It's hard to believe that two weeks have already passed since I made the trip out to Manitoba to help my friend, Gloria, with her wedding. I figured I'd share some of my trip with you all, since there's a good story that goes along with my trip.
The week away was very busy, but I don't regret a moment of it. Over the years, I've helped many friends with their weddings. Being in the catering business full time for 7 years, as well as growing up in a foodservice oriented family, makes me a wise choice for a friend, I suppose. ;) Honestly, though, there has only been one time in all my years of helping and working for friends that I have regretted. This time, like all the others (except that one), I had a blast! This was also the first time that I have flown alone since I was 14 (which was 15 years ago). It was a bit strange to get on a plane without my Davycakes. It was even stranger to be hugging and kissing my Davycakes and kids goodbye at the airport. Sure, I've hugged and kissed the kids goodbye before, but after that, I've walked onto the plane with Davy. This was a bit odd for me to experience. I missed having him by my side on the plane. I missed being able to lean my head over onto his shoulder and doze off.
I met and made some really great new friends, was finally able to see an "open sky" sunset on the prairie (and my goodness, it was BEAUTIFUL!), witnessed a very unique and special wedding ceremony, but most of all, felt priveleged to have such a big part in a treasured friend's special day.
Back in the spring, I created Gloria's Wedding Invitations. I also created the Wedding Guestbook/Scrapbook, which was displayed on the table right inside the door of the church, where people signed the pages and had their pictures taken, off to the side of the table.
I had told Gloria last year that if and when she got married, that I would come out to Manitoba and make her cake and cater her wedding. When I told her this, she wasn't even dating anyone and was quite content to be single. Well, she called my bluff. She started dating her best friend in October, got engaged right before Valentine's day and got married a couple weeks ago. I was ecstatic to be able to go out and help her.
Being such a big part of the planning and seeing how much Gloria loves and appreciates me is one of the biggest highlights in my friendship with her. I love that girl to pieces!
So........I got in to Grand Forks, ND on Wednesday afternoon, where Gloria and her cousin picked me up, and then drove back to Manitoba. I brought my cake pans as my carry-on (9 pans total) and started making the layers Wednesday night. I dozed off on the couch in between layers baking in the oven. On Thursday, Gloria's mom (who I totally fell in love with....she's great!) and I went to pick up one of Gloria's friends at the airport in Winnipeg and then spent the rest of the day shopping for all the food for the reception. We planned to serve 300 people and we packed that van so tight, you'd swear it was the never-ending clown car from the circus, only filled with food instead of clowns. Thursday night, a big group of us girls went into Winnipeg (which is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL city....I was SO impressed!) for Gloria's bachorlorette party. We had dinner out at a great restaurant, took Gloria on a scavenger hunt on the streets of Winnipeg and then went out for drinks at an Irish pub (I had the BEST Shirley Temple I have ever had!).
Friday morning started early. I had a lot of help at the church....what a great group of friends & family Gloria has. They were all hard workers and eager to get started on whatever needed to be done. We had all the food finished by the evening. We had decided on 5 menu items (Mexican layered dip with tortilla chips, fruit skewers, ham & turkey croissants, ham & turkey wraps and veggie & dip trays). All cold items perfect for a light meal. We had a total of 38 trays of food stuffed into the coolers at the church. I had decorated and set up a monstrous 5-tier wedding cake before we left on Friday.
I had been tossing around whether to do the wraps the morning of the wedding, but I decided that I needed some time to myself to collect my thoughts and work on something at my own pace. I did the wraps myself while everyone else was at the rehearsal. I am SO glad, looking back, that I had made this decision.
Saturday morning, at 9 am, while Gloria was getting her hair done, she
got a phone call from the custodian at the church telling her that the
top two tiers of the cake had come down. At first, when Gloria got the
news, she turned to me and said, "NO! Oh Erika! Oh no!" I honestly
thought that she had gotten news that one of my family members had
died. I started to feel white in the face, started shaking and sat
down. When I found out that it was the cake, I felt a wash of relief
and then when I realized the magnitude of what had happened, I started
to panic all over again. I grabbed what I could, along with the clothes
I wanted to wear to the wedding. One of Gloria's friends drove me over
to the church to assess the damage. When we got to the church, the
third tier had also fallen to the ground, taking part of the sides of
the bottom two tiers with it. I called Gloria to let her know what the
damage was and used a very naughty word to describe it (which I won't
put here). ;) There was nothing that we could salvage, like I had
originally thought when I found out that only the top two tiers had
come down. I knew I had to start from scratch. I told Gloria what I
needed from the house (since my pans were back at her place) and then
Joanna (Gloria's friend) drove me to the store and we raced through
there to buy new ingredients. I told Gloria that I would make her a new
cake, but it wouldn't be as big as the first since I just didn't have
the time. I still can't believe how incredibly calm she was about the
whole thing, reassuring me that everything would be okay and she
believed that I would come up with something just as beautiful as the
first one. Oh yah, no pressure. ;)
(Here are 3 of the layers.....the ones that weren't completely smashed.)
One of Gloria's mom's friends came in to help with whatever I needed
done. She was an angel! I could not have done what needed to be done
without her help that day. I am SO glad that we got all the food items
done Friday night because it left Satruday morning open and I really
needed that time to create a new cake.
Chad's brother-in-law
had come to the church with Chad's mom to do clean-up duty on the cake
and he suggested that we put aside the bottom two tiers (which had
never hit the floor, since they were still on the table) and cut into
those and use them for serving to the guests. That was perfect, as it
saved me from having to make sheet cakes to put aside for the guests.
We kept the bottom two tiers in the kitchen, out of everyone's sight
and cut those up later on in the reception.
I was able to create, from start to finish, a 3-tier wedding cake to
put on the table for their reception. I didn't know that I could do
that. Now that I'd want to do it again, as the stress was unbelievable,
but at least I know that if I had to pull a cake out of my hat, I could
do it in 3 1/2 hours. It was a bit unnerving to have to throw cakes in
the freezers to cool them down, to frost a VERY fresh cake, etc. Timing
was crucial. It was a cake-maker's NIGHTMARE. But we pulled it off. I
told Martha, the woman who helped me that morning, "The only thing
fresher is the baker." (which is what my dad always used to say to
people at the bakery they owned years ago)
I didn't think that
any of the guests would be the wiser, but when Gloria and Chad got up
to cut the cake, Gloria went to the microphone and gave everyone the
shortened version of this story and I got a round of applause. ;)
*blush* Gloria officially ROCKS my Canadian world.
So, how did the cake come down???? We're still not sure. The cake had
over 30 pins supporting it inside the layers (the pins look like giant
lollipop sticks). There's no reason that thing should have come down.
When I got to the church to assess the damage, the table wasn't quite
at the angle I had left it the night before and the custodian hadn't
touched it. It was obviously bumped, obviously moved. There were
apologetic people, but no one fessed up. Not like it would have changed
anything.
I called my mom in the middle of all of this, while
waiting for cakes to cool, and told her what was happening. She thought
I was joking. Nope, I've got pictures for proof. I wish now that I had
gotten a picture of the cake hanging off the cake table and onto the
floor, but I wasn't thinking that quick at the time. At least I have
pictures of the aftermath for my scrapbook. ;) My mom said I should put
the pics in a portfolio and we decided that I would start a new
business, "Train Wreck Wedding Cakes."
I also called Jen and told her that from now on, I'm making cakes and
catering with a SuperWoman cape on. ;) Seriously, I need one. Not in a
vain sort of way, but hoping that if I wear it, along with matching
Underoos with stars all over them, that something like this won't
happen again. ;)
Here's the 3-tier wedding cake that I was able to miraculously put together in record time:
I had a fantastic time, even though I was exhausted by the end of
Saturday night. Like I told Gloria and her mom, even if I had known
that the first cake was going to topple and that I would have to make
another one in record time, I would have done it all over again a
second time without even blinking.
This was an amazing trip......and it's not every day that you get to make a second wedding cake for the same couple. Usually, someone remarries or there's an anniversary involved, but not with this trip. :) I did tell Gloria and Chad, though, that I only do two cakes for the same couple. They've used up both of those opportunities in the same weekend. ;) Thinking again, though, I would gladly do another cake for them again.........but not until their 10th anniversary - AT LEAST! :)
And here's a recent picture of myself for those of you that have been asking for one. :) An early morning shot out back next to the shed about a month or so ago. Bed head and all. :) 
