Weddings – Page 2 – The Ocelots' Den

We’re Thrilled Wedding Season is in Full Swing!

By Julia on 21 April, 2021

I had my first wedding order completed over the weekend, and I’m looking forward to sharing more answers, questions, and the behind-the-scenes of Wedding Season! My garden is in full bloom, and so are all these budding marriages!

Cake Philosophy

I am in love with love. I have always been a dreamy-eyed romantic. I have an overabundance of love and take the greatest pleasure when I can infuse it into my baking. I only bake ONE wedding cake a week. I am a solo shop, and I want my full attention on one couple at a time.

When I bake (or create anything that will be a gift). I think of the couple or recipient. I make an effort to capture their essence. I think of the happiness they will share for a lifetime. I also pray for them. I believe that this positive and loving energy is baked in and is part of the experience. I am a person full of emotions, and I don’t bake for others when I’m unsettled. (I take time to play piano, sing, take a walk through my gardens, pray, and/or call friends and family before beginning to work on projects). As important I feel it is to include all the Love + Joy when I bake, I am cautious to not let any of my negative emotions infuse into my work.

2020 was a Wet Blanket

By February of 2020, just a month after I launched my website publicly. (I had been toying with it for a few years). I had THREE weddings booked. I was thrilled. I began dreaming bigger goals! (One wedding per month!) Then as we all know, 2020 didn’t go as planned. Unfortunately, only one of my three weddings took place.

I know how hard this has been for all the brides and grooms. They are ready to get married, plus newly engaged couples are struggling to secure plans because of the backlog of 2020 weddings. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Weddings are stressful enough without the additional challenges.

My other two weddings have been rescheduled (one is this weekend!!! I’m in the midst of making now!!) and another has been added!

I am looking forward to making spectacular memories for my joyous couples.

Here’s a sneak peek at what you can look forward to EVERY Wednesday through at least September!

Wedding Cake Alternatives
Wedding Cake Prices and Budgeting for your cakes
How to cut cakes
The history and traditions that go along with wedding cakes
DIY Tips
Cake design trends and designs I’m obsessed with
Cake Flavors
Gauging the amount of cake for your event
Cake Tastings
Cake-tastrophes
Groom’s Cakes
Themed & Character Cakes
Secret Ingredients
Cake Delivery
Cake Flavors
Gauging the amount of cake for your event
Cake Tasting Questions

Baked Goods | Cake | Holiday | Wedding | Weddings

An Unconventional Wedding Cake

By Julia on 21 August, 2018

My oldest brother got married this month! My wedding present to him and his bride was to help plan the wedding and to make the wedding cake. I know how stressful weddings can be, and I thought it was an excellent opportunity for me to get to know my SIL. I live 700 miles from where we grew up, and I have limited vacation days, so I try to maximize whatever time I have at home.

I knew the wedding would be a significant commitment, but it’s my big brother, and he asked me to be his “best man.” There is no way I could imagine refusing such a kind gesture and the loving inclusion on their special day.

The cake flavors were a simple choice. The couple quickly agreed on Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream Frosting. All that remained was to come up with the design. They both had their hearts set on having a Deadpool cake. I was a bit confused at first, but then they explained their love story and the significance of Deadpool.

My initial thought when I heard “Deadpool cake” was a Deadpool cartoon face round cake, with loads of red and black frosting. I try to be pretty open with design ideas, but I wanted to steer them towards something a little more traditional, with the fun and significant element of Deadpool. They had already chosen flowers and wedding colors. Gerbera daisies, and Orange, Purple, and Green.

I made the bouquets and boutonnieres. The mini bouquets were for my nieces. With flowers that represent their names and a few were mimicked in the bridal bouquet.

I couldn’t wrap my brain around how to fit this comic-book character into this romantic theme. Also, I know my brother, I hadn’t seen him with my SIL yet, but I could see him lovingly smashing the cake in her face. Red and black frosting stain my hands when I bake with them. I can’t imagine the damage they would inflict on a wedding dress.

So, as I like to do, I did more research. I watched the movies because I hadn’t seen them yet. I hoped that something in them would inspire me so their wedding cake would succinctly represent them as a couple AND look beautiful amidst the flowers and other decorations for the wedding.

I am so glad I watched the movies because the thing about Deadpool is, he can’t die. (I’m sure that’s obvious to any hardcore comic fans. He wasn’t a character I was exposed to until this month). So, I had the idea to have the cake drop on top of him and squish him! Then I was off to the races!

The bloody version was just for a dramatic effect. I didn’t intend on making a bloody wedding cake. *(But I would if they wanted it)*

I drew some mock-ups and sent them to my SIL for approval and got to baking. I wanted to do a test run of the cake and see how long it would take me to bake, frost, and decorate because I would be flying to Michigan from Virginia. I made a test cake for my BIL’s birthday because he also loves comic book characters.

I molded Deadpool, an “L” and some Gerbera Daisies out of modeling chocolate. For the real cake we were thinking about a cake topper that was M <3 S. (I typically put the woman’s initial first, but I didn’t want it to read S&M and give any mixed messages) I dusted some of the elements with luster dust for dimension and sheen. I piped all of the details, and I was incredibly proud of my effort.

My least favorite part of baking is cake delivery. It is terrifying. It makes me anxious. There are so many things that can go wrong after putting so much effort into the delicious artwork. More often than not, I have someone drive with me, and I hold the cakes. Or I drive and have someone hold the cakes.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t an option on this day. So I packed my car up to drive 8 miles. I made it the whole way there. I am sure I annoyed all of those around me because I was driving so slowly, taking corners like a little old lady and accelerating at a painstakingly slow pace. Then, because I lost my mind, I decided to pull into the driveway. HUGE mistake. I heard the cake topple right on over, and I cried.

For the wedding, I knew I wouldn’t be traveling with the cake. I would bake and decorate it at my sister’s house where the reception was held, but still, I felt defeated and embarrassed.

Fortunately, because Deadpool is the anti-hero, he survived the debacle. Also, my in-laws are the greatest and still devoured the cake.

I did some research and decided with my tight timeline flying in the night before the wedding; it was best if I brought the cake, frosting, and modeling chocolate to assemble on site. I looked at the TSA regulations and packed it up in my cooler as my carry on. It was the perfect solution, especially since after delays we didn’t get into town until well after midnight.

The cake traveled really well in it’s cooler along with the buttercream and candy clay. There were a lot of tasks to accomplish to prepare for the festivities as soon as the day began. I took a trip to the store for some last-minute charcuterie items. (I was obsessed with finding fresh figs). I tried my hardest to coordinate the fruits and veggies with the wedding colors. We sliced, chopped, and prepared everything while other helpers set up the flowers and other decorations and drink stations outside.

My sister spent a lot of time before my arrival, setting up lights and arranging her gardens to have space for a dance floor and the DJ. Everything was happening in whirlwind succession.

I crumb-coated the cake and gave it it’s polished finish before adding the other details. At this point, my brother liked the cake simple. So I stopped. Why spend more time on it if the groom is happy. We still had a lot of other tasks to accomplish, and the ceremony was 30 minutes from the reception.

I wish I would have gotten better photos of the cake. The ceremony was at sunset, and the reception was in the evening, so it was too dark, plus, at that point I had shifted my mindset into my Best Man role, and I was focused on my speech and spending time with my nieces and nephew (and the bride and groom).