From the beginning, we’ve been open about the fact that the part of wedding planning that most excites Katharine is the cake. For those of you familiar with her affinity for sugar, this should come as no surprise. Though Katharine has been a little bit indecisive in other areas of wedding planning, the look — and taste — of the cake was an easy decision.
From Katharine: For a self-proclaimed sugar addict, it’s hard not to get excited about the wedding cake. But even before I thought about the flavors we’d serve, I was trawling Google Images looking for inspiration. My requests were (fairly) simple: something simple and elegant, with a touch of glamour and maybe a hint of drama if we were lucky. (I’m pretty sure I used those same words when describing my dream wedding dress. Ask Randy and Emily for confirmation.)
My dislikes were also pretty straightforward, but equally stringent: nothing flowery, cutesie or overly girly. Afterall, this is going to be our wedding cake, not just mine. I want Kyle to like our cake and not feel embarrassed by an over-the-top confection that screams “here comes the bride!” and forgets about her equally-important groom.
A black and white wedding cake seemed appropriately masculine and a must for our B&W evening affair, but it was a special cake feature in Oregon Bride’s Spring/Summer 2010 issue that turned me on to fun embellishments that transform a simple multi-tiered cake into a work of art. Think ribbon, rhinestones, old-fashioned brooches and lace accents. Gor-geous, and so unique! (Not to mention those string of adjectives I like to throw around whenever talking about our wedding: classic, traditional, elegant, and so on…)
When this cake from Jay Qualls at Maples Wedding Cakes popped up in my search for “black and white rhinestone cakes,” I knew I had found the one. And, unlike my vacillation on paper (black vs. gold ink?), and flowers (all-rose vs. mixed bouquets), I never gave our cake a second thought. (The only other wedding decision I can say I have been equally confident about is the groom. Truth.)
What I love about this cake? The clean black and white exterior is Katharine-approved simple and Kyle-sanctioned manly, but the sleek black ribbon and glitzy rhinestone brooches makes it subtly glamorous. There, folks, is our wedding in a nutshell. (Fingers crossed!)
Image credit: Dove Wedding Photography
From Emily: Gorgeous! There is no denying the simple yet glamorous beauty of the Maples wedding cake. Any of you Southern belles getting married in Tennessee should hire Jay immediately, on order of Katharine. For those of you ladies not in TN and still looking for black and white inspiration, we rounded up a few more possibilities:
Image credits, clockwise from top left: Sweet Sensations, Maple Wedding Cakes (photo by Dove Wedding Photography), unknown, Kate Sullivan, Real Simple, Maple Wedding Cakes (photo by Dove Wedding Photography), Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides via Wedding Paper Divas, My Sweet and Saucy (photo by Jasmine Star), Maple Wedding Cakes (photo by Dove Wedding Photography)
From Katharine: So we had the cake. Easy. Done. Moving on. But with only a few months to go before the big day, it was time to start thinking about the kind of cake + icing we wanted to serve, and who was going to design and make our fabulous confection. Luckily, my fiancé is no stranger to cakes (see pictures below) and Boston is riddled with some of the best bakeries in the country, so I knew we’d have no trouble checking this off our to-do list.
Since it was Kyle who, truth be told, actually put the finishing touches on our wedding cake and took full responsibility for this sweet project, who better to hand over the blogging reigns to than the future Mr. Katharine Waterman himself?
Enter my groom, best friend and better half, Kyle Gibler:
From Kyle: Thanks, ladies, for the gracious introduction. If there’s one thing I know in life, it’s video games. If I had to choose a second, though, it’d be cake. I have been a lover of baked goods all my life, and for me, cake is the ultimate. Naturally my main (read: only) job in the planning of this wedding was to nail down the deets of our cake. Thanks to Katharine (and most likely her helper Emily), we knew what the cake was going to look like on the outside. But just like my mom always told me, I believe it’s what’s on the inside that counts. I’ve been a chocolate fan for most of my life, but I wanted to try something a little bit more out there for our wedding. After all, what’s a black and white affair without a little color? (Note: Since I am, in fact, color blind, seeing said colors presents a bit of a challenge.)
Ever since I can remember, my mom has baked me Funfetti® cakes and cupcakes for my birthday. She even got Katharine hooked on the flavor when she started shipping me birthday cakes in college. When Kat asked me what flavor the wedding cake should be, I thought it only appropriate to choose the sprinkle-flavored goodness. So that’s it, right? My job was over. Not quite…
Kyle enjoying Funfetti through the years
Apparently, cake tasting is a “must” in the wedding world, and we would be having ours at Montilio’s. Now I was really excited! A bit of background: this Boston-based bakery provided the cake for JFK’s wedding, Presidents Bush and Reagan’s inaugural balls, Bill Cosby’s birthday and Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Boston. Montilio’s even baked a cake for the Pope, for God’s sake! (Pun intended.)
Needless to say, the 63-year old Beantown bakery had an impressive resume, but would its cakes live up to its reputation? My parents, Katharine and I attempted to find out last Thursday when we visited Montilio’s for an official cake tasting. As soon as we entered the showroom, I was immediately impressed by the elaborate designs of their display cakes. My eyes were drawn to a pink birthday cake with black and white zebra stripes, but Katharine vetoed that one. Walking around the showroom, I knew I had found a haven for cake creators and cake lovers alike! While the family-run Montilio’s certainly produces cakes that resemble art more than dessert, I secretly was crossing my fingers that their cakes would taste just as good as they looked.
That’s when we met Mia, Montilio’s lead cake designer and our hostess for the day. Mia laid out a variety of cake slices to sample, and encouraged me to get to work! And here’s my official verdict: Montilio’s cakes, like my bride-to-be, are almost as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside! While I was at first sad to hear that Montilio’s didn’t carry the Pillsbury Funfetti brand, I was soon consoled by Mia’s revelation that the bakery had its own equivalent: Confetti. So it was settled: Confetti all the way!
But as we continued to taste the various offerings, my dad and I shared a special moment over a slice of chocolate fudge cake. (I’m not kidding: it was that good!) While I went into our tasting thinking I knew exactly what I wanted in a wedding cake, I surprised myself (and my bride!) when I realized I was smitten with chocolate fudge. I told Mia about my predicament, and she suggested we have two tiers of Confetti and two tiers of chocolate fudge. My mom said having two flavors is a plus and that guests likely would appreciate the choice. I was sold. (Thanks, Mom + Mia!)
So now the cake will reflect Katharine’s dream on the outside and mine on the inside. And I will be one happy groom, which is what’s really important here.
From Katharine: I’m pretty sure lovely Mia, cake designer extraordinaire, is Kyle’s new best friend (no joke), so hopefully she isn’t too surprised if she receives an invitation to share in our cake happiness this September from the groom himself. What can I say: the boy loves his cake.
A huge thank-you to Mia and the entire Montilio’s staff for treating us to such a sweet experience in their main show room. We left fatter + happier than we came – plus with a hand-drawn design of our wedding cake from Mia herself! – so I’d venture to say the trip was a great success The only thing we’re more excited about is seeing the final product in September!
Up next? The groom’s look!
Weigh in: what will your cake look like?
Previously:
Neither Maples Wedding Cakes nor Montilio’s is an SW advertiser and no free services are being received. Katharine’s planning posts are written to share her experiences and personal recommendations, not as advertisement for vendors. We don’t even tell the vendor that the post is being written. We just love em : )
I don’t think there’s anything more elegant than a black and white cake! I’m swooning (and drooling!)
I’m grinning ear to ear that someone out there shares my affinity for all things Funfetti! :)
Wow, so many kinds of wedding cakes, they are not only beautiful with so many decoration, but also delicious. I really want to have a taste at them one by one.
Maples is A-MAZ-ING! Hands down the best cake designer in Nashville!
I also fell in love with the Maples wedding cake above and had the pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta recreate it for my recent wedding. We used antique brooches my mom had collected over the years and I think it turned out really well!
Alisha, you’ll have to send me a picture of your cake! We’re basically cake twins :) I love the idea of using brooches your mother collected before your big day. So special! xo, Katharine @ Southern Weddings
Katharine, The brooches are GORGEOUS!! What size did you guys end up having to buy? I would think that regular brooches would end up being too small?BEAUTIFUL!!!