Tag: wedding

ELIZABETH’S CAKE EMPORIUM PARTNERS WITH HELLO MAGAZINE AND BRIDELUX

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We are absolutely delighted to announce that Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium has partnered with HELLO magazine and Bridelux for a Great British Luxury Wedding giveaway in honour of the selfless service provided by key workers to our nation recently.

These are indeed unprecedented times, the like which many of us have never experienced before. In the UK, we cannot express our gratitude enough to all the key workers that have kept our country going. On a personal level, Elizabeth, our founder, is honoured to have family members who are serving as key workers, putting their own lives on the line every single day!

We firmly believe that love and gratitude are best expressed through our actions, therefore we have teamed up with other luxury wedding suppliers, HELLO magazine and Bridelux to give away an entire luxury wedding to a deserving couple.

Everything from the venue, food and drink, wedding dress, wedding outfits, stationery, flowers and of course the luxury wedding cake from us will be free. There will even be a wedding planner and stylist to make sure everything is in place. All the couple has to do is turn up, relax and enjoy their big day.

NOMINATE

For details on how to nominate someone deserving, please visit THIS LINK

Are you a beaming bride or groom to be? Do you love the idea of creating your dream wedding with one of our luxury wedding cakes? Give Elizabeth a call on 07958069116 or send an email to info@elizabethscakeemporium.com

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ONLINE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THE WEDDING INDUSTRY DURING THIS CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

These are very unusual times. The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) has been sweeping the world, since it’s emergence a few months ago.

At Elizabeth‘s Cake Emporium, we believe that our health and the health and well being of our clients is of utmost importance, and understandably a number of events have been sensibly postponed. We do not advocate cancellation at this point for the reason that when all this is over, we all need something lovely to look forward to and what better than a special celebration! We are also offering a cake delivery service, subject to a minimum order, with consultations held via the telephone or online.

In the meantime, we have compiled a list of the best online resources available to our clients and industry colleagues with the hope that we are in some small way contributing to their mental, emotional and physical well being.

The list is by no means comprehensive but it’s a start. I hope you find this helpful.


If you have any more resources we should be aware of, kindly email it to me at info@elizabethscakeemporium.com

Please keep safe and stay healthy!

Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium’s : Classic Blue Luxury Wedding Cakes 

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Pantone has unveiled its colour of the year for 2020 as Classic Blue, Pantone 19-4052 – a colour reminiscent of the sky at dusk. As we move into a new decade, this universal favourite represents stability, calmness, tranquility and dependability and it’s a perfect base on which to build as we cross over into the roaring 20s.

At Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium,  Classic Blue is a colour we adore, as shown by its regular use on some of our luxury wedding cakes. Generally, it is easier to make white and pastel luxury wedding cakes but darker colours such as Classic Blue often present an added layer of difficulty. This is due to the fact that blending colours to get the exact shade or hue of Classic Blue can be tricky, as the undertones could be warm or cold. Blue is also one of the hardest colours to determine the undertone, as it is naturally a cool colour.  In fact, many cool colours are blue based so it does require a deep knowledge of colour intensities and values to achieve the desired shade of blue.

Of course, Classic Blue is a colour that works well with white, and traditionally, this tends to be the colour it is often paired with.  However, it works brilliantly with metallics such as silver and gold as the rich depth of colour it provides allows metallics to pop. It also works well with bright colours such as yellow and marbelized,  the colour gives a contemporary feel to any luxury wedding cake.

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We look forward to making many more Classic Blue wedding cakes for our 2020 couples, so contact us at info@elizabethscakeemporium.com or on 07958069116 for a consultation.

Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium named Best Cake Maker at the Bridelux Awards

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We are delighted to announce that Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium has been named as the best luxury cake maker at the Bridelux Awards. The only prestigious luxury wedding award of its kind in the world, this award was the latest accolade for Elizabeth Solaru who was also a speaker at the Bridelux Symposium.
Presented at The Savoy, London, the illustrious judging committee included Simon Leadsford of Conde Nast, Jade Beer former Editor of Brides, George Hammer founder of The Wedding Gallery and Caroline Neville.
According to Elizabeth,  “To be named as best luxury cake maker at the Bridelux awards is incredible and its one of the highlights of my career so far. To be chosen from such a talented line up of nominees is a huge honour, especiallly in my speciality area, which is luxury wedding cake”
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To commission your luxury wedding cake contact us at info@elizabethscakeemporium.com or on 07958069116.

The Queen of Gems and The Gems of Queens

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I thought I’d share with you another styled shoot conceived, planned and styled by me. Yes I know cakes are my thing, but once in a while I love to unleash my creativity by collaborating with some of the best luxury wedding suppliers in the industry. Some of my previous shoots include Tulip Fever,   The Two Fridas, Van Gogh’s Lucid Dreams , which all went viral,  so I was a tad nervous when I came up with Pearlencia.

The premise of pearlencia was the pearl;  unique and often known as the “Queen of Gems”.  The favourite of Her Majesty the Queen (she is reported to have at least 3 duplicates of her often worn three strand pearl necklace), they symbolise unblemished perfection, modesty and purity.

The most popular adornment in bridal wear historically,  they are often used to embellish wedding dresses and other bridal accessories.

The sole gem that is borne inside a living organism, the pearl is really a matchless gift of nature. Every pearl is unique, one of a kind and a very special creation.

I envisioned and created this shoot as an ode to the pearl,  taking inspiration from the image of a gloriously beaded pearl head band created by my good friend Boe of Botias.

THE VENUE

The light and airy atrium of 10-11 Carlton House Terrace was the perfect setting for the shoot. The premises, built in 1831 to designs by John Nash, are steeped in history. The building was previously occupied by four-times Prime Minister William Gladstone, and was a First World War Hospital for Wounded Officers.

DECOR AND DETAILS

The chosen palette was a smorgasbord of pearly tones including white, iridescent cream, ivory, very pale pink and grey and hints of gold and silver.

The tablescape flowers consisted of large white and cream avalanche and bianca roses, a variety of spray roses and hydrangeas beautifully arranged in groupings in bud vases by renowned florists, All for Love.

The clear back white Louis chairs and the crystal candlelabras topped with hand made beeswax candles in pearl white were supplied by Kashi of Eden Event Design Ltd and London Event Hire.

Each place setting featured tableware from Duchess and Butler. We used their beautiful white ceramic pearl dinnerware set with beaded border, fiori crystal glasses and milk white vintage goblets.

The exquisitely embroidered and pearl beaded linen napkins, lace edged handkerchief and garter were made by Heidi of Extra Special Touch and the table linen was from Over the Top Rentals.

The specially commissioned elegant stationery was designed and created by Ananya cards. The invitation and menus were painstakingly hand embroidered with seed pearls and inscribed with silver calligraphy.  They also created the  iridescent marble pearl disc name cards which were a very cool addition.

The incredible 9 foot high balloon installation which served as a ‘pearl’ backdrop to the tablescape was by luxury balloon stylist, Balloonista. She used a mix of white, cream and grey pearlised balloons to create a wonderful effect.

HE DRESSES

For the first look, the model wore the glamorous lace and pearl embroidered ‘Truth’ by Ersa Atelier.  The figure hugging fit and flare dress was paired with a number of Botias accessories, which included the earrings, an incredible pearl studded headband, a matching cathedral length veil and pearl slingbacks.

For the second look the model wore ‘Aime’ by Alon Livne White. The strapless silk dress worked perfectly with the rather magnificently crafted Elizabethan pearl cape Botias accessories created specifically for the shoot.

BEAUTY

The hair and make up was by the amazing Boe of Botias who expertly made up the model, coiffing her hair to perfection. She used a soft and natural palette of blush and rose pink, keeping the bridal make up light and natural.  The hair for the first look was a sleek low bun with a centre parting studded with pearls. The hair for the second look was a voluminous up do which reflected the avant garde look we were aiming for perfectly.

THE CAKES

Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium  created six  pearl inspired luxury wedding cakes for the shoot,  in her distinctive style. They included an ornate 4 tier bas relief and pearl studded split cake, a fault line cake surrounded by large pearl bubbles, rough textured pearl cascaded cakes and a dramatic 4 tiered ‘pearlode’ carved cake. The main 7 tiered cake was decorated with wafer paper frills, wafer paper circles of different sizes and edible pearls, finished off with edible silver leaf and paint.

PHOTOGRAPHY

All this was captured beautifully  by fine art photographer Anneli Marinovich . We can all agree that she has succeeded in capturing the essence of the pearl in this rather special shoot.

Credits

Concept, Planning, Styling and Cakes Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium https://www.elizabethscakeemporium.com

Venue https://10-11cht.com/

Photographer http://www.annelimarinovich.com/

Bridal Styling, Hair and Make Up https://www.botias.co.uk/

Bridal Shoes, Accessories and Pearl Cape https://botiasaccessories.co.uk/

Dresses Truth by Ersa Atelier and Aime by Alon Livne White at https://morgandaviesbridal.co.uk/

Floral Design – https://www.allforlovelondon.com/

Chairs https://www.eventhirehub.com/

Table Decor and Accessories https://www.edenevent.com/

Balloon installation https://www.balloonista.com/

Stationery https://www.ananyacards.com/

Chargers, plates, and crystal https://duchessandbutler.com/

Napkins, handkerchief and garter  https://www.extraspecialtouch.co.uk/

Table Linen https://www.ottrentals.com/

Top Ten Wedding Cake Trends for 2020 by Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium

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In many wedding receptions, luxury wedding cakes are often a most welcome sight and as we often joke, the only guest at a wedding with it’s own table! At Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, the sheer diversity of our luxury wedding cake designs range from grand wedding cakes that grace exclusive palaces to the most delicate one tiered wonders.

Our reputation for producing some of the best luxury wedding cakes in the world often precedes us and we constantly endeavour to keep abreast of trends by actively listening to our clients and creating original designs and delicious cake flavours.

The start of a new decade, 2020 is set to be an exciting year for weddings, and individuality will be huge. Couples are no longer content to be offered cookie cutter, identikit wedding cakes and are now proactive participants in the design process and flavour choice.

Wedding cake flavours are also set to be more adventurous in 2020 with sophisticated flavour pairings, seasonality and sustainability being huge considerations.

1. Grand wedding cakes

 A grand wedding cake symbolises bringing a fantasy to life and is the pinnacle of luxury wedding cakes. Usually tall and imposing in size, these multi tiered confections tend to be the focal point of a wedding reception. In some cultures, it is believed that the number of tiers is directly proportional to the longevity of the marriage, so the more cake tiers, the merrier!

2. Pearlencia 

Known as the queen of gems, pearls have been a part of bridal couture for many years. No longer consigned to grandma’s jewellery box, they have even been seen on the red carpet, with Harry Styles causing a stir when he wore a single pearl earring to the Met Gala. Pearls are set to be huge in 2020 and luxury wedding cakes adorned with edible pearls even more so.

3. Floating tier wedding cakes

We made our first floating tier wedding cake in 2012. It was inspired by the wedding cake from the film Sex and The City 2 and featured thousands of crystals on custom made cake stands. A clever way to add height and illusion to a luxury wedding cake, it’s great to see this trend is now a firm favourite with luxury brides.

4. Split wedding cakes

Split wedding cakes or half and half wedding cakes have gone from wannabe upstarts and have taken on a life of their own. They range from quirky and fun to elegant and intricately crafted. For a couple who crave something different, split cakes reflect the two sides of a whole and offer a way of incorporating a couple’s histories and passions into a cake.

5. Something cake, something blue

Pantone has declared Classic Blue as the colour of the year for 2020. Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights every couple’s desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build their partnership as they cross the threshold into a new era. We look forward to seeing couples make bolder choices by incorporating ‘something blue’ into their wedding cakes.

6. Carved cakes redefined 

Carved cakes are a wonderful evolution and expression of individuality and are set to take the luxury  wedding cake landscape by storm.  These gravity defying edifices can be studded with coloured rock candy or pearls for a more sophisticated look.

7. Rococo love

Rococo emerged in Italy and France as a very significant movement in the art world.  Created by craftsmen, this highly ornamental style is perfect for wedding cakes as it allows for the use of mouldings and gilding which is often suited to stately homes and royal palaces.

8. Textured wedding cakes

There are different types of textures that can be applied to a luxury wedding cake surface and these can range from barely there geometric iterations (perfect for contemporary designs), smooth frosting stripes, wafer paper frills to bas relief. Texture is a great way to add interest and  dimension thereby creating elevation and personalisation.

9. Fault line wedding cakes

As a keen student of geography, I was aware that fault lines represent fracture lines on the surface of the earth. Years later, I never knew it would be the inspiration for a whole new cake design. Fault line cakes are all the rage at the moment and at Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, we have created a very sophisticated version which is already popular with our 2020 couples.

10. Watercolour cakes

Painting a  wedding cake is the ultimate way to personalise one. Anything from, pretty florals to contemporary graphics and scripted calligraphy are some of the ways. In 2020, we predict that darker, bolder colours will come to the fore and we will also see art and wildlife inspired hand-painted wedding cakes.

We hope that what we see as the wedding cake trends for 2020 provides some inspiration for you.

If you are getting married in the near future, do not hesitate to contact us for a consultation at info@elizabethscakeemporium.com or by speaking with us at 07958069116.

Visit our instagram page at @elizabethscakeemporium and let us know what you think about our latest creations.

Celebrating Pride

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At Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium we are often approached to collaborate on styled shoots due to the fact that we have a reputation for being one of the best cake companies in the world. When Amie Bone approached us we did not hesitate to say yes as we knew this was going to be rather special.

THE SHOOT CONCEPT

This concept, conceived and styled by Amie Bone with additional styling and co-ordination by Charlotte Munro, takes a different look at relationships. In an era when men and women are supposed to be from “different planets” and unable to communicate, many gay men and straight women seem able to connect almost effortlessly.

This shoot was created as a celebration of PRIDE and modern relationships and friendships.

THE VENUE

The beautiful and unique Aynhoe Park was the location for this shoot. At the heart of 250 acres of Capability Brown Cotswolds countryside, the 17th century 28 bedroom home is a country house of stories and surprises – a place where the extraordinary happens every day. It was therefore perfect for this unusual shoot.

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DECOR AND DETAILS

Amie designed an incredibly wild cascading floral tablescape featuring an explosion of greenery and flowers. She used runners of coral peonies, gloriosa, orange and deep pink roses, pink sweet peas and hydrangeas, orange gladioli, green guelder roses, yellow calla lilies, ranunculi and tulips in abundance to create the most opulent look. Interspersed within the floral runner were bespoke bird cages and luxurious gold candelabras.

Each place setting had a charger plate by Whitehouse Crockery which was topped with gold-edged watercolour men and place card from EG Lettering and sweet treats from Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium.

THE CAKES

We designed a trio of luxury wedding cakes and sweet treats in black and gold. Black sugarpaste is  tricky to work with as it marks easily and any errors tends to be exaggerated. Thankfully, we only use the best sugarpaste on the market, Massa Ticino, which we are brand  ambassadors for.

The main cake was a tall and dramatic 7 tiered confection in black decorated with baroque detailing and sugar flowers in pink, yellow and orange. The cake was set with a lush greenery backdrop and looked absolutely incredible.

The other two cakes included a one tiered crackle effect cake topped with sugar roses and a three-tiered cake black cake with pink marble veining accented with gold. There were also matching black and gold cupcakes, mini magnums and cookies for the dessert table.

PHOTOGRAPHY

The shoot was brilliantly captured by San Shawe of Sanshine Photography, one of the top wedding photographers in the World. I am sure you will all agree that this unique luxury shoot is simply stunning!

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THE CREATORS:

Venue: Aynhoe Park www.aynhoepark.co.uk

Photographer: Sanshine Photography www.sanshinephotography.com

Floral design: Amie Bone www.amieboneflowers.com

Styling & Coordination: Charlotte Munro Weddings www.charlottemunro.co.uk

Hair & Makeup: Team Glam www.teamglam.com

Luxury Wedding Cakes and Dessert Table Treats: Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium www.elizabethscakeemporium.com

Stationery: EG Lettering www.eglettering.com

Charger Plates & Glassware: Whitehouse Crockery www.eventcrockeryhire.co.uk

Wedding & Engagement Rings: The London Victorian Ring Co www.london-victorian-ring.com

Dress: Chantal Mallett http://www.chantalmallett.com/

Furniture: The Prop Factory www.propfactory.co.uk

Candles sticks, birdcages & table décor: Wedding Day Hire www.weddingdayhire.co.uk

Models: Meg Makin, Michael Gray, Sam

Suits: Tailor-Made www.tailormadelondon.com, Chester Barrie www.chesterbarrie.co.uk

Van Gogh’s Lucid Dreams

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THE CONCEPT

The idea for this Van Gogh’s lucid dreams shoot came to me during a chat with Joanne Fleming, one of the most talented couturiers I know. I love, love doing styled shoots. It’s one of the best ways to test out luxury wedding cake ideas and concepts, build a portfolio and show clients your style.

To me, Vincent van Gogh is unmistakably one of the best known painters in the world. A pioneer of modernism, this master of colour and innovator produced an impeccable oeuvre which continues to inspire many artists today.

As a young painter in Holland, he had loved yellow and used it liberally in his early paintings.

In honour of the major exhibition at the Tate which brings together his dedication and thoughtful art, I came up with the concept of a happy, joyful styled shoot based on  Van Gogh’s love of yellow and blue.

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THE VENUE

Number 10 and No. 11 Carlton House Terrace currently houses the British Academy. The  premises built in 1831 to designs by John Nash, is steeped in history. It was previously occupied by four-times Prime Minister William Gladstone, and was a First World War Hospital for Wounded Officers.

The atrium with its very high ceilings and beautiful light was the perfect setting for this shoot. Whilst the white alcove with the yellow gold baroque detailing provided exquisite framing for a number of the shots, we took the presence of the modern art paintings on the walls in the shoot colours as a sign that our Van Gogh’s lucid dreams shoot would be best presented at the venue!

DECOR AND DETAILS

For this shoot, we tried to capture in 3D form, the textures and vivid tones found in several Van Gogh’s paintings including Cafe Terrace at Night, Irises, Chair,  Girl in White and of course Starry Night. We also referenced the fact that he loved a tipple or two and his pipe.  The tablescape created by Wild About featured their signature tall and elegant floral design. The outstanding overhanging flower canopy ran across the length of the table and featured different hues of yellow flowers from the deepest ochre VanGogh was famous for, to the palest and creamiest yellow. The flowers used included sunflowers, roses, oncidium dancing lady orchids, cymbidium orchids, Craspedia, Fritillaria, tulips as well as assorted greenery.

The texture and tone theme continued with WildAbout using texturised vases  some in glass, crackle glaze and velvet, in different hues of blue, including midnight blue, navy, teal and cerulean.  The vases housed clever groupings of more gorgeous yellow flowers. The gold candlesticks were topped with candles in royal blue and cornflower blue.

Each place setting featured ornate gold charger plates which were topped with yellow plates sourced from Italy and hand carved sunflower ceramic plates. The charger plates, etched gold rimmed crystal and gold cutlery were from Classic Crockery.

Ananya Cards, created beautiful deep blue stationery edged in gold which featured a specially created monogram and the most elegant calligraphy. The menus were placed on mini easels, as a nod to the artist.  The table linen was from Just 4 Linen and gold edged yellow velvet chairs completed the look.

WildAbout also created three bouquets for the shoot. Two were  yellow and the third made up entirely of Irises.

THE DRESSES

Reminiscent of Van Gogh’s Girl in White, for the first look, our model wore a high waisted skirt with boned foundation and deep pockets  made in heavy ivory French linen and paired with a silk chiffon and swiss-dot tulle peasant bodice for an informal bridal look. The skirt  embellished with a pair of Victorian embroidered sunflowers from Joanne’s collection of vintage trims, and the luxuriously ruffled sleeve cuffs were made from lengths of unused old stock antique lace.

The look was finished with a pair of Harriet Wilde’s classic block heel ‘Lana’ shoes in bridal ivory, and the hat from Jo’s personal collection which is trimmed with the same Swiss-dot tulle as the blouse.

For the second look Jo wanted to conjure those iconic VanGogh paintings of yellow ochre wheat fields and Provençal sunflowers. The corset waist skirt was constructed in slubby silk tussah for a homespun rustic look, and  embroidered with knee high stalks and ears of wheat. The high ruffle-necked blouse was made from tulle embroidered with little sunflowers that have all been hand tinted in shades of golden yellow and burnt sienna. Again, Jo used a length of antique Victorian lace, hand painted to match, for the collar and cuffs, to provide that connection to the past.

A wonderful flower trimmed yellow straw hat by inspirational milliners Lomax and Skinner references the straw hats VanGogh depicted in several of his paintings.

The shoes are a pair of Kurt Geiger ‘Daisy’ linen platform sandals, with the daisies converted to sunflowers with the help of silk paints!

For the third look, Jo created a more sophisticated look inspired by that glorious yellow ochre shade that glows from so many of Vincent’s paintings of the South of France. Supple shimmering silk satin skims and flows around the body, catching and reflecting the light. A huge stylised sunflower is the only embellishment on this gown, which is paired with Harriet Wilde’s fabulous ‘Arabella’ shoes in midnight blue velvet….. the combination of golden yellow and rich blue evoking the jewel tones of  ‘Starry Night over the Rhone’ and ‘Café Terrace at Night’. A Lomax and Skinner curled feather headdress adds a little Moulin Rouge showgirl glamour to the look.

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BEAUTY

The hair and make up for this shoot was by the amazing duo of Sylwia Kunysz and Stacey Goodwin. For the first Girl in White look, we used a soft and natural palette on the face, the hair in a soft tousled up do with some loose tendrils framing the face, working with the models own natural curls to create a relaxed look. It was good way to pay homage to the painting, giving it a modern twist. For the second look, the hair was soft and loose, the team creating a 30s inspired look with bold lip to complement the gorgeous silk ochre dress.

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THE CAKES

For this shoot, I created four luxury wedding cakes, cupcakes, cookies and mini chocolate magnums. The main cake was a 7 tiered Van Gogh mottled deep blue baroque confection. The baroque detailing gave the cake grandeur and the yellow sugar flowers adorning the cake were in different shades of yellow. The handcrafted sugar flowers included tulips, roses, dahlias, peonies and gold leaves. The second cake was a blue gravity defying split cake  with hundreds of yellow sugar flowers seemingly cascading out of the centre. This cake was created to reflect the prolific art that poured out of  Van Gogh despite the darkness that often over took him. The other cakes were distressed and decorated with bas relief, gold leaf, wafer paper and crackled effect and symbolised the fact that art is often never perfect!

PHOTOGRAPHY

We were honoured to have one of the most sought after luxury fine art photographers in the UK, Roberta Facchini capture this shoot in all its glory. We can all agree that she has succeeded in showcasing the essence of Van Gogh’s Lucid Dreams.

SUPPLIER CREDITS

VENUE   

10-11 Carlton House Terrace SW1 5AH htttps://10-11cht.com@10-11cht

CONCEPT, PLANNING, STYLING AND CAKES

Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium https://www.elizabethscakeemporium.com 

@elizabethscakeeemporium

FLOWERS AND FLORAL STYLING

WildAbout https://www.wildabout.co.uk/ @wildaboutflower

DRESSES AND BRIDAL STYLING

Joanne Fleming https://joanneflemingdesign.com/@joflemingdesign

PHOTOGRAPHER

Roberta Facchini https://www.robertafacchini.com/@Roberta Facchini 

HAIR and MAKE UP

Sylwia Kunysz http://www.sylwiamakeup.co.uk/@sylwiakunyszmua

Stacie Goodwin www.staciegoodwinhairdressing.co.uk@staciegoodwinhairdressing

STATIONERY

Ananya Cards https://www.ananyacards.com/@ananyacards

CHARGERS, CUTLERY AND CRYSTAL

Classic Crockery https://www.classiccrockery.co.uk/@classiccrockery

RINGS

The Exquisite Collection http://www.theexquisitecollection.co.uk/ @theexquisitecollection

SHOES

Harriet Wilde https://www.harrietwilde.com/@harrietwildeshoes

Kurt Geiger https://www.kurtgeiger.com/ @kurtgeiger 

HATS

Lomax and Skinner Bespoke Millinery https://www.lomaxandskinner.co.uk/ @lomaxandskinner

Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium at The Langham

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THE VENUE

Recently, Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium was commissioned to make a wedding cake for an incredible wedding at The Langham. This luxury 5 star hotel in the heart of London is home to Michel Roux’s restaurant The Landau. With him being a major, major crush of ours,  it was all we could do to stop fangirling when we met him.

The venue holds all types of celebrations, from the lavish to the intimate. The Grade II ballroom has been recently lovingly restored with contemporary features that enhance its period detail.

As you enter the room, the  dramatic neo-classical pillars and sparkling hand blown Murano glass chandeliers will take your breath away. There is also direct access from the  Grand Ballroom to the Courtyard Garden a hidden gem oasis of calm in the middle of a very busy London.

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THE CAKE

Our beautiful bride wanted a tall and elegant show stopper cake  befitting of her special wedding reception. A very positive and enjoyable first meeting and consultation revealed a bride that was right up our street. She wanted glamour, drama and a huge, huge cake different from the norm!

We responded by designing an eight tier luxury wedding cake in silver and white, embellished with iridescent and sparkly cut out scrolls, leaves and flowers inspired by the glittered embellishments on her custom Galia Lahav dress.

We created a bespoke luster dust mix which we painted the cake which gave the wedding cake a pearlised sheen. The cake was finished off with flowers from acclaimed florist Ricky Paul. The delicious cake flavours included Raspberry Ripple, Luscious Lemon and Chocolate.

Our bride was absolutely over the moon with her cake and the day after her wedding we received a lovely message that  read “Elizabeth, the cake blew me away!! It was 10 times better than what I expected. Thank you so, so much”


We would love to create your luxury wedding cake, so give us a call on 07958069116 or email us at

info@elizabethscakeemporium.com

Award winning author of OPULENCIA available at AMAZON 

www.elizabethscakeemporium.com

Introducing Luxury Wedding Planner Lindy Dowling

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On today’s blog post, I thought I’d switch things up a bit and have a guest blog post. In our 13 years of making cakes we have worked with many amazing wedding planners. Those that stand out to us are those that  put their clients at the centre of all they do and treat their suppliers with kindness and dignity.
Lindy Dowling is an awesome luxury event planner we’ve had the pleasure of working with a number of times and every time has always been a delight! She attracts clients from all walks of life, as she is always calm, lovely and unflappable.  She tells us a little about herself and her plans for the future.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Lindy, I’ve been planning weddings and events for a very long time now, predominantly covering London, The Home Counties and The Cotswolds. I have experience with all budgets and pretty much every wedding you can imagine over the years and I have loved being a part of each one.

I’m a calm, confident, positive person. I take pride in the experience I have and love nothing more than planning new events, meeting new clients and developing long lasting relationships along the way.

How did you get into wedding planning? 

I had my own floristry business for a short while, after taking a break from my City job of 10+ years. Luckily I met a wonderful planner at a wedding fayre, who I then began working alongside. She gave me the motivation to set up my own business. I’ve always been incredibly organized and reliable as well as being very passionate about weddings, so it felt like a natural progression for me to break into the wedding planning industry.

What is a typical day like for you? 

First tea! I start my day by checking emails, my to-do lists for the weddings I’m currently working on, followed by calls or meetings with my lovely clients and suppliers alike. You won’t find me on social media much. I’m quite old school in that respect and humble with my work. Predominantly my day is spent liaising with suppliers and working on my client’s schedules and budget sheets – very glamorous!

Your most favourite wedding to date? 

I come away from every wedding thinking it’s my new favourite. I’ve been incredibly lucky to plan many glitzy, glamorous and high profile weddings over the years. However, some of my most memorable weddings have been those with a simple ceremony at a London Town Hall, followed by a classy, elegant reception. I love having the ceremony in a separate location away from the reception – it allows for the wow factor when guests arrive full of anticipation (and a glass of bubbly) at the reception.

Five tips for couples looking to get married;

1.       Set a budget and aim to stick to this throughout the planning process. If you don’t have a clear budget set, it’s too easy to be dazzled and before you know it your costs are spiralling out of control.

2.       Be realistic about guest numbers and invite those family and friends who are important to you – not just because you feel under pressure to have them there. It’s your day after all.

3.       It’s never too early to start work on your table plan. Most of my clients find this the most stressful part, but it doesn’t need to be if you begin this way ahead of time.

4.       Book your Photographer asap! The best photographers get booked up super fast, so it’s always key to book at the very beginning of your wedding planning journey. I always say ‘After the big day has been and gone, you’re left with wonderful memories, a wedding ring and your photos’. Don’t scrimp on the photographer as it’ll end up being so much more important as years go by. I still look at my Grandparent’s wedding album now – it’s something I’ll treasure forever now they’re gone.

5.       Take time out to enjoy the planning process. Book a weekend away before your big day – just the two of you and relax, leave the plans at home and enjoy each other’s company.

What lessons have you learned along the way? 

Gosh, I could write a book on my experiences and the lessons I have learnt throughout my time as a wedding planner! That’s why I value my experience so highly. I get countless emails each day from people wishing they were a wedding planner, regarding the profession as being uber glamorous with days spent sampling cakes and wine. In reality it is extremely hard work and much more labour intensive on the day than you would imagine. Most wedding planners will tell you the day after a successful wedding you feel like you’ve been hit by a bus – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Name your top 5 venues and what venue would be your dream venue to work with?

The Wallace Collection, The Savile Club, Claridge’s, Aynhoe Park and Petersham Nurseries. I don’t really have a dream venue in mind which I’d like to work with, as for me it’s more about finding my dream client. I’ve been extremely lucky over the years to have worked for so many lovely clients, whom have become friends.

What has been the biggest wedding catastrophe you successfully averted? 

One of my clients bridesmaids left her dress in a taxi on the morning of the wedding. After numerous calls, I was able to track down the driver whom I arranged to meet to collect the dress. Luckily the bride was none the wiser! I also remember fixing a damaged wedding cake alongside a wonderful florist many years back now. Again, my clients had no idea and the cake looked great!

What are we to expect from you in the future?

I don’t have any grand plans to expand or evolve. My future plans are to continue to create wonderful, memorable, timeless events for my clients. After all – it’s always about them for me.

For incredible wedding inspiration and to contact Lindy, visit her website at https://www.lindydowling.co.uk/