Oh, Sugar!: Will and Mal

Whew! This was, by far, my most challenging wedding cake yet, but I think I rose to the challenge. I have known Mallorie since she was probably 3 or 4, so, again, this had that extra excitement of being someone I know, and am so happy for!

In addition to being a challenging design, they also ordered 200 cupcakes to give as a gift for each guest For that reason, I hired my daughter, Courtney, as an apprentice. Boy, did she get a crash course in cake decorating. Not only did she bake, and frost the cupcakes, she helped cut and shape the 50 or so petals on the cake.

To top all of that off, I accepted another wedding cake for the next day, rationalizing that it was far simpler, and wouldn't be a big deal (Ha, ha!)

Mallorie's cake was like one giant rose, and had fresh roses sprinkled on and around it by the florist. She requested white cake, colored pink, for the entire cake, and all of the cupcakes. Her colors were pink, navy blue, and silver, so it was very appropriate, I think.

This is the picture Mallorie gave me, and said only that she wanted the edges silver, instead of gold, and that she wanted it to look like the picture. (No pressure, or anything!)

Here's the finished product!

At the reception

This is right after the florist put the flowers on

Another view

I learned a really big lesson with this cake; when working with fondant and/or gumpaste, always let the cake come to room temperature before delivering!

It was so humid that day, that the cold cake got a lot of condensation. That caused a few of the petals to "wilt," but I think it really gave them a little more of a natural look, so win-win. But I won't risk it next time.

Like I said, the cake was not the only thing I made for this wedding. Courtney and I made 200 cupcakes. Ever wonder what 200 cupcakes looks like? (probably not, but here they are...)

Fortunately, I did not have to package all of them. We made the cupcakes with a sand colored swirl, graham cracker "sand," and a sprinkling of pearls. Then, the day of the wedding, we met up at the reception site with the mother of the bride, and the bridesmaids, and set up an assembly line to finish them up.

To explain the cupcakes, you have to know how Will proposed. They were on a service trip to Trinidad with other students from the University of Wyoming. They kept a traveling journal, which they took turns writing in, and would then hide it for the other one to find. Will and Mal took a walk on the beach one night, where Mal saw "Dig Here" written in the sand. She dug, and found the journal, wrapped in plastic. She opened it to read, and the entry said, "Keep Digging." When she dug deeper in the sand, there was her ring, and Will got down on one knee...

Here is their story, re-created on a cupcake.