From Proposal to “I Do”

Here at Toni Sweets we love celebrations! So much so, in fact, it is part of our tagline: “The Sweet Art of Celebration”. We are always thrilled that people come to us to create special cakes and pastries for important occasions in their lives:

A few months back a gentleman requested a special cake for that same day. He planned to ask his girlfriend to marry him that night, and he wanted to present the engagement ring with one of our cakes. We were delighted to be involved and we jumped through hoops to get the cake ready for him. We were so excited to hear the outcome!

She said yes! A few weeks later I was sitting with the newly engaged couple discussing the design for their wedding cake. The wedding had an Arabian Nights theme, and they wanted their cake to look like stacked pillows.

Not long after meeting with the bride and groom, the bride’s sister asked us to design a cake to celebrate their engagement. This cake was designed to look like an engagement ring inside a jewelry box.

The final product was something that won’t soon be forgotten!

From the proposal cake to the wedding cake, we were honored to be a part of this couple’s journey. We wish them nothing but happiness!

Anemone Bridal Shower Cake

We were excited to make a bridal shower cake for one of our regular customer’s daughter using sugar paste anemone flowers. The floral inspiration for the cake was drawn from her wedding bouquet. Coincidentally anemone are one of my personal favorite flowers as well.

Using an invitation in the decorating process is a great way to tie the cake to the theme of an event. This shower was a beautiful black and white themed party and the cake made for a dramatic accompaniment

Wedding Walk Inspirations Part 2

This week we started getting ready for the 6th Annual Hinsdale Wedding Walk which is coming up Sunday, March 7th.

We always try to create a party-like atmosphere for the event, and fill the store with great wedding cakes and favor ideas.

I thought that last year our store looked especially festive with the raspberry and orange color scheme we used.

This year, we are going for a more elegant and glamorous look. I got my inspiration by looking through fashion magazines and different websites. I imagine brides do the same thing when they start the planning process of their weddings!

Our new color scheme is silver, pink, and black, which are pulled from our new logo and store colors. We are still very excited about our new look and can't wait to share it with you!

More on the wedding walk in blogs to follow!

Crate and Barrel's Bridal Party

On Sunday I attended the Oak Brook Crate and Barrel’s first ‘Bridal Party’ of the year. It was fun to meet the brides, and I always enjoy their reactions to the cakes I have on display. We will have a table set up with breakfast pastries and cake samples for all of the brides every Sunday in February from 9am-11am. It’s a fun event and I’m always glad to be a part of it.

Wedding Walk Inspirations

Every year we decorate the shop in anticipation of the Hinsdale Wedding Walk. We sample and display cakes, favors, and sweet table options. Here are some photos of the treats we made for the Wedding Walk in 2008. The color inspiration was red, pink and aqua blue. I loved how the aqua blue popped against the pinks and reds. It was one of my favorite windows and we have had many brides inspired by the "Word" cake.

Vintage Themed Photo Shoot at KLM

This week I participated in a Wedding Guide photo shoot at Katherine Legge Memorial Park along with Jane’s Blue Iris of Hinsdale.

Jane, from Jane’s Blue Iris chose the Vintage theme that was a perfect choice for KLM.
KLM Park has been around since the early 1920s and is the perfect setting for a wedding ceremony and reception with its beautiful wooded areas and natural light.

I loved the vintage theme and drew inspiration from the Victorian era. I created a sweet table full of delicately decorated cakes, petit fours and cookies.

The day of the photo shoot was sunny and beautiful, with the only downfall going to the bees that loved the sweet smell of our flowers and cakes. You can spot them in some pictures -and some of us were unfortunate enough to get stung- but all for the good of the pictures that will be shown in an upcoming issue of the Wedding Guide!

Here are some snapshots that Barb from Jane’s Blue Iris too. These will serve as a precursor to the upcoming Wedding Guide issue.

Also I plan to recreate the look in our store window as a sneak preview!

Groom’s Cake Trend Blog

The newest trend we’ve seen at Toni is the addition of Groom’s cakes to the traditional tiered wedding cake.

Whether it’s the bride wanting to surprise her fiancé, the couple wanting two cakes with different flavors in each, or a fun cake to be served on the night of the rehearsal dinner, Groom’s cakes have increased in popularity each year.

The biggest surge in groom’s cakes within the past two years has been shaped cakes. Inspiration has come from movies, jobs, hobbies, or just something that shows off the groom’s personality.

Below are some of the shaped-groom’s cakes that Toni has created:

From Paint Chip to Cake Creation

When brides come in to Toni to plan their wedding cake, some have an exact idea in mind of what they want, and some need inspiration. Of course, your wedding cake should taste as good as it looks!

This bride chose a vanilla sponge, with our luscious cheesecake and raspberry preserves as her filling. Classic ivory fondant frosting finished the cake, but it was the unique decoration that set her cake apart, as much as its distinctive Toni flavor:


Hi, Jeannie!

Mark and I wanted to express our sincere appreciation to you and the entire staff at Toni Marie's Sweets and Savories for making our wedding cake not just special but spectacular!! It is completely amazing to us that a little tiny picture from a book with a paint swatch from Lowe's turned into a cake that I am still receiving compliments on from our guests! And, I have never tasted a cake so good - it was definitely a huge hit....even my friends who could not attend, when they see the pictures of the cake taken at Morton's along with the florals that Allison created and our comical topper, they love it!

Thank you again for everything!!
-Leslie