Marionette Wedding Cake by The Butter End Cakery

As part of our cover shoot for the fall issue of WEDDING NOUVEAU Magazine, we collaborated with an amazing team of designers, led by Candice Maloney of De-Lovely Events.  Well be doing a profile on each handpicked designer, as each deserves your attention and well show why.

First off: the amazing Kimberly Bailey of The ButterEnd Cakery.  We challenged her with envisioning a wedding cake for the shoot that embodied the theme of the issue:  Childhood fantasy.  We asked Kimberly to dream outside the box and design a cake that was inspired by marionettes and puppets.  Boy, did she run with it, and create an awe-inspiring cake that I know youve NEVER SEEN BEFORE:

THE INSPIRATION: Shadow Puppets

Candice of De-Lovely Events created the beautiful whimsical mood board (seen above)  that all the shoot participants including the cake designer Kimberly, would be working off of.  It was inspired by our lengthy conversation about puppets, playhouses, and the magical world of childhood imagination.  This is a great story of how a random idea can manifest into a stunning cake:

WN: Describe your process.  A bride comes to you with only a vague idea, where do you go from there?  The consultation and tasting with the couple is so important to me.  I dont want the cake to be about me or The Butter End.  It has to be a reflection of the couple, their personality, the venue, the tenor of the event…I always ask to see inspiration from the invitation, the dress, the flowers…everything.  If the couple funky and cool, or reserved and traditional?  If I never make the same cake twice, Im happy!  Every cake is a unique piece of art created for the couple.  Its just art that happens to be made of the tastiest cake.

Upon viewing the mood board, Kimberly was inspired by one particular image that depicted male and female shadow puppets sharing a secret in what seemed like a magical patch of grass.  That image (blown up above) was the inspiration behind the cake for the photo shoot, and the star of todays feature.

Were all about mixing it up, and bringing different cultures, faiths and ethnicities together in a way thats fun and modern. Many wouldve interpreted this marionette idea by going for a literal translation, making the figurines of different ethnic origins.  Weve certainly talked about multi-ethnic cake accessories and toppers on WN before.   However, Kimberly chose a different approach:  In keeping with the theme and world of her design, while celebrating diversity, she incorporated two different kinds of puppets (marionette-style string puppets and stick puppets). Subtle and Clever!  Its little details like these that celebrate diversity, that make me giddy.

WN: What inspired you to begin?

With a background in art and entertainment, and a love of food, I turned to cakes for comfort and joy when I was diagnosed with cancer. Months after I moved to LA in 2008 I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.  My acting career was put on hold (even though I shot one commercial bald!).  Throughout my treatment I had a surge of creative energy.  Recently I had struck up an interest in cakes as a canvas for my art.  Well, having cancer sat me down and gave me the time to explore my new love.  It not only gave me a creative outlet, but gave me something positive in the future to focus on.  The response to the cakes gave me the same high as applause on stage…I knew I found my calling…or it found me WN:  Describe the most challenging and inspiring cake (or dessert) youve worked on. One bride told her husband he could have the cake.  She planned the wedding, so he got the cake design.  Well….he wanted a Millennium Falcon cake!  Yup.  They are both the most awesome geeks on the planet,  getting married at the Museum of Natural History in L.A.  The bride was totally on board.  They saw a chocolate sculpted dinosaur cake that I had done for a wedding at the museum and called me for their Falcon cake.  It had to be EXACT.  I mean, these people know their Star Wars…and so would their guests!  It had to have lights in the front, back, and underside of the craft.  The groom bought a huge toy replica for me to reference.  I had it next to me while my assistant, Rainbow, and I worked for 54 hours over the course of a week to create this carrot cake beauty.   I knew we did a good job when the official George Lucas Twitter account tweeted that it was the best Millennium Falcon cake EVER!!.  They had Boba Fett guarding the cake all night, and insisted that Rainbow and I attend their wedding…as no one would have the guts to cut the cake.   WN: The theme of the fall issue wass childhood fantasy.  What does that mean to you, and how do you feel it affects or impacts your work? I absolutely love it when fantasy and whimsy are invited into what used to be such a formal occasion…We are all just big kids inside, so happy to have the license to break free from being grown ups….if even for a night.  It also gives artistic license beyond the wedding box that many still live in.  Recently a couple came to me wanting a dragon-inspired cake.  The bride a doctor, the groom in IT.  It was a black tie wedding, but they got the most amazing, fantastical dragon wedding cake!  I sculpted an elegant white dragon of modeling chocolate with edible lace wings wrapped around their cake.  The cake was painted with swirly blue clouds.  Complete fantasy.  Their guests are still talking about it.  Yay for them for being brave and tapping into their inner child!  

So, for all you brides out there daring to dream outside the box, heres a word of advice:  It helps to find a designer who is not only willing to go along with your idea, but has the technical savvy and experience to pull it off.  Also, when it comes to puppets, theres no limit to what styles (or cultures) to draw from.  From balinese shadow puppets to caribbean stilt walkers and much more.So, Ladies and gentlemenTHAT is why we heart our contributors.  Theyre fierce, theyre creative and they remind us constantly of why theyre the best at what they do.  Be sure to get your copy (digital or print) of the fall issue and see the full spread in which our marionette cake was featured, here.

Head on over to The Butter End, to see what other charming and whimsical cakes, Kimberly is up to.  She wont bite but she may just sweet talk you with all her sugary ideas.

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