Real Weddings | Cupcakes Couture of MB

Tuesday Treats: Lisa & Lawrence Tie the Knot!

Posted on November 22, 2011

Here at Cupcakes Couture, we just adore a good love story. That’s why whenever we provide the desserts for a couple on their special day, we ask them to share theirs with us. This is the story of Lisa and Lawrence…

Lisa remembers the first time she knew that Lawrence was The One. They were sitting on the steps of an old cathedral by their Columbia University campus. “We both had a ton of work to do for school, yet we kept sitting there talking, procrastinating, for hours. I remember thinking he was so easy to talk to and how much I didn’t want to leave.”

With Lisa studying brand development and Lawrence focusing on real estate, it was not likely that the two would cross paths. It was a few mutual friends and a little good luck that brought the two together. In fact, their first date was almost by accident. The two students were supposed to grab a bite and see a movie with friends, but it just so happened that everyone canceled at the last minute and it ended up just being the two of them. The rest is history…

“Lawrence proposed on my birthday at the Central Park ice skating rink after a fantastic dinner at Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo. We were skating around when he said his boot was loose, so we skated over to the side. I wasn’t really paying attention as he bent down to tie his laces but when I looked over, he had the most beautiful ring out.”

Lisa and Lawrence were married at the Terranea in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. “It’s breath taking! As soon as I got there, I knew this was the place. The grounds are immaculate, the view is stunning and the food is amazing!”

Their wedding colors were dark purple/plum, silver/charcoal and white because Lisa’s favorite color has always been purple.

“All of the desserts were custom colored for my wedding and they were delicious! [Cupcakes Couture gave a] beautiful presentation from genuinely nice people.”

“After tasting the desserts, it was a pretty easy decision and everyone was so accommodating and nice.”

Lawrence, a travel guru, is already planning their 1 year trip. “He pretty much started planning it when we returned from our honeymoon! Although it’s still far away, it’s nice to have something amazing to look forward to! ”

Wedding Coordinator, Jeannie Savage from Details Details “is absolutely amazing. I would recommend her to anyone planning their wedding-so nice, professional and knows how to keep everything moving!”

Lisa, a California native, and Lawrence are currently residing in New York because “we both really love it here. There is so much to do, so much to eat! But, long term we plan to move back to California, hopefully Southern and hopefully somewhere on the West side. I will keep my fingers crossed!!”

Wedding Planner: Jeannie from Details Details

Dessert Table: Cupcakes Couture

Photographer: Brandon Kidd Photography

Florist: Fayaz Chamadia from Bloombox

Dress: by Marisa purchased at Kleinfelds in NY

Videographer: Brian Press from Impressive Creations

Haute From the Kitchen: Haute off the Press!

Posted on November 18, 2011

Here at Cupcakes Couture, we have been so fortunate to enjoy multiple press placements in magazines, blogs, and beyond, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting when we see our beautiful creations in that glossy print. Take a look at our multiple features in Bride & Blooms Fall/Winter edition!

We were honored to be a part of Anne and Peter's wedding in Redonodo Beach, CA

Inspiration|Iconic Fashion designers: Chanel

Trend|Color Palette: Vintage summer soiree

The Knot featured our cupcakes at Kara and Jason's Rustic Beach Bash in Hermosa Beach, CA

Fashionable Friday: Shannen Doherty’s Wedding Cake!

Posted on October 28, 2011

This month, we had the pleasure of creating 90210 star Shannen Doherty’s five-tier wedding cake and airplane groom’s cake (a sweet surprise she requested for new hubby, photographer Kurt Iswarienko). Here’s our exclusive behind-the-scenes glance at the cake-baking process! (Check out the feature on UsWeekly.com).

Shannen’s five-tier cake was made up of the decadent combination of alternating flavors of red velvet with white chocolate and cream cheese frosting and raspberry jam and white chocolate cake with white chocolate and cream cheese frosting and raspberry jam.

To make the cake, Stephanie and our team of pastry chefs first created the delicate sugar flowers. They then made the pearls from gum pasted and dusted them in pearl lustre for an elegant shimmer. Finally, they created the cake layers, which they stacked and ruffled for a gorgeous romantic look.

For the final touch, they created an monogram decorated to look like Shannen’s invitations!

For Kurt’s surprise grooms cake, Shannen requested an airplane to look like Kurt’s own private plan. Stephanie and Sarah set to work by first molding the plane’s structure out of foam, with thick wires to hold up the wings. They used hot glue and skewers to attach the plane to the wood board, which they later covered with sheetcake, green and blue fondant, and graham crumbs to represent grass and the beach.

The airplane’s body consisted of dark chocolate blackout cake filled with salted caramel ganache and covered with white chocolate and cream cheese frosting. Stephanie and Sarah used fondant and silver lustre dust for the plane’s intricate details.

Congratulations, Shannen and Kurt!

Fashionable Friday: An Adorable Anthropologie-Inspired Wedding at Terranea

Posted on October 21, 2011

With his skinny jeans, flannel shirts, and passion for indie music, Dan Choi wasn’t Rebecca Kim’s typical type. And that’s exactly what made her fall in love with him.

“On our first date he took me to this concert up at the South Street Seaport in downtown New York City. It was interesting and I enjoyed everything, but I’m not that into indie music—and it attracted me to him. He was different; not like the typical guys I’d dated before,” Rebecca said.

This July, the two married on the stunning seaside cliffs of the Terranea Resort, and we were delighted to design the desserts for their adorable Anthropologie-inspired wedding! For all the details, read & see the gorgeous photos by Picotte Photography below.

Rebecca and Dave met in New York City through mutual friends. The Texas and Virginia natives (respectively) partied in the same circles, and finally began dating after a few years, when they both were single at the same time.

“We started running into each other more, started dating, and a year later we were engaged. Our wedding a little less than a year after that! As the saying goes, when you know, you know,” Rebecca smiled.

The two out-of-towners chose Manhattan Beach as the perfect place to settle down together .

“California is an obvious choice—who doesn’t want to live here?” Rebecca joked. Dan’s passion for surfing and the proximity to LAX (Dan travels for his job at Price Waterhouse Cooper) sealed the deal.

Rebecca then set to wedding planning. She had trouble deciding her color scheme until she fell in love with a marigold and cream-colored bridesmaid dress from Anthropologie. She ended up building her color palette from the dress—incorporating pinks and light green hues to create a fun summery feel—and her theme followed suit!

“I’m obsessed with Anthropologie. I tried to replicate everything!” Rebecca exclaimed.

After finding Cupcakes Couture of Manhattan Beach in South Bay Magazine, Rebecca and Dan chose to do a cupcake tower and dessert table with specialty desserts that complimented both their sweet tooths and the theme.

“We definitely had French macarons, and caramel popcorn which is another one of my favorites,” Rebecca said. “Then we did sugar cookies in our initials, with half ‘D’ and half ‘R’ shapes decorated to look like our logo, which came out really cute!”

Plus, she couldn’t resist our red velvet.

“It was so moist and the cream cheese icing was perfectly sweet and tangy. I have to say it was the best red velvet I’ve ever had,” Rebecca said.

One of Rebecca’s friends designed the stationery and the couple’s logo—their two initials etched into a heart.

“[The invitations] were very simple, cute, and colorful. They totally screamed me!” Rebecca exclaimed.

Her favorite moment of the day was during their first look photo session.

“Sometimes there’s something taboo about showing your husband your wedding dress before you walk down the aisle… but it didn’t take away from anything. It was nice to have that one quiet moment with just the two of us where we could soak it all in,” Rebecca said. (She adored her Carolina Herrera dress – she found it before she booked a wedding date!)

And the rest of the day went off without a hitch, especially with the help of Brooke from Orange Blossom Special Events, who did the couple’s day-of coordination.

“Everyone had a good time, and most importantly everyone was pleased with the dessert table—we got so many compliments! And Terranea is awesome,” Rebecca said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Credits

Photography: Picotte Photography

Venue: Terranea

Day-Of Event Coordinator: Brooke from Orange Blossom Special Events

Chairs: ChiavariChairRentals.com

Florals: Peony and Plum

Stationery & Logo Design: Jeany Yoon (Rebecca’s friend)

Dress: Carolina Herrera

Happy Anniversary, Jenine and Brett!

Posted on September 19, 2011

Since we always have weddings on the brain, we thought it would be fun to dedicate this weeks blog post to Cupcakes Couture‘s owners Jenine and Brett as they celebrate their 2nd Wedding Anniversary.

Here’s their love story…

Brett asked our president and founder, Jenine, out for a week straight before she said yes. They’d met at her friend’s birthday party the day after she moved to California from New York…it took some time for Jenine to get settled in before finally agreeing to go on a date. “He looked like the typical blonde, long-hair California surfer type which was far from the NYC corporate business suit type guy,” Jenine laughs. But when he asked for her number at the end of the night, she gave it to him, some things are just meant to be.

Brett’s persistence paid off. Jenine finally agreed to a date at her mother’s urging. “Finally when I told my mom about it, she was like–just go! You’re not going to marry the guy; maybe you will like some of his friends.”

Nearly a year later, Brett proposed, and the two were married in New York City on September 19 2009. Captured by Fred Marcus Photography, we’re sharing their photos and story for the first time. Congratulations, Jenine and Brett!

Much to her surprise, Jenine’s dazzling city photos got picked up in several wedding magazines including RangeFinder and Wedding Sites and Services!

One of the aspects that attracted Jenine most to Brett was his worldliness–he’d traveled to 44 countries before the two even met. Paying homage to their passion for the world and other cultures, the two asked their wedding guests to make donations to Children of Uganda charity, in which they are both actively involved in, in lieu of wedding presents.

What made Jenine fall in love with Brett? “I had never dated anyone of such intellect. Brett is a very smart person and has worked very hard as an entrepeneur yet has the warmest heart of anyone I know. I really admired his desire to enjoy life, have fun, and live life in the moment.”

As a New York native, Jenine knew she’d never get married anywhere else. Friends and family watched the two exchange vows at Gotham Hall–one of NYC’s most illustrious locations. “Gotham Hall was one of my forever dream venues because of the grandeur of it all,” Jenine said.

Combining the styles of their two home states, Jenine used Old Hollywood as inspiration for the wedding. Blushes, pinks, crystals, feathers, and pearls characterized the decor, invitations, florals, and design. Jenine planned the entire wedding by herself from Los Angeles–no easy feat, but sought out the help of the amazing Annie Lee from Daughter of Design to pull everything together on the day of.

Some of her and Brett’s favorite photos from the day are these shots captured in the streets of New York City.

Above: Sisterly Love. Below: Jenine and her mom

Jenine remembers being led down the aisle by her two twin great uncles (pictured above) as one of the standout moments in the wedding. “It was also the first time Brett saw me in my dress, which was really exciting” she said. “I am so grateful for that moment of having my uncles walk me down the aisle. Sadly, one of my uncles passed away within a year later.”

Below: Brett and his family preparing for the ceremony.

Brett’s nephews and Jenine’s cousins charmed audiences looking dapper in these adorable outfits as ring bearers!

How gorgeous are the details of Jenine’s dress? She found this beauty at the infamous Kleinfelds in New York City, it was a brand new Ian Stuart dress that arrived in the box straight from London while Jenine was trying on dresses. Someone there said she just had to try it on, it was perfection. “It was the second dress I tried on and that was it, I knew it was the one,” Jenine said.

Instead of having guests sit in front of them, Jenine and Brett had their 220 friends and family sit circled around them for the ceremony as they stood in the middle. “It was pretty amazing to have everyone around us,” Jenine said. The couple wrote the entire ceremony themeselves along with one of Brett’s best friends, Kevin Miao (who also happens to be the friend that introduced them). Kevin became a wedding officiator for one day to be able to be the one to marry them, a moment the couple will never forget.

After the two exchanged vows, the party began. Family dispute ruled out a sit-down reception: Jenine’s family was adamant on serving Italian food only, while Brett wanted sushi and steak. They solved the problem by serving Italian on one side of the room and sushi and steak on the other. “It was funny to never see my family cross over the the other side,” Jenine laughs.

Without delay, the dancing began. Jenine and Brett flew out the resident DJ, DJ Vice from Tao in Las Vegas to ensure their guests stayed out of their seats. “Brett and I love to party! We wanted people to feel our love of fun at our reception,” Jenine said. “No cheesy wedding stuff other than the first dances and speeches, but other than that, the music was to be non-stop upbeat dance party … everyone raved about how fun it was!”

In true fashion of the city that never sleeps, Brett and Jenine continued the festivities with an after party at the Hudson Hotel, which ended with “Brett searching for me everywhere at 4 am and finally hearing I was at a pizzeria across the street getting a slice with all my NY girl friends. Priceless,” Jenine smiles.

After the wedding, the two toured France and Italy for a month. In November of 2009, Jenine opened Cupcakes Couture, and just one month later found out she was pregnant with Saylor! “Definitely not planned but Saylor Bleu is now one-year-old and is the greatest gift and miracle life could provide. I wouldn’t have changed a thing, I can’t imagine life without her and Brett,” Jenine said.

Below is our local Southbay magazine that featured Brett, Jenine, and little Saylor back in February for their love issue.