Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Cake Tuesday: when life gives you lemons.

(SEPTEMBER. I know I say this at the start of every month, but SERIOUSLY - where does it go???)

The weekend was so unbearably hot I can't even tell you - guests were dripping, flowers were wilting - my lovely, wonderfully air-conditioned kitchen space was failing, pushing 90 degrees. Maybe it's all just radiating up from the fires down south... but here's a very cool, tailored citrusy cake - definitely one of the best-looking weddings of the year.

The groom's family owns a lemon grove, and everythingl sort of evolved from that one fact. The Kate Spade invitations were a gorgeous citrus green and crisp white. The table bouquets, done by the talented Rick James of Luxuries, were vibrant citrus yellows and greens, and even included lemons:

There were adirondack chairs scattered in pairs on the lawn, and baskets of green flip-flops for guests to wear if they felt their heels and laceups were too constricting. A candy bar, bursting with green and yellow treats, was displayed against one wall:

The cake pulled the green from the invitations in with a ribbon border, providing a great contrast against the white fondant. I pulled the smallest lemons from the tree, sliced them and sugared them, tucking them in with clean lemon leaves and roses:

Every detail was planned but it didn't feel "theme-y" at all, just relaxed and elegant and fresh. One of my favorites was a table full of family portraits that went back for generations. In front of the photographs was this beautiful poem, written by the bride's grandmother, and sent to her grandfather on Valentine's Day while he was serving in World War II:

Beautiful sentiments for every new couple.