A Beautiful Disaster

I came across a picture today… two distinct emotions came to mind; horror and a great sense of accomplishment! You’re probably wondering what could possibly bring two totally different emotions and while it may sound crazy… it’s a cake!

As a wedding planner you take on so many details that could make or break someone’s big day. On this particular day, March 18th, 2016, I was transferring a cake from the couple’s hotel to Red Rocks. I didn’t even get out of the parking lot before the whole cake fell over to one side of the box. My heart completely dropped, however I knew that in this situation I needed to simply fix the situation and not stress as we still had the whole day ahead of us!

The couple was staying at Courtyard Denver West where I was picking up the flowers, cake and getting everybody loaded onto the trendy school bus that was chauffeuring everyone around on that snowy March day. Little did I know the kitchen staff would become a crucial part of our day! They helped me run the cake into their kitchen and had one of the guys help me take it apart, tier by tier. They gathered up some small boxes so I could transfer the tier’s individually to the venue.

Once I arrived at the venue the cake had to be put in the refrigerator to firm up a bit. The couple arrived, took some lovely first look pictures in a sea of pure, untouched white snow and had a beautiful ceremony! When cocktail hour began, it was time for me to conquer the reformation of the cake. I went tier by tier to gently put the cake back together. What was once a four tiered cake was now three, but nonetheless it came together beautifully!

I write this blog in hopes to help other couples and wedding planners be prepared for these situations. When ordering a cake it’s important to discuss with the bakery how far your venue is away from them so they can pack the cake accordingly. For instance, this four tiered cake that was traveling 100 plus miles, the day before the wedding should have been packed in separate boxes to begin with and been assembled once it arrived at the venue. If you’re cake does take a tumble, remain calm, assess if it’s fixable and if the bakery is nearby, see if they can send someone out to fix it. It is the bakery’s responsibility to make sure their product arrives on time and in perfect condition!