Last month we had the honor of being chosen by the viewers of
The Today Show to create the wedding cake for this year's couple, Melissa MacMillin, a Columbia, Missouri nursing student, and Jeremy Gebhardt, an Air Force senior airman stationed in Anchorage, Alaska. The wedding took place at
Rockefeller Plaza, followed by a reception at
Hudson Terrace. For those of you who've never seen the show, every week
Today Show viewers nationwide pick a different element of the wedding: the bride's dress, reception venue, rings, wedding cake, etc.
Our adventure all started with a call from
The Today Show producers asking Ana to create a wedding cake for their live segment
Today Throws A Modern Day Wedding. Ana and three other cake designers from across the US were asked to submit a sketch of their cake designs, and after approval, they had to bring their cakes to NBC studios in NYC, along with cake samples for tasting.
The original sketch. Ana eventually omitted the monogram, because as the design evolved she realized it made the cake too busy.
Ana's not used to designing a wedding cake for a couple without knowing any details about the venue, the flowers, or much else about the wedding. Ana had to come up with an elegant design that would fit in just about any wedding. We were curious to see how the general public would react to Ana's wedding cake design; our brides love her designs, but then again they come to us because they're attracted by Ana's style. Would the general public have the same reaction?
We'll tell the rest of the story with videos from
The Today Show, some of our own photos, Rob Trenske's amazing images, and give some glimpses behind the scenes. If you aren't familiar with Rob and Kathleen's (Kathleen is Rob's wife) work, you owe yourself a visit to their
website and blog.
Photos above by Ana Parzych Custom Cakes
Ana with
Margaret Braun (a very talented cake artist, author of
Cakewalk) posing for a snapshot with their wedding cakes at one of
The Today Show's three fully equipped kitchens. All the cakes had to be delivered to the studios ahead of time to get ready for presentation the next day. The resident food stylists work their magic, making sure every detail (table, linens, etc.) is just right.
Gail Simmons, judge from
Top Chef and host of
Just Desserts, presents the four cakes live on
Today. Designers: Cake Divas (LA), Maggie Austin (DC), Margaret Braun (NYC), and Ana Parzych (CT).
After more than 110,000 viewers cast their votes over the next week, Ana's wedding cake was declared the winner! Thanks to all who voted and passed the word!
We found out on Tuesday, September 28 that Ana won, and had to keep it secret until the official presentation the next morning. Wednesday morning started very early, when a car arrived in our driveway to take Ana to
Today's studios to make the presentation. Our good friend Gayle came along to keep Ana company; Gayle is the most laid-back person we've ever met, and this wasn't the first time she's helped us out on very short notice.
After presenting the cake, Ana got to spend some time with Melissa and Jeremy. They are a lovely couple, very gracious and sincere. (photo by Gayle Rossi)
Ana with Matt Lauer. Matt is as friendly as he seems on tv; he has a knack for making everyone comfortable, which is what makes him a great tv host. (photo by Gayle Rossi)
After presenting the winning display, Ana was whisked back to her studio to work on the actual cake. There was no time to lose; this was a complex cake, we had less than a day to complete it, and we had six other custom wedding cakes to make that weekend. In between it all NBC30 came in to interview Ana and film.
We are blessed with a skilled, enthusiastic staff that always goes the extra mile to get the job done, even when we aren't around to supervise. Thanks Katerina, Kaecey, and Lauren! And of course Miriana and Gayle!
On the way to the venue we picked up photographer Rob Trenske, who had photographed Ana's wedding cake for the initial presentation and graciously offered to photograph the event for us.
Rob's first task was to keep me calm and awake as we sped down the Merritt Parkway in the driving rain. During the hardest downpours the windshield wipers were almost useless. I was worried about Rob having a heart attack from all the hydroplaning, plus the usual crazy drivers on the Merritt, but he kept calm. Exhausted from working days on end with little sleep, Ana slept in the back of the delivery van, oblivious to the bad driving conditions.
My biggest worry was getting the cake into the venue without it getting wet; even a drop of water could destroy Ana's sugar flowers. Luckily, the rain slowed by the time we got there. Even luckier, they let me drive the delivery van right onto the sidewalk, and two guys with large
Today Show umbrellas sheltered the cake from the rain as we carried it five feet from the car to the front door.
Once the cake was inside, Ana had to put on the finishing touches, including some borders she hadn't had time for before leaving. Being an artist, she couldn't resist making some last-minute refinements.
The Air Force emblem Ana incorporated into the topper to honor Jeremy's service. Like all the flowers, the emblem is made of sugar and completely edible.
Some of the detail on Ana's cake (freehand brush embroidery and the borders)
Ana with celebrity wedding planner Colin Cowie, who designed the reception details.
Natalie Morales presenting Ana's cake on live tv. Natalie is down to earth and very friendly; she spent quite a long time talking with us. Having started her career in Connecticut, Natalie is familiar with Cheshire, where we have our studio.
Colin Cowie commenting on Ana's cake to Natalie; you can see his presentation below.
We know we've done our job when guests go straight to the wedding cake as soon as they enter the room, and take pictures with it.
Ana with Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira,
Today Show hosts.
Ana with Carley Roney, founder and Editor in Chief of
The Knot Weddings Magazine and theknot.com. Ana's cakes have been featured in three issues of the popular magazine this year, but had never actually met Carley in person until then!
A rare photo of me (at Rob's insistence!) with Ana, Melissa, and Jeremy.
Jeremy and Melissa cutting the cake. This shot illustrates just how good Rob is at getting a great shot while remaining completely unobtrusive. The Stealth Photographer strikes again! Thanks so much for your great photos and your good company during the day, Rob!
The whole experience was exciting, yet went by so fast. It was surreal meeting so many people in person we had known only from tv.
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