Hi all! I'm finding great advice and tips here today! Especially the paint roller technique! (going to buy one in a few lmbo) Anyway my issues!!!!
I'm making a cake today for a funeral reception... I believe it's called a Wake. Anyway it was last minute he passed yesterday and the services are tomorrow, best friends sisters grand-father-INLAW. And the Wake/reception is being held at their church and being "thrown" by the pastors.
I've made a "Devil's Food" cake (yeah I know how awful of me! **smack**) 2 cake mixes into an 11x15 sheet pan. I plan to ice it with regular buttercream icing. I plan to leave the main color as white and then maybe do the border in a pale yellow is what my best friend said to do... we don't know what to do lol.
Ok my dilema I plan to do a border on top and bottom as well as write a lengthy message on top....
In loving memory of... Pappy
If tears could build a stairway
And memories were a lane
We would walk right up to Heaven
And bring you back again
And now I need to know what TYPE of border I could use for this... what would look best for the environment I'm going to be at, a church, as well as professional looking for, gosh I feel bad but hey ya gotta do it sometimes, the possible future clientel I may receive from this cake.
If you have pictures of similar cakes you've made please post or direct with to them for inspiration and ideas.
TYAIA!!!!
~*~Becky~*~
Need to ask, the gentleman that past away - he must be Irish - correct? A "wake" comes from Ireland where loved ones would watch over the body of the deceased.......then you have a lovely Irish blessing......If that is the case then I would create the border in light green and create those lovely tiny tear shape border.
Oh honestly I have no idea if the family is irish or not I just always assumed wake was for all "receptions" following a funeral service. This is going to be similar to the "reception" we had following my grandmother's funeral service where the family and friends return to the home or in this case the family's church, and sit and remember all the good times with family and friends and eat and try to be marry. The church is The Talbot (our county) Avangalistic (probably spelled wrong). I've been there with the family a few times for services and festivities and they are really nice but being raised Catholic it was a different experience for me. Anyway not to my knowledge is he irish. 
I might add that I don't know many decorating techniques... I don't know how to make roses AT ALL lol they never come out right and always fall when they do come out right.
I know how to do the rose bud, a "ribbon" like border and a rosette, and can do really good stars and writing lol. But as far as borders I haven't really done any except the regular "typical" borders... so pics would be helpful here
Thanks again gang!
The wake is usually held at a funeral parlor for faiths under the Christain sect (as far as I know). The reception is usually after the funeral mass and/or burial where family and close friends either go back to a house or restaurant, in this case, the church, to partake in lunch or dinner and sharing of memories.
My family just went through this in January when my mom passed away unexpectedly. And my husband's grandmother just passed away two weeks ago.
I would say do the cake however you would like as long as it's done tastefully (no pun intended), but not festively of jovially. In the Catholic faith, we believe that death should be a celebration of the the deceased returning "home" to The Father in Heaven. Of course, it's still a sad time for those of us left missing the deceased. I'm guessing the Evangalistic view is similar, though I don't know for sure.
Again, just go with something in "good taste" literally and figuratively.
BUMP as well as Could someone "show" me the e-motion border? I've been looking through the pictures and can't seem to find one with it. I'm making a sheet cake so if you have a picture of a sheet cake with the E-motion borders I'd love to see it so I can decide if that's what I'm going to do or not. Thanks!
I did a search and found this. HTH
http://www.wilton.com/cake/shapedpans/pdf/2105-4458StrawberrySh46F10.pdf
Where I come from, they're all wakes. Let's stop being so technical at a time like this.
I try to avoid messages like that, in that I believe they bring more sadness. A simple message saying "Thinking of you" which was presented in another thread recently, is sufficient.
But then again, why put a message on at all? Add your flowers in a lovely bouquet in the center of the cake, trim two corners with some of the same flowers, and a nice top and bottom border. That way people can take away any message that comes into their head when they see the cake.
Theresa
hey all4cake...that was a clever description...I was thinking that someone could send a pic but that is just as good!!!!
I think that would look very nice on the border too....
... nice flowers and border are good and just a short even no message is how I would do it...
Good luck with your cake and post a pic when done!
Jane
I'm confused. Did they ask specifically for that message? Then you really have to do it unless you can ask your friend if there is something else they might like. Favorite Bible verse? Maybe Grandpa's full name and something like "Loving husband, dear father, etc." Don't put etc on the cake, but you get the idea. 
Keep it simple and tasteful. Yeah, I can't think of a better word either, sorry. I saw something once that was so neat--of course, when I want to remember it I can't. It was something about being home and I'll see you soon. Not the usual tear jerker you get at a funeral. Really quite neat. I'll post again if I find it. Maybe call the funeral home--they would have the low down on all the new trends as far as poems and sayings. That might be worth a try.
I suggested something about In loving Memory and maybe an edible picture of him but we decided against that since it would be hard for me to get the image done in time.
The grand-daughter-INLAW requested a poem or verse when I suggested doing a bible verse that he liked or something the family liked she said here I like this and read the poem so we decided together that just the first 4 lines of the poem would be good.
I'm doing a sheet cake and turning it long ways kind of like a page in a book I guess and going to do the eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's around the edge -- THANK YOU SO MUCH for explaining! 
-- and I don't know how to do roses or I would so I'm just going to maybe do some roseBUDS maybe one in each corner or one in two corners or maybe a few in the two opposite corners... not sure yet on that may just leave it basic with just the message. But I just hung up with her and cleared it with her again saying bluntly "Are you 100% sure on this message for the cake?" and she said "Yes I showed it to Pam and Robert (the grand son and GDil) and they both loved it!" so I guess it's basically family requested so I'll go with that and the e motion border for the top and a small shell type for the bottom. I bought the Show and Serve boards tonight cause that's all they had and I figured it would be a touch more elegant with that then foil covered boards. I have a nice large white box with a see thru lid to place it in for transportation to the reception and I think I'm good to go I will be posting pics in my photos tomorrow evening when I get home so take a look around 6ish (eastern time) and let me know what ya think
I want to thank everyone for their great advice, tips, and help in this it truely means alot to me for this to be perfect! Not only is it my best friend's family but they are like my family as well I call her mom Mom and her step dad Dad and we all called him Pappy and he's everyone's grandfather in a way so not only is this a favor and kind gesture towards the family but it's like a final good bye to Pappy for me since he loved cakes and loved the last cake I made for the party he attended a few weeks before this. So thanks everyone!!!
HUGS!
Becky 
Hmmmmm
Hey everyone sorry I didnt get this in before Beckys final post but here goes:
I truly appreciate comments on being technical and the concern over tears with verses etcetera.
I use to work for a State Funeral Directors Association and during that time I had learned because of the complexity of the grieving process, some families truly appreciate extremely detailed technicalities. They view it as a very caring gesture. So IMHO, I asked certain questions on this thread to help pull out more detail. Sometimes more tears are just fine and very beneficial, especially for those who mourn.
I'm just thinking here, please flame me later.
Why should we cake artists not give as very much time and detail in honor of a persons life just as much as when they were christened, married or the many birthdays in between?
Becky, cant wait to see your finished product.
Well gang it went as great as can be expected for the type of event it was. The funeral service was beautiful and the reception was very intimate with just family and friends only. So it was about 20 people or so and it was people we all knew and loved that were sharing in this day of rememberance with us. The reception was at his church and they prepared a lovely spread. They made brownies, individual mini cheesecakes, cupcakes, store bought bread and then there was my cake. It was a huge hit. Everyone commented on how beautiful it was and how elegant it was and how the message was so touching and heartfelt. The preacher/pastor talked alot today about "our walks with God" and then when he saw the message on the cake he was so happy to see I had also incorporated the talk of the walk, which I didn't really lol it was just the first verse of that poem I mentioned earlier in this thread. But I got so many compliments and rave reviews and I told my best friend I left my business cards in the truck on purpose today. I didn't want to profit from such an event, if someone wants to place any future orders they know how to reach at least one person in the family who can reach another who can then reach me. She did tell me to at least put my company sticker on the box because "had we purchased it from Giant or Foodlion they'd have their name all over it" so I did so and boy did they love it. I'll be uploading a picture to my photos here tomorrow when I'm in a little better spirits right now I'm so darn beat I could fall asleep sitting here lol. I stayed up until 230 am making it perfect and I still wasn't happy with it but everyone told me to stop and be happy because he would have loved it.
I want to thank everyone again for their help and support and suggestions with this event planning I was at a loss and just not in the mood for it but it was something I HAD to do Thank you all!
Much love to my CC family
Becky
Becky, I'm glad to hear that your cake was well received and I look forward to seeing the finished product. I'm sorry that it was under such sad circumstances, but I'm sure the sentiment touched not only his family and friends that were gathered, but he himself was probably looking down and smiling.
Again, sorry for your loss and that of your friend's.
Well gang I've uploaded my picture to my photos section feel free to check it out
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