M+B Mountain Wedding Part 2: The rest of that beautiful day.

Now that you've seen the cake and cupcakes, aren't you ready to see the rest of the beautiful wedding?  If not, stop reading now.  :)

The wedding and events prior took place at a place called Sugar Hollow Retreat near the Watauga River in...well, I'm not really sure what "town" it was in. It was pretty remote. When we finally arrived (never trust a GPS) we pulled into The Lodge, above, where we stayed and where the reception took place. There were several other cottages and a conference center along the mountainside of SHR.  And if it weren't for all the rain, we might have even had a chance to hike one of their trails. There was plenty of nature to take in at SHR.  As soon as we pulled in two fawns and two does walked right past us.  We saw several wild turkeys, and their babies, and although no bears were spotted, trash was not allowed outside.  Ever.   It was the perfect rustic backdrop to a simple and beautiful wedding! 

The baker, the bride, and the best lady.  Friday night rehearsal dinner.  <3

 

 Saturday.  Meet Ann.  Ann is blurry because she never stopped moving.  She was so organized and told everyone what to do, where to find things, and where to put those things.  I wish I had an Ann...

 

The bar for cocktail hour.

 

Other side of the bar.

 

 One of the things I loved most about this wedding is that it was simply beautiful and without obnoxious extravagant stuff!  Almost everything was handmade and put together by friends and family.  Above is the bride's aunt who did all the flower arrangements and lots of the decorating.

 

The table cloth is up to keep it from getting wet, but here's the table setting.  So simple and so pretty!

 

 Finally, time for the ceremony...

 

 ...on the Observation Deck at the top of the mountain at Sugar Hollow Retreat.  There's the Watauga River.

 

 I almost cry every time I look at these...

 

 

 

As they walked back down the aisle as a married couple, everyone sang "All You Need Is Love."

 

Hey that's me!  ;)

 

Now time for the reception...

 As everyone walked in, we stamped our fingerprints and signed by them on this tree.  What a great keepsake for the bride and groom.

 

Here's a close up from before.  See.  It matches the cupcakes.  *giggle*

 

Yummy NC BBQ!

 

 Vintage plates and napkins, non-matchy-matchy.  Mason jars with tags to write your name on.  <3

 

The view from the reception tent.

 

And finally...Yes.  There was an actual rainbow.  On their wedding day.  Perfect!

 

 



M+B Mountain Wedding Part 1: The Cakes

One of my dearest friends from college at UNC was married last weekend.  I was so excited for her big day; to see her so happy and shining and walking down the aisle to her prince.  Her beautiful wedding also meant my hubby and I got a weekend away in the mountains in TN.  And I was honored to bake cupcakes and a cutting cake for her...their day.

 Here is the final set up.  The colors for the wedding were brown and wasabi green, and there was a theme of "M+B" in hearts along with daisies, butterflies, and other natural elements. The cake is Vanilla Bean with Vanilla Buttercream, simply decorated with meander piping, a fondant round with "M+B" stamped on, and a fondant butterfly floating above.  It sat on top of a slice of tree.  How perfect for a mountain wedding.

 

Because I was baking for a good friend, I was given lots of design freedom.  I experimented with a new flavor, Vanilla Lavender cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting.  I think it went over well... 

Other flavors included Lemon with Raspberry Buttercream, Lime with Lime Cream Cheese frosting, and Chocolate with Chocolate Buttercream. Aren't those flavor cards darling?!  Would you believe my husband came up with that idea?!?  True story.

A close up of the cake. 

 

 And now we're ready for the cutting to begin...

They really are the cutest. 

Starting off neat and proper... 

Wha?!? 

Hehe.  Love them!  <3

 

Congratulations M + B!  Thank you so much for letting me be a part of you day.  It truly was an honor.

 

Now stay tuned for more from their beautiful mountain top wedding!

Rustic Pink Wedding

This was one of my busiest weekends ever...so far.  I'm still trying to catch up on sleep.  But looking through these pictures today makes the fog clear a little and all the effort worth it!

This beautiful reception was held at the newly remodeled Radisson hotel in downtown Fargo.  Many of the displays, including the cake table, were rented from the fabulous Carrie over at Rustic Trunk. The mix of modern and rustic made the overall vibe relaxed and elegant.  But I have to say, my favorite part of the whole thing was the cake... 

 Maybe that's just because this cake took a part of me with it.

 

 Those are handmade fondant roses and carnations on top of a vanilla buttercream covered lemon cake, filled with raspberry buttercream.  Yes.  As yummy as it is pretty!

 

 I also liked the idea of lining the small drawer on the "Bernice" chest with cupcakes!

 

While I try my best to get most, if not all, the cupcakes out, I was only able to fit half of the 384 cupcakes on this display.  :/ 

 

 Those crates are pretty cool too!

 

 The cupcake flavors included Lemon-Raspberry (pink rose swirl), Vanilla Bean (petal flower design), Pink Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting (white rose swirl), and Chocolate (pink and green hydrangea design).

 

Some of them were accented with white and pink small fondant flowers.

 

 

Impressive candy bar!

 

 More displays from Rustic Trunk.

 

There you have it! There will be lots more weddings throughout June.  Stay tuned!

Country Wedding in Yellow and Pink

Yesterday's wedding took place in a beautiful old building at the Norman County Fairgrounds in Ada, MN.  Lots of natural light, white, and wood made for an easy backdrop to the pops of yellow and watermelon pink.  Accented with burlap and mason jars and I was in LOVE with this set up!  It was also nice to get out of the "city" for the afternoon. 

A large and extra large wooden spool for the cake table.  Drool.

 The bride made mini chalkboard stands for the flavor "cards."  I want!

 

 

The cake was made by my friend Casey Steel at Love in the Oven Bakery.  So pretty accented with a fresh white gerber daisy.

 

I know very little about photography, but sometimes I get lucky with shots like this that require very little, if any, editing.  Those are the photos that make me want to crawl in and live there!

 

 Simply beautiful centerpieces.  I told you.  I'm a sucker for burlap and mason jars.

 

 

 I couldn't think of a better way to start the 2013 wedding season.  Congrats to the bride and groom and thank you for letting me be a part!