I can imagine that planning a wedding must be a little overwhelming to choose between so many vendors for such an important day! I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and personable vendors in the wedding industry, and I love to help my clients out whenever possible in creating a stellar vendor team. I frequently refer my clients to professionals I have worked with who I truly believe will do an amazing job for them by sharing my Favorite Vendors List. I also like to occasionally brag on each of them more in depth.
Today, meet Haley of Heartsweet Cakes! Haley is an incredible artist, creating sugar flowers so life-like that they're almost impossible to tell from the real thing! Haley's cakes are always amazing, and she does a fabulous job of tailoring each one to its unique wedding.
Here is a little Q & A to help us get to know Haley a little better. Read her answers below each question:
1. How long have you been a cake artist?
I enrolled as a student at The French Pastry School in downtown Chicago in 2010 and that began my culinary career. I opened Heartsweet Cakes in 2015.
2. What got you interested in designing & creating wedding cakes?
I have always been artistic and have explored many different mediums throughout my life. When I was working my corporate job after college, I longed for something creative and I discovered the world of wedding cakes and fell in love!
3. What is the most unique cake you've ever designed?
I designed a 360 degree Gatsby themed black and gold wedding cake for a high profile couple who got married on New Year’s Eve at the Arizona Biltmore. The cake was a welcomed challenge (and I mean challenge!) and it remains the cake I am most proud of in all my years in the industry due to the intricate and technical nature of it. Every single gold line on the cake was hand cut, hand placed, and hand painted. The symmetrical design wrapped around all four sides of the square tiers and was completely custom for their wedding. Nearly 100 hours went into this creation!
Today, meet Haley of Heartsweet Cakes! Haley is an incredible artist, creating sugar flowers so life-like that they're almost impossible to tell from the real thing! Haley's cakes are always amazing, and she does a fabulous job of tailoring each one to its unique wedding.
Here is a little Q & A to help us get to know Haley a little better. Read her answers below each question:
1. How long have you been a cake artist?
I enrolled as a student at The French Pastry School in downtown Chicago in 2010 and that began my culinary career. I opened Heartsweet Cakes in 2015.
2. What got you interested in designing & creating wedding cakes?
I have always been artistic and have explored many different mediums throughout my life. When I was working my corporate job after college, I longed for something creative and I discovered the world of wedding cakes and fell in love!
3. What is the most unique cake you've ever designed?
I designed a 360 degree Gatsby themed black and gold wedding cake for a high profile couple who got married on New Year’s Eve at the Arizona Biltmore. The cake was a welcomed challenge (and I mean challenge!) and it remains the cake I am most proud of in all my years in the industry due to the intricate and technical nature of it. Every single gold line on the cake was hand cut, hand placed, and hand painted. The symmetrical design wrapped around all four sides of the square tiers and was completely custom for their wedding. Nearly 100 hours went into this creation!
4. What should a bride and groom look for and consider at a tasting before deciding on a cake or cake designer?
I recommend that clients first look through the designer's portfolio and get a feel for their individual design style. Reach out to get some initial pricing estimates before you meet with them for a cake consultation. It is important to know whether or not the wedding cake is a priority item because this will help determine the amount you are willing and wanting to spend on the cake. There are a range options that cake designers can do in order for the price of the cake to increase or decrease.
5. What do you enjoy most about working in the wedding industry?
It is so special to be a part of a couple’s wedding day and I am always humbled and honored to create a custom cake for one of the most important days of their lives! I have been married for over 7 years and I remember my own wedding day like it was yesterday! I can really relate to what my couples are experiencing. I make sure I not only create the best cake possible for them, but I always try to connect on a personal level because I am not just making their wedding cake but I am getting to be a small part of their love story. THAT is what I love most about working in the wedding industry!
6. What do you want all brides and grooms to know more than anything?
I am a designer-meets-baker! I love to see anything and everything that a couple will have at their wedding because you never know what will inspire a cake design. I believe no two weddings are the same and neither are any of my cakes because I design each one uniquely for my couples. You see, I believe in designing cakes that can only be displayed at that one wedding and they would only make sense displayed there. A cake from Heartsweet is always inspired by my couples and I feel like I can design for any type of aesthetic.
I recommend that clients first look through the designer's portfolio and get a feel for their individual design style. Reach out to get some initial pricing estimates before you meet with them for a cake consultation. It is important to know whether or not the wedding cake is a priority item because this will help determine the amount you are willing and wanting to spend on the cake. There are a range options that cake designers can do in order for the price of the cake to increase or decrease.
5. What do you enjoy most about working in the wedding industry?
It is so special to be a part of a couple’s wedding day and I am always humbled and honored to create a custom cake for one of the most important days of their lives! I have been married for over 7 years and I remember my own wedding day like it was yesterday! I can really relate to what my couples are experiencing. I make sure I not only create the best cake possible for them, but I always try to connect on a personal level because I am not just making their wedding cake but I am getting to be a small part of their love story. THAT is what I love most about working in the wedding industry!
6. What do you want all brides and grooms to know more than anything?
I am a designer-meets-baker! I love to see anything and everything that a couple will have at their wedding because you never know what will inspire a cake design. I believe no two weddings are the same and neither are any of my cakes because I design each one uniquely for my couples. You see, I believe in designing cakes that can only be displayed at that one wedding and they would only make sense displayed there. A cake from Heartsweet is always inspired by my couples and I feel like I can design for any type of aesthetic.
7. If you could only eat one type of wedding cake for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Coconut! It reminds me of my childhood, as I have always loved anything coconut! Pair the cake with chocolate and I am one happy girl!
8. Any fun-facts that we should really know that would contribute even more to your coolness?
I am 6 feet tall and I have finally learned to embrace it! Besides, who else is going to help people reach the top shelves at the grocery store? Without my height I probably would have never met my husband because it brought me to college as a volleyball player where he was my number one fan, on and off the court!
Coconut! It reminds me of my childhood, as I have always loved anything coconut! Pair the cake with chocolate and I am one happy girl!
8. Any fun-facts that we should really know that would contribute even more to your coolness?
I am 6 feet tall and I have finally learned to embrace it! Besides, who else is going to help people reach the top shelves at the grocery store? Without my height I probably would have never met my husband because it brought me to college as a volleyball player where he was my number one fan, on and off the court!
As a girl who sometimes needs help reaching those top shelves, I say thank you from all of us shorter folks -- haha!
Make sure you click over to the Heartsweet Cakes website to see more of Haley's jaw-dropping cake creations!
-------->If you're engaged and planning a wedding, I would LOVE to help you connect with some of my favorite wedding vendors, from cake artists like Haley to planners, florists, stylists, and musicians. Click here to download a FREE guide to vendors I trust, admire, and adore working with!
Make sure you click over to the Heartsweet Cakes website to see more of Haley's jaw-dropping cake creations!
-------->If you're engaged and planning a wedding, I would LOVE to help you connect with some of my favorite wedding vendors, from cake artists like Haley to planners, florists, stylists, and musicians. Click here to download a FREE guide to vendors I trust, admire, and adore working with!
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