Welcome to the sixth edition of “a thousand words”. This story is called “Sparkling Cupcakes for Any Occasion”. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but to gain true context you need to have a description. Here is the tale of how this photo came to be.
Cupcakes are a fantastic dessert for almost any event or celebration including anniversaries, birthdays, or graduations. However, one bride decided that she wanted to have a sparkler on each cupcake for her wedding; and that was something quite unusual. Here is the full story of Kathleen and her journey towards sparkling cupcakes!
Kathleen’s Story
Kathleen was looking for the perfect dessert for her wedding guests. However, ever cake, cupcake, pie, or other variation was falling short for her standards. Luckily, she had a friend named Beth who had a Facebook page describing the beautiful creations that she makes; including some adorned with sparklers! Finally, she fell in love with a design that she could envision for her wedding day.
Next, Kathleen reached out to Beth to see if she could help. They hadn’t seen each other since college, so she didn’t know if it was going to work out. Fortunately, she received good news from Beth and they were ready to design the perfect sparkling cupcakes.
Beth’s Story
Beth is just as important to the story of this photo. After all, she is the one who made them! Years prior, she had attended college with Kathleen. In those days, she was studying for a business degree and baking was merely a hobby. After graduation, she had a string of jobs that she loathed as the corporate world was not a great fit for her free spirit. Fortunately, though, not all was lost. Here education in business allowed her to start her own successful baking company and she has been thriving ever since.
When Kathleen reached out to her, she was so excited to reconnect with an old friend. Not only would she be able to catch up on their lives, but she would be able to participate in the biggest day of her life. After a few messages, they setup a time to meet so they could begin the process of planning her sparkling cupcakes.
Planning and Designing the Sparkling Cupcakes
Once they spent some time reconnecting, it was time to sit down and make a plan. There are a lot of factors to cover when making sparkling cupcakes for a wedding! Here is a breakdown of the different topics that were discussed.
Cake and Frosting
First, they needed to decide which type of cake batter they wanted for the cupcakes. Since she was planning a fall wedding with earthy colors, they chose a Dutch cocoa cake. The rich flavor would be appreciated on a cool autumn day. Next they decided on the frosting; butter cream. Butter cream is not only fluffy, but it is less sweet than traditional frostings. Additionally, it handles temperature variations quite well; an important factor in unpredictable seasons like fall. They chose the color white for the frosting to keep it simple and make them stand out from the other earthy colors. And, of course, who could forget a few sprinkles on top?
Overall Presentation
Additionally, the way the cupcakes are displayed is an important aspect to consider. After all, we eat with our eyes first! Beth and Kathleen decided to place the cupcakes on place mats at the tables. It eliminates problematic distribution, and also creates a personalized touch. They went with a simple bamboo placemat for both price and elegance. Also, they placed a few Ferrero Rocher chocolates around the perimeter as an extra snack. Overall it was a simple, yet elegant, presentation they agreed would suit the mood nicely.
Choosing the Sparklers for the Sparkling Cupcakes
Last, but certainly not least, they had to decide on the sparklers. This is the most important part because it was actually makes them into sparking cupcakes! There are a variety of different sparkler types available, and choosing correctly is very important. Here are the two most popular options.
Wedding Cake Sparklers
Luckily, there is enough demand for there to be sparklers for wedding cakes that are readily available. They are very high quality, and they have a little stake built in to hold it in place on the cake. They are very popular, and they are normally seen on wedding cake toppers or on a birthday cake. However, their large size makes them a little wonky on a small cupcake. So, they decided to go with a different option.
Traditional Wedding Sparklers
Because of the cupcake size, they decided it was best to stick with traditional sparklers for weddings. They chose to go with small ten inch versions since they didn’t need to last for over a minute. Additionally, they placed two sparklers into each cupcake rather than one to make it particularly dazzling. With the sparklers selected, the planning was complete.
The Day of the Wedding
When the wedding day finally arrived, everything was perfect. The cupcakes looked exactly as intended, and the presentation was excellent. There was just one final step, and that was to coordinate the lighting of the sparklers. An announcement was made, and everyone counted down from ten and lit their cupcakes. What happened next was something from a storybook or movie! Luckily, the photographer was there to capture the moment so the newlyweds could enjoy the memory for many years to come.
In the end, we selected this photo for the story because first impressions are so important. This isn’t actually the photo of the cupcakes at Kathleen’s wedding; they are what she saw on Beth’s page that made her reach out. However, the finished product looked exactly as what you see in the picture up top. It just goes to show you that sometimes you can find inspiration in the most unexpected places. And, in my opinion, doing the unexpected is what makes a wedding so great. Good luck with your upcoming events, and I hope you enjoyed the story!
If you have a story to share, don’t hesitate to contact us. If you send a great photo and background story, then perhaps you could be featured in the next edition!
