Article and Photos By Chrissie Boon

Recently I thought it would be a wonderful idea to get a group of local vendors together to do a fun and flirty photo shoot. I was finding that brides seemed to be lacking their usual inspiration when coming in for consultations and thought what better way to get their creative juices flowing then to show them the possibilities.

Working with a group of all female owned and operated businesses was an exciting concept and seeing the visions everyone brought to the table was inspiring. Everyone had their own unique style and flair which, when all put together, gave a fabulous end result.

Starting with the location we picked the Hacienda Sierra, a renovated tile factory in an industrial area of town.  The stone walls and glass ceiling provided a unique contrast to our theme.

For stationary, Tracey at Little Details designed an invitation that helped set the tone and gave us a style to play with. Her pocket invitations, studded with Swarovski crystal, added just the right amount of sparkle.

Amiee at Bridal Depot had the perfect dress in mind. Choosing a dress from the Jasmine bridal collection she found the perfect fit. The swirls of fabric had a playful feel to them which was exactly what we were looking for. The bridesmaids wore cocktail length dresses from the Dessy collection.

Our bride was well accompanied standing next to her groom in his Mandarin tuxedo provided by Tuxedo Royale. The modern feel of the buttonless jacket gave him confidence and made him feel very at ease.

The girl’s hair and makeup were done by Hollie Sloan at Chameleon Hair Salon. Hollie made sure each of our ladies had a fresh and natural glow.

For florals we immediately knew where to look. We knew we were in good hands with Wendy at WR Designs’ The Flower Co. Using peonies, cymbidium orchids, lush roses and fugi mums Wendy provided bouquets that were full of life. Accenting with a few crystal stems helped to tie right into Tracey’s invitation.

Moving onto dessert I knew that the day would not be complete without a wonderful spread of sweets (Too Nice To Slice). Tying right into the theme we picked fun treats including: cupcake pops and butter cream swirled cupcakes set in flirty pink polka dot wraps. Jelly beans and licorice added a fun, almost childlike feel to the table. At the centre of the table was a trio of cakes styled once again to match Tracey’s floral invites.  And we can’t forget the strawberry kiwi martinis rimmed with pink sparkling sugar and finished with a candied kiwi.

Bringing this day together for us and making sure every place setting was perfect and every bow was tied was Afzia of Style and Elegance. Afzia made sure all our details looked polished.

And finally capturing all these moments was the super talented Anne Edgar (Anne Edgar Photography).  Anne was a joy to work with making everyone feel at ease.

Founder and master decorator Chrissie Boon of ‘Too Nice to Slice’ cake shop truly creates cakes that are literally too nice to slice. ‘Too Nice to Slice’ makes custom cakes to satisfy their clients’ exact desires. The Kitchener Ontario cake maker has earned international attention, with cakes featured in numerous international cake magazines such as Wedding Cakes a Design Source and Wedding Ring Magazine. As well, ‘Too Nice to Slice’ recently won the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Award for Wedding Cakes on February 9, 2010. This award recognizes and celebrates the “excellence and quality service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.” These edible pieces of art will surely amaze any person at your party. So whatever the event, make sure to visit ‘Too Nice to Slice’ cake shop to have a cake custom made and designed to fit your exact occasion. The only downside is that someone will eventually have to slice the gorgeous cake.

Not only is ‘Too Nice to Slice’ cake shop continuously producing amazing cakes, they are also helping to foster the skills of people eager to learn how to not only make cakes but to decorate them as well. Through courses offered by ‘Icing Inspirations’, you can learn anything - from the basics of cake decorating, to making delectable butter cream from scratch, and numerous techniques to create assorted patterns, decorations and flowers, all out of sugar. Don’t worry, you don’t need a Cake Decorating and Confectionery Arts Masters like Chrissie, or a pantry full of cake making supplies. Everything will be taught and supplies will be provided in class.

The courses are taught not only by Chrissie Boon, but also by special guest teachers Martha Hebert and Rebecca “Becky” Guidry, also known as the Two Sweet Sisters (http://www.sweetsouthernladies.com/). These talented ladies have competed on TLC’s Ultimate Cake Off twice and are now making their Canadian teaching debut at Icing Inspirations! Students learn first-hand from successful industry experts how to design awe-inspiring cakes that incorporate “spherical cakes, gum paste and fondant flowers, swags, stripes and other creative accents as well as a unique sugar topper.” Martha and “Becky” are sure to inspire and prepare you to feel comfortable in trying different ideas and styles when making your own cake creations.

Too Nice to Slice website: http://www.toonicetoslice.ca/
Icing Inspirations website: http://icinginspirations.ca/