trends
where they take the cake (pt 1)
Friday, April 15th, 2011 | media, trends | No Comments
We have long been fans of the amazing design esthetic of the Cake Opera Co. so we were thrilled to see them featured in Maclean’s Magazine.
Nicole Richie could have hired anyone to make her wedding cake. She chose Toronto’s Cake Opera Co.
LAST DECEMBER, business partners Alexandra Pellegrino and Jessica Smith flew from Toronto to Los Angeles with carry-on that was as fragile as it was weird: a sugar-modeling-paste sculpture depicting Nicole Richie, the daughter of singer Lionel, and her musician husband-to-be Joel Madden, as Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI-before the royals’ decadent reign came to its bloody, tumultuous end. Richie was decked out in a white wig, black mask and ruffly gown and splayed on a chaise longue; behind her, Madden, in a white wig and mask, presented his bride with arms out-stretched; through his jacket, the rocker’s famously inked arms could be seen, each tattoo replicated precisely.
The painstakingly detailed tableau could be seen as a biting social commentary on over-the-top celebrity culture, but wasn’t: it was the topper of the extravagant cake served at Richie’s and Madden’s Dec. 11 “Versailles”-themed nuptials.
Smith and Pellegrino, the pastry chef and designer, respectively, at Toronto’s Cake Opera Co., had transported surreal confectionary before. In February 2010, US Customs officials were bemused by a suitcase filled with sugar roses for a cake they’d be making for a Tim Burton-meets-Alice-in Wonderland-themed sweet 16 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
That party they were invited to. The closest they got to the high-security celebration at Lionel Richie’s Beverly Hills estate was the back entrance, where they delivered their five-tiered cake edged in edible 24-karat gold, created at a West Hollywood bakery taken over for the occasion.
The commission was a high point in their two-year collaboration, says the 29-year-old Pellegrino, who attended the Ontario College of Art and Design before turning to making ephemeral art with fondant and cake flour. “We still don’t believe it. It’s like, ‘We were at Lionel Richie’s house! With something that came out of this kitchen.’” It was all really hush-hush, says Smith, 28, who studied culinary arts at Toronto’s George Brown College and has worked at London’s Michelin-starred Yauatcha. “We weren’t even allowed to take pictures of our work.”
Sitting in their uptown Toronto shop in chef jackets and over-the-knee boots, Pellegrino and Smith present as confident patisserie swashbucklers. Samples of their couture cakes line one wall – one looks like blue Wedgwood china; on another, a glittery black lobster adorns an ivory tower festooned with black roses, oysters and pearls; their “ode to Canadiana” features deer and painted “birch bark” on pale green fondant. Inspiration ranges from Christian Lacroix’s 2008 collection to ‘60s chinoiserie wallpaper, which resulted in a cake painted with sumi-e style brushwork and topped with a Japanese crane. Clearly, Richie, a Tinseltown style-setter, played it conservatively.
to be continued…
wonderful wedding song
Thursday, January 27th, 2011 | media, trends | No Comments
Joshua Radin was on Ellen today singing the song (“Today”) that he sang at her wedding.
I had never heard the entire song before…just beautiful…and what a truly perfect wedding song.
“Today”
Shoelaces untied
You can dry your eye
Perfect shadows lie behind us
And this is the day I make you mine
The way your hair lies
Sometimes unrecognized
All the way from Nice today, on a train
Nothing to say but there’s still time
You are the one I’ve been waiting for today
And here comes the sun
its been baiting more today
Lately I’ve lost my tongue
Today you found my song
Unknown our love, has grown
And I thank god you came along
You are the one one I’ve been waiting for today
And here comes the sun
it’s been baiting more today
You looked right through me, there was no one else
I sat beside you and became myself
today…today
You are the one I’ve been waiting for today
And here comes the sun
its been baiting more today
think pink!
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 | trends | No Comments
I was perusing a stack of old magazines and came upon this quote. I thought in this frosty & grey weather we could all use a touch of PINK!!
I believe in pink…I believe in kissing, kissing a lot…and I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.
– Audrey Hepburn
ABC Conference – David Tutera
Thursday, November 25th, 2010 | trends | No Comments
We usually attend the Association of Bridal Consultants conference every 2 years. It brings together wedding planners and vendors from all over the world. It’s always exciting and invigorating to share ideas and stay on top of the latest & greatest trends.
There’s always a great – internationally renowned – keynote speaker on the 3rd day of the conference.
This year it was David Tutera. As always, he was fun & fabulous.
He showed us photos of many of his most amazing events – and walked us through his process.
He even showed us photos of a celebrity wedding he completed just a few weeks ago.
His continued energy & passion for wedding planning is amazing. He’s one of those people you could just sit & listen to all day. It’s no wonder he has books & TV shows, etc. As he entered & exited the stage his sound guys played Bruno Mars “Just the way you are”…you are indeed AMAZING David….cheers!
Pretty in Peacock
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010 | trends, weddings | No Comments
Here is a 10.10.10 wedding that was 16 months in the planning and 10 years in the making…Erin + Devlin are an awesome couple that decided to get married on their tenth anniversary of dating. At various stages they thought they’d get married in Jamaica or India, but in the end decided to get married in Calgary so all their friends and family could attend.
The peacock feather was our inspiration….which gave us a sumptuous colour palette…coppers, teals, browns and greens.
The bride walked down the blue aisle runner (with copper monogram) in her fabulous teal shoes. The bridesmaid wore navy and the maid of honour wore chocolate brown. The groom, best man, and father of the groom wore very stylish brown tuxedos.
Deep Blue Sea martini anyone?
The seating chart, menus, table numbers, candy buffet sign, photobooth pix, martini luge, and dance floor gobo all bore their custom wedding day logo with touches of damask & a peacock feather….pretty!
The head table was adorned with teal & brown damask which was reiterated on the cake.
Congratulations you two…all the best! xo
Juicy Fruit!!
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 | trends, weddings | No Comments
This happy & sunny colour palette of soft pinks & bright yellows was the perfect antidote for a gray & rainy wedding day.
We adorned the chairs with lovely little paper lanterns tied with a swathe of wide satin ribbon. The altar flowers were just stunning – tall vases filled with lemons topped with pink roses and oodles of orchids. The aisle was awash in 6,000 rose petals.
Table centerpieces were lemon-filled glass cubes with hydrangeas and dahlias…so pretty…and the whole room was very inviting. Lots of warm pink uplighting, lots of candles, and of course lots of fabulous custom wedding day printing.
This couple lives in Los Angeles – and they were just a delight to work with. The wedding needed to reflect their shiny, happy personalities…and it sure did…right down to the scrumptious macarons (1 pink, 1 yellow, of course!) in the cute customized favour boxes at each place setting…mmmMMMmm.
Best wishes! xo
Chateau Chic
Monday, August 16th, 2010 | trends, weddings | No Comments
This wedding had a very juicy colour palette of turquoise, teal and apple green. For the ceremony it was punctuated with a pattern of coral rose petals down the aisle which perfectly matched the bridesmaids dresses. With the magnificent view of the lake and the tempestuous skies, simple was all that was required for a truly memorable ceremony site.
The very moment the bride signed the marriage license there was a great clap of thunder and it started to rain. The groom was thrilled with the timing…he told me now he’s got a great story for the rest of his life!
Cocktails managed to be both cozy & elegant – and the two signature cocktails were a huge hit.
Some well-placed uplighting can really make a huge difference. The alternating green + blue on the columns surrounding the guest tables both accentuated the colour palette and delineated the room.
I made sure the bride and groom had a great view of the lake…but with such amazing vistas from every angle, it didn’t really matter where you were seated in this beautiful space. The details were kept quite clean and chic. Centerpieces of granny smith apples and green hydrangeas and orchids, teal runners and green napkins, our ubiquitous custom wedding day printing and a ton of candlelight.
The custom glassine bags were so cute…the candy buffet was a huge hit…guests started raiding the candy buffet before dinner was even finished…sour gummy worm anyone?
Posh Purple
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 | trends, weddings | No Comments
Kim designed a plush palette of purples for this large Muslim wedding.
The aisle runner was lavender with chocolate writing…so pretty!
Kim used rich chocolate linens, with a mixture of amethyst, eggplant and lilac satin runners and napkins. It was such an appealing combination – and as always, everything from the custom invitations right through to the menus, table numbers and seating chart all matched. Everything had a lovely mehndi patterns, and the delicate and intricate pattern used for the gobos and ice martini luge were a huge hit with the guests.
The professional dancers that performed intermittently throughout the reception were fabulous…and the bride and groom had the perfect view from their table adjacent the dance floor. The flowers, the up-lighting, everything looked just sumptuous.
Kim did a superb job designing and executing the big picture – but she also left her mark, and more importantly the couple’s mark, on all of the little details as well. Kim made sure every penny of their budget was utilized for maximum effect.
PRETTY IN PURPLE!!
25% Yellow + 75% Gray = 100% Gorgeous!!
Monday, August 2nd, 2010 | trends, weddings | 2 Comments
This wedding was a wonderful combination of sleek & modern with a twist of retro. The palette was yellow, saffron, grey and silver and everything looked positively scrumptious!
The reception began with poolside cocktails. The guests were treated to an abundant supply of lemon drop martinis and customized water bottles….
Usually we do a gobo on the dance floor, but this time we had it shining on the wall over the guest book table and seating chart. All the floral arrangements were fun & fabulous.
I was so excited with this design. The multiple shades of yellow on the beautiful pewter pintuck linens was so sharp and fashion forward – but still very warm & inviting. The vinyl cling on the back of the ghost chairs was a huge hit…we always like to make the bride & groom’s chairs a little bit special.
These tablescapes were definitely my favorites in a long while.
I was so enamored with this candy buffet I could barely tear myself away. We’ve done lots of candy buffets before but with this one we got to make all the details just right.
Love is Sweet…Have a Treat!!
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Saturday, July 10th, 2010 | trends, weddings | 1 Comment
One of Kim’s clients REALLY wanted fish in their centerpieces…I think this was the first time we’ve done this in over a decade. The wee fish kept startling the staff as they were putting out the place settings…you don’t really expect things to move while you’re putting out flatware! (You’ll be happy to hear she convinced the bride not to flush them at the end of the night…poor lil’ fishies!!).
Their lovely outdoor ceremony just managed to squeak in before the torrential down pour began…nothing like a well executed timeline…Kim apparently has an “in” with Mother Nature!
The custom seating chart – as well as the rest of the wedding day printing (menus, table numbers, place cards) – was beautifully designed by MyStylishWedding.Com – SO PRETTY! It all beautifully tied in their invitations, and their colour palette of purple, black & oyster.
The cake – artfully produced by one of our favorite new pastry chefs – looked just SCRUMPTIOUS – and was accessorized with an elegant monogram cake topper (also from mystylishwedding.com) which matched the font on the invitations and aisle runner. I was sad I wasn’t going to be around long enough to get to try it…SUCH a great job they did…wow!
Kim did an amazing job of making the ballroom warm & inviting, simple & elegant…lots of bang for their buck on the client’s relatively small budget…well done Kim!
Categories
Archive
- October 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- December 2013
- July 2013
- March 2013
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- November 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
Meta
Search
