Terre Et Lune Cake Design | ADITL

The next supplier we’ve asked to be a part of our Day in the Life series is Recommended supplier, Terre Et Lune Cake Design! The aim of this series is to show off some of our incredible Recommended suppliers to our couples. All of our Recommended suppliers are hand-picked by us and added to our curated directory. We also started this series to help give couples realistic expectations on pricing, tips on how far in advance they should book, an insight into current trends coming straight from the experts, and help out any budding suppliers with advice on breaking into the industry from those who did it best. So, let’s dive into it (we highly recommend you’ve had something to eat or are currently eating, because this inspiration is mouth-wateringly good)!

A day in the life with wedding cake supplier, Terre Et Lune Cake Design!

1. How did you get into wedding cake design?

Completely unintentionally at first! I was a corporate PA for years before I became a wedding cake artist. I attended an evening course in cake-making with my sister-in-law, just for the fun of it, that ignited my love of cake design. Having learned the basics, I then spent years making occasion cakes in my free time. The idea of doing it as a career was a pipe dream until some life events put things into perspective (losing my dear dad and the prospect of turning 40) and made me realise that life is too short not to take risks. So, in 2017, I sold my house and moved out to the countryside to free up some equity, left my PA job and started my business full-time. It was a very steep learning curve from then on!

2. What does an average day in the life as a cake artist look like for you?

It's a bit of a cliché that every day is different but it really is. As a one-woman band, it's a mixture of admin, marketing, accounts, sales, procurement, cleaning, baking, decorating...and the rest! During a typical baking week, I will spend a whole day baking and preparing fillings. The cakes then have to settle overnight before I can create my canvas, which means torting, filling and applying a chocolate ganache crumb coat to each tier, followed by a covering of fondant icing. The third day will be spent decorating, which is my favourite part and where my creativity can be unleashed. That said, making decorations doesn't always take a day; wafer paper flowers for example can often take days, if not weeks to create.

3. How far in advance should couples book you/enquire with you?

For peak summer wedding dates, I usually suggest at least 9-12 months ahead to avoid disappointment, as I can only take on a limited amount of orders per week to ensure I maintain the quality of my cakes. That said, this year has seen a lot of last-minute wedding bookings so it's always worth asking about availability.

4. What is the skill set required to be a cake artist?

The three Ps! Passion, persistence and a lot of patience. It took me years to perfect my cake-making and decorating skills and then a few more years to find my own unique style. Clients had always been quite prescriptive about what they wanted and for a long while, I felt like I was only replicating designs rather than inspiring designs. I was trying to please everyone all at once just to get the bookings and I ended up pleasing no one, not least myself. It was only when I stopped worrying about what people thought and focused on what I liked myself, that I opened myself up and let my creativity in. After that, I found my niche and started to attract clients who love my style of work and are as passionate about cakes as pieces of art as I am.

5. What’s the most rewarding aspect of your day/job?

When the cake finally comes together just how I had envisaged it in my mind...and a happy client of course. Seeing a wedding cake set up at the wedding venue amongst the rest of the styling brings everything together and makes sense.

6. What do you wish more couples knew about cake design?

That it really is an art and never 'just a cake'. A lot of time and skill goes into making a wedding cake and it's often underestimated and the cost is misunderstood. It's romantic to think that bakers spend their days in floral aprons à la Mary Berry but behind the scenes it's many hours on our feet and detailed work that takes a toll on our backs! That's not to say that I don't love what I do, but it's more strenuous than you might imagine.

7. What current trends are you seeing within wedding cake design?

I'm seeing a lot of retro styles making an appearance on the wedding blogs, such as Lambeth cakes (heavily piped cakes with scrolls, details and garlands in bright colours). Also, the use of wafer paper as an edible medium, whether in abstract designs or wafer paper florals, has become much more mainstream. I started using wafer paper a few years ago and now specialise in wafer paper flowers for my designs and teach it to other cake artists.

8. How do you become inspired/get in the zone?

I get inspiration from everywhere and I often ask my couples to give me the details of their wedding flowers, stationery, dress, suit etc. rather than send me other cake designs that they've seen. My phone is full of saved Instagram posts from artists, ceramicists, florists, fashion designers and interior designers, which inspire new ideas. I also like to experiment with techniques. Sometimes they fail and sometimes I create a happy accident, such as my hand-painted marbling technique, which was a result of something else going wrong!

9. What are your lowest and highest price packages/options?

My prices start at £650 for a 3-tiered cake to feed 70 guests and prices go upwards from there depending on the size and complexity of design.

10. What advice would you give others looking to get into this field?

Find your niche and do some research into who your ideal client would be and focus your marketing accordingly. I've also found that networking and getting involved in styled shoots (that fit your style) are really good for creating a portfolio of work. It also allows you to be creative and push the boundaries and many of my styled shoot designs are requested by couples. Above all, be consistent in your branding and marketing and be persistent: closed doors don't open themselves without a push!

10 questions with Terre Et Lune Cake Design all about being a wedding cake supplier!

Thank you to Terre Et Lune Cake Design for their insightful knowledge of being a wedding cake supplier! At Rock My Wedding, we're always trying to give couples a realistic view of pricing and the hard work that goes into the incredible creations of our Recommended suppliers. Interested in seeing some more delicious cake design inspiration? Take a look at these iced wedding cakes! You might consider the cherry on top to be...cake toppers! Here are 66 cake toppers we're loving!