​You don’t have to look far to find a tradition at a wedding. Whether it’s “something old / something new”, wearing your ring on your left ring finger, lighting a unity candle, the toasts (or roasts), or feeding each other a piece of cake, traditions can be found in every part of the ceremony and reception. When Jace first contacted me, she wanted to make sure I was familiar with a specific tradition – cake pulls.

​According to neworleans.com, “Wedding cake pulls are a local tradition carried over from the Victorian era as a way to wish good luck onto close friends without extending the bridal party.” This is a great option to include everyone when you only want a small number of bridesmaids.
 
But what are cake pulls? Cake pulls are charms with ribbon tied to them which are placed between the tiers of the cake. The charms are iced over so only the ribbon shows. At the time of cake cutting, the bridesmaids and other invited ladies surround the cake, each selecting a ribbon. They then pull out their charm, revealing what was selected. Each charm is different and comes with a card describing what the charm symbolizes.

​Jace’s twelve pulls included a ring (next to get married), airplane (destined to travel), and a four-leaf clover (bring luck to everyone). Music notes, an umbrella, a tree, and a sun were also part of the set. 

​In contrast to her vintage tradition, Jace’s cake was a modern design. The four tier cake was iced as double barrels creating the appearance of two extremely tall tiers. Usually, my cake tiers are 5 ½ to 6 inches tall; however, Jace’s “two” tiers were just over twelve inches each. The buttercream icing detail reflected her wedding colors. She selected white chocolate wedding cake with almond buttercream. 

​Zachary is an avid Dallas Stars fan, and I created a design to reflect his favorite team. The couple selected the team’s alternate jersey colors as a base. I added the logo to the bottom tier, and a jersey with their last name and wedding year as the number. To complete the look I added some fondant hockey pucks and a hockey stick that appeared to go through the cake. Zachary selected lemon cake with raspberry buttercream.
 
I love delivering custom groom’s cakes as the guys are usually wandering around the venue waiting to take pictures when I arrive. They get the first look – even before the bride! There were audible “ohh’s” and “ahh’s” from the groom and his friends when I set this one up!

If you would like to talk about personalizing your wedding or groom's cake, complete the Contact form, and we can schedule your design consultation and tasting.

​Venue - Wildflower Wedding Venue
Planner / Florist - Willner Weddings
Photographer - On the Vine Photography

​When Hannah first reached out to me, she mentioned she was interested in a fall theme with pampas terracotta, and peachy blush colors. She knew she wanted a barely iced cake so the design process was quick. She selected Champagne cake with Lavender Blackberry buttercream. Hannah had two small arrangements pre-made so I just needed to add them to her cake. They were each wrapped to a pretty big pick. Normally I would disassemble and rearrange florals like this so they fit the cake better. However, pampas grass is very delicate and sheds easily, so I left them as they were and made a bow to cover the picks.

Shortly after her cake tasting, Hannah let me know that Preston wanted a groom’s cake as well. He had something specific in mind though – he wanted the cake to look like tooled leather and it was going to be Red Velvet.
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Tooled leather has gone through an engraving or carving process creating a raised design on the leather which can be made into a belt, purse, saddle, or other product.

​To say I was excited was an understatement! I love when couples add personalization to their cakes, and I was sure that I could achieve the look Preston had in mind. I started the search for the perfect rolling pin as embossed fondant was going to be the perfect medium for this kind of design. 

​Hannah sent me pictures of Preston’s favorite cowboy hat which I replicated in fondant as a topper.

​I love how the finished cake turned out!

​They also wanted a variety of cookies at the wedding, and they were displayed on a cookie wall. Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle, White Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, and Oatmeal Raisin were offered to the guests. This was a fun way to display the cookies, and the couple provided bags so cookies could be taken as wedding favors too.

The wedding was held at Bethel Rock in Leonard which is about 30 miles north east of McKinney. It is a gorgeous venue with an outdoor ceremony space and numerous photo opportunities. The reception venue is a converted home that has been professionally decorated creating a large bridal suite and the reception space. There is a separate groom’s building where the guys can play ping pong, Xbox, and air hockey while waiting for the ceremony to start. 

Congratulations to Hannah and Preston!

Venue - Bethel Rock 

Alexandra and Michael were married this past May at D’Vine Grace Vineyard in McKinney, Texas, and they used the planning services of Carolina Lopez Events. 

Venue photo courtesy of Hannah Way Photography.

​Alexandra selected a two tier cake with a smooth buttercream finish. Under that silky vanilla buttercream was our white chocolate wedding cake.  

In addition to the cake, the couple wanted to offer cupcakes to their guests. They chose two flavors - chocolate fudge with a ganache swirl and cookies & cream with cream cheese buttercream flowers. 

Between the cake and cupcakes, there were 122 servings of dessert which is a good amount for 135-150 guests, keeping in mind that not every guest will have dessert at a wedding.

Congratulations to Alexandra and Michael!


Venue: D'Vine Grace Vineyard, McKinney, Texas
Planner: Carolina Lopez Events
Venue Photo: Hannah Way Photography

​All photos in this post were taken by Sarah Tribett Photography. 
 
Bailey and Nik were married at the end of July at The Emerson in Kaufman, Texas. The reception venue looks like a sweet little white country home on the outside, but it is a modern blank canvas on the inside with white walls and a few black accents. I’m not sure how many walls were torn down to create the open and airy space, but there’s enough room for 150 of your closest friends to help you celebrate!  

​There is an onsite chapel that was designed by HGTV’s Leanne Ford too!

​Bailey and Nik chose a 3 tier buttercream covered cake with a smooth finish. The top two tiers were chocolate fudge cake with chocolate hazelnut buttercream filling, and the bottom tier was white chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream filling.

Bailey wanted the fresh, white flowers on her cake clustered together and extending from the middle tier. I made a reel on Instagram showing a hyper lapse of me arranging the flowers on this cake. You can find it in the BTS (behind the scenes) highlights.

​Bailey and Nik chose a pick style topper with their last name in a silver finish. I love these kinds of toppers because they can be customized and look so delicate. However, I also strongly dislike these kinds of toppers because they are Just. So. Darn. Delicate. They can be a bugger to get out of the packaging so they tend to snap easily. I can’t tell you how many times I have shown up to deliver a cake and been warned by a planner, mom, bridesmaid, etc. that the topper was broken. However, don’t let this stop you from ordering one – I carry superglue in my delivery kit, and your planner probably has some too.

​Sarah Tribett was the amazing photographer who took all the gorgeous pics in this post. I love seeing cake cutting photos, and she did an outstanding job of capturing the natural joy of the couple. These do not disappoint!

I especially love the "happy cake dance" pic!

Venue – The Emerson https://www.emersonvenue.com/     https://www.facebook.com/emersonvenue   https://www.instagram.com/emersonvenue/

Planner – Stairway Events https://www.stairwayevents.com/   https://www.facebook.com/stairwayevents   https://www.instagram.com/stairwayevents/

Sarah Tribett Photography   https://sarahtribettphotography.com/   https://www.facebook.com/SarahTribettPhoto/   https://www.instagram.com/sarahtribettphoto/
 
Are you ready to book your wedding cake consultation? Just fill out our Contact form to get started.