Groom's cakes - I love them!  Groom's cakes are a southern tradition and not normally seen in the north.  However, the tradition is starting to spread!  And why not?  What better way to add a little flare, fun, and personality into your wedding? A groom's cake is an opportunity for the groom to have a little personal expression in a day full of flowers, candles, dresses, and music!  It's his little part of the wedding!  This is an area of the wedding to have fun and be creative!  Some grooms choose to stick with a more traditional cake, chocolate (of course!) and a few fruit embellishments.  It's classy and timeless and will probably fit the theme of the wedding.  And some grooms...well, they go all out!  R2D2 (pictured above) was a fun one!  I've made Nintendo controllers, zombie cakes, beach huts...all kinds of fun stuff!  Guests always love to see the groom's personality pop onto a edible display for everyone to enjoy!  What a fun surprise to learn more about a groom's style and interests, then with a cake! 

We always cherish those milestones in our lives and look back on them for years with fond memories.  Remember your first school dance or graduating college?  Most of you are patiently (or impatiently) awaiting the beautiful day of exchanging your wedding vows!  A day that you have planned for many many months.  Today in our house we celebrated a big milestone.  My oldest son has started his first day of Kindergarten.  I look back on the past five years I've had with him and and I'm blessed to see the amazing young man he is turning out to be.  If you've ever had a chance to meet him, you know how sweet and kindhearted he is.  And he always has a story to tell!  I'm sad to lose my big helper during the week, but I'm thrilled to see all the exciting things this year has in store!

How much cake do I need to order?  This is the most common question I receive from brides.  And understandably so.  While today's bride wants to make sure all their guests get to enjoy their dessert, they don't want tiers and tiers of cake left over to take home either.  For those who are only having a bride's cake, the answer is simple: 1 serving per guest.  But, what about the couple who chooses to have a bride's cake and a groom's cake?  The tradition is to have one serving of bride's cake per guest and 1/2 serving of groom's cake per guest.  So, if you have 150 people at your wedding, you will want a bride's cake that serves 150 people and a groom's cake that serves 75.  The reason is simple.  Almost everyone will want a piece of bride's cake because, well, it's been a centerfold of the reception for the last few hours.  Guests have ooed and awed over the stacked treat, taken pictures, and made comments about wanting to dive in and sneak a bite.  Since a groom's cake is usually a chocolate based cake, it won't be as popular of a choice.  Some people will skip the chocolate because they don't care for the flavor, or they are so full from the bride's cake that they cannot fit another bite into their mouth.  While you will probably have a little bit of bride's cake left over, expect to run out of groom's close to the end of the evening.

There are always certain trends that follow with the seasons!  Last season smooth and elegant was very popular, with a touch of color and maybe a little bling too!  Peacock colors were the most popular last spring and summer.  This year, I was pleasantly surprised to see the textured patterns spring into action!  Above is what I call my ruffle cake!  Made with buttercream icing, starting from the bottom, I fill the entire cake with ruffles!

The traditional textured design is not as frilly as the ruffle cake.  While still being simple and elegant, just a hint of texture brings this cake to life!  Decorate with flowers, maybe a cake topper or some bling and this cake is perfect for any wedding!

The unsmooth design is another popular choice this season!  Waves of icing encircle your cake creating a beautiful textured look.  Rather than adding fresh flowers to her cake, this bride incorporated her cake into the theme of her wedding by adding fondant branches, sugar flowers, and two love birds at the top!

Because of the simplicity of design among textured cakes a bride can choose to dress up (or down) her cake as much as she pleases.  It can become very formal, or very casual, depending on the theme of the day!

As we begin learning more about my cakes, as well as neat ideas for weddings, I thought it might be a good idea to let you know a little bit about myself.  I grew up in a wedding family.  I remember helping my grandmother, the coordinator, fasten skirts to tables and set out punch cups at the age of 5 or 6.  My first job was assisting her.  In high school I helped my mother at her kitchen as she prepared her batter for her brides big day that weekend.  Everyone asked if I would one day join the wedding industry.  My answer was always a firm, "No!"  I went to college at Texas Christian University and majored in Political Science with a minor in English.  I loved it!  I love all things political, so if you want a good debate, call me. My dream was to venture out in the non-profit world upon graduation.  During my senior year I met a guy.  He was just a guy, until we fell in love!  After a short engagement we married in July 2005, shortly after graduation. I also got my first job, doing what I had dreamed of doing.  I was the Director of Development for one of Fort Worth's fantastic non-profit organizations.  I loved what I did.  Two years later we were blessed with our first son, the type A, loud, "all-boy".  That is when the first visions of a cake business started rolling into my head.  I loved my job.  But, I wanted to be with my son more.  I also loved weddings...and making cakes!  A few things rolled into place and next thing we knew, my husband and I were both leaving our jobs and we were packing a u-haul to move to Austin.  And so it began!  We started very small, with a gmail account and a few brides that needed a last minute wedding cakes, and some business cards.  As more brides found out about me, we grew and grew some more.  Since we have chosen to run our business debt free, sometimes growth can take some time.  3 years later we were blessed again, with my red-headed, quiet, but very snuggly, son!  Raising two children and growing a business is certainly an adventure!  But, it's a fun one!  Here we are, 4 years after the "big move!"  My business has been blessed!  My family has been blessed!  We have built relationships with many vendors, and many more brides!  We have started networking more and have recently joined the Bridal Extravaganza family!  At the beginning of this blog you see a photo of my husband, Kevin, and myself.  Without his help ( he's everything from dish washer to dowel rod cutter to show set up man) I couldn't have done any of this.  I'm excited to start this blog and share some fun wedding ideas and a little bit about my edible creations and myself, the person behind the cake!  I hope you enjoy!