First Wedding Cake

Decorating By JMart Updated 24 Jun 2014 , 8:49pm by enga

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JMart Posted 22 Jun 2014 , 11:52pm
post #1 of 45

AI've been decorating cakes for ten years now, mainly for friends and family. This is my first wedding cake I've done ( I actually do cupcakes for weddings all the time). First wedding cake, summer in Michigan, butter cream,raspberry mousse filling and an hour drive to the venue. Glad it's over lol [IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3253634/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

44 replies
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hobbist Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 1:07am
post #2 of 45

Very pretty.  I love the purple.

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 3:43pm
post #3 of 45

it's beautiful --congratulations! i love the vintage effect with the purple shading -- you did a great job

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hbquikcomjamesl Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 4:12pm
post #4 of 45

Excellent work. Your first, you say? I hope it's not your last, but only the first of many to come.

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remnant3333 Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 4:47pm
post #5 of 45

I love the purple and white together!! For your first wedding cake, you rock!!!! Very beautifully done!!!

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lisatipperoo Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 6:19pm
post #6 of 45

You did a great job!!!! I love the colors. Very nice work. 

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JMart Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 6:50pm
post #7 of 45

AThank you for all the nice remarks, since we all know we are our own worst critics :)

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snarkybaker Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 7:52pm
post #8 of 45

I really don't mean this to be in any way hurtful, but that cake really doesn't look very professional, and I think all of you are doing a disservice to the original poster by not giving honest feedback. I see resumes and portfolios all the time, and if someone sent me a portfolio with that cake in it, there is no way in the world I would consider letting that person make cakes professionally. 

 

Having respect for what you do means being honest enough with yourself to not bite off more than you can chew, and not tell clients you can do something that you can't.  Growing up, my father who was Lt Colonel in the army used to say " Every job is a portrait of the person who did it. Is that what you want people to think of you?" 

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 7:58pm
post #9 of 45

not all cakes have to look professional, snarks -- it's a first -- it's not going into kerry vincent's hall of fame --

 

in fact-- for example buddy, the cake boss, his cakes look too professional to me--they need some hand hewn-i-ness to 'em to me --

 

and you weren't hurtful in any way -- we just disagree a little

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DeniseNH Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 8:15pm
post #10 of 45

Dear SnarkyBaker, I can't believe you would say something that hurtful in a public forum like this.  That cake is perfect and I couldn't believe it was her first.  I've seen a lot of funky cakes from people who have been in business for years.  I want to compliment her on the purple highlights as well.  In fact I'm going to go look at your cakes and see if you live up to MY expectations. 

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hbquikcomjamesl Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 8:18pm
post #11 of 45

Well, it certainly does not look like some canned design out of a catalog. But I'd hardly call that a bad thing. If you find something "unprofessional" about a cake's appearance, you might consider offering some specifics. Along with suggestions of how it could be improved.

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Natka81 Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 8:37pm
post #12 of 45

It`s looks ok, my first wedding cake (I charged for ingredients only), was worse.

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 9:04pm
post #13 of 45

well come to think of it-- it's not my place to say what you said is not hurtful, sb, so ... strike that comment of mine in the last sentence of post #9 --

 

but there are boatloads of funky ugly a$$ professional cakes out there -- absolutely nothing i desire to replicate -- so 'professional' is not the standard to achieve -- and this is 'cake central' not 'professional cake only central' not 'professional cakes rule cake central' --

 

it's also 'i made my first cake cake central', and 'hobby cake maker cake central', and 'i make cakes once in a blue moon cake central', and 'i've never ever made anything and i wanna make a cake cake central' 

 

and fwiw--if i was in business right now i would snap up jmart in a nanosecond if she wanted a decorator job

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hbquikcomjamesl Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 9:19pm
post #14 of 45
Quote:
Originally Posted by -K8memphis 
fwiw--if i was in business right now i would snap up jmart in a nanosecond if she wanted a decorator job

 

So would I, if I made my living running a bakery, rather than sitting in front of a terminal banging out code.

 

(And if you'll excuse me, I expect that the terminal I've been waiting for has probably come up by now, and I have some code to bang out.)

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costumeczar Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 9:21pm
post #15 of 45

For the OP- Would you like some constructive criticism? Or was this post just intended to show the cake and leave it at that?

 

I know Snarkybaker and her cakes are by far better than most on this site, so no worries there.

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JMart Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 9:22pm
post #16 of 45

Thanks again, I dont think you're being rude but I do think you should remember that everyone has their own style of decorating and you must always do what the bride and groom want. I never said I was professionally decorating cakes. I do this for friends and family and I have fun with it. I never want to ruin something I love by taking things too seriously. I am however a professional pastry chef and I own my own "pastries only" food truck. I know for a fact everyone at the wedding said it was an amazing cake. To me the taste matters more than the look ( to an extent). 

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DeniseNH Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 9:26pm
post #17 of 45


But even she started out as a newbie in the beginning and learned as she progressed.

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AZCouture Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 9:46pm
post #18 of 45

A

Original message sent by DeniseNH

But even she started out as a newbie in the beginning and learned as she progressed.

Can you clarify what that means? I see that written a lot and sometimes I can't tell if it's supposed to be an excuse for subpar work, or just a declaration that everyone's work was mediocre for the first few cakes.

I know several people, including myself that can say we waited until our work was clean and tidy, level and smooth, and acceptable based on lots of feedback and in some cases formal training, [B]before[/B] we sold that "first" of any kind.

I can't think of the last time I heard someone excuse less than desirable work because it was the professional's first time, be it a haircut, a meal at a restaurant, even a drink from Starbucks.

Just wondering, not at all referring to the cake here, just wondering about that statement is all.

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AZCouture Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 9:49pm
post #19 of 45

AGosh darn it, [@]DeniseNH[/@], I could have sworn you said "we all started somewhere"...lol. See, I was [B]expecting[/B] to read it, and my brain just decided that is indeed what you wrote. :D Pay no attention to the addlebrained blonde today.

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AZCouture Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 9:53pm
post #20 of 45

AOh yeah, and snark's cakes are pretty much as good as they get. Food Network, countless magazines, and countless awards can attest to that, for sure! :)

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 10:06pm
post #21 of 45

how did jmart's posting her first and beautiful wedding cake get to be a tribute thread to snarkybaker

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snarkybaker Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 10:19pm
post #22 of 45

Like I said, I don't mean anything by it. I think that there are different standards for different occasions and events.

 

 

I just don't think you help anyone get better when you look at a cake that is 1- clearly leaning to the left, 2- each tier is a different height, 3- the buttercream isn't smooth, and 4- has some weird airbrush effect going on and say " Bravo, you!" 

 

If you did it for friends and they were happy with it, so be it. The bigger issue at hand is this forum tends to inspire people who have no business doing it to sell cake to unsuspecting innocents. Every single week, we end up with at least one or two cake emergency calls because someone hired a baker who had no business making cake professionally. We usually manage to pull it out. But, so much heartache could be avoided if forum members had the integrity to be honest.

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AZCouture Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 10:19pm
post #23 of 45
Quote:
Originally Posted by -K8memphis 
 

how did jmart's posting her first and beautiful wedding cake get to be a tribute thread to snarkybaker

Because someone asked if her work would live up to that someone's expectations. But it's really ok to do that, no policing necessary.

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DeniseNH Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 10:20pm
post #24 of 45

That's ok, we all have blond moments.  :-)

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AZCouture Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 10:24pm
post #25 of 45
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeniseNH 
 

That's ok, we all have blond moments.  :-)

I'm tellin' ya....I know you didn't change what you wrote, but I processed it that way. Doh! :D

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costumeczar Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 10:25pm
post #26 of 45

Quote:

Originally Posted by snarkybaker 
 

Every single week, we end up with at least one or two cake emergency calls because someone hired a baker who had no business making cake professionally.

Interesting...I've been getting more calls about "can you fix this cake" or "My baker flaked out on me, can you do a cake at the last minute" than usual. I blame too many tv shows and the cottage food laws.

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DeniseNH Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 10:28pm
post #27 of 45

Now you got it.  Constructive point by point helpful comments.  Not at all Snarky.  That's what this site is about and the reason it's the go to place for valid questions.  Building us up, helping out, consoling and applauding. 

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costumeczar Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 10:39pm
post #28 of 45

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeniseNH 
 

Now you got it.  Constructive point by point helpful comments.  Not at all Snarky.  That's what this site is about and the reason it's the go to place for valid questions.  Building us up, helping out, consoling and applauding.

I guess it depends on whether you think truthful criticism or just telling someone that their stuff is great is helpful or not. If I was looking for a critique I'd want it to be honest, not just to have someone tell me that whatever it was I did was great. That's why I asked if the OP wanted critiques or whether it was just a post to post the picture, because usually in the forums when you post a photo it's to ask a question about something. If you just want to post the picture that would be in the gallery, where people go to look at cake pictures and not necessarily to ask anything about them.

 

When we did art critiques in college it was brutal, but you need to get that honest feedback if you want to improve. If you don't want to get public opinion you shouldn't post anything in a public forum.

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hbquikcomjamesl Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 10:40pm
post #29 of 45

Actually, it's not entirely clear whether the cake is leaning to the left, or whether the picture just makes it look that way. The airbrush effect looks quite striking, actually, and while it's hardly perfect, I believe "K8memphis" commented favorable about it. The tiers may not be the same height, but they do look like the differences in height were intentional, in a way that makes sense for this cake.

 

As to the BC being less than perfectly smooth, well, that's true, but I've seen professionally done cakes that were a good deal less smooth than this one appears in the picture.

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snarkybaker Posted 23 Jun 2014 , 10:43pm
post #30 of 45

Quote:

Originally Posted by costumeczar 
 

Interesting...I've been getting more calls about "can you fix this cake" or "My baker flaked out on me, can you do a cake at the last minute" than usual. I blame too many tv shows and the cottage food laws.

We call them " Jobbyists". Hobbyists who have decided they are good enough to make it their job.

 

http://www.sugarlandchapelhill.com/blog/wedding-tip-week-6/

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