Sweet Cheeks Baking

This week we received a wonderful package full of goodies from Sweet Cheeks Baking, and to show our appreciation I wanted to share this wonderful bakery with all of you!

“Sweet Cheeks Baking Co. is a fun, motivated, all-woman company, driven to encourage healthy ingredients in otherwise fabulously rich & delicious cakes, cupcakes, snacks & cookies, and breakfast breads. Our goal is to sneak in quality items such as flax seed, whole wheat, wheat germ, fresh juices and purees, and even gluten-free flours when necessary...never losing sight of the most important ingredient: great taste!

Donna Cellere, "The Left Cheek," formerly cooked for both Presidents Clinton & George W. Bush, Jr. at The White House and created chocolates and soufflés at the French Embassy as well as the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. She is a stickler for organization and cleanliness from her NAVY background and is a fabulous dancer to boot! She has been baking her whole life and continues to crank out amazing cakes one after the other with perfection.

Elaine Palminteri Ardizzone, "The Right Cheek," has owned & operated restaurants and now the bakery since graduating from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. To aid with flavor pairing and creation, her Sommelier degree from the Court of Master Sommeliers helps with both ideas for flavor combinations and the Sweet Cheeks' unique cake tasting format of "Component Tasting." She operates the business and designs the cakes from inspirations gathered thru art, nature, tattoo, and of course from clients' interests.

Sweet Cheeks Baking Co. has an amazing combination of talent, both in baking and design, and has been featured on FOOD Network's "Road Tasted with the Neelys" for their signature "Chewy Chocolate Cheeks" and Cheebee's Best Carrot Cakes as well as recently on TLC's "Ultimate Cake-Off" through our decorators Charity George & Christy Russell. Look for us again in the near future with more potential TV spots...Go team!” –Elaine

~Devinee

Sharon & Casey's DIY Wedding: Part III

Lets get this party started... 

Part III: Reception

Sharon and Casey asked friends to save their used wine bottles. They then soaked off the labels and made cute little tags for each of them. They used the wine bottles as water pitchers on each table. 

They chose a more humble food route by having Souplantation cater just soup. The Brides mom’s dear friends spent New Years Day watching football and making cornbread to go with the soup. It was very affordable and all of the guests loved having comfort food. They cut prices again by ordering bulk biodegradable bowls, napkins, cutlery, and coffee cups online. Knowing that alcohol would be one of the major expenses of their day, they chose to stick to just wine. They bought enough Charles Shaw for everyone from Trader Joe’s – $2 a bottle.

In lou of escort cards- The brides mom’s friend cut little tags from wood strips they bought at Michael’s and painted them with chalkboard paint. They wrote everyone’s names on the tags and then tied them on mason jars with twine, one for each guest that would serve as their drinking glass for the evening. 

Quote from the Bride: “After looking into how much tablecloth rentals were, I knew we couldn’t fit it. So I thought, what is the cheapest possible fabric?? Muslin! I bought three bolts of it at $1.99 a yard (P.S. I can’t even count how many 40% off coupons I used at Joanne’s). After laying it on a table and realizing it would only come three inches off the sides, I had a momentary freak-out until thinking I could make table runners and then cut all the muslin lengthwise, right down the middle, and affix it to either edge of the runner. Krystel, our amazing wedding planner, called dozens of coffee shops to find burlap coffee sacks. After finally founding one, I made a donation to their clean water project in Ecuador. My grandma and sister cut and hot glued for three days strait!”

The bride and groom asked select friends and family to make desserts that were signature or special to them. People loved being a part of our wedding this way! They labeled each dessert individually. The bride downloaded a font online for all the little signs and printed them on cardstock left over from their handmade invitations. 

The cake was made by a friend of the bride, simple and elegant, perfect for their special day.

The first dance is always such a beautiful moment! As they say in Bride Wars, "Your First Dance introduces your couple style to the world"! Oh but it's so true! 

Look at those faces... that's love, joy, relief, happiness, all things wonderful! 

We lit the night sky with the beautiful string lights.  It's one of my favorite way to light a reception.  It makes for such a romantic and elegant atmosphere!

There are three things about this photo that I just had to point out: 1. If you look at the very bottom of the photo on the penannts you will see the couples last name that was sewn onto the pennants (its all about the details). 2. Sharon put on a beautiful white faux fur coat (lent to her by a friend) to watch the toasts (she looked so stylish and she kept warm, LOVE IT). 3. Laughter makes any photo so warm and beautiful. 

What some amazing lighting and a little flash can do! 

     

        

Dance, Dance, Dance...

Casey’s brother built the photo booth out of a sheet of plywood and a big frame someone almost threw away at Casey’s apartment complex. They covered it in burlap and leftover pennants. Sharon painted an old frame and put a piece of cardboard painted with chalkboard paint inside so that guests could add a special message. They had a friend take the photos.

The couple made their grand getaway in a Vintage Rolls Royce- perfect final touch! 

Love this couple so much! Sharon & Casey- Thank you for letting me share in the planning and coordination of your wedding day- it was my pleasure and honor to be your coordinator. You are such an amazing couple and you represent everything that love and a wedding should be! I can't wait to watch your love and marriage grow with each passing year! I hope that the friendship I created with you in this time will last a lifetime. Continue to follow and rely on God.  He has big plans for your lives and your marriage! 

Everything about this couple's day reflected COMMUNITY, FAITH, and LOVE! It was a beautiful event! 

Love, 

Krystel Tien

A message from the Bride and Groom: 

Spotlight: Blush Botanicals

I wanted to take the time to introduce you to one of the newest florists in the industry- Blush Boutanical’s. Blush Botanical’s is a fresh innovative florist with a fun loving environment. As best friends, Alex and Brittany have attended a floral design school in Los Angeles and grown together as they found their niche for flowers and confections. By combining Britney’s avant-garde style and Alex’s traditional style, the two have created a clean modern look in all of their arrangements. Also, if you are looking to add a sweet touch to your wedding they offer customized cupcakes as a unique twist to the wedding cake or a delicious parting gift for your guests. It is clear these two love everything about what they do as they get to laugh and be creative while they hang out with their best friend every day. Check out their website at www.blushbotanicals.com to see what special touch they can create for your special day! We are excited about working with them and I know that you will be too.

~Devinee

Terri and Erik's Rancho Bernardo Winery Wedding

Terri & Erik

Married on: September 18, 2009

Photographer: Acres Of Hope Photography

It all began with a Craigslist Post...

Which soon turned into LOVE...

Then the wedding invites were sent out...

She was just too beautiful... how could he resist!

Make Up: ACMakeUp

Hair: Beauty Ever After

They called the ones they loved and asked them to stand by them on their special day!

Meet the Bridesmaids:

and the Groomsmen:

It was a beautiful day...

The scene was set...
Venue: Rancho Bernardo Winery

The guys were ready!

This was TRUE LOVE!

They decided to begin in the journey of life together...

With each step she took in her Marc Jacob Heels (cute heart detailed peep toe and heel) she knew they were only getting closer to the adventure of a lifetime... Marriage!

They made it to their destination at the front of the alter and the butterflies flew away-

They said their vows, confessed their love, and he kissed his bride...

Musicians: Angelica Strings Entertainment

Let the Party Begin:

Reception and all of the beautiful details!!!

They used cigar boxes as vases and placed a wine bottle at each table as the table number and what a beautiful centerpiece they made.

Florist: Rae Florae

The Bride and Groom engraved their names and wedding date onto wooden fans and gave them out to all their guests to keep them cool on this warm September day.

This was the kids table... the perfect kids table- butcher paper substituted for a table cloth and there were crayons galore.. each child also got a bag full of goodies including: stickers, bubbles, small toys, etc. And instead of wine bottle centerpiece the kids got a Martinelli's bottle!

The tables were set to perfection.. black table cloths, wine colored napkins, cork coasters as favors, and the most beautiful and creative centerpieces.

The Bridal Bouquet- Just stunning. As an extra personal and special touch the bride added this stunning butterfly broach.

The cake was AMAZING- covered with cascading sugar butterflies...

Cake: Joanne Hansen (call Couture Events for contact info)

The couple asked for five minutes alone after the ceremony just to be together. This alone time was a beautiful thing and I believe more Brides and Grooms should take these five minutes in the midst of the hustle and bustle!

When Asked: YOUR MARRIED, Now What?

The Couple Replied, "DISNEY WORLD!!!! "

They were such a joy to work with- their amazing personalities shined!

First dance at dusk... just as the sun was setting!

DJ: Herbie Smith, Events By Design

Then they danced into the night and had their grand departure surrounded by friends and family and bubbles galore.

This is one of the most spectacular weddings I have done yet! There were so many amazing details about their wedding and I could not be happier for them! Such an awesome wedding day for an amazing couple...

Congrats Terri and Erik!!!

Love,

Krystel Tien