It’s that time of year again when wedding bells chime loud and blushing brides and grooms exchange heartfelt ‘I do’s. ‘ This year, tradition has gone out the window as Trini brides turn to less traditional colours, cakes, themes. Black, purple or dark blue hues—once frowned upon when incorporated in weddings and referred to as “funeral colours”—are now widely embraced and form part of trending themes at many nuptials this year.
As Michelle Sohan, managing director/cake artist at Bakery Treatz, Rodney Road, Endeavour, Chaguanas, explains, nothing is off the table when it comes to cakes, themes or wedding decor. She said there has been a lot more experimentation with wedding colours and thus far, she has done silver/chrome coloured cakes, whole purple coloured cakes, and cakes with black designs.
“I am very happy because brides have become more creative and that falls right into my lap because I love being creative. I love being different, I love doing things that people have not seen before. I want when a bride sees a picture of her cake, she says ‘oh that was mine’ and that is really important because the brides do bring in designs of what they like and we do work with suggestions, but we try to incorporate different aspects,” Sohan explained.
She said Bakery Treats can bring a bridal theme to life with its cake designs. “What we have seen is a lot more metallic colours, before gold and silver were just added on as a piping, or just touches on flowers, now they are going with full metallic cakes. Last week, I did one three-tier silver cake and it looked impressive.
She said there was still a lot of pastels, dusty-looking rose pinks and greens that are being used as well with a white base. “We have also gone to the very extreme side like the navy blues and bright fuchsia pinks. These we can incorporate into a white cake which would be the base. Then we have the other types of cakes we have seen which is the ruffles, that is along the fashion line, and that are the main trends,” she said.
Cakes are a bride’s creative expression
Brides, she said, begin the wedding planning process long in advance of the date which makes it easier for her and her team when they have to do their cake designs. “Brides are now a lot more organised, they do not follow the basic Trinidad trends of waiting last minute for that cake, because that is probably one of the most important cakes that they will ever have in their lives. Celebrating their new beginning, the cutting and sharing of the cake and the symbolism of it,” she said.
The wedding cake, which is the centrepiece at a wedding or reception, is no longer dessert, but has become a creative element of the decor at nuptials. Often the cake table is illuminated and accompanied by fountains and other decor accents. Sohan said the cake was a creative outlet for the brides.
She noted that another trend that has been picking up steam is fashion design cakes. “Fashion incorporated from the bride’s dress, the lace, the jewelry, maybe a specific pattern or the way the bustier (top) falls and then we have had saris. Last year, we started doing the Indian minions, and it is quite popular. I am happy that it is not just the Trinidadians who are appreciating it,” she added.
Sohan said with the advent of social media, Food Network and wedding television programmes like—Say Yes to The Dress and Four Weddings, Trinidadian brides have been able to move from the traditional way of thinking to actually looking at trends and updating their tastes. “They are actually coming with foreign material,” she said.
Even the types of cakes used for weddings have evolved. The fruitcake is not popular any more, she said. “Long time ago, you could not do a cake without a fruitcake. Now when you have a multi-tier cake you would have one cake done in fruitcake, usually the small one for the bride and groom to keep for their first anniversary.
“However, you find the flavours like cookies and cream, amaretto, chocolate fudge and piña colada are used. The flavours are different, there are a lot of choices now. Quite a few of the cakes are being served, if not at the reception, they are serving it on the second Sunday as dessert,” Sohan added.
Cost and time
Wedding cakes, she said, can range from simple to elaborate and it depends on budget. She said a simple two-tier cake at Bakery Treats starts at $1,500 and that cake “looks very good.”
“We could do very elaborate cakes that go up to $15,000. At the end of the day, it is based on the budget. It is quite varied. We had wedding cakes for luncheons, etc. At the end of the day, no budget is too small that we cannot do something. We have excellent prices. We offer quality and we guarantee any bride that she is going to be satisfied when she reaches her reception in terms of cake being on time, the design that has been approved and to her specifications,” Sohan said.
She said preparation of her cakes can range from three hours to two days depending on the design and the size of the cakes.
“We have done cakes on the same day for the same day because the brides have been disappointed with their orders. We do need to plan. Some cakes require a lot of work and, things like roses, seashells, based on what you are going to put, need to be done well in advance to firm up, to stand up to the pressure on the day of the wedding,” she explained.
Who is Michelle Sohan?
Michelle Sohan, of Lange Park, Chaguanas, has been in the cake business for over 12 years. She is the managing director of Bakery Treatz.
She is the winner of the Expert Cake Division of the South Florida Cake and Candy Expo (Soflo) which was held earlier this year, in Florida, USA. She attributes her success to her family’s support; parents Jerome and Elsie Sohan and her two siblings, Drs Karen and Lindy Sohan. She is passionate about cakes and the artistry involved in cake decorating.
“I really enjoy cake decorating, I live it. There is a switch in me that never turns off. I look at things and think how can I mould that and transform that into a cake. It is almost like an obsession at some point. But when you really love something, it is never work,” she said.