Inside look into a baker's wedding cake

We connect with most of our brides, but when we have an extra-special connection with one, well, it is pretty exciting! This is the case for one of our special Sweet Cheeks bakers, Katrina! Katrina recently got married to Sam, and as a wedding baker insider, we thought it would be interesting to hear from Katrina how it was planning her own wedding, specifically her wedding cake 🙂 Read on for details and for pics courtesy of E3 Photography….

San Diego Wedding

1) How long have you worked with Sweet Cheeks Baking Co.?

In early 2010, I did an internship at Sweet Cheeks Baking (SCBC) while I was attending the Art Institute of SD. Upon graduation (months later), I got hired! It has been almost 4 years & I can honestly say I get up every day & am excited to start my day!

2) As an insider to wedding cakes/baking, how was it planning your wedding desserts/cake?

Planning the dessert bar/cake was actually VERY difficult for us!! Having worked around these delicious sweets for almost 4 years & always testing out new flavors, I had an overabundance of flavors that I wanted to incorporate into our cake. I had endless options because I’ve SEEN & helped create them all. Honestly, I truly think it would have been easier if I wasn’t an insider. In some ways, I wish I had someone in the industry to lean on and give me advice as to what are a few exceptional flavor combos — this way I could have been done with it! Too many flavor choices seem to confuse people more. Either way it was a BLAST taste testing!

Wedding Cake + Desserts

3) You probably see a lot of requests and notice the trends with wedding cakes, so what did you want for your own?

I’m not going to lie… I like to keep up with trends!! To me–things wouldn’t be trendy if they weren’t worth it. I was very much into the tiny ruffled ombre cake (faded yellow to white), which I had seen more & more of coming out of the bakery. I also had a second cake (because who wants just ONE?!). It was a very simple 3-tier cake in white, with gray & yellow chevron on the bottom tier. It also had a tiny cluster of succulents towards the top of the cake.

4) Did you have any part in making your cake? Or did you let the others have at it?

I had much to do with how delicious the cake turned out… but had absolutely nothing to do with how aesthetically BEAUTIFUL the cake came out!!!!! I’m a baker, not a decorator (huge difference). I make the cake taste decadent & sweet, while our decor teams make the vision come to LIFE.

5) Any surprises from your coworkers?

My coworkers followed my “vision” to an absolute “T” (no surprises). While there were no surprises for my wedding…. I can’t say the same for my sister’s wedding, which took place a couple years ago. My big sister got married on my birthday & my Sweet Cheeks co-workers knew that. So, waiting inside my hotel room, during my sister’s wedding, was a beautiful, little birthday cake ALL FOR ME 🙂 My coworkers had been planning that ever since they found out what day my sister’s wedding landed on! So it ended up still being both our days!!

6) How did you meet your fiancé?

Sam & I knew each other for almost 4 years before we even started dating. He was my big bro’s friend 😉 They were not best friends, but they definitely hung around the same crowd. We always saw each other at various get togethers, halloweens, birthday parties etc. We talked at EVERY single event, & EVERY single time we made a “date” to hang out afterwards. This girl right here (ME), cancelled every single time. It wasn’t until one certain birthday party for my big bro that everything changed. I saw Sam standing across the room & I looked at my mom and told her that I needed to be with him. He captivated me — I was mesmerized. I was afraid to walk up to the man that I had shamelessly turned down for the past 4 years. Yet, I did, & he was just as sweet as the first time we’d talked. At the end of the night I was sure he was going to ask me to hang out again… I was so ready this time…but as the night went on, he didn’t!! I finally mustered up the courage to make the move & just ask him. His response was, “are you ACTUALLY going to hang out with me this time?” My face turned beet red — but as it turned out… we’ve been hanging out every day since!!

real wedding san diego

7) How did you pay for the wedding?

I was so very, very fortunate to have help from my father to pay for the wedding. “Help” is an understatement. He paid for the wedding — I helped, haha. My dad & I sat down, talked budget, & then I did some serious research. I made sure to fit his budget that he so generously allowed me. I did my very best & by golly, we were pretty darn close!! I think anyone can have a beautiful wedding on a budget if you just take the time to do the research & include some DIY projects! We would not have had the perfect wedding if it wasn’t for him–we are indebted! What he gave Sam & I will never be forgotten or taken for granted. The things I took care of were the centerpieces, all wedding decor, favors, frames, guestbooks, etc.

-The Yonedas

Weddings in Temecula