Feeling the Blues

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It wasn't long ago that I read a tweet by a popular wedding site announcing that blue wedding cakes are trending.  It was a timely announcement because we had made 2 blue wedding cakes that week. I had noticed we've been making more blue colored cakes both for weddings and birthdays in 2014 so I figured it must be a trend, and now I had validation from the wedding powers that be, we will probably be seeing more of them! The cakes posted here were made this year.

For the cake decorators out there, are you also getting requests for blue colored cakes? What other color trends have you been noticing in 2014?

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Those Tiffany Blues

Tiffany Blue and white is one of those classic color combinations brides request from time to time, but there is such color variation from one shade of Tiffany Blue to another that unless you match it to other items in the room, such as linens or invitations, you may get differing shades. Try and google Tiffany Blue and see how many shades of Tiffany Blue exist. You'll see a lighter shade of Tiffany Blue sometimes used on stationery and one that is more saturated, closer to the real shade of Tiffany Blue often used in linens, and just about everything in between. The actual Tiffany Blue shade is trademarked which can make it tremendously difficult to recreate the exact shade. Everytime we do a Tiffany Blue cake, no matter how many times in the past Rick has made a cake in that color, it always requires us to pull out a reference and work off it.

Above are two Tiffany Blue and white cakes we made during the month of August.

So what color is Tiffany Blue? Curious to find this answer, I looked it up on the internet and was led to the Wise Geek website and discovered the following:

Tiffany Blue is a specific shade of light blue, very similar to robin’s egg blue. Tiffany Blue is a trademarked color of Tiffany & Co., which bears the same number (1837) on the Pantone Matching System (PMS) as the year Tiffany & Co. was founded. Tiffany Blue is so easily associated with Tiffany & Co. that their trademarked “little blue box” is instantly recognized and widely considered the premium presentation for fine jewelry.

Due largely to its association with Tiffany & Co., which exudes the material symbolism of romance, Tiffany Blue has been a very notable hue at celebrity weddings. Because Tiffany Blue is trademarked, however, it cannot be used to package or advertise anything that might be associated with or in direct competition with Tiffany & Co. or its subsidiaries or be used to cause confusion amongst consumers. Though the particular shade of light blue, whether called Tiffany Blue, robin’s egg blue, or another name, is significantly associated with Tiffany & Co., it is a popular color for home décor, fashion, and accessories. In the case of weddings, it is most desirable to have accents and favors that resemble the true Tiffany Blue hue as closely as possible. The combination of Tiffany Blue with pearls, white satin, and sterling silver is a very popular wedding trend.

In terms of home décor, Tiffany Blue is available as a paint color. In fact, it is very commonly used to produce a cool, crisp, and elegant look when combined with white. When combined with brown or natural wood tones, Tiffany Blue can create a modern version of some retro styles. Currently, Tiffany Blue with polka dots in different shades of brown is frequently found on area rugs, throw pillows, and other decorative household items. Though Tiffany Blue is a common shade, and many feel that it’s nature’s color and not Tiffany’s, few would deny the significance of a genuine Tiffany Blue box.

See a selection of Tiffany Blue cakes and many new cakes on cakelava.com.

"The Red Cake" Revisited

Our "Red Cake" shown above has been well-circulated. It's been on our website since 2006, when Rick designed the cake for our bride Juliet, and has appeared in a number of magazines. While the execution of the cake and design is ours, we had a great source of inspiration from Juliet, a graphic artist, who sent us the invitations she had made which looked a lot like the bottom tier of the cake. All components on the cake are handcrafted. This past July we made Juliet's cake for Theresa, but instead of red, we did the cake in sky blue fondant. You'd think that recreating a cake we designed would be easier than making a new design, but that isn't the case. It can be more challenging. I recall Rick painstakingly observing every last detail of where he placed a flower or wire on Juliet's cake just to be sure that it would look the same on Theresa's cake. Since it was made 2 years ago, all the details weren't completely fresh in his mind.

Apart from how the cakes look, there are other similarities. Both have white draping as a backdrop. Note the photographer on both cakes, Chrissy Lambert Photography. With the amount of interest we've had from people asking about "The Red Cake" over the past couple years, my guess is we may be making it again, perhaps in another color, in the future.

Love and a View at Top of Waikiki

Nothing beats a great view of the city and if you can enjoy delicious cuisine while observing the skyline, even better. Some of our favorite restaurants with a city view include Sheraton Waikiki's Hanohano Room, Aaron's at the Ala Moana Hotel, and we can recently add to the list, Top of Waikiki, Hawaii's only revolving restaurant.

Last month, our clients Amanda and Chris held their wedding reception at the Top of Waikiki. Their beautiful 3-tier blue fondant wedding cake incorporated a delicate piped pattern found on Amanda's bridesmaid's dresses and had a soft and feminine shape. Amanda was kind enough to share with us some of her photos that her father took at the reception and I can't think of a better backdrop for their blue wedding cake than one of Waikiki's most famous hotels, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel (the pink hotel), as seen in the photo above. Simply gorgeous!

Delivering a cake to Top of Waikiki is a little interesting, and I'm not talking about the parking garage to elevator to escalator to Top of Waikiki commute with the cake. You can't help but notice that the floor is rotating below you ever so slowly, and here you have a wedding cake in your hands that you have to place on a table. Try not to notice that several seconds ago the background behind the cake was different, and Yowza! try not to notice those incredible views until you put the cake down.

All went well with Amanda and Chris' wedding, and they loved their Mixed Berries Chantilly and Totally Turtle flavored cake, as expressed in their thank you letter below:

Hi Sasha & Rick,

We wanted to thank you for your time & creativity when making our wedding cake. All of our guests were amazed by how well it matched our theme and how awesome it looked! They loved it even more once they tasted it! :) We loved everything about it and wanted to share with you some photos that my dad took. Thanks for being apart of our special day! :)

Mahalo,
Amanda & Chris

Amanda and Chris,

You two make a lovely couple. We really enjoyed working with you two over the past nine months or so. Thank you for sharing with us your special day and all the photos.

Sasha and Rick

See Amanda and Chris' wedding cake and many other new cakes on cakelava.com.