Shershin-Cook, Atlanta Athletic Club, 8/29/9

Starting with my next wedding delivery (September 12th). I'm going to start taking photo's of the front of the venues .... some that I have visited are just as beautiful outside as they are inside and you need to see them !!!!!

This was the first delivery of the day ... Clay, Liz, and I travelled to the Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth to set up the cake for the Shershin-Cook reception. When I walked into the ballroom I was taken with it's size .... huge and beautiful. The first thing that caught my attention was this enormous floral arrangement (by Andi Beach & Associates Floral) ... believe me when I tell you that my photo does NOT do it justice. It was absolutely gorgeous.


Then I noticed the location of the cake table. Martha Shershin kept telling me that the cake was going to play a major roll of decoration at the reception. She wasn't kidding. It was situated in front of two columns, that were draped with luscious fabric .. and very noticeable. Her design was a simple one .. simple yet elegant ... off-white in color, 5-tiers, each layer decorated with a triple dot design. Roses were placed on top and here and there and a huge amount of petals at the base (with votives). It looked great. In fact, when Clay went back later that evening to pick up the plateau, he was told "that everyone loved the cake and ate every bit of it" .. Now, that's a compliment. I'm sure the cake shot from Lamar Gee (their photographer) will be better than mine ..... will let you know as soon as I receive it.


Thank you Martha and Fred. My best wishes to you both.



DETAILS DETAILS DETAILS ...

Before I get into the details ... Liz (and Kelley) have been helping with my deliveries here and there ... well, today I kind of surprised Liz and let her practice stacking the cakes ... I knew everything would be OK, I was right there to assist, encourage, and fix if needed .... to quote Liz after a couple of layers ... "this looks easier than it actually is". Thanks, Liz for being willing to "try". Next it's Kelley's turn (shhh, don't tell her).




On to details ................
In addition to that incredible floral arrangement ..... a couple of other items caught my attention. We've all seen wrought iron candle holders .. but there were these incredibly tall wrought iron candle holders at some tables (the size of the room could handle them nicely). Looked great. Then I really thought the seat assignment cards were laid out beautifully with a row of red glass votives at the back of the table ... cards all lined up with petals in between each row. It looked great.




VENDORS:
Photo: Lamar Gee (www.lamargee.com)
Floral: Andi Beach
Music: Mike Vela Band (E. Coast Entertainment)
Caterer: Atlanta Athletic Club
DOC: Daria MacGregor - Circle of Love Weddings
Cake: me


On to delivery #2 .....

O'Leary-Shivers, Atlanta Country Club, 8/29/9

We headed back to the house, to pick up the cakes for our second and final delivery of the day ... and headed to Cobb County.

While travelling 85 South, all of a sudden everyone in front of me was breaking and there were cars swerving and brake smoke everywhere .... will I stop in time with out destroying the cakes ? Will Liz (who was behind me in her SUV .. stop in time also ? YOU BET WE DID, but it did make us all drive a little more cautiously !!! Atlanta Traffic !!! ARGH !!! (and the cakes didn't shift one bit !!!)

We arrive at the Atlanta Country Club (off Paper Mill Road) to set up the cake for the Michelle O'Leary-Jordan Shivers reception. When I walked into the ballroom I started looking for one of my fav florists (Heather Oliver, Stylish Stems) but found her mom instead and got a big hug. Heather was with the bride, but expected shortly. So we got busy. Michelle's wedding cake was a 4-tier cake, bordered in black ribbon with a single dot design ... simple, yet elegant. Heather added purple floral and small calla lillies on the top. Came out great.



Gene Ho was their photographer ... I had the opportunity to see Michelle's bridal portrait and it was absolutely gorgeous .. I can't wait to see their wedding pics. Will post the cake pro shot as soon as I get it.

Jordan wanted something different for a groom cake .... CHEESE CAKE !!! So, he picked out four flavors and we placed them on staggered elevation .... from top to bottom ..... Snickers ..... Key Lime ..... Vanilla topped with Strawberries ... and Oreo. YUMMY ! No, I'm not getting into the cheesecake business. I believe in sticking with what you do best .. and that is regular plain ol' cake. But if cheesecake is what you want, I will find it and make sure you get it.



Congratulations Michelle and Jordan !!!!!


DETAILS DETAILS DETAILS .................


It's always a good idea to have centerpieces at different heights .. here's a good example of three different sized centerpieces at the same event ..... Tall .. medium .. short.

Then of course, you have the view ...... you can't beat the lush green grass of a golf course !!!!!




VENDORS:

Photo: Gene Ho

Music: Axtell Productions - Standing Room Only

Floral: Heather Oliver, Stylish Stems

Caterer: Atlanta Country Club

Cake: me

Another busy week !!!!!

I really need to stop for a day or two and/or slow down a little. I'm getting pretty tired. This week was just as crazy as last, but everything got out the door on time.

Friend Geoff celebrated his 30th birthday friday night .... my donation to the party was cupcakes for dessert ... Lemon filled with raspberry .. lemon filled with Lemon .. almond filled w/ Baileys.

Karibeth ordered cupcakes for Faxon's teacher's birthday who is a fan of the Atlanta Falcons, so I created a pull-a-part cupcake cake for her with the Falcon logo ....

I was asked to create my friend Kelley's birthday cake (by her mom). Kelley turned the ripe old age of 29 and needed a little chocolate cake filled w/ Baileys. Decorated in green, hotpink, and white .. it came out cute.

Noelle came by early early Saturday morning (8:00a) to pick up a bridal shower cake. It was a vanilla cake filled w/ Baileys. Decorated in blue with a multicolor bow.

My Baileys filling was very popular this week (Thanks, Ashley).

All of this plus two weddings, anniversary cakes, and tasting appointments, makes Eileen one tired Cake Lady ...... so ... I have a couple of cakes early this next week, and then Clay and I are taking the weekend off to spend with friends to rest and eat out and play cards/board games and laugh. I can't wait !!!

I hope you all have a safe and restful Labor Day weekend ...... See you in September.

Weekend wedding pictures and details will be posted later ....

E

Wonderly-Haywood, Heron Bay CC, 8/22/9

Back in February I received a call from Megan requesting my services for her 8/22 event. I had to turn her down due to previous commitments (another wedding) and the timing wouldn't have worked. I couldn't be in two places at the same time.


Well, a couple of weeks ago, I received a call from my nephew's wife, Andi. Her friend Cheryl was over and was looking for a baker for her daughters wedding as their baker "went out of business" with no warning leaving them with no cake for a wedding in two weeks. Andi asked if I would speak with Cheryl .. sure, I said.


Well, long story short ... it turns out that Cheryl is Megan's mom (small world) ... I told her that if I could deliver the cake early, it would give me time to get to my other delivery.


Clay and I traveled to Locust Grove (Heron Bay Country Club) and delivered a 4-tier wedding cake (vanilla cakes filled w/ strawberry cream cheese). We arrived at 3:30. The wedding and reception were held outside. There was a nice breeze, but it was still warm and the sun was shining all over the spot that the cake was to be placed. I really didn't want to set it up in the sun, so the caterer was good enough to volunteer to "move" the cakes from the kitchen to the outdoor venue when it was time. So that's what happened ... I constructed the wedding cake in the kitchen and placed the groom cake in the refrigerator.


Speaking of the groom cake .... I created a German Chocolate cake filled and frosted with a coconut-pecan icing. YUMMY.

According to Andi and JR, both cakes looked and tasted great.

I was in such a hurry to get to my second delivery of the day that I didn't get a chance to take any detail shots ... and my delivery was so early that there really weren't any "details" to take a picture of .. other than the view of the lake. A gorgeous setting.


Congratulations to Megan and Brian Haywood. Thanks for giving me a second chance to be a part of your special day !!!

McKinnon-Norton, Hollycrest Hall, 8/22/9

While Clay and I travelled from Locust Grove to Marietta .. Liz and Tim were en route from my place to Hollycrest Hall with the cakes for our second delivery. THANK YOU LIZ (and Tim).

Clay has known this brides family for years ... Megan, Clay's daughter, was a bridesmaid. So, when Amy McKinnon announced her engagement to Robbie Norton, I offered to create her cake.
Instead of wearing the traditional white (or Ivory) wedding dress ... Amy wore platinum ... she looked absolutely beautiful. Clay got a great shot of Amy escorted by her dad. Her bridal party wore purple. Silver and purple ... a great color combination.



The cake was also decorated in silver and purple ... Amy chose a cake that I call "All Dressed Up" ... it's has a triple ribbon detail. I used silver ribbon on her cake and added shades of purple floral to finish it. I'm anxious to get the photographer's photo .. I watched over his shoulder and he got an awesome shot. Amy's cake was white cake filled with Blueberry !!!





Robbie (the groom) loves everything Chevrolet ..... so the Chevrolet symbol (bow tie) was created as his groom cake.



I got to work with a new (to me) photographer for this wedding ... I'll provide pro shots from

Michael Ray White Photography as soon as they become available and then will also provide contact info.

Congratulations Amy and Robbie Norton !!! We had a wonderful time at your wedding and hope to see you soon.

E&C

DETAILS: I didn't take any detail shots, but Clay did get a great shot of Frank (the dad) escorting Amy (the bride) down the aisle ..... and we got a great shot of Meg too. Clay had so much fun dancing with his baby girl !!!

PRO PICS !!!!!

Just received photo's from Melissa Prosser Photography !!!!! Awesome shots .. Go check them out!


Post: Thompson-Dawson, Cuscowilla Golf & Country Club, 8/1/9

PHOTO GALLERY 2009 has also been updated

Enjoy !

Sewell-Spurgeon, Chota Falls, 8/8/9

When Kristen Sewell and Kyle Spurgeon came to meet with me in early July, Kristen arrived with an Atlanta Weddings magazine in hand ... she had a set idea of what her cake would look like. Her cake was four tiers, white cake filled with cookies n' cream (yum). The exterior had a flat finish and an Amethyst ribbon and bow detail at the top of each layer .. very different. Purple and white hydrangea cascaded softly on either side of the bow. When I have a cake that is a little different, a little special .. I often assign a name to it (i.e., "The Mayan", "Molly", "All Dressed Up", etc). This cake fit that criteria and will be forever referred to as "Kristen".

Kyle's cake was a smaller version of my "Tower of Chocolate" cake .... smaller only in size, not taste or presentation. "The Kyle" was a two tier hexagonal chocolate cake filled with Bailey's, frosted in chocolate buttercream and adorned with 4 boxes of Godiva chocolates. YUMMY !!! I tried to get the groomsmen (who were standing around the table) to help me place all of the chocolates, but they all refused stating that they would probably eat the chocolates before they got on the cake.

Oh, and check out this cool shot of Kristen and Kyle's rings on top of the groom cake that I just received from their photographer (Cariad Photography). Awesome.

Kristen was to arrive at the Waterfall (ceremony site) in a horse-drawn carriage. I was lucky enough to get the chance to see her (and grab this picture) as she waited to make her entrance. She looked beautiful.

Much happiness to you both, Kristen and Kyle.

DETAILS ... DETAILS ... DETAILS:

I love being given the opportunity to deliver cakes to Chota Falls. It's located in Clayton, GA in Rabun County .. and happens to be located just down the road from my brother, Jim.. So we not only got to take a nice ride, but we got to spend some time with Jim and Kay also.

Chota has gone thru major renovations ... it certainly isn't the same Chota that I fell in love with when I first began delivering up there 4-5 years ago. They still have lodging, still have the Chapel, still have the bonfire pit and still have the Pub. The major change is that they went from an outdoor venue to an elaborate two story indoor venue. I'm sure their website is full of photo's, but here's mine taken from the corner of the room. Big Changes ... for the better.

VENDORS:

Music: Jessee Giles (djjessegiles@aol.com)

Photography: Steffi Smith (info@cariadphotography.com) Go check out their work at http://www.cariadphotography.com/

Planner: Nicole Kubon - Little Girls Big Dream (www.littlegirlsbigdream.com)

Caterer: Chota (info@chotafalls.com)

Cake: me

DETAILS .. DETAILS ... It's all in the DETAILS !!!!!

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I was going to begin taking "detail" shots at the weddings that I am part of as either a vendor and/or guest. Well, as promised, I have begun doing just that !!! In my future wedding posts, not only will you see the cake(s), but you'll see any details that I thought were noteworthy. I hope it gives you an idea or two. Enjoy.

Thompson-Dawson, Cuscowilla Golf and Country Club, 8/1/9

Carmen Thompson married Jonathan Dawson Saturday, August 1st at the Waterside Restaurant at Cuscowilla Golf and Country Club. The ceremony was held outside with Lake Oconee as the backdrop. Although we could have used a breeze every now and then, it was a beautiful summer day.

Cuscowilla is about a 2 hour drive for me, so when they came to meet with me back in June, I asked about local restaurants in the area for Clay and I to dine at while waiting for the cake cutting ceremony (so that I could grab the plateau and head home) .... Mrs. Thompson suggested that we dine with them at the reception ... and we accepted ... and I'm so glad we did. The food was phenominal .. delicious appetizers, a buffet which included chicken picatta, poached salmon and prime rib. My favorite part of the buffet was the Mashed potato martini bar ... especially the mashed sweet potato .. I have no idea what the chef put in it, but it was incredibly creamy and delish .. I think he added nutmeg and possibly heavy cream.

It was an honor to not only create both the wedding and groom cakes, but witness the joining of two families. Carmen looked stunning as I knew she would. While everyone's eye was on the bride .. my camera was on Jonathan who had all of us in tears (happy tears) ... this shot is his expression as he watched Carmen walk toward him.

DETAILS .. DETAILS .. DETAILS

Southern Bouquets was in charge of the floral for the event .... beautiful centerpieces , and bouquets. One detail in particular really made an impression with me, however. I have never seen this done before. Please take a look at my picture of the aisle. It took at least an hour for Karli to arrange rose petals in the shape of hearts down the entire length of the aisle. It was absolutely beautiful and thank goodness it wasn't a windy day.

I don't know if Carmen ever saw this detail because all guests were ushered down the aisle, ultimately destroying the design ... by the time Carmen arrived, I'm sure it wasn't as neat and orderly. I'm sending her my picture of it, just in case she didn't get to see it.


VENDORS:

Music: Ambiance Entertainment

Floral: Southern Bouquets

Photography: Melissa Prosser Photography (www.melissaprosser.com)

Caterer: Cuscowilla - Waterside Restaurant

Cake: Eileen Carter Creations (smile)

OTHER CAKES THIS (and LAST) WEEKEND !!!

Let's start with last weekend .....

Tiffany (of LaCheri Events) ordered a Baby (boy) Shower cake and cupcakes for her client. The cake was covered in blue (candy) baby feet and the cupcakes coordinated.

Leah was celebrating her BIG 3-0 !!! and wanted me to create a specific cake using the colors from her new celebration dress of dark Teal, Aqua, and Blue.

THIS WEEKEND ..... Karibeth headed to South Carolina with a cute Baby (girl) Shower cake and cupcakes in tow. I topped the cake with an arrangement of silk tea roses. I also created oreo cookie favors (but forgot to take a photo ... will do so and post later).

Rev. D (Deanna Lancaster) ordered a baby (girl) shower cake for her Niece. I added the icing booties to the top of a pretty popular cake of dots and stripes. Rev. D loved it !!!