It's Friday We're in Love with... Cake!

If invitations are the first thing that kicks off a wedding's theme, then cake is the last (yummy) piece! At Relish, we have been blessed to get to meet so many wonderful local bakers! And with shows like Cake Boss, it seems the whole world is getting to know what all is possible in the world of wedding cakes!

While we would love to blog about cakes from across the world. We only know how excellent the cakes in our own backyard look (in person) and taste. So for now, take a look at our three Nashville faves who, in our opinion are as good as you'll find anywhere. In fact, two of them have been featured on Martha Stewart!

Let's start with our long-time friend, Cakes by Shara. If Relish made wedding cakes, they would most likely look like Shara's. Her cake designs are fresh, bright and beautiful! And the taste? Yeah... we didn't know fondant could taste so GOOD!!!

Aren't these so "Relishy"? But, the REAL reason we adore Shara? She has THE BEST cupcakes ever! (one of which was a winner on Martha Stewart's national cupcake contest!)

Bring cupcakes into your wedding by having a wedding CUPcake!

Want something more elegant, more classic / traditional? Maples Wedding Cakes has the most spectacular designs! Some of their cakes are so beautiful, I would never have the heart to cut into them! The artist in me is envious of their A-MA-ZING attention to detail! Seriously, they are so beautiful that you need to see them in person. Just look at these...

Want something customized to match your linen pattern (or perhaps your Relish invitation)? Look at this...

One thing I love the most about Maples is their presentation. Just look at how this cake stand really makes the cake go from beautiful to amazing.

Want something that combines the two styles above? Something fun and yet very detailed? Check out the cakes at The Bake Shoppe! They are some of the most creative ladies! I love the bright cakes (including the blue & brown cakes we opened with above). 

Also, you HAVE to try their champagne wedding cake truffles. I had no idea that you could fit that kind of flavor into a bite-size, hard-shelled, piece of Heaven! I'm serious. If I could, I would order some every day!!!

Also, all 3 companies make great groom's cakes. Check out their sites for their amazing designs. I could have included a ton of them here (great ideas), but I wanted to leave you with just this one I found from The Bake Shoppe. St. Louis Cardinals fans represent! ;) 

Getting great cake combined with the best team in baseball - now, that's what I call having your cake and eating it too! ;) Have a great weekend everyone!

Relish Real Weddings: Tim & Julie Tupper

About the Couple:
Julie moved to Nashville from South Dakota in September 2007. Tim grew up in California but has lived here for several years now. Julie works for the FDIC and Tim works as a videographer for CBN on programs like the 700 Club. They both travel frequently with their jobs. Tim also just joined the National Guard last year and will be deployed to Iraq early next year. [Thank you Tim for your service to our country!] Julie & Tim met through an event at their church.


Couple’s Names: Julie Mitchell & Tim Tupper

How did he propose?
Tim proposed on New Year’s Eve. I had kinda hoped he would pop the question at Christmas, but nope. On New Year’s Eve, we went to church, and afterwards he planned on having some people over for a fireworks display. I didn’t think much of it because he likes doing that kind of thing. But, I did find it odd that, when people came over that night, there were a couple people with cameras and even one with a video camera. Well, the fireworks went off, and there were ooh’s and aah’s. And then somebody started handing out sparklers to everybody. I thought to myself…I do NOT want to do sparklers. But, someone had come around and offered me a sparkler, so I took one. I was having my own little party with my sparkler, and Tim found me and then he grabbed my hand and was taking me somewhere. At that moment, I realized what was happening. People were forming a circle with sparklers in hand, and Tim was taking me in the middle to propose. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t figured this out! Nonetheless, he said a few words and then got down on one knee and popped the question! (I said yes, BTW!)

Wedding Date: July 26, 2009

Location: Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville

Colors & why you chose them:
Red and sparkly…wanted something classic (with the red) and something glamorous (with the sparkly!)



Tell us about your vendors. Who did you use?

Dress: The White Room, Lebanon





Flowers: Enchanted Florist



Venue: Scarritt-Bennett Center



Photographer: Phindy Studios



Cake: Signature Cakes





Rings: Elegant Diamonds, Jared



Hair & Makeup: Bella Kru



Wedding Coordinator: Ever After Weddings & Events [*this vendor was highlighted in our blog posted this past Wednesday. Click here to view the blog.]



I don’t know that I would have done anything differently! If I had had more time, I would have loved to have been a little creative and done some things on my own. Also, we would have eaten more of the food, especially the cake! We really only got a few bites altogether! We hope to be able to order some cake for an anniversary some day!

What was the special touch you added to your day that was unique?
For the guest book, I bought a scrapbook and put a few photos of us in it and then put some lined pieces of paper on a few pages for our guests to write their names. I plan to add photos from our engagement session and wedding day to make it into a scrapbook of our wedding.



What was a surprise?
Fortunately, I don’t think there were any surprises that day!

What is one memory you will never forget?
How short the ceremony actually was!

Would you recommend Relish invitations / getrelish.com & Why?
Most definitely! Relish helped me find the invitations and wedding programs that were just right! They went the extra mile to get the invitations and wedding programs to my satisfaction!



Congrats Julie & Tim from all of us at Relish! May you enjoy the journey for the rest of your lives!

Vendor Spotlight: Cakes by Shara

Below is our interview with one of our favorite Nashville vendors, Shara Lunn of Cakes by Shara. First, we must say that we at Relish have been very privileged to know Shara almost since the beginning of our journey in the wedding industry. What first caught our eye is her artful, beautiful cakes! Then we found out that she actually makes Rental Cakes! YES - like the tuxes and the linens, you can actually RENT YOUR CAKE! ;) She makes gorgeous faux cakes which you can set up at the event and then buy cheap (but yummy) sheet cake to cut up and put beside the rental cake. It's such a cool, trendy (and budget friendly) concept! THEN we tasted her real cakes... and we were in love! Shara is a great lady to work with and she is an extremely talented artist! Plus she makes beautiful fondant icing that is also some of the yummiest icing ever!!! If you have not booked your cake yet, you're in luck - you still have a chance to fall in love with Cakes by Shara too!




Name of Business: Cakes By Shara

Business Established: 2006

Location of business: Nashville/Mt Juliet willing to travel just about anywhere! (However, outside of 10-15 miles there is a delivery charge)

Why did you go in to this business? I wanted to be a cake decorator like Collette Peters, or Margret Brawn. I also wanted to use the skills that God gave me to mentor other women someday.

What’s your favorite part of this industry? The colors, the flavors, and the amazing imaginations of clients!

What type of packages do you offer? I now have a new special $3.00 a slice for simple but elegant round, hexagon or square. You provide the ribbon, or you can have Swiss dots or medium swirls with a simple piped shell or bead border. Bridal cakes to serve 50 - 150. White or ivory fondant over buttercream with vanilla bean cake. This cake will not include other flavors and can be ordered on the phone.

What is your unique style / service that sets you apart from other vendors in your industry? I think my style has evolved into unique wedding cake designs, I love color, flavors, grooms cakes and anything 3-d. I love floral cupcakes and cake glitter. I love pearlized cakes and stencils. I love to sculpt people as well.




What is one memory you won’t forget working in this industry? When the Brides face lights up and they hug you. That has got to be the best thing ever!

Do you do cakes for other occassions? Yes! (see some examples of creative specialty cakes below)

Have your cake...

...and eat it too!



One of my favorite things about the wedding industry is, well... the cake! Shara of Cakes by Shara is our go-to-girl for all our cake needs.

Last year at our Relish launch party, Shara totally wowed us with her amazing mini-cupcake cake. It coordinated perfectly with our party decor and invitations on display... and from what I hear, these are the best cupcakes that many, many people have ever tasted. It just seals the deal that they are so flippin' cute!

Due to my gluten allergy, I can't vouch personally to the taste... however, I was absolutely giddy when Shara presented me with my very own box of gluten-free cupcakes! I didn't waste any time...

If you're in the Nashville area, be sure to contact Shara for your next party or cake-worthy event!
-Rebecca

Unique Weddings for 2009

Here is our special Featured Blog, as seen on Ashley's Bride Guide Wednesday, January 14th. (http://www.ashleysbrideguide.com/):




You’ve dreamed about your wedding day perhaps for your whole life. I was personally not that way, but as soon as I said yes, the dreaming began! I have always had a creative spirit and my wedding was my chance to show who I was (and yes, who my husband was) in each and every detail of the day. As with many wedding professionals, it was after my own wedding that I begin to think of entering the wedding industry. I think that comes from being a bride who has trouble finding those things which represent her for her big day, those things which will express the tone of their wedding the way they want.

Invitations were a big part of how I set the tone of my own wedding. I have been a graphic designer for years so it seemed like an easy place to start. I began to envision the whole day and what would suit us as a couple. I decided I wanted a cute picnic themed reception. I wanted sheer green ribbon in lots of places, so it made sense to put it on my invitations, since that would be the first look our guests got of our special day. I must admit that at that time, even I had trouble thinking too far outside the box with my invitations. I had worked in printing for years and had used “The Books” to help brides get ideas for invitations. I hated that my ideas didn’t fit nice and neat into “the book” way of thinking.

Now, a short 4 years later, I am the CEO and one of the designers for Relish (getrelish.com). It may sound strange for me to say this about my own company, but I truly wish I’d had Relish when I got married! With Relish, my partners and I have tried to really come out of “the book box” with our paper designs. We have created many designs for different types of brides. If you want something more formal (like what most books have), you can get that with Relish, only you can still customize it to you. If you want something more crazy - you can do that as well! The most important thing about customizing your own invitations is that they are unique to you and your special day! Do not limit yourself in any aspect of your day. Dream in color, think BIG… and then you know - try to put it all into your “budget”.

Here are a couple photos from my own reception. To the right is a photo of an invitation I designed on getrelish.com and you can see how well it would have tied in to our wedding theme. (*NOTE: You can also have Relish adjust the colors of their patterns to custom match your exact color scheme)



So, it may be too late for me to send those out now, but below are some great photos of this season’s color trends which are used in the dresses, the flowers, the cake, and then of course the invitations! You could continue the colors and theme into the rest of your wedding stationary, your reception linens and all the other little details!


Black & White is always in style and very classy. Also, you can pair it with any color to get a unique look!


Bright Yellow is such a fresh color to see everywhere this year! Paired with Bright Whites and Garden Greens, it is beautiful, especially for Spring & Summer!


Fuschia / Hot Pink is very in this year. It’s great paired with Dark Purple, Wines & Black as well - it’s so much fun and creates a very unique look and feel to your day!


Aqua is another one of the fun, bright colors we are excited to see a lot of this year! You can go with a Dark Turquoise-Aqua (seen above) or a lighter, Sea-Green Aqua (also used in this invitation). You can pair it with Fuchsia, Lime Green (as seen below) or Dark Purple.


Lime Green is so bright and fresh, especially for Spring & Summer! Pair it with Hot Pink, Garden Green, Yellow or Aqua (as seen in previous photo).



Bright “Tangerine” Orange is another fresh color for this year! It works great in the Summer and into the Fall. Pair it with bright Whites, Peach (for Spring), Fuchsia, and nearly any shade of Green.


As you can see, the possibilities for a unique wedding in 2009 are endless! And it can all start with your unique invitations!


PHOTO CREDITS:

Dresses provided by Cherished Memories Bridal
Flowers provided by Fresh by Carryann
Cakes provided by Cakes by Shara
Promotional Photography provided by Jessica Rai Photography
Personal wedding photos by Laurie Carpenter Photography