The Wedding Cake — lovingly prepared and beautifully presented — is a major part of this event. I can help you design a cake that will meet all of your high expectations, as well as respect your budget. Then I will work with you every step of the way to ensure that things are carried out flawlessly, so that you and your new spouse can relax and enjoy the day instead of fretting over details.

Please note that I do not play the game that many bakers play. When you ask, “How much will this cake cost?” they quote you a price that sounds eminently reasonable. What they “forget” to mention is that this is just the cost of the cake, and that everything else is “extra” i.e. delivery, set up, rental of plates, pillars, fountain, etc. By the time this is all tacked onto price of the cake, you wind up paying two or even three times the initial quote.

I think that’s outrageous. It’s standard industry practice, but I disapprove of it, because I want you to feel good about working with me, not like you’ve been sucked into a whirlwind from which there is no escape. I will sit down with you over cake and coffee/tea, find out exactly what you need, and then give you one all-inclusive price.

Great cake, great service, and honest pricing — I’ll take good care of you!

 If you’re having kids at your reception, you can invite them up for a teddy bear toss. Or throw a bouquet of candy; either will go over big with the little ones!

If it is adults-only, you can do a “marriage appreciation dance.”  That’s when the emcee calls all married couples out to the dance floor and gradually asks them to sit based on how long they’ve been married.  The pair who’ve been married the longest are the last ones standing.  Award them with a bottle of wine or your toss bouquet.

Of course you’ve thought of the dress, the colors, the flowers, the invitations……    And now it’s time to think about the wedding cake. So where do you start?

Wedding cakes are a predominantly a Western tradition in marriage ceremonies.

It is the tradition that a newly married couple stand together, hand on hand, and cut the cake together. This is because cutting the cake is a symbol of unity and togetherness. Cutting the wedding cake together is also another essential marker of the couple’s commitment to one another on their special day. This is basically the reason why wedding cakes are still so popular in modern culture.

When looking for your wedding cake, think taste and looks first.  Always get a tasting of cake from the cake designer you are considering.  Love the taste and love the creativity and looks of the baker’s cakes,  go for it.

A good baker will:

• listen to you and see what kind of cake you want
• will answer all your questions.  Remember, no question is ever stupid.
• give you ideas to help you make your decision

In Anglo Saxon times, to establish his authority the groom symbolically struck the bride with a shoe. Brides would then throw a shoe at the bridesmaids to see who would marry next. Makes you appreciate the bouquet toss, doesn’t it?

Throwing old shoes after the bride is a sign that authority is being transferred from the bride’s father to her new husband. A variation is for the bride’s father to throw her shoe after the groom as a token of his surrender of his daughter. Personally I am in favor of this one.

Make a solution of 1 gallon warm water and 1/2 cup fabric softener.  After you have finished painting, dip the brushes or rollers in the solution and swish around.  The softener actually reduces the surface tension of the water so that paint comes off the brush quickly and settles at the bottom of the bucket.

Marriage is a bringing together.

It is a bringing together of two people, of two families, of two tribes, of two villages, or even two countries.

Marriage is that powerful.

Marriage is not something to be entered into lightly.

Marriage is a pledge meant to last a lifetime.

Yet it is one of the unceasing marvels that we are able to express something as basic as love and marriage in so many wonderful and touching ways. Such is the wonder of human existence. The ceremonies and the traditions may be different, they may seem strange or outlandish or they may touch feelings in us that we never knew we had, but there is something about marriage that is instantly recognizable no matter what the language.

Be comfortable with your baker.

Your baker and other vendors are people you will be dealing with for months to come.  You should feel that you can tell them anything you want done or not done without having to apologize.  We as vendors are there to serve you.  I appreciate it when a customer tells me what it is that they want or don’t want.

Hey, it may not be what I want, but again it is not my wedding or special occasion.  When you choose me as your baker, please tell me what you think, so I can make you happy.

I am in the happy business.

Releases are usually done immediately after the marriage ceremony, whether it is an intimate back-yard affair or a grand fairy-tale wedding and may involve from two to dozens of doves, which climb into the sky before flying home to their loft.

These doves are carefully trained to return home and are not released “into the wild”. Due to seasonal changes, dove release ceremonies are generally conducted from May to October in Michigan, but other services are offered year round, including doves shown in elegantly decorated cages fro the church entryway, the gift table, near the head table or any other location where they will contribute to the romance of the special day.

It is wise to book early, this is a specialty service with limited providers in any one area.

Marriage is the most solemn pledge we make in our lifetimes.

Traditionally the wedding pledge is made in front of family and friends who take special pains to stand up and witness our pledge. The wedding pledge is to be true and faithful and loving to another human being. To wed is both the most basic of all human pledges, and at the same time the most sublime.

Marriage carries with it the most solemn of promises, but it also embodies the potential for the greatest joy of human existence – the pure joy that flows from two hearts beating as one. There are few joys in life as deep or as long lasting as the joy that springs from the well of true love and a lasting marriage.