An Impressionist Dessert Table

We love dessert tables for a couple of reasons.  They are a great way to get guests up and mingling following dinner (reason one).  Reason two: a dessert table can really add to the overall decor of the event, enhancing your themes and colors and looking pretty.  And that last reason is that they are just so fun to design.  Full of personal details there are so many design options.

This summer we did a table inspired by the bride’s love of impressionism at Earhart Manor, which is Northern European country home in Ann Arbor now owned by Concordia University.  The cake served as a focal point on which the rest of the design was based,everything from the cookie and backdrop colors to the placement of  stands.  It also brought together a couple important elements of the wedding: impressionism, gold (done in a foil technique), and a topper to match the bride’s fascinator.

 The macarons and decorative cookies in shades of blue helped bring needed color to the rest of the table.

I love how the backdrop of hand-painted canvases ties together the cake, and its accompanying desserts.  Without it the impressionism would have been lost to the viewer.

Special thank you to lamb + lark for sharing their beautiful images.

Love is Cake (and other Sweet Heather Anne treats too)

Finding the perfect gift for someone can be quite the challenge.  A great gift can say “I understand and love you for who you are” more effectively than words.  As a fellow gift-giver the thing I dread most is that the gift I hunted for ends up collecting dust in the pile of things for Goodwill.

Fear not brave gift-giver, Sweet Heather Anne has a slew of holiday treats so tasty there’s no way they’ll make it to the Goodwill pile.

In the month of December the dessert counter will be chock full of cookie boxes packaged for giving.  Each box features an assortment of cookies: our signature decorated cookies, gilded chocolate stars, Mexican shortbread and chewy chocolate molasses (a personal favorite of which I could wax poetic, but I will spare you).

Our very own Claudia Kimble designed that gorgeous tag herself in our mint and gold holiday color scheme. And the best part?  We can ship these adorable packages anywhere in the United States.

Only for the month of December we are making gingerbread cake.  The studio smelled so delicious as we recipe-tested that we became obsessed before even tasting it.  This new flavor features Bell’s porter, two types of ginger and incredible depth of flavor.  Paired with our smooth and creamy vanilla swiss buttercream (made with Calder butter!) this gingerbread cake is the quintessential holiday cake.   It is available at the dessert counter in cake in a jar, or for pre-order in our gorgeous gilded snowflake layer cake.  We offer the gilded snowflake cake in either 6-inch or 9-inch, perfect sizes for any holiday party.

Our holiday macarons are pistachio and chai spice.  And yes, they taste as good, better actually, than they look in the photo.  

Sweet Heather Anne classes and gift certificates also make great gifts, and to make things even easier for you, we are extending our dessert counter hours.  December 6th through 22nd we will be open Thursdays and Fridays 10-6 and Saturdays 9-2.   Because who doesn’t want their gifts to say, “I understand and love your need for delicious food”?

Many thanks to Abby Rose Photo for the gorgeous cookie photos (as always).

A Romantic Meadow Brook Hall Wedding

Denise & Jonathan married at Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester.  If you are even remotely interested in history, architecture, or art and haven’t visited Meadow Brook I would highly recommend.  You will find it fascinating.  Meadow Brook was the home of Matilda Dodge Wilson, wife of John F. Dodge who was co-founder of Dodge Brothers Motor Car Company.  Built in the late 1920s Meadow Brook was modeled off of English country homes and is particularly known for its grand scale, exceptional craftsmanship, and detailed architecural work, all of which make it a gorgeous setting for weddings.

Denise wanted a stunning and romantic wedding.  Check out her and Jonathan at their head table, and the elaborate floral and lighting work that went into the table itself.

We decided to pull inspiration for the cake from Denise’s dress because it was truly stunning.

The cake featured a cascading ruffle mimicking the gathers in the bottom of the bride’s dress.  For a little bit of extra interest two tiers of the cake drew on the blush pink and lace of the decor.

The overall effect was stunning, as you can see in Denise’s priceless reaction.

Many thanks to Elton Anderson for sharing his gorgeous images and Emerald City Designs for their event design work. And of course lots of warm wished to Denise & Jonathan for years of happiness.

Puppies & Thrones=Wedding Fun

Laura & Steve got married at Earhart Manor, which is part of Concordia University here in Ann Arbor. Their wedding was filled with fun and personal touches.

We happened to deliver the cake while they were taking this photo with their dogs.  We may have gotten in the way just a little, but we couldn’t stop oohing and aahing at how cute Laura & Steve were with their pups.

I love this post with ceremony seating instructions!

Those are our macarons sitting pretty by the menu card.

These are the best bride and groom chairs (perhaps thrones!) that I have ever seen.  And they are even more beautiful in person.  Laura & Steve actually own them, which in my mind makes them even more fun and personal.

Laura was very specific about her cake: she wanted it to look just like the iconic white bloom Sweet & Saucy cake.  And that is precisely what she got.

Many congratulations to Laura & Steve, your wedding was beautiful. And many thanks to Two Foot Creative for coordinating and JLB Photography for the gorgeous images.

And they Sailed off into the Sunset

It was a perfect August evening: hot, but clear, for Jessica and Ed’s wedding reception at Devil’s Lake Yacht Club.  The yacht club itself was lovely and genuine, think sitting on the porch, drink in hand, kids running in the lawn capturing fireflies.  And then they literally sailed off into the sunset.

With the help of Jennifer House, and her A Moment in Time team, Jessica & Ed had a fun and personal wedding.  The details prove it: coral, bright poppy red, and yellow colors, tissue poms decorating the tent, local honey as favors.  Guests were cared for in such a loving way.

We planned a dessert table that served both as dessert and late night snack.  There were two cakes each with its own personality but both fun (and cohesive).

Decorated sugar cookies and French macarons complemented the cakes and served as a late night snack.  And then there was milk.  To go with the cookies.  Are you catching fireflies with the kids yet?

I know I told you that Jessica and Ed are fun.  And the cake, cookies and milk, boat ride, honey and more may have given you a clue, but nothing says it better than this photo of them eating their cake.  It says it all. 

A big thank you to Captured with Love for sharing the beautiful images.