) Also, I feel like everyone is doing this type of topper these days. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you want something completely unique, this might not be the route you want.

Other

There are lots of other cute little figures, animals, paper products, etc that would work well on top of a cake. Really, the possibilities are endless. Use your imagination! (Because obviously, I don't have one)

{From Cotton Bird Designs, via Etsy}

{Photo by Electic Images Photography, via Style Me Pretty}

 

{Custom Silhouette Cake Topper by silhouetteweddings, via Etsy}

{Paper Cake Topper by Concarta, via Etsy}

{Custom Cake Topper by Melabo, via Etsy}

(I am obsessed with these customized ceramic animal people. They are totally awesome. Is that weird? Perhaps. I may or may not have dreamed of being a mythological creature with the head of a lion and the body of an eagle when I was little. Maybe. I don't think Mr. CA will go for this, though, if he was weirded out by side-of-the-head-eyes. Animal heads might push him over the edge.)

What cake topper did you go with, if anything? Any ideas on what the Candy Apples should do? Pretty please with, um, a cake topper on top?

Adventures in Cake Tasting: Round 2

Alternative Title: We Had Our Cake And Ate It Too.

After our first cake tasting with Suzanne, Mr. Candy Apple and I were already feeling slightly full. But we had several hours to kill before our next tasting (I like to budget extra time for things such as traffic and alien abductions and such) so, of course, we decided to grab lunch. Who wouldn't want to eat more after eating large hunks of cake?! We ducked into a teensy restaurant in Ballard and, as I was slightly nauseous at that point, I suggested that we split something. Mr. Candy Apple's choice? Buffalo chicken sandwich. Yeah, not my idea of a light meal.

I had about two bites and was done. I basically sat there like a blob, with a stomachache, on a sugar high. Do we have to eat more cake? I asked. I never thought that day would come - the day that I couldn't eat more cake. What is wrong with me?! Maybe it was because I have been trying to cut out sugar recently? Dang you Caveman Diet, and dang you anti-sugar fiance! You have ruined sweets for me.

But onward we pressed. Someone has to do it, right?

We somehow rolled made our way to Trophy Cupcakes, an adorable place in Wallingford Center that I have been going to since it opened (I used to get my hair cut at The Edge right next door).

So we got there, and the lovely wedding-coordinator sat us down in the cute Trophy booths in the middle of the Center across from the cupcake stand. If you've never been there, people just meander by your table. Children, specifically, meander by your table. The coordinator then proceeded to bring out 12 cupcakes. Yes, 12. It was obscene. And amazing.

We were sitting there, in the middle of the mall, with a million cupcakes in front of the two of us. Children came up and stared with their mouths open. Mommy, why can't I have that many cupcakes? They counted them out loud. One, two, three, four...wow! They have a lot of cupcakes! Yes children, thank you for making me feel more obese and uncomfortable than I already feel. You are lucky that I am so bloated right now, or I would get up off my chair to shoo you away.

First two down...10 more to go?! Whaa??

 The lovely Mr. Candy Apple during the first two cupcakes. Back when it was still enjoyable, and my jeans still fit.

This was their special February raspberry ganache cupcake - I loved the heart! And yes, my hair/ makeup is still all fancypants from our e-shoot

Okay, I am exaggerating a wee bit. I really did like the experience. It was fun! We got to go hang out and taste lots of cake! I can't complain about that. The coordinator even brought us tea, and a huge binder of their wedding pictures to look at while we noshed on cupcakes (and were pointed at by the children). Just looking at these pictures makes me want to eat 12 cupcakes in one sitting. Thank goodness for selective memory.

But. That was a lot of sugar. A LOT. We finished the vanilla vanilla and the chocolate chocolate, had about 1 bite from 3 other cupcakes, and had to box up the rest to take home (I love that they let you do that!). Pathetic showing, huh? We were so overloaded with sugar for the next week and a half that we didn't eat any of the leftovers. Oops. Well, I actually may have had the last few hunks of Suzanne's cake for breakfast the next day. And maybe another cupcake on top of that. But besides that, we didn't eat any more sugar (don't tell Mr. Candy Apple).

All in all, though, a very good day of tasting cake. I promise that it was fun. I must admit, I am slightly ashamed at my cake-eating. I thought I was more of a champ than that! And, my pants are slightly stretched out.

How about you: were you overloaded on sugar during your cake tastings? Were you able to spread the tastings out a bit more reasonably? Was it still AWESOME even though you were in a sugar coma for days after?!

All pictures are courtesy of me/ Cupcakes by Trophy Cupcakes.

Adventures in Cake Tasting: Round 1

Alternative Title: Death By Sugar.

Or, I Developed Diabetes. I Also Became Morbidly Obese.

You guys, wedding planning is not a joke. You might think it is all fun and games, but it is not. It is a very serious issue. Consider this a PSA: every year, good people overdose on sugar in the name of planning their wedding. Please, I urge you to spread the word of the potential consequences of becoming engaged. Remember this the next time you schedule a cake tasting.

Okay, let me preface this post by saying that those who know me know that I could eat this every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

{Cupcakes from Sweet, Photographs by yours truly. Mmmm frosting.}

It is a sickness. For serious - I have an impressive and unsatisfiable sweet tooth.

That being said, one of the many tasks we had to complete in Seattle during our visit was ye olde cake tasting. After our much-anticipated engagement shoot and my first dress fitting (More on that later!), we dragged ourselves to two cake tastings. Yes, two. In a row.

All I have to say is Thank God I didn't have my dress fitting after the cake tasting, like originally scheduled, because they would have had to roll me into the fitting room, a la Violet Beauregard.

Okay, just kidding, that's not all I have to say. I might have some more to say. Maybe.

Our first tasting was with Suzanne Rosellini of Rosellini Sweets. She is so sweet! (Bahahaha, I crack myself up sometimes) But really, she was super nice. We met up with her in Ballard, and got to taste three of her cakes: Classic Chocolate, German Chocolate, and Buttermilk. Being the totally horrible blogger I am, I did not take pictures at the actual tasting. Let's blame it on the fact that I felt slightly awkward whipping my camera out as she sat there watching us eat. Strange enough without me snapping a million pictures, yes? Anyway, she  pulled out 3 hunks of cake, and Mr. Candy Apple and I took a few bites of each. Suzanne was really nice; she showed us a bunch of pictures of her cakes and an updated menu, answered questions for us, blabbety blah. I felt somewhat uncomfortable just having someone watch me eating cake, but whatever, no big deal. I may or may not have had frosting smeared across my face by the end of the meeting.

Once we were done, she boxed up the rest of the cake, and we headed back to my car. Of course, I worked up a ravenous appetite on that three-block walk, so once we were safely in the car, I proceeded to rip open the box and devour the rest of the buttermilk cake. It was delicious. This is all that remained afterward:

{The carnage. Lovely images courtesy of me. Cakes by Rosellini Sweets}

Um, I also may or may not have eaten the remaining German Chocolate and Classic Chocolate the next day. For breakfast. I told you: sickness.

I realize those moist, delicious, chocolate-y brown mangled blobs may not do her cakes justice. So check out the beautiful eye-candy.

{Photograph by Garrett Grove Photography/ Cake by Rosellini Sweets/ Image via Rosellini Sweets}

{Photograph by Garret Grove Photography/ Cake by Rosellini Sweets/ Image via Rosellini Sweets}

{Photograph by Garret Grove Photography/ Cake by Rosellini Sweets/ Image via Rosellini Sweets}

{Image from the cover of the September 2010 Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom}

How could you NOT want that loveliness at your wedding!? As you can see, Mr. Candy Apple and I are not going for the whole traditional-wedding-cake-thing. I love the more vintage look of multiple round cakes on pretty, mis-matched cake stands. It goes perfectly with our wedding concept and vision! The thought of a gorgeous display with lots of cakes set on dainty stands makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. And the beautiful flower arrangements? Swoon. I am easily blinded distracted by ranunculus, though.

{Photograph by One Love Photo/ Cakes by Rosellini Sweets/ via 100 Layer Cake}

Obviously, Suzanne's style is right up our alley. Well, right up my alley. I don't think Mr. Candy Apple really cares one way or another, as long as it's some form of cake and tastes good.

Needless to say, we were pretty full after the tasting. Me? Full after a few measly bites (okay, a large hunk) of cake? Wha?? What has the world come to?! Alas, we weren't done with our sugar intake for the day!

Did you have a "traditional" white wedding cake with a million tiers? Did you go with any crazy flavors, or did you stick with the classics?

Let Them Eat Cake

Mmmm cake.

Yes, clearly I am not a cake designer. But you get the idea.

Honestly, I haven't thought much about our wedding cake. It has to taste good. I want a fairly simple design. Pretty cake stands. Buttercream. Fresh flowers. We might go the cupcake route. I had even thought about having pies instead of cake, but Mr. Candy Apple quickly nixed that idea. Overall, though, we're not too picky when it comes to the visual aspect of the cake, and I am clearly incredibly indecisive.

However, as much as I love simplicity in a wedding cake, sometimes, just sometimes, I love looking at cake eye-candy. I am not talking about really crazy cakes, like they have on some of those reality tv shows (think: a full-size motorcycle replica, or something along those lines). Those can be a bit over the top.

No, I'm talking about the cakes that Maggie Austin makes - seriously gorgeous works of art.

{Maggie Austin Cake}

Um, who else can make oysters on a cake look good?! And what girl wouldn't love a cake decked out in black pearls? Who even thinks about doing something like that? This is why I love her.

{Maggie Austin Cake}

That cake above is my all-time favorite cake of hers. Actually, it's my all-time favorite wedding cake, period. Something about the elegance of the flowers, the delicate ruffles. They just kill me. It makes me want to print out a massive canvas of that image, and hang it on the wall in my bedroom. Except I would go to sleep at night drooling, and would have to gnaw on my covers to satiate my desire for beautiful cake. Swoon.

 {Maggie Austin Cake}

I found her site through a blog post by my fabulous florist (more on that later!), and spent the next half hour drooling over all of her pictures. They look like something you would find in the pages of a children's fairytale or something.

 {Maggie Austin Cake}

When have you ever seen a chocolate wedding cake look so elegant? Never. Seriously. Okay, and don't ask me why, but that cake totally reminds me of a degas ballerina. Am I crazy?!

{Degas, via Wikipedia}

Apparently, I might not be so crazy. After looking at all of her images, I realized that a lot of them made me think of elegant dancers. I checked out her bio on the website, and she was actually a dancer before she moved into cake designing. So there. I win.

{Maggie Austin Cake}

Ethereal. Ruffly. Fun. If I lived in the Washington, DC area, I would be having a hard time refraining from spending waaaaay too much money on one of her cakes for the wedding. I might have to throw a big anniversary party for Mr. Candy Apple and myself when we're living in DC just so we can get one of her cakes. Or, I will just commission her to make me an "I-am-awesome" cake. And eat it all by myself.

{Maggie Austin Cake}

I have no idea how she does it, but the flowers and ruffles that she does are insane. They look so life-like, and dainty; not like most of the other sugar flowers I have seen on wedding cakes.

In case you can't tell, I am obsessed with Maggie Austin's cakes. I was trying to narrow down the pictures of her work that I wanted to put in this post, but I couldn't choose. I love them all. I would renounce my simple-cake ways if I could have one of her cakes at my wedding. And I am trying to restrain myself when it comes to those ruffles - they totally remind me of my dress. 

{1, 2, 3 from Maggie Austin Cake}

Although I might not have all of this cake loveliness at our wedding, I do think that I can get a lot of inspiration from these floaty, feminine cakes. In fact, I might go stick them on my inspiration board right now.

But know that if you have/ had a Maggie Austin cake at your wedding, I am insanely jealous of you. Just sayin'.

What sorts of things have you come across in the planning process that, although you couldn't have it specifically, you are using as inspiration? Am I the only person who has drawn inspiration from a cake?? Did YOU have a Maggie Austin cake? (If you did, I hate you)