Beyond Vows and Veils: The Luxury Wedding Experience

Slice of Joy: Navigating Wedding Cake Designs with Couture Cakes by Lia

• Brittany Ellis • Season 1 • Episode 17

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In this episode of "Beyond Vows & Veils: The Luxury Wedding Experience Podcast," Lia, a professional cake designer, shares her expert insights on choosing the perfect wedding cake. She advises couples to do thorough research, look at inspiration photos, and visit the baker's website to understand their style. Lia emphasizes the importance of discussing your budget with the baker and suggests bringing two or three inspiration images to the consultation. She highlights current trends like vintage-style cakes and tall, slender cakes with acrylic separators. 

Specializing in fondant-covered cakes, Lia introduces the faux cake method, where the inside is inedible, but the outside is 100% edible. She recommends having one cake flavor to simplify the process and cater to all guests. The cost of the cake is influenced by factors such as guest count, size, flavor selection, and design intricacy. Lia explains that faux cakes, made with real ingredients but not meant for consumption, offer flexibility, durability, and ease of transportation. They eliminate concerns about sweating, condensation, and deterioration and can be kept as keepsakes. 

Lia advises couples to trust their baker's expertise and consider incorporating flavors that reflect their wedding location or theme. Tune in to discover how to make your wedding cake a stunning and memorable centerpiece for your special day!


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ABOUT EVENTRICS INDIAN WEDDINGS

Eventrics Indian Weddings is an award-winning team of experienced wedding planning and management experts, specializing in large-scale Indian Weddings & Fusion Weddings in Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, and destinations worldwide.

The Eventrics Indian Weddings team offers complete and partial planning services with a personal and hands-on approach. We believe each couple deserves a fully invested wedding planner to be engaged throughout the entire process to ensure no detail is missed or overlooked!

Brittany (00:00.904)
All right, thank you so much for joining me, Leah. I really appreciate it. Obviously to anyone that's listening, this episode is gonna be incredibly insightful if you're in the middle of those stages of trying to figure out what your wedding cake's gonna look like, what desserts you're wanting to enhance for your event. Leah is a professional in the state of Florida, obviously kind of shared a little bit in my bio about her. But welcome, Leah. Thank you so much for joining Beyond Vowels and Bails. We're happy to have you.

Lia Brigner (00:27.55)
Thank you so much for the invitation. It's a pleasure to be with you today.

Brittany (00:30.948)
Absolutely. So Leah, tell us a little bit about your background and history. I think it would be really helpful for a lot of the users or listeners that we have on our podcast channel are mostly newly engaged couples. They kind of just are learning a little bit about their planning journey. So I'd love to hear a little bit about yours.

Lia Brigner (00:50.558)
Absolutely. Well, your listeners are doing the right step in taking the approach of getting as much info ahead of time. So kudos to them for listening and getting all this great information. A little bit about me is I kind of knew at an early age what I wanted to do. I was actually in middle school and I would always tell my teachers, you know, I want to be the cake lady when I grow up. I want to make wedding cakes and have my own business. And of course, when you're young, everyone's like, yeah, okay, sure. But that's really the path that I ended up taking.

I went to college at Johnson and Wales University and got a degree in baking and pastry arts as well as a degree in entrepreneurship to make sure that I had some business background as well. From college I started with the luxury brands. I worked with the Ritz -Carlton in Palm Beach for an internship and then later when graduating went to the Ritz -Carlton Orlando Grand Lakes. After working there for some time I actually opened the Waldorf Astoria property in Orlando, Florida and worked my way up to senior pastry

Sous Chef as the lead of the department. So definitely a great background and good foundation and then from there after starting a family of my own decided it was time to open Couture Cakes. So Couture Cakes we're in our 10th year of business and going strong.

Brittany (02:06.984)
That's awesome. You know, I guess I didn't realize that, you know, when I sort of bought out the company that was approximately about 10 years ago. So we kind of were almost right in sync when we kind of created our own brands and what have you. So that's super cool. I can't believe it's already been 10 years.

Lia Brigner (02:17.342)
We were, yes.

Lia Brigner (02:23.942)
You know, it goes so quickly.

Brittany (02:26.12)
It goes really fast. So, you know, I would love to dig in. I want to talk all about things, cakes. I feel like I'm going to be very well educated after this episode as well. So let's dig in. I'd love to hear a little bit about most of the couples that are listening to this podcast don't really know a lot about obviously wedding cakes, what are questions they should even be asking. So in your opinion, what are some of the first things that couples should be asking or even talking amongst themselves and their families when it comes to talking about the wedding cake? Because it's such a,

you know, tradition, I feel like for any, really any culture. I mean, we obviously specialize in Indian weddings, but even then the cake is such a symbol at the wedding reception. So just curious from your standpoint, like what are some of those initial conversation points?

Lia Brigner (03:09.758)
Absolutely, great question and I think that there are three main sticking points that I kind of would like to showcase. So first and foremost is do your research ahead of time. if you can. Obviously most couples these days are looking at social media to start. So I think that's a great starting point and a good reference. So go onto Instagram, go onto Facebook, look at some different inspiration photos, scroll through, kind of see what your likes are. Now this is a great starting point, but again keep in mind that

bakers and cake artisans that are using these platforms are posting some of their best work. So I would encourage you if you see something that you like then I would definitely go to their website directly. Usually a baker is going to promote themselves by having a gallery of their work so you can see a lot of their past work. So you may like one of their cakes but maybe when you go to their website you're like, you know this doesn't really fit the vibe that I'm looking for. And again every cake baker is

in their own right an artist. So there's going to be differences from one style to the next and there are kind of overall themes of what a baker's work will look like. Some people specialize in fondant, some people specialize in naked cakes, some people specialize in more natural florals vs. sugar florals. There's a lot of differences. So by going to their website you can definitely kind of see the common theme of what their work looks like overall and see if it's a good fit for the theme that you're looking to achieve. Also on the website,

There's usually going to be an FAQ section so you can go over some of the questions that you have right off the bat to understand, you know, what is their service area? Do they even deliver to the venue that you're looking to have your reception? A lot of times they'll also include pricing, which is going to be the next point I'm going to discuss just to see if you're in the same ballpark of what you're anticipating. It's just a great way to get some more information and read about the bio of the person you're going to be working with. Are you going to be

to be working with multiple people? Are there going to be many different hands working on your cake or is it a whole team versus one person where you're going to have consistent service all the way through? So a lot of those questions can be answered just from the website alone. And then from there, so the second point is budget. I know a lot of couples don't really know what to expect, you know, when it comes to that question of, well, you know, is there, when I ask, is there a budget you'd like to respect or a price point

Lia Brigner (05:39.088)
that you're trying to achieve to stay within? I always want to be respectful of that. And a lot of times it catches them off guard because they're not expecting that. So just like let's say as an example, throughout the wedding process, there's basically different tiers throughout all of the planning. So there are cakes that started a thousand dollars. There are cakes that range twenty five thousand dollars or more, you know. So it really varies. And again, by looking at the website and they'll usually have a range or starting point price point, just you can see.

you know, does this align with the budget that I have set? Is it realistic for me? You know, does the vision of the gallery represent what I'm trying to achieve? And then again, when you go dress shopping, one of the very first questions they're gonna ask you before they show you a bunch of couture lines is what is the price point that you're staying within? You can't say yes to a dress before you know kind of what you're looking for. Even if it's a ballpark range, just so that when you're designing the cake with the baker that you're in line and you're not wasting each other.

others time. You want to make sure that you're designing accordingly and you know that's going to be a big part of the process is the consultation and getting as much information about the wedding and you want to relay whatever you have planned so far so that way you can really dig deeper into design and make sure you're designing accordingly to fit those specifications. And then the third thing I would say is inspiration. You want to definitely have two or three inspiration images just so you can share those with your baker. There are thousands of

of different styles when it comes to wedding cakes. So if you tell a baker, I want something classic and timeless and elegant or romantic, those can be portrayed in many different fashions. So having two or three visuals for your baker to review with you, that will be super helpful to really go through. Again, one of the first parts of the process for me at least is a consultation. Usually it's over the phone. Sometimes it's in person. It just kind of depends on the situation.

Brittany (07:12.072)
Great.

Lia Brigner (07:38.56)
But you'll actually go through, like I said, the details, the theme, the colors, you know, what do you have planned for florals? Have you selected a florist? Have you discussed centerpieces? Do you have pictures of those flowers and centerpieces? And then again, the inspiration that you provide, you guys can go back and forth together to discuss your likes, what you like about each particular inspiration photo, so that your baker can custom design different pieces to create a unique piece just for you.

your wedding day because you want to have something that's truly tailor -made just for your day.

Brittany (08:13.)
Yeah, definitely. I mean, that was incredible information. I really appreciate you kind of outlining those three steps. I feel like they're very, you know, walkaways for everybody when they're talking to families. You know, I love what you said about budget because I'm totally with you on that. We always start planning with a budget. And so for me, I'm the same way. It's like, I don't want to get you excited for this venue or this vendor and have no concept of being respectful of what your bottom line is. And so I love that you do nudge on that similar like shopping for a wedding gown, right? I mean, if you're with a

in the $4 ,000 to $8 ,000 price point, like let's not even roll out like, you know, the Oscar de la Renta's and the Vera Wang's because you know, you're going to obviously fall in love with something that, you know, might be at a different price range. So always starting there, I think it's really important to timeline wise. What would you say is like the appropriate time to be starting some consultations? Obviously, I know that your team gets booked out in advance. What does that look like for you? I don't know if that's changed since the pandemic or anything, but what are timelines now for you?

Lia Brigner (08:51.166)
Yes.

Lia Brigner (09:13.598)
This is an excellent question and my situation is a little bit different, but overall I would say within the planning process, six months is typically what I would suggest for most people to look into their baker and start deciding who might be a good fit for them and vice versa. But for my situation with Couture Cakes, I am actually just a one woman crew. So with that being the case, I've made the decision to stay small and have that one -on -one relationship with my clients. So my book

The booking process is a little bit different. I book on a first come first serve basis, which means that time slots do tend to fill up fast. So my team, or you know, mostly my bookings end up being around 9 to 12 months in advance, which is a little bit more than most couples have. But if you have the luxury of time and you're able to book out that far, then by all means, the sooner you're able to start or at least get that conversation started, even if you don't have all of the details yet, if you're

of who you want to move forward with, it's best to try and secure your spot on their schedule early on because the likelihood that they'll have your date available is better with the length of time that you have. Now if you don't have that luxury of time, again, six months is kind of the average starting point, and even those that are within six months, you never know if there's a cancellation or if that weekend just didn't book out or if it's an off day or a weekday. You know, there's definitely times where we have open

So I encourage you to always reach out and see if your date is available and you never know even if it's a last -minute thing just to kind of reach out and see just to confirm and that way you know one way or the other. One of the other flip sides of this though is that when you actually dig into the cake design process is you will need to have some of your color schemes already picked out. You will need to have some of your design and centerpieces at least discussions.

and progress with your floor so you have a straight vision of what you're going to be looking to achieve and a theme so that your cake designer can start working on that design to make sure it's going to be a seamless design and a cohesive look throughout the reception. We want to make sure that everything flows seamlessly from your linens to your decor to your backdrops and different colors and florals so that it really is a perfect fit. So I know it's kind of a you've got to go each

Lia Brigner (11:43.002)
way and balance. Yes, you want the luxury of time to start designing, but you also have to know some of these design elements before you can really dig deeper into the design of the cake.

Brittany (11:53.992)
Right, definitely. And I'm so glad that you bring up, you know, inspiration in terms of like translating that with their design as well, because back in the earlier days, when I first started wedding planning, I was very much a logistical minded person. So I was like, we just got to get all the vendors hired, and we're going to figure it out later. But we need at least secure our team. And it really is like creating that overall aesthetic and that flow, you have to kind of have some of those pieces to the puzzle already at least laid out so that you can obviously show up to your best in the consultation.

right, because otherwise we're really just talking about serving size and potentially if we want, you know, I don't know, certain like elements incorporated, right, where you can get into the depth of it. So I always encourage couples also to have a little bit more of a concept on that for sure. Are there any particular like trends that you're seeing with cakes right now in the industry?

Lia Brigner (12:44.766)
Yes, absolutely. There are two very different techniques right now that are being widely promoted on social media. And I think that's some of why they're so popular right now. One of which is a vintage style, kind of a throwback to the 80s weddings. I'm having a lot of couples reach out and see if I can replicate their parents' wedding cake. So it's something that's a little bit different, a lot of pipe.

Brittany (13:03.058)
of it.

Lia Brigner (13:14.672)
and a lot of swags and a lot of royal icings and some frills even like the the tool paper with the ruffles on the edges.

Brittany (13:25.71)
that's funny. I love that.

Lia Brigner (13:27.454)
I have a couple right now that I'm working with. They're actually using their parents' bride and groom cake topper with the arch to top their wedding cake. And it's just a small, intimate cake, but it does definitely have that vintage, heavily piped look with rosettes and shell borders. So that throwback look is definitely coming around. The second item that's pretty popular right now is actually tall, slender cakes. So very different.

from the vintage look is a more modern look, a very tall slender looks, especially with acrylic separator tiers. So acrylics give off a clear look. So when you're looking at the cake, especially across a ballroom, it almost looks as if the cake is floating between tiers because you can't see anything between them. So it gives definitely a unique look of separation, especially if you have two or three of those between different tiers. It looks like there's different parts of the cake.

Brittany (14:05.096)
Mmm.

Lia Brigner (14:27.216)
that are floating when reality, they're just like a clear plastic that is a separator to make it even taller.

Brittany (14:32.328)
Yeah.

That's really beautiful. I mean I've definitely, you know, seen some of your cakes and like I just feel like you definitely know if it's an elevated cake and it's been, you know, crafted by someone with your experience level and then you kind of know if it's like a different tier. What would you say is sort of like your aesthetic or something that you're kind of known for?

Lia Brigner (14:55.838)
Great question. So I'm known for fondant covered cakes. That's definitely my area of expertise. And most of my wedding cakes do end up being within those parameters. However, I offer a variety of different designs and elements, techniques, butter creams, royal icings, in addition to fondant. It really just comes down to the aesthetic that the couple is looking for. But most of my gallery work, you will see fondant. And that's just because I like the smoothness, the cleanness. I like the very clean lines.

lines and classic look of fondant. Also, for couture cakes, we utilize one of the premier systems, which is known as the faux cake method. You'll hear me talk about this throughout the podcast today. So to kind of touch on that, the faux cake method has been pretty commonplace in the past 10 years within the central Florida market among the luxury vendors and venues. This is just because there are so many benefits to this system, and I'm sure we'll get into that a little bit later. But essentially, the faux cake method,

means that the inside of the cake is faux or inedible elements, whereas everything on the outside of the cake is 100 % edible, consumable elements, obviously excluding fresh flowers or things of that nature. But typically it's going to be fondants and icings and edible dragees or edible sparkles or edible sugar florals. So your guests can't tell that it's a faux cake. And on the back side, there is a small portion that's real for the couple to cut into. So they're still going to have their cake cutting photographs.

photographs and they'll get their pictures and then the venue will move it to the back of the house so it looks like it's being cut for service. When in reality the sheet cake that will be consumed by guests are time and temperature controlled in the back of the house so they can be cut beautifully and they can be served at the proper temperature to eliminate any food safety concerns because eating something that's been in the ballroom for many hours may not be the best option for yourself and your guests. So this method

Brittany (16:33.512)
Mm -hmm.

Lia Brigner (16:55.52)
It is definitely a win -win, like I said, among many of the luxury venues, which is why we utilize this system for all of its attributes.

Brittany (17:04.808)
Yeah, I love that. You know, if anyone listening has ever actually seen a real like full on real wedding cake being cut, especially not by the cake artists by the service staff and trying to get it like on the plates and to look presentable. It's like, it's very, it's not going to be that elegant presentation that what you're describing can really present. And I think that I love that you specialize or do that sort of method because it does I feel like have a little bit more of a luxury service.

Especially if you're doing a plated meal or even if you're opening up like just kind of putting the plate on each of the guest seats as they're like on the dance floor and then they get to come back to their seat and see this beautiful presentation, but you know curious with the sheet cakes or Is my saying that right sheet cakes, correct? How do you determine serving size because we get this question a lot, you know, especially, you know mostly for South Asian weddings they've got a you know 400 plus of their nearest and dearest and sometimes they'll say well not everyone's

Lia Brigner (17:51.87)
Yes, correct.

Brittany (18:04.618)
going to eat cake and we don't want things to go to waste. Like how do you sort of dictate or support the couple and guiding them like how many servings essentially that they should offer?

Lia Brigner (18:15.038)
Yes, so that is a common question that comes up a lot and that's one of the main benefits of the faux cake system and why we support it so strongly is because you can get the look of the wedding cake that everyone sees in the ballroom if you have a large guest count. You can have a faux cake that's super tall and grand and luxurious, yet if you only want half of your guest count for consumable cake slices that's achievable with the faux cake system. So it really helps to, okay well you can have your grand cake

and eat it too and you can you know modify the amount you need because everyone is not always going to want cake or may have allergies and may stay clear of it so that's really a process that it depends on each situation your baker can recommend based on what else you have going on a lot of times if you're having other desserts you also won't want to have a full guest count unless you're having plated service if it's plated service then obviously you have to have enough for every place setting that you have.

Brittany (18:46.696)
Okay.

Lia Brigner (19:14.888)
set just to be sure that there's enough for everyone. But if you're having either buffet service or you know, butler past service or you know, there's a lot of different styles. Sometimes you don't need the full guest count. And so you can work through that with your baker again, depending on what other offerings you're going to have, you know, or is your focus mostly dancing where people are going to be up and about? Is it hours after the main meal? Is it more towards the end of the night? It depends on the time.

timing of your service, but that's definitely something that you can discuss so you can modify the amount needed and so you don't have a ton extra. But of course, everyone likes to take home extra cake. So that's always an option too, to have a little takeaway to bring up to your room that evening as another option for any leftovers.

Brittany (19:55.93)
absolutely.

Brittany (20:01.672)
Mm -hmm.

Absolutely, I love that. You know curious with you know having additional sheet cakes that you can choose from.

How how is it getting too crazy like I have some couples like then we can offer this flavor and we can offer this flavor What would you say is like a good range of flavors or fillings or icing or you know? Whichever to choose from when you are going into maybe the faux tier system and you are looking at doing some offerings of different sheet cakes like is there a certain like max amount of Tastes easier because sometimes I have couples will come to me look like well, we love these eight flavors and I'm like, okay. Well, that's all

lot, you know, so what do you usually do or how do you guide couples for that?

Lia Brigner (20:45.838)
most of the time, believe it or not, it is one flavor that we stick to and this is because it avoids a lot of bickering amongst your guests. Whenever you go with more than one flavor, inevitably someone's heart is broken that they did not get the chocolate slice that they wanted or they really wanted vanilla and the person next to them was served alternating slices. So in order to eliminate that, I find that guests are more pleased

Brittany (20:55.654)
Yes.

Lia Brigner (21:15.714)
when everyone gets the same flavor cohesively. So while I will say that it is an option and I can certainly walk through that with them and again the cake maker that they select will offer that as an option, I just find in past experience the less choices for the guests the better just to eliminate people feeling like they missed out on something. If everyone's getting the same flavor there's no hurt feelings and everyone's excited that they're getting the same flavor.

thing.

Brittany (21:46.6)
Yeah, I actually love that response because I'm with you. I feel like if you really want to get into that much variety, then have your wedding cake and then maybe later in the evening, you can have an additional dessert display with like little mini bites and then they can have like a different palette of options that they can choose from. But I actually love the fact that you kind of simplify that because you know, I know that if I attend even a function on my own and I see so and so got this flavor, I mean, I would probably feel the same way, right? Like, do you want to switch or do you want to trade? And, and,

Lia Brigner (22:14.398)
Of course, yes.

Brittany (22:16.554)
And then you know, then you kind of hear, well, I got this one, but I didn't get to try that one. And that's like the last thing that you want to hear at your wedding. You just want everyone to enjoy the cake and continue on with the party.

Lia Brigner (22:20.286)
Yes, or.

Lia Brigner (22:26.174)
Exactly, or then they're gonna nitpick and say, well I compared, I tried this one and that one was okay, but I like this one more. And then the person that only had the other flavor is like, well, I missed out, I should have had the other one. So just eliminate it, keep it simple. Everyone's gonna enjoy it. It's cake, this is a fun part of the cake or wedding process. It should be an enjoyable part.

Brittany (22:38.088)
Ready.

Brittany (22:43.784)
Right. Right.

It's dessert. Everyone will enjoy it. Rest assured they're going to have a good time. And then if you want more variety, then you can partner with your caterer, your property or what have you. So I do want to touch base back on budget. I'm a big advocate for numbers. Can you share a little bit about what factors specifically play a big role in those cost parameters when designing a cake? Like if you were having a consultation with someone, is it based like, I know it's technically it used to be it back in the day. We used to

Lia Brigner (22:55.646)
Definitely.

Brittany (23:17.034)
to base it like per slice. It would almost be like X amount per slice and that kind of incorporated the design. How does that work with your method or what would you suggest?

Lia Brigner (23:19.026)
Yes.

Lia Brigner (23:27.582)
Yes, so it is still by industry standard by guest count by slice. However, there are so many factors when it comes into the total pricing of a cake. I can't tell you how many times I emailed a day of, you know, a bride will send over a picture like, I love this cake. Can you tell me how much this would cost? Well, unfortunately, I can't just throw out a ballpark figure, nor will any other cake baker because there are so many different factors. First and foremost, guest count.

The number of consumable cake slices that you're looking to achieve. This is a huge part. Whether it's a real cake or a faux cake with the sheet cakes. Your full guest count. How many people you've invited versus what the actual anticipated final numbers will end up being. This will affect your final cost. So yes, guest counts number one. Two is the height and size of the faux cake if you're using a faux cake system. If you're going for something large and grandiose, obviously,

the cost is going to be more extreme than a smaller, intimate cake that only looks like it feeds the appropriate guess count for the number of slices. If you're just looking for something that looks appropriate to your guess count, that's achievable as well. Most of the time, because it is faux, couples will be like, no, I want to go a little bit bigger, a little bit more grand for the focal point. But again, it comes down to those. So guess count, size of the cake, those are the two big ones. The flavor

selection. If you're going with one or more flavors, we have different premium flavors, different ganaches and specialty flavors. So it will include that as well. Mostly, though, it comes down to the artistic intricacies involved in each unique design and the amount of labor required to achieve those designs. I literally like you am very logistic based and very analytical. So I actually have an Excel spreadsheet and I cost out every

single design based on labor, materials, cost, estimated time to achieve that design. So I literally have to design it based on the sizing, the guess count, the flavor, the time, the anticipated delivery time and setup needs on site because the timing on site, it may have to be stacked and delivered in pieces depending on the sizing, which requires more setup time or attaching flowers to the cake on site. All of those things add to the amount of labor.

Lia Brigner (25:57.088)
involved in that particular design. And so again, once I run it through the spreadsheet, then I can give a more accurate reflection of what it would look like. But again, I always go back to that website to kind of get the baker's estimated starting point pricing and be open about it and transparent as you're working through the design process. So like you said, you don't want an Oscar dealer where it's like a dress if it's not something that is attainable for you. So just work through that.

through that and come up with a happy medium so that everyone is happy and it works within the price point that they want to respect.

Brittany (26:34.92)
Yeah, 100%. I love that response. And you know, I have a lot of couples that will ask me and so I'm sorry if this is ignorant questions that couples are like, well, if we have a cake artist and she is already designed a faux cake, can we reuse that cake? Can we use that same cake? And I'm like, I don't know that that's the way that it works. I think each cake has to be custom because again, you're using real ingredients on that cake, right? So it's like, eventually they're not they're going to be not presentable for

a wedding that would be, you know, a year plus from the original offering. Can you speak to that a little bit just to clear up any confusion there? Because I feel like sometimes when couples talk about faux cakes, they have this very different ideal of how it can be utilized.

Lia Brigner (27:21.264)
Absolutely, so to answer your question. No, it really should not be utilized in the future however I mean that the faux cakes do hold up for a couple months after the fact But keep in mind that when the cake is out on the floor amongst your guests there are going to be guests that are Inquisitive or children that will come up then you know give it a swipe So inevitably there are going to be small imperfections by the end of the event even though the faux cake system again

Brittany (27:42.696)
Right. Right.

Lia Brigner (27:51.168)
There are so many benefits like you're not gonna have a cake that's sweating like a real cake if you've ever been to an outdoor wedding or have seen condensation Yes, so

Brittany (27:58.282)
my gosh, I've absolutely had my cakes fall over before. I mean, yeah.

Lia Brigner (28:04.318)
The faux cake method will give you a pristine cake from start to finish, even if you choose to display it throughout the whole event. Some couples want to keep it out even after their cake cutting photographs, even though they realize their guests may realize, well, I just got cake service and the cake is still on the floor here, you know, out in the ballroom space. But some couples want it for a focal point. So, but inevitably it's not going to be in the most pristine condition at the end of your event. So more than likely, it's not going to hold up for

you know, months or definitely not years on end and the sugar fondant is a true sugar material so it will deteriorate over time and it does attract unwanted visitors if left in someone's home. So I would not recommend that and also as part of Couture Cakes we speak with all of our couples and mention that every cake will be truly a tailored one -of -a -kind cake. We don't ever design the same cake for any two couples

So even if you absolutely see something you love on our gallery, we can do something similar and we will design to give you a similar look overall. But we're definitely going to tailor it based on all of those items we talked about at the original consultation with the different colors and themes and florals so that we can really tailor it to make sure that it's going to match you and the couple and make sure it's going to be a representation of them.

Brittany (29:30.504)
Right, absolutely. And I think it also speaks to just the quality of system that you have in place. And we've already kind of touched base on some of the benefits. I'd love to actually dive into any more benefits that you feel like would be supportive for couples to hear. But I'm definitely with you. I know in the state of Florida specifically, a lot of couples love to do outdoor functions. So even if you're not hosting a full outdoor reception in Florida, sometimes it's an indoor or it's a tent or something like that. So talking about sweaty cakes, I've definitely seen it in the past.

Lia Brigner (29:43.294)
Of course.

Brittany (30:00.458)
and it's terrifying because you're just watching it kind of like lean over a little bit and then I knock on wood it hasn't happened to me but one time it did and I mean it was...

Lia Brigner (30:03.134)
and go, mmm, yes.

Brittany (30:12.454)
you know, it was, gosh, I don't even know. Maybe it was six years ago. And it literally, the minute it arrived, I was just like, I don't know. Like, and I'm, you know, the cake artist was there and it did absolutely fell over 100%. It did. And it's, and it's tragic when those things happen. But I think that the system that you have in place allows them to have whatever luxury experience they want to have with their cake and their display. And, you know, have the quality of servings. Like I'd love to hear a little bit more about just the positive surrounding the system.

Lia Brigner (30:20.51)
It's not gonna...

Brittany (30:42.408)
because it sounds like to be honest it really is kind of the best way to go.

Lia Brigner (30:46.736)
Absolutely. I really honestly don't see any drawbacks to this system. The positive elements, obviously, like I mentioned, it's going to be a pristine looking cake from start to finish as far as, you know, overall look. Those tiny little hairline small things throughout the evening, no one's going to notice that as the event goes on. But yes, it eliminates any sweating of the cake. There's no condensation. And as you know, Florida's humidity is another

beautiful element we have to battle all the time. So, you know, it eliminates any of the humidity concerns as well. It won't deteriorate outside even if it's in a tent. Obviously, it can't endure rain directly, but other than that, as long as you're outside of the natural elements, things of that nature, it's going to hold up. Another benefit is that, again, the slices are going to be time and temperature controlled, so you're eating them at the proper temperature.

Brittany (31:18.504)
day.

Lia Brigner (31:46.512)
There's no food safety concerns as far as what your guests are consuming. One of the best positives or pros for this method is you can actually keep your cake as a keepsake for a few months as a display if you choose to. I'd say it's about 50 -50. A lot of couples are like, yes, I want to take it. That's amazing. I can't wait to take it home with me or, you know, keep it in my house for a little bit. And then others are like, no, I'll enjoy it for the day. But, you know, I don't necessarily want to take it with me.

Brittany (31:58.748)
Yeah.

Lia Brigner (32:16.416)
me or sometimes logistics don't work. But another pro is the sizing of the cake. You can get that grand look you're looking for or you can have a more intimate smaller cake. There's a lot of flexibility. I'd say that's the one key word with the faux cake method is flexibility. You can go big, you can go smaller, but you have the ability. Also from a logistics standpoint there are many designs that would not be achievable in real cake form. So from an engineering standpoint,

There are definitely a lot of more options when you're using a faux cake method because you can achieve different looks and different sizes or shapes or even stackings and have things offset where you're not going to necessarily in real form be able to achieve that same look with the same amount of preciseness than with the faux cake method.

Brittany (33:07.624)
You know, I didn't even think about that actually. I didn't realize that you would almost be a little bit more limited in terms of the design and what's possible, which is using all real ingredients and not having that ability to create. I honestly didn't even think about that. So that's really brilliant to think about. So.

Lia Brigner (33:25.214)
Absolutely.

And on the baker's side, just to go into that pro for the baker is transportation is a lot easier with a faux cake than a real cake. And so, like you mentioned, where cakes will, you know, everyone's heard of a cake that either leaned over or toppled over at the reception. Not only does it eliminate that, but during transportation as well, you're not going to have any shifting. So it's easier on the baker. And honestly, you don't want any stress on your big day. You don't want to get that message from your planner that's like, I'm so sorry to tell you this, but there was an issue.

upon delivery or setup, you want things to go smoothly. So why put yourself in that position when you can have a straightforward process that works, it looks beautiful, the consumable slices are gonna be tasty, your guests are gonna enjoy it. It's just such a win -win.

Brittany (33:57.16)
Okay.

Brittany (34:14.44)
Yeah, absolutely. I would imagine also the hours of labor that you spend. I know that you mentioned that you kind of have a little bit more of a curated style where they're working with you throughout the whole process. So I know even you probably transporting that cake. You're like, I've spent probably however many hours on this, this needs to be delivered and intact. What would you say? I was just curious, you know, on average, like how many hours goes into these cakes? Like how do you zone out and do your craft? I mean, obviously it's art and you love what you do.

I just I can't even imagine how labor -intensive it is.

Lia Brigner (34:48.894)
Great question. So I typically take at least 40 hours on one wedding. So I only book one wedding or events per week, typically. Now this can go up because I do some larger, grander designs. Sometimes it can take up to 80 hours. So occasionally I will take on one, two, I have gone up to three weddings in one weekend. It is a little bit craziness, but because of the faux cake system, I am allowed the flexibility to schedule.

so that the faux elements can be prepared in advance. So it really comes down to scheduling on my end and what I can achieve. So all of the fresh consumable elements are truly made fresh in the days leading up to the wedding so that everything is delicious and moist and tasty on the wedding day. So it really comes down to scheduling on my end, but I would say 40 to 80 hours is the average for each cake.

Brittany (35:44.936)
Wow. So any couples that are listening right now, when you're looking at your cake and then you're figuring out pricing and you're going into that.

Just know that this isn't something that happens in a day or two that this is designed. I mean, this is a lot of labor of love that goes into creating this beautiful experience and quite frankly, a standalone in the reception space, which is fantastic. So let's say a couple books you and they, you know, they're moving forward, they're getting excited about their wedding. What do usually next steps look like? I know a lot of couples will say, do I get to taste my cake or how does that work when I narrow down my flavors? How do you usually

that with couples? Do they have a formal tasting? Does that sort of how it works for figuring out that flavor?

Lia Brigner (36:29.534)
Yes, absolutely. So we do hold consultations for tastings. However, I typically encourage this later on just prior to the wedding. So like a month or two prior to the wedding. So typically because we book on a limited first come first serve basis, our couples usually know if we're a good fit from the consultation and they want to move forward. So we dive into that inspiration photos and the colors and the themes and the florals and we have those conversations and then we go into the design process.

From there, I sketch out the suggested proposed design after thinking it over for a few days and doing research on my end. And then once it's sketched out, I run it through my cost analysis, as I mentioned earlier, relaying those price points. And once we're on the same page, they sign off once everything hopefully exceeds their expectations. And then from there, we contract and go into that. And a small deposit helps to secure their date. And that way, it's

they're on our books. And then once that has occurred, we mostly scheduled the tastings a little bit closer to the big day because at the end of the day, it's cake. Everyone likes cake. And yes, there may be some small differences. And for my business, I relay the points of, you what sets us apart from other bakeries and the ingredients and quality of ingredients that we use. So they know they're going to have a tasty cake. So most of my couples do not schedule a tasting beforehand, even though they want to taste it.

But again, you also want to try it closer to the wedding day so that way you know exactly what you're gonna have and it's more relatable to You know, you don't want to have your wedding cake and be like, yeah Well, it tasted different six months ago or I thought it tasted differently you want it to kind of be in their minds of yep This tastes just like I had it, you know last month and you want the most seasonal ingredients and most current recipes So I always try to schedule it just a couple months in advance of the wedding because it's also a special moment for the couple to enjoy that

once their planning is mostly coming to a wrap and it should be a special moment between the two of them.

Brittany (38:34.6)
Yeah, I actually love that you do that closer to the wedding. I would totally agree. I think even with the main menu, final tastings usually aren't done within, you know, three to two months, let's say, based on where the couple resides. But I love that because I remember even when I was doing my own wedding planning process, I think I tasted my cake literally in the beginning of the stages because I was really excited for that experience. And I totally didn't even remember what flavor I chose by the time that the wedding rolled around. So it just that disconnect.

was definitely there for me, so I love the idea of having it a little bit closer and making it more of a special experience and moment for the couple. That's really great.

Lia Brigner (39:12.574)
Absolutely. And for those tastings, I actually recommend that it be just the couple. I know a lot of times people want to have their family members there as well or their planners. And, you know, while that's fine if that's really what you're looking for, I think it's a special moment for the couple because many times you won't think about this during the planning process. But on your wedding day, there is so much going on that many times I will have clients reach back out and say, you know what, I didn't even get to taste the cake. I was so busy trying to entertain my

guests and make rounds to tables, I didn't actually get a chance to sit down and eat the cake. It looked beautiful, but I never got to eat it. So the tasting is the moment where I feel like a lot of couples remember it more than the actual wedding day because there's so much going on at that point in time. So it can be really a special moment that they really have in their mind of, yes, I remember the cake. It was a German chocolate cake and it was so tasty and delicious.

And that way, if you don't get a chance on your big day, you still at least have that moment where you remembered it was just the two of you.

Brittany (40:19.72)
Yeah, absolutely. And also for any couples listening, make sure if you are working with a planner that you maybe ask them to put like maybe some cake aside for you that maybe they can even deliver to your suite that night. Maybe even some of your dinner that you probably didn't get a chance to eat either. But that's always nice to I love when couples can come back to their room and have some cake slices and like champagne and just kind of end the night on a good note. You know, I love being able to do that.

Lia Brigner (40:47.038)
Yes, that's an amazing offering to communicate with the planners to make sure that they have something because also at the end of the night you're exhausted. You're probably a little hungry so having some of your meal, you know, to be able to nibble on or a cake slice, definitely a good way to end the night.

Brittany (41:02.886)
100%. So Leah, I feel like I could talk to you about cakes forever, but if for sake of time and just curious, we end every episode saying, you know, you don't know what you don't know. Are there any parting words or just general advice that you would give to couples overall pertaining to the wedding cake experience or anything that you feel like we didn't cover just would be supportive for them to know?

Lia Brigner (41:25.074)
I would say the biggest element is to trust your cake artisan, cake baker, trust in their experience. They are truly the expert in their field. So you may have some ideas in mind and I love when couples come to me with ideas, but if you come to me and say, I want this on this layer and this on this layer and this design on this layer, maybe that works, but maybe it doesn't. Maybe there's a better way to achieve the same look, but your baker is going to have that expertise to know what not only looks

the best visually, but also from a logistic standpoint. What works? What will work technically and from an engineering standpoint as well as what's going to look best for visual flow? Because that's a lot of the cake design is how it flows and where the eye is drawn to. So just trust in the experience of your baker and what they're proposing to you. Don't just get the proposed design and be like, well I wish this tier was this. Maybe just ask them if you don't love something.

Ask them, you know, why do you suggest this on this tier? Can we move it? I think I would like it more on the bottom tier. What do you think that would look like? And they're going to tell you their honest opinion. You know, sometimes for myself, I like texture on the bottom tier as kind of a foundation and more streamlined, cleaner look towards the top of the cakes. This is something that some other people may not even think about, but as a baker and the flow of the design, I want to make sure that I'm open about why I designed it in this way.

way and why I propose the look the way it is. And we can absolutely change things by all means. It's just that, you know, trust in the baker and what they're suggesting and they know their skill set better than anyone. You know, maybe piping isn't their best attribute. Maybe they are better at a different kind of technique. So take their suggestions and work through that. And if you don't like something, be vocal and honest about that as well. And we're super flexible. We want to exceed your expectations. We want to

you to walk into the ballroom and be like wow like she went above and beyond hit the nail on the head this is beyond everything I could have expected that's really one of the best moments one of my most memorable moments actually is with a couple that I was working on for a starry night theme and again this is how you tie in the look of your theme with your cake is we designed a cake that had some lights within the cake through one of the acrylic separator

Lia Brigner (43:54.624)
So it kind of reflected the backdrop of the lights behind it. And for this technique, I had to be on site just before the couple walked in for the room reveal. Now typically, because it's just me, I am delivering in advance and, you know, amongst the other vendors, I typically deliver just before the reception. However, usually I'm not on site when the couple is coming in. So one of my most memorable moments was I was on site just before they walked in for this room reveal and she walked in.

and one of the first things she said was, my gosh, my cake! And just started bawling. She was so excited to see the cake and I have never seen the reaction from couples because I'm not there for the room reveals. So having that moment of seeing her pure happiness and how excited she was, she went directly over to it and then I came up behind her and she turned around and saw me and gave me this huge hug and was just like, my gosh, this is one of the best moments.

I couldn't believe how amazing it turned out. So that was it was a goosebump moment for me.

Brittany (45:02.152)
love that. You know, we're all in this industry to obviously exceed our clients expectations. So hearing that from you totally resonates because you put all this time, energy, effort, labor of love into this. And you want it to be something that you know, you have that reaction from your couples. And so that's really cool. Because I can understand that you don't get a chance to really get that reaction. And so I love that. I love that you were able to share that with us. Thank you.

Lia Brigner (45:29.278)
It's amazing.

Brittany (45:31.304)
Awesome. Well, thank you again, Leah, for joining us. Honestly, again, for anybody that's interested in checking out Leah's work, it is Couture Cakes by Leah, and she is based in Florida. Any other info of how couples can maybe find you or look up your information?

Lia Brigner (45:47.12)
It's Couture Cakes by Leah .com. And now my name is spelled L -I -A. So just keep that in mind, Couture Cakes by Leah .com. And kind of like I mentioned earlier, there is an About Me section. There is a gallery of past work. There's frequently asked questions. There's also some tempting flavors to peruse. I have our fanciful flavors listed for couples that want to kind of see. That's an element we didn't touch on is, you know, what flavors to kind of go into. And I always suggest, you know, look at what we suggest.

as suggested pairings, but we can also mix and match. For weddings, typically the vanilla three ways is our most popular flavor because it's a traditional white wedding cake, which still remains the most popular flavor. However, couples that want to do something a little bit different, our second most popular is the salted caramel, and that's because it's a vanilla cake base with a salted caramel filling, and it's just a little bit different, but not too wildly different from the standard norm of a wedding.

wedding cake so that tends to be very popular as well and for couples that want to do something totally different I suggest mixing and matching your likes or pick something that the couple likes together this is a celebration of their big day don't try and you know make all of your guests happy by having these different flavors or making sure that you know you can accommodate their needs this should be about you and what you enjoy so if you really like a peanut butter chocolate cake then by all means no one is

to complain that they have a delicious cake slice to enjoy that evening, whether or not it's what they anticipated getting. I do suggest staying away from nut products as much as possible just because there can be some severe allergies within those allergens. But again, your guests are going to know what they can have and what they can't have and your baker will most likely have ingredient lists available as well to avoid those concerns. But make it fun or have the couple one

person pick the cake, one person pick the filling flavor, and again consult with your baker to make sure that those flavors pair well together and if not they can guide you on what would be a good suggested pairing within those parameters.

Brittany (48:00.444)
Absolutely. I'm so glad that you touched on flavors. I'm like here we are talking about cakes and I'm like completely just forgot to even talk about flavors So that's incredibly important to chat on you know for regarding the flavors if they are tasting something or you feel like it's not going to be a good combo I mean, obviously that's where you would kind of step in to let them know like hey I don't think that these two ingredients are gonna taste that great together I know it sounds good, but do you still have them try it or do you kind of chat through that and then figure that out more the tasting?

Lia Brigner (48:29.75)
Because of my experience, I pretty much will know if it's something that's going to contrast or if it's going to pair well. If I don't think that it's going to be a very symbiotic relationship, I will mention that ahead of time and walk through that with them and maybe make a suggestion of something that would be similar to what they had in mind that might pair a little bit better to kind of tailor in the flavors. For our tastings, we typically narrow it down to three flavors. So we get their preferences and make some suggestions of what

would be well. A lot of times they come in and they already know looking from the website they're like nope these are the three we want to sample and they know right off the bat. Another fun element too is it depends where your wedding is going to take place but a nice way to make your wedding cake a little bit unique to you is base it on the location of not just the venue but like the city or the state that you're in. If you're in Georgia do like a peach themed wedding cake. If you're in Florida do an orange themed or if you have a Key West wedding.

to a Key Lime flavored wedding cake, something a little bit unique. Another popular flavor of ours are specialty flavors called the Sunshine State Special. This is a Key Lime cake that has an orange blossom cream filling and a lemon sunshine spritz buttercream. So it kind of ties in all of the great elements of Florida and a little bit fun, happy colors to make it just a little bit unique and different.

Brittany (49:54.328)
my gosh, I love that. I remember when I was pregnant with my son, I literally ate key lime pie like all the time. I was a big key lime fan and then had to take a break from it for a little bit. But key lime is incredible. Actually, that's really smart to think about because if you are hosting a destination wedding, being able to curate that experience because couples are all about wanting it to really feel customized. And so like what better way to customize your cake experience than to have something like that that's maybe not as traditional as the vanilla flavoring.

which you're saying is the more traditional option still. People still lean for that.

Lia Brigner (50:24.222)
Absolutely.

Lia Brigner (50:28.606)
It is, I would say 75 % of the time couples want to move forward with the vanilla cake with the vanilla filling, vanilla bean filling and buttercream. It still is definitely top.

Brittany (50:37.96)
Wow. Wow. I mean, it's a staple. It's a staple. You can't go wrong, right?

Lia Brigner (50:43.772)
Exactly, and a lot of times you don't want a huge finishing element. You don't want a gut bomb before you're gonna go dance, so you don't want something super heavy. So vanilla does tend to be a little bit lighter and it doesn't risk getting things on your dress or in your teeth for photos. So I understand that element as well.

Brittany (50:50.376)
Right. Right.

Brittany (50:58.888)
Right, right. 100%. Well, Leah, thank you so much again. And I'm so glad that you brought up flavors that we could make sure we did touch base on that in this podcast, because we would have been a miss if we didn't. But thank you again for your wealth of knowledge. Anyone listening can check out Leah's website, obviously her social media handles. She's very well known here in Florida. If you reach out to our office, we're happy to send you her information as well.

Lia Brigner (51:12.796)
Thank you.

Lia Brigner (51:25.79)
Thank you so much for your time today. It's been a pleasure speaking with you.

Brittany (51:28.168)
Absolutely, thanks Leah, I appreciate it.


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