Stuck on the Damn Cake

The cake, the cake, the cake ... Bethenny was stuck on the damn cake! If it wasn’t one obsession it was another; the tides changed from the Four Seasons to the cake - a specific Red Velvet Cake with a specific frosting. It had to be THAT cake and it had to taste like her favorite cake from her favorite bakery. The problem was that the bakery she loved only did one wedding cake per weekend (they were booked), and they didn’t work with fondant, another strike. We had one week until the wedding and my check list wasn’t getting shorter, it was getting longer.

As her planner it was my job to provide exactly what she wanted. I had no issues doing that. However, the problem was that I was working close to 18-hour days trying to get all the other details organized and finalized, which left little to no time to run to the bakery on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to taste her favorite cake. It wasn’t like we were saving puppies in Rwanda!

Regardless of how I felt I knew deep down that I had to get this right, so I trekked up to UES (with my passport) because if I didn’t she would rip the "fruits and veggie off my body!" No way was I willing to sacrifice my "produce section" so she could feed Cookie's hunger for my blood!

Yes, I know NYC is filled with hundreds of bakeries and amazing cake designers. But not all of them do Red Velvet Cake and not all of them decorate a cake the way Bethenny wanted. Oh and did I mention not everyone was available? That’s what you get when you plan a wedding in four weeks.

When everyone else said no, Anne Heap, owner of the Pink Cake Box, said yes. Having worked with her before I knew she would do a great job. She was doing me a huge favor because they were already maxed out on the weekend of Bethenny and Jason’s wedding. When I arrived for the tasting Anne was prepared like a Girl Scout with drawings and samples for me to taste, one of which was Anne’s traditional Red Velvet Cake.

This might be hard to believe, but I know and love Red Velvet Cake! I knew what Bethenny was talking about when she said she wanted a specific kind of Red Velvet Cake. Not all Red Velvet Cakes are the same, just like not all apple pies are the same. So after tasting Anne’s version of Red Velvet Cake, I was almost sure that I had struck gold. But there was no way to tell if Bethenny and Jason would like the cake and I wouldn’t know until the wedding day. No pressure there... So with the fear of Bethenny in me I was onward and upward, my next stop pulling together the floral / decor demo. Some of you may not know this, but my company not only plans weddings, we design them as well. So when it came to the flowers for the demo I made sure I personally designed the floral arrangements.

As you know from our first meeting, Bethenny said she wanted classic New York, nothing foo-foo, nothing over the top, nothing with frills. She told me she wanted red flowers, tulips and roses. I always work hard to satisfy my clients wants and needs, but at the same time I weave in my personal style to create texture and movement so that there is something different at every angle. Weaving in your personal style is something all designers do whether you’re an architect, interior designer or painter. My concern however was that we didn’t see eye to eye on some of the planning elements, so would we see eye to eye on her flowers? The purpose of the demo is so the client can make adjustments and give input, so they ultimately have exactly what they want. This is the way any good event designer works and as a professional, I am no different. Let’s be honest, even the best designers aren’t mind readers! When she arrived at the demo she was in a good mood and her eyes lit up when she saw the flowers. I thought to myself, "Phew, she likes it," and for the most part she did. She actually changed very little. She switched out the linen, removed the orchids from the table and requested I remove a few flowers and add in a few more tulips. Done, done, done and done…it was easy breezy, certainly nothing out of the ordinary.

What wasn't ordinary? I still had not met the groom. To be honest in the back of my head I was a bit surprised we had yet to be introduced, so I thought I would ask. I had no idea my role as planner and designer would soon turn into the role of therapist. Therapy sessions in the world of weddings are nothing new, but playing the role of Bethenny’s therapist was new, at least for me. Up until this point Bethenny and I weren’t cozy-cozy. We certainly weren’t doing each others hair and nails at night. But as I was listening to her I could tell she needed to vent; I could tell that our relationship had finally turned a corner. This was the moment that she finally trusted me. She trusted me enough to open up, and she trusted me enough to let me give my opinion. She and Jason needed to talk about the things she was feeling. I always say a person’s feelings are valid and hers certainly were. I had no issue listening to her, but she had to tell Jason what she was telling me, and she had to speak up before they walked down the aisle.

The week before the wedding came and went and it was time for me to do my final meeting with Bethenny (and it was nice to finally meet Jason). To ease her jitters I voluntarily reproduced the floral arrangement for her. It definitely put her at ease, she loved it! It was perfect!

What wasn’t perfect was that she was stuck on the damn cake! It had come to a point that I had to put my foot down. I had to convince her that I would not allow something she didn’t like at her wedding, period, end of discussion. At this point, although hesitant, I think she did trust me. Who obviously didn’t trust me? Cookie. After she bit me it was my time to exit and create a fabulous wedding!

Before I sign off, I have to address the buzz on the web regarding the fact that Tony "Buster Bluth" Hale and I look like we were separated at birth. When I first saw the "buzz" it was here on Bravotv.com, and to be honest I was a bit horrified as I thought there was only one "me." But as it turns out after looking at a few photos, we just might be separated at birth. I now think it’s funny and it no longer bothers me. I am not sure how Mr. Hale feels, but if you are out there somewhere and you’re ever in NYC, stop by, I’d love to see myself in person.