The Tech Savy Bride

Today's bride uses the internet quite a bit in her planning, from just looking for ideas, to checking out vendor websites and even contacting potential vendors. While it may seem quicker and more convenient to send an email from work than to make a phone call, it can also take more time in the long run! Today, we have some quick tips for streamlining communication with potential wedding vendors!

Tip #1 - Be Specific!
Whether you're requesting information or trying to schedule an appointment, give all the important information and be specific! Be sure to include your first and last name, phone number, wedding date, venue, and the approximate number of guests you think you'll be expecting. Trying to schedule an appointment? Include what days and times tend to work best for you. Looking for information? Tell the vendor specifically what you'd like information about (cakes, cupcakes, pricing, flavors etc.) This will save you a lot of back and forth in your email communications.

Tip #2 - Check Your Junk Mail!
If this is a vendor you have not communicated with via email before, always check your junk mail! Your junk mail filter may see their response to you as junk when you are waiting on that information. And once you do have their email address, add them to your safe senders list so that you don't have to worry about their emails going to junk mail in the future!

Tip #3 - Don't expect that you can do everything through email!
Granted, there is a lot you can do through email and it can be a great place to start! But often a quick chat on the phone and meeting in person are also very important. Certain details can be communicated through facial expressions and body language even. These wedding professionals have met with many brides and may be able to pick up on questions you didn't think to ask or potential issues that may concern you by hearing your voice or sitting down with you at an appointment.

Tip #4 - Always include your wedding date!
So you've booked a vendor and are just emailing with a quick question. They have your name from your email, but make sure to include your wedding date as well! Many wedding vendors organize their brides by wedding date, and this simply allows them to find your information and respond to your question quicker! (Mailing a check for payment? Be sure to include your wedding date on the check as well!)

We hope these quick email tips are helpful and that you have successful and efficient email communication with vendors in the future!

Elmo

Elmo cakes are always a popular request for kids' birthday parties! Our custom, cut-out Elmo cake is especially popular!

The cake itself is cut into the shape of Elmo, and then he is decorated with buttercream frosting.

Two Tier

Just because you don't have a 200 person wedding reception, doesn't mean you can't still get a beautiful wedding cake!

This small 2 tier cake was just right for a small, intimate wedding reception of 45. It features our champagne dot design and pink, rolled chocolate applique hydrangeas on the bottom tier, swiss dot design on the top tier, and a beautiful bouquet of pink rolled chocolate roses on top.

Cirque du Soleil

If you read our blog regularly, you already know we announced that we were creating a cake for Cirque du Soleil! We delivered that cake to the cast last Saturday, to celebrate the 500th show of the production OVO. The cake design was inspired by the show itself, and the show's characters, along with some key elements in the show, were recreated by hand out of rolled chocolate!

Assistant Pastry Chef Amy Ward-Bailey recreating
some of the characters out of rolled chocolate.

Head Pastry Chef/Owner Kristen Repa covering
the base of the cake in rolled chocolate.

Starting to assemble!

The finished masterpiece!

Head Pastry Chef Kristen Repa (3rd from the right)
and Assistant Pastry Chef Amy Ward-Bailey (4th from the right)
with some of the Cirque du Soleil cast members in costume!

The cast members loved their mini replicas and
we were honored to create this cake and celebrate
500 shows with them!

Wedding Cake Topper

Although cake toppers are not quite as popular as they used to be, many couples still choose to put a topper on their wedding cake. These toppers usually have sentimental meaning or are reflective of the couple in some way.

Lindsay and Steven put an adorable bride and groom bird topper on their wedding cake and it looked great with the design they chose!

Photo by Stacie Kirkwood

Gambling in Vegas

We created Alex & Suly's wedding cake for them, but we also created their shower cake.

The shower cake had a Vegas theme, with a customized sign to resemble the famous Vegas sign, rolled chocolate playing cards and chips.

Blue & Orange

Recently, we created Shannon & Daniel's wedding cake. They had a picture of a wedding cake that they liked the style of, but specific colors that they wanted the cake to be in. We combined these 2 elements and created their dream wedding cake!

The cake was frosted in a blue buttercream frosting and decorated with mini rolled chocolate flowers in shades of orange, and tiny buttercream dots for accents.

Triple Berry Galette

Our Blog Special of The Week in the retail store this week is going to be our Triple Berry Galette! You may be asking yourself 2 questions: What is a Blog Special of the Week? And what exactly is a galette?

Our Blog Special of the Week is a new promotion we will be running here on the blog that features a product in our retail store for an entire week. This item will be out for you to sample in our retail store during that week. Also, if you purchase this item during that week and mention that you saw it was the Blog Special of the Week, you will receive an additional 10% off that item! You only receive this discount if you mention you saw the item on our blog though.

A galette is essentially a rustic, open-faced pie! We have different fillings depending on the season, but berries are in season now, so this galette has a blueberry, strawberry and raspberry filling. The flaky, buttery crust comes up slightly over the edge of the top, leaving the delicious berry filling showing, with a few pastry stars as decoration.

The Triple Berry Galette is available in an individual size for $2.55, as well as a larger 9" size for $14.50. The galette tastes best at room temperature, or slightly warmed in the oven, making it perfect for a picnic or barbeque, or just a nice, casual summer dessert!

Cirque du Soleil

We feel honored to tell you today that Dessert Works has been asked to create a cake for the Cirque du Soleil! This cake has been commissioned to celebrate the 500th show of the current production, OVO.

Duff Goldman, of the famous Ace of Cakes television show and Charm City Cakes, created a cake for the Cirque du Soleil show, Kooza. So I'm sure you can imagine how excited we were for the Cirque du Soleil to search us out and ask us to create this cake for them!

We will be sure to take lots of photographs for you and post them to the blog after the cake is complete so that you can see this masterpiece too! And while Cirque du Soleil is in Boston, make sure you go see this incredible show!

Lobster!

It isn't summer in New England without lobster! And Anne got a very special lobster for her 40th birthday!

The pot itself was the cake, and the lobster was completely hand sculpted out of rolled chocolate. The pot was then hand painted with an edible silver paint.

Ribbon and Flowers

Lauren & Joshua were married in the beginning of June, and we were lucky enough to create their wedding cake for them!

Photo by Melissa Coe Photography

Photo by Melissa Coe Photography

This simple but stunning wedding cake featured buttercream frosting, fabric ribbon along the bottom of each tier, one double tier, and some simple, fresh flowers! Absolutely beautiful!

End of Summer Wedding Promotion

It's summer, it's hot, and your mind is at the beach, not thinking about wedding planning. Today we have a little incentive for you to check your wedding cake off your to-do list NOW!

Book your wedding cake with Dessert Works, starting today, for your September 2010 wedding, and mention that you saw this promotion on our blog to receive 50% off your delivery charge!

Please remember: We require at least 2 weeks notice for all wedding cakes!

Not getting married, but know someone who is? Spread the word to your friends and family so that they know about this promotion too!

Call us today to book your complimentary wedding cake tasting and design consultation!
781-769-1133 ext. 208