With 2014 rapidly coming to a close, and my big ‘ol name change and site re-vamp on the horizon, I’ve decided to take a moment and look back at some of my favorite cakes of 2014. Some were for real weddings, some were for photo shoots or editorial opportunities, and others were just for fun. I hope you enjoy this little walk down memory lane!

First up is this swingin’ seventies inspired cake created in early 2014. Winter in the wedding world means meetings, emails, tastings – and photo shoots. It’s when we all have the time to work on projects not directly related to an actual wedding. This particular shoot was inspired by the look and feel of the movie American Hustle.

(Side note: I totally get that popular culture inspires wedding trends. I just always get a little chuckle over what makes it into the wedding world and why. The silliest one for me was Great Gatsby. Gorgeous aesthetic – don’t get me wrong! I just wouldn’t think you’d want a story like that anywhere near your actual wedding. 😉 )

The wonderful florist, Judy, from Flora Fauna, sent over her inspiration board to get the design juices flowing. Here are a few snippets of what I had to work with…

Can you tell what caught my eye? Cake designers, take note. My final design ended up having very little to do with the notes specifically intended for it. I actually tend to look at cake design notes very last (if at all). Photo shoots are a great opportunity to stretch your design legs, but I also feel that they need to relate directly back to your business, otherwise they do you no good. I have had exactly 2 hexagonal wedding cake requests in 6 years, so I knew that I’d be changing the shape. Plus, I just prefer to design on round cakes. I feel like it makes for a better canvas to display what it is that I really love to do, sugar flowers.

When I received the inspiration images, I really couldn’t get past that first color swatch. I just loved the way the colors were lined up. A simple stripe design would help convey the feel of the era while incorporating the colors without becoming too busy. I went with sugar poppies to bring in an added burst of color, but also because I wanted to use some stem in the sugar-floral design. Pulling one of the poppies out of the cluster gave the cake a quirky, less structured feel.

I sent this little guy off on his own and only got to see how it all came together in the final images. In the end I was very happy with how the design worked with the shoot’s other elements. It fit perfectly without being too matchy-matchy. 70’s inspired, but chic enough to appear at a wedding today.

For more images from this inspiration shoot, check out the feature on Green Wedding Shoes.

*Please note, like a good mom, I love all my cake-babies. This blog series is just highlighting a few favorites. Please, please, please don’t take it personally if yours is not included. I loved your cake, too. I love them all. 🙂