wedding cake
Hand Painted Wedding Cakes
We are over the moon about hand painted wedding cakes! They seem to be showing up everywhere, but most recently at the I Do! Bridal Show. These talented pastry wizards are true artists. Chances are you will have only one wedding cake in your life, why not make a statement!
This gorgeous cake by Inticing Creations was Bride’s Magazine’s 2011 Winner of America’s Most Beautiful Cakes:
Here are a few other gorgeous, hand painted wedding cakes:
For even more wedding cake inspiration, visit the Let Them Eat Cake Pinterest board.
- Jill
Grooms Cakes
While a long standing tradition in the South, the groom’s cake is slowly making its way into the ballrooms of LA weddings! The groom’s cake is a great way to create a cake that is totally different in style and flavor than the bride cake and showcases the interests and hobbies of the groom.
Here’s a little bit about Groom’s Cakes from YumSugar:
A reliable history of the groom’s cake is difficult to trace. Among the many legends, some believe it was served by the groom to the bridesmaids; others say a bride wanted a chocolate cake for her wedding without forgoing the white color scheme. Despite the dessert’s nonessential role in the wedding, it’s long been traditional in the South, and has made somewhat of a comeback in recent years.
Because the cake is a gift from the bride to the groom, it often reflects the groom’s interests and comes in a variety of flavors (although chocolate has been historically popular) and themes (such as sports teams). A groom’s cake with a sentimental message is a heartfelt, timely, and surprising wedding present to your significant other. If the idea of another cake at the wedding sounds redundant, consider serving it at the rehearsal dinner, an apropos occasion since the groom’s family typically hosts the occasion.
Here are a few of my favorite groom’s cakes:
- Chelsea
Wedding Cake Bling
I received this picture from a recent wedding that I had the pleasure of working on, and loved the style they chose for their wedding cake so much I had to share! I love that they layered the crystal ribbon over the pink ribbon to soften the crystals and create an elegant bling look. The cake was also enhanced by a crystal beaded cake stand, specialty linen for the cake table with small beads and crystals, and matching crystal beaded votives as added decor. It is a beautiful cake table that matched an even more amazing wedding!
- Christie
Artisan Marshmallows
John Quinn and the rest of our talented pastry team at The Lanham have been hand-crafting our marshmallows for some time. You’ll often see them in all their glory displayed at our non-traditional Chocolate Afternoon Tea on Sundays. Quite frankly, all of the pioneering flavor combinations John and his team create make my head spin!
Artisan marshmallows make a statement when incorporated into a dessert display with selections from our Blissful Bites menu, a candy station or Viennese table. They will absolutely delight your guests when they show up as an assortment in adorable satin ribbon-wrapped cellophane bags as your wedding favors.
Pastry divas all over the country are coming up with their own exotic concoctions of these endearing little pillows of joy!
240 Sweet, based in Indiana, features hand-crafted artisan marshmallows by partners Alexa Lemley and Samantha Aulick. These decadent puffs are lovingly crafted in small batches using local, all-natural and organic ingredients without preservatives. Their treats include Michigan beet sugar, Ohio glucose and Indiana corn starch using organic Tahitian beans to make their own vanilla extract. Coffee based treats are made with coffee from a local custom-roasted coffee company, Hubbard and Cravens.
California Caramel Company, has Guittard Chocolate dipped marshmallow X 3 on a stick, which is pure heaven!
Plush Puffs, in Burbank features s’mores made with their hand-crafted chocolate chipetta plush puffs.
Kick your marshmallows up a notch with Daybreak Farms’ “adult beverage” selections! The Daybreak Cosmopolitan, sweet, tart and sophisticated is made with premium vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and freshly squeezed lime juice.
The Daybreak Lynchburg Lemonade is made with premium aged bourbon whiskey, triple sec, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
And the Daybreak Sangria is made with red wine, freshly squeezed orange, lemon, lime, pineapple juice and just a little raspberry liqueur.
- Jill
Creative Seating Assignment & Dessert Tables
I came across some photos from a vintage style wedding which I loved so much that I wanted to share!
Rather than spending the time (and money!) to create escort and place cards, the couple got creative and wrote out their guests’ table assignments on mini glass window panes. They finished off the table décor with a simple basket of lemons which really added some color to make the table pop.
How cute is that?! It is really neat to see the different creative ways in which brides display seating assignments. These days, brides get so creative and it is so exciting to watch!
For their dessert display, the bride and groom offered their favorites – including full sized donuts, milk & cookies, a small simple wedding cake and Girl Scout cookies! The bride and groom were active in girl/boy scouts so it was a great way to incorporate something from their childhood – and who doesn’t love Girl Scout cookies?!
Photos by Joielala Photographie
- Laura
Wedding Cake Pops
Cake Pops have taken the world by storm and have been showing up at special events everywhere!
Cake Pops are one of the trendiest new desserts around. These bite sized balls of yummy goodness are sure to be a crowd pleaser! These decadent little treats can be customized to any event.
You can add Cake Pops into your customized dessert station…
Or have them gift wrapped as a favor for your guests to take home after the celebration…
Or have them customized after the Bride and Groom…
Although, just remember with the endless possibilities of flavors, it might be hard to stop at just one!!
- Amanda
Let Them Eat Cake!
Wedding cakes have evolved greatly from the earlier days of the Roman Empire, where loaves of bread were broken over the bride’s head by the groom. The wedding cake tradition has changed from a symbolization of dominance over a marriage and the bride, to a tender moment of happiness and sharing.
One of the earliest forms of the now traditional wedding cake is the French Croquembouche. The legend of this cake says that a pastry chef, visiting medieval England, witnessed their tradition of piling sweet rolls between the bride and groom, which they then would attempt to kiss over without knocking down. The pastry chef returned to France and created the first Croquembouche by piling sweet rolls up into a tower.
The Croquembouche was known to be a high pyramid of profiteroles (choux pastry filled with cream), often decorated with threads of caramel, sugared almonds, chocolate, flowers or ribbons. Sometimes they were also covered in macarons, layered over a flavored ganache* or cream.
*Ganache is made by pouring heated heavy (double) cream over chopped dark semi-sweet chocolate. The ratio of chocolate to cream is varied to obtain the desired consistency.
We’ve come a long way from the Croquembouche to today’s designer wedding cakes! Here are some of my favorite truly inspiring wedding cakes, ranging from traditional to contemporary to playful. Which is your favorite?
Cake by Sylvia Weinstock
Cake by Sylvia Weinstock
Cake by Christopher Garrens
Cake by Martha Stewart
Cake by Martha Stewart
Cake by Martha Stewart
Cake by Martha Stewart
Cake by Martha Stewart
Cake by Martha Stewart
Cake by Magpies Cakes
- Jill
Real Wedding – Katherine and Terence
From the moment that I first met Katherine and Terence it was obvious just how much they truly loved each other. They were one of the most genuine and gracious couples I have ever had the pleasure of working with.
Loyd Calomay was the couple’s videographer and prepared a fantastic “Same Day Edit” which was then shown during the Wedding Reception. Some of my favorite highlights of this video were of course the candid shots of the bride and groom getting ready, their “First Look” which took place in the Courtyard (I just love seeing the look on the Grooms face when he sees the Bride for the first time), and of course the teary-eyed ceremony in the Horseshoe Garden. There are also great shots of the beautiful pink flowering trees in the garden which often bloom in February/March and are a wonderful addition to the already enchanting backdrop!
Katherine + Terence | Pasadena Langham Wedding | SDE from Loyd Calomay Films
Their pink color scheme in the Horseshoe Garden coordinated perfectly with the blooming trees.
The Viennese Ballroom was transformed into a serene and romantic setting filled with soft pastel colors and warm uplighting and pinspots. The fresh scent of flowers and the gentle flicker of candles filled the room.
Like so many of our recent Bride’s, Katherine had her heart set on a dessert station! We worked directly with our Pastry Chef to customize the dessert table to fit her design and budget. She also provided the pedestals to coordinate with her overall wedding décor!
I loved their cake topper and the fact that they incorporated their beloved furry family members into it! You can see a photo of little “Peanut” and “Butter” on our blog posting about pets since they were also included in the wedding ceremony.
You couldn’t help by smile if you were in a room with them; they seemed to bring out the happiness in anyone they came in contact with. Not to mention that their gorgeous smiles were truly contagious!
Photos by Chenin Boutwell Studios
- Amanda
The French Macaron
One of the most popular wedding trends that we are seeing right now is of course, The French Macaron. Our couples just can’t seem to get enough of these little pieces of heaven.
Although, the Macaron is fairly simple in terms of the number of ingredients, the technique can be hard to perfect with the delicate crisp shell, giving way to the chewy cake like center and delicious fillings. Our wonderful Pastry Chefs here at the Langham have in fact perfected the Macaron and are more than happy to customize any flavors or colors that you can think of. The possibilities are endless!
Whether you envision giving these bite-size goodies away as wedding favors…
Or possibly incorporating them into your wedding cake…
Or maybe offering these versatile treats as a midnight snack or part of a unique dessert display…
(Perhaps customizing elements from our new Sweet Surrender Dessert Menu?)
With such a wide range of colors and flavors these little charmers have the staying power as continuing on as a top wedding trend in 2011. How will you incorporate them into your wedding?
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