Looking for inspiration for your wedding? Looking for something more unique and fun? This is the blog for you! Wedding suppliers from North Devon and North Cornwall came together to produce some amazing neon wedding inspiration for you. The shoot took place at the funky Anmor Hotel. The stunning photos were taken by Laura from Freeform Images.
A breathtakingly Britsh boutique hotel nestled in north Cornwall in Bude situated by the sea. With 28 lovely rooms and the Atlantic Ocean as the back drop to your wedding day it is the perfect place for a fun quirky wedding. It also has its very own gin bar which inspired me when it came to the catering.
Sam chose pinks and purples to compliment the colours used through out the shoot. This worked well with the brides hair colour which fitted the theme perfectly! Kylee styled the brides hair with a couple of different styles through out the shoot. The styles that Kylee chose worked perfectly with the hair accessories.
This was my first time in seeing one of Sam’s jackets. She hand paints all the designs so they can be completely personalised with the date and wording. Shes also created the first neon detailing on the jacket in the UK. Yes that heart is a neon light! These jackets are perfect for when the evening chill sets in on your wedding day and then for afterwards you can remember your day for years to come.
Two dresses were worn during the shoot and they were both beautiful! The first dress was called ‘Cassandra’ by designer Casablanca Bridal, the details on the beaded bodice paired with the sleeves to show the brides tattoos off in a subtle way perfect for that rock chic. The second dress ‘Bria’ also by Casablanca Bridal a strapless dress that was equally as beautiful with the glittering rhinestones and the lace detailing on the bodice and on the the skirt.
The talented Jules hand makes her accessories like the hair vines and bracelets show below. They finish the look off perfectly by keeping the rock chic but still elegant bridal look.
Denise created fabulous a bouquet and floral display for the venue. The colours of the flowers, the deep and lighter pinks, the dark red roses and then the purple clematis incorporated the theme effortlessly in the arrangements.
The use of pinks and purple and the classical look shape of the place settings, menu and invites complimented the table plan that was featured on a mirror with neon lighting.
Vicky and Jacqueline worked together to transform the venue. The hotel decor was the perfect backdrop for the shoot. With the neon lighting, sequin table cloth, pink charger plates and more the venue became the perfect place for a neon themed wedding.
Using the gin bar as inspiration I set to work creating some lovely new recipes. From gin mousse in shot glasses, to gin and tonic cupcakes and scones topped with lemon curd and clotted cream. Perfect for a gin inspired afternoon tea or if you are more of a savoury fan then the opened sandwiches with delicious toppings like beetroot houmous and feta cheese or smoked salmon and cream cheese on fresh tiger bread
The colours of the cake came from a mixture of different techniques the bottom tier had watercolour painting. Blending of colours for the top tier, then the flowers and the use of edible lace to finish the design. All inspired by the colours and vibe of An Mor.
Working with Laura for this shoot and seeing her in action was a great experience. Laura captured the photos perfectly, using her years of experience to get that perfect shot. All the photos in this blog were taken by Laura.
There are lots of neon wedding inspiration you could use in your wedding, whether that is here in North Devon, over the border in North Cornwall or further a field! For more inspiration check out the Pinterest board below
Welcome back to Bake It With Jax, for my second blog. Remember to hit subscribe if you want to be the first to see the new recipes. Next month is chocolate chip cookies! Back to this month, we are baking rock cakes! Why is it called a rock cake you might ask? Rock cake, also called a rock bun, is a small cake with a rough surface resembling a rock. Popular in World War 2 as they used less eggs than a normal cake.
I used gluten free flour with these, makes them a little bit more crumbly when they are hot, but still just as yummy! A quick and easy treat to make, don’t like dried fruit? Why not try chocolate chips! I make mine in to 7, but you can make yours bigger or smaller, just make sure you adjust the cooking time if you do.
Grannies Rock Cakes Recipe
Makes 7
INGREDIENTS
90g Butter
200g Self Raising Flour
90g Caster Sugar
90g Mixed Dried Fruit
1 Egg
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line baking tray with parchment paper.
Rub the butter and flour together between your fingers to make a crumble/breadcrumb mixture.
Mix in the caster sugar & mixed dried fruit.
Mix in the egg until all combined. Then using a spoon evenly place quantities of the mixture on the tray. These don’t need to be perfectly formed, they are supposed to look like rocks after all!
Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
Leave to cool for a few minutes then move to a cooling rack to continue to cool. Enjoy!
Fancy baking alongside me, watch the video below. Had a go at making it? Let me know in the comments!
New to my blog I have other recipes on here as well go check them out.
If you are looking for a wedding that is bright and bold and not your traditional white wedding then here is some colourful wedding inspiration for you! The decadent yellow ‘Morning’ room at Tawstock Court is where the inspiration came from, and fits in perfectly with the colourful wedding styling!Â
Wedding suppliers from North Devon have collaborated together to bring you this colour pop wedding shoot. Its full to the brim with ideas from wedding stationery, to a hot air balloon, or even alpacas at your wedding! ​ The shoot took place at the beautiful Tawstock Court and all the stunning photos are from Freeformimages Photography.  ​ Enjoy the inspiration for your wedding day. Full list of suppliers at the bottom.
VENUE- Tawstock Court, Barnstaple, North Devon
I’ve visited Tawstock Court a few times for weddings now and looking forward to being back there again soon. It is a relatively new venue here in North Devon. An 18th century manor house set in 32 acres of beautiful grounds and woodlands, formally St Michaels School.
“Our morning room bursts of bright yellow and when the sun streams through the windows everyone comments on how happy this room feels – hence we wanted to show just how much colour can enhance any wedding and create an amazing atmosphere.”
​As well as Tawstock being a family run wedding venue that is continuing to refurbish rooms helping to create a magical day for your wedding. They have also refurbished self contained rooms where you and your guests can stay.
VENUE STYLING- Do Me A Favour
Vicky from Do Me A Favour used colours to compliment the yellow walls of Tawstocks Morning room. The decor consisted of bright turquoise, yellow, orange and shades of pink. These colours are highlighted in the ribbons, table decorations and balloons.
​Together everything popped with the natural sun light that floods the room. By using colourful paper fans in the place settings to add a fun feel to the wedding.
FLOWERS- Petal & Posie
Petal & Posie made the bridal bouquet, table flowers and decorations. Using bold colours and a mix of fresh, bright Gemini daisies and roses (including the fabulous coral ‘Miss Piggy’).
​Denise was able to create beautiful and colourful displays that complimented the theme perfectly.
HAIR, MAKE-UP & ACCESSORIES- Bath Bridal Hair, Jennifer Rose Make Up Artistry and Hey Jules!
The bridal hair by Sam from Bath Bridal Hair and make up by Jennifer Rose Make Up Artistry was based on the design of the headpieces, style of the dress and model’s hair.
Hair styles ranged from soft and romantic to edgy and sharp, but with a commercial slant. Hair colours contrasted against headpieces to show them off to best advantage.
The make up had a flawless base of airbrush makeup giving the skin a natural finish. Brighter pinks on the lips , with plum and coral hues, helped to really incorporate the colour pop theme!
Hey Jules! Created the accessories, the gold leaf crown with tendrils of tiny flowers in turquoise, coral and pale pink were perfect for adding a touch of drama, yet still remaining pretty, feminine and bridal.
The other headpiece consisted of vintage elements and gave the most beautiful, glimmering, pastel-colour sparkle. Also using some soft floral pieces in this shoot, the pink Serenity and aqua Zelenka petal pieces. Added a further touch of colour and sparkle to the day!
To add a lovely pop of colour, an antique pink Swarovski crystal heart necklace and earring set, and a turquoise framed glass necklace and earring set which both reflected the light, completed the look.
​Jules can create bespoke accessories for your wedding that reflect your colours and theme.
STATIONERY- Clare’s Wedding Creations​
For the stationery Clare used the idea of balloons and hot air balloons to tie in the theme of the wedding. As well as this she used the colour palette to co-ordinate with the rest of the colour theme. She can also create wedding invitations and table plans so that the theme all matches together.
The sweet table, styled by Do me a favour and using flowers from Tina Hodgson Fine Floral Design. With the organic balloon arch being created by North Devon Party Celebrations tying in the colourful wedding theme! ​
A selection of homemade meringues, macaroons, cake pops, cookies with personalised messages and chocolate covered pretzels adorned the sweet table created by me, Jax’s Cakes ‘N’ Bakes. These items were coloured to match the colour theme.
​Then the table was styled with matching sweets and a gorgeous wedding cake by Claire’s Sweet Temptations. Using marbling fondant, stencils and finished with hand made sugar flowers. Just perfect for your guests to help themselves to it during your evening.
The wedding Ceremony is at the heart of the day, with our celebrant Nixie, who wore bright pink and also created a symbolic ‘Sand Ceremony’, and plaited a multi ribbon for the ‘Hand Fasting’ cord.
Lastly another symbolic idea was to ‘Jump the Broomstick’ into married life over a beesom broom that Nixie created using bright dogwood stems on a hazel broomstick and wrapped with ribbons too!
​By having a celebrant like Nixie for your wedding you can have a personal, heartfelt and meaningful ceremony to suit you as a couple.
​If you are looking for unique additions to your wedding then heres some ideas for you! Fluff Boxx has a selection of candy floss flavours and with big hits of colour from the custom made balloon display and jars of handmade sugar finished with fabulous handmade glitter dipped cones to add that extra little sparkle!
If thats not unique enough, how about some alpacas?! Cadenza Alpacas will bring along some friendly alpacas to your wedding day, dressed with little bow ties or these colourful neck scarfs.
Or maybe you would prefer to have a hot air balloon at your wedding? Luckily Tawstock have a lovely large open lawn thats just perfect to land a hot air balloon in. Certainly one way to make an exit! ​ Tarka Pottery created these colourful hearts for the perfect decorations. Or maybe arrange to have your hen party there and make them for yourselves?
There were a selection of wedding dresses, the feminine floral print high/low gown is from the Signature Collection by Victoria Kay, perfect for showing off your shoes and Irregular Choice’s Bridal designs never disappoint!
There was also a champagne satin gown with a beautiful lace beaded bodice and trellis sparkle sleeves. The box pleating on the skirt is finished with a beautiful bow.
We also had from the Enchanted Collection by Victoria Kay, Ella a fun full sleeved sweetheart high/low gown. The lace back is finished with a beautiful button detail by Victoria Kay Gowns. ​ Then finally Leona by Casablanca is a georgette princess seamed fit and flare gown with a beaded cape.
The selection of shoes from Irregular Choice add the finishing touch and pop of colour to the wedding outfit.
​The denim jackets, were hand painted by Sammy Lea’s Retro Emporium, bringing the bright theme colours through to the bridal wear and added a contemporary twist to the dress styling, a great way to add a personal touch to your wedding outfit, and to continue to wear as a reminder of your wedding day.
FLOWER GIRLS- Popsqueak Childrens Wear
‘Why stop with one colour, when we can use them all?’ Says Julia of Popsqueak Children’s Wear ‘to find a lovely bright and vibrant fabric encompassing all the shades from the colour palette.’ Julia created reversible jackets, sashes, bags and hair pieces of which complimented the white cotton dresses made in a Rose and Hubble print, giving an understated charm.
​Whilst it is probably easier to create flower girl dresses from synthetic fabrics such as tulle and polyester, Julia says ‘I prefer to use cottons and silks which are less harmful on the environment. I also wanted to show that using natural fabrics can still be bright and vibrant and comfortable for little ones to wear all day and night.’
Welcome back to Bake It With Jax, for my second blog. Remember to hit subscribe if you want to be the first to see the new recipes. Next month is my grannies rock cakes! If you have got sick of the Banana bread lock down craze, but still have some bananas going ripe in the back of your fruit bowl why not try these delicious double chocolate banana muffins!
This recipe is yummy on its’s own but here are a couple of twists to make it extra yummy! You can change it for white chocolate chips, or add in 25g of walnuts, or a touch of cinnamon if you want some spice. I used Gluten Free Self Raising Flour, still just as tasty! Super quick and easy to make. Check out the video below to bake it alongside me, or just use the recipe below. Let me know in the comments if you make them!
Double Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe
Makes 10
INGREDIENTS
1 Large Banana
50g Margarine or Soften Butter
100g Soft Brown Sugar
25g Cocoa Powder
2 Eggs
150g Self Raising Flour
Pinch of Salt
100g Chocolate Chips
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Place 10 paper cases in a 12 hole muffin tin.
Peel the banana and mash with a fork in a bowl.
Beat the butter & sugar together until creamy. Add in the cocoa and the eggs, then combine. Stir in the mashed banana. Then add the flour and a pinch of salt. Make sure all combined then add the chocolate chips.
Divide the mixture between the cases evenly filling about 3/4 full, or use an ice cream scoop like me, for a equal scoop.
Bake for 25 mins or until springy to the touch.
Leave to cool on a wire rack. Once cool, you can enjoy!
Georgie and Mark themed their wedding rose gold and royal blue. From the cake to the table decorations and styling. Their venue was Beaconside House, North Devon, a beautiful exclusive use venue. Take a look at the photos below for more wedding inspiration!
Georgie and Mark chose four delicious flavours in their cake. The top tier was carrot with orange buttercream and white chocolate ganache. Next they chose red velvet with white chocolate ganache. The third tier was white chocolate and raspberry, raspberry sponge and buttercream covered in white chocolate ganache. For the bottom tier they chose chocolate and caramel, chocolate sponge filled with chocolate buttercream and caramel covered in dark chocolate ganache.
Then came the design and I’m sure you will agree that its definitely a spectacular design! Two tiers airbrushed rose gold and two tiers covered with royal blue icing. I then added stencilled designs in the alternate colour. Finishing off the design with swags on the top and bottom tier and some pearls to finish off. The bride then added an elephant topper.
A guest at the wedding supplied me with some lovely photos of the cake in the evening and with some of Georgie and Mark cutting the cake to!
Wedding styling inspiration
Here’s a few photos I took of the decorations after setting up the cake. Beaconside House looked amazing and the fairy lights in the evening made it look so magical. I love those table cloths, but then I love anything sparkly! I hope this has provided you with some inspiration for your wedding day. Don’t be afraid to interject some colour and sparkle to your wedding day!
Welcome to the first Bake it with Jax! Every 4th Sunday of the month will be a new recipe. Subscribe to my blog for notifications. As a creme egg fan my first recipe had to be creme egg cookie cups! What’s a cookie cup you may ask? Its baked in a cupcake tin instead so it doesn’t spread out like a normal cookie.
You could also make these with other eggs, if your not a creme egg fan. You could even add extra chocolate chips to the recipe if you are a chocolatey fan! Follow along with the video or read the recipe below. Let me know in the comments if you make some! The recipe made 12, decent size cookie cups, if you don’t have a cupcake tray, pop them on a baking sheet instead.
Make them a dessert by eating with ice cream whilst they are still warm! If you can’t get creme eggs you could top them with chocolate spread, Rolos, the possibilities are endless.
Creme Egg Cookie Cups Recipe
Makes – 12
INGREDIENTS
175g softened unsalted butter
150g light brown muscovado sugar
75g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
300g plain flour
large pinch salt
4 creme eggs
12 mini creme eggs or 6 large for decoration
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare a 12 hole cupcake tin by greasing with butter or non stick cooking spray, and preheat your oven to 160C/gas mark 4/350F.
Let’s begin with very soft unsalted butter (I popped mine in the microwave for 10 secs). Pop it into your bowl and then add the sugars into the bowl. And mix everything together, remember to scrape down the bowl.
Add the vanilla extract and eggs to the mixture, and mix in. Add the flour, cornflour and baking powder along with the salt. I folded this in so that the flour doesn’t go everywhere and then used my electronic whisk at the end. Scrape down the bowl and beater. Add the whole creme eggs then with a wooden spoon, smash them up and incorporate into the dough.
Next, use roughly 2 tbsp of the mixture to fill each muffin hole. I also used a teaspoon to create an ident/gap in the centre of the cookie cup ready for the filling.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven to cool, then pop either a halved creme egg or mini creme egg on top of each one to get melty. Leave in the tin to cool for a little bit.
Once cool run a thin knife around the edge and pop out on to a cooling rack and enjoy!
Welcome back to part 5 of my series on ‘What style wedding cake do I want?‘ Luxury wedding cakes – fondant cake. If you haven’t already head over and check out the other four parts where I will talk about other styles of wedding cake. This blog however will look at fondant cakes and all the possibilities available.
What is fondant?
Fondant or sugar paste is soft unlike royal icing but you are able to do so much more with it than buttercream. Along with flower paste the possibilities are pretty much endless! From five tiers to just one, from white to colourful, from plain to detailed its all possible with fondant. The five tier below, can you tell which two tiers are cake and which three are actually polystyrene?
No? Exactly, this couple only had 50 guests coming to their wedding but wanted that big show stopper cake. The best way to achieve that with out eating cake for the next year is to use dummy cakes! That’s a polystyrene cake covered in fondant and then decorated like a normal cake. Its the bottom three if you are still wondering! I then added ruffles to the base tier and quilting on the fourth, two effects only possible with fondant wedding cakes. Piping, although I pipe with royal icing is a great way to personalise your fondant wedding cake, you can add a monogram or a hand piped lace design.
Don’t want a white wedding cake?
No problem, fondant can be coloured, painted or even airbrushed. Add a bit of subtle colour like the wedding cake below where I have hand painted silver around the base. Or for a more bold look, I airbrushed the rose gold and coloured the royal blue icing for the four tier wedding cake. I’ve then stenciled in the alternate colour again using royal icing. Finishing the cake off with fondant swags and a few pearls.
If you want to have white wedding cake but still want some colour, think about the flowers and the ribbon you can use. For example handmade sugar flowers in peach and yellow to match your colour scheme. As they are handmade I can make them in any colour and I can make most flowers. Or to match the flowers used in your bouquet or centre pieces. You can add fresh flowers in a variety of arrangements, just ask your florist. Or you could even add feathers to tie in your theme. Another option is to use silk flowers.
Edible lace like the photo below can be made in any design and any colour. Its such a pretty affect!
​Or if you want something completely nontraditional, why not have a half and half wedding cake. Superheroes, football or Disney there is lots of different options, choose your favourite and have them hidden on the back!
I hope you have enjoyed reading about the different options that you can have in this blog and over the entire series. If you would like to discuss the options for your wedding cake get it touch!
The fourth part of the what style wedding cake do I want series. Looks at luxury wedding cakes – buttercream or ganached cake. Most know what buttercream is but what is ganache? Ganache is a mixture of cream and chocolate. Ganache is what I mainly use on my wedding cakes unless otherwise asked. You can have white, milk or dark chocolate ganache. I find that it is less sweet than the traditional buttercream.
Why would you choose a buttercream wedding cake?
Ganache works exactly like buttercream so you can have it flat or ridged like the photos below show. If you want some something more rustic you don’t need to have it smooth. You can leave it with a more textured look. ​As you can see from the photos you can no longer see any of the cake like the previous two styles. This seals your cake inside and keeping it nice and fresh!Â
Lots of choices of decoration for a buttercream cake, from hessian ribbon and fresh flowers, to sugar flowers and fruit. The cake below opted for buttercream roses piped on the side. With a hint of pink to tie in there colour scheme. If you want more colour one couple opted to have a purple ombre cake to match their colours.
Wedding cake toppers
​As always adding toppers is the perfect way to make it personal to you. There are lots of different types of toppers and I love to see what the couples choose. I’ve seen Funky Pops to haybales over the years. I cant wait to see what I get asked to place on top of your wedding cake!
Add extra height to your wedding cake
To add height to your cake you can have separators between the tiers. Then fill them with fresh flowers like the picture below. You don’t need to have white chocolate ganache. You can opt for milk or dark chocolate as well. I hope that has helped you learn about buttercream or ganached cakes.
​There is a lot more choice once you start fully covering the cake. Check back for the next and final part of the series to see all the possibilities with fondant! Â
The third part of the what style wedding cake do I want series looks at luxury wedding cakes – semi-naked cakes. ​So what is a semi naked cake? Unlike the naked cakes where you can see the sponge fully. These have a scraping of buttercream on the sides. So the sponge is slightly hidden but you can still see some parts.
Why would you choose a semi-naked wedding cake?
Semi naked cakes are again great for a rustic wedding. You can style the display around them to suit your theme. Or even set up a dessert style table. Paired with fresh flowers, fresh fruit or your custom topper they are the perfect addition to your wedding. As all my cakes are handmade. You can request how much buttercream or ganache you have on the side. Plus with the extra buttercream around the side. Unlike the naked cakes these are less likely to dry out.
However I still only buttercream the cake on the morning of your wedding, so that your cake is as fresh as possible. Similarly to the naked cake you will still be able to see the different flavours in each tier unless you opt for flavours that look similar. However I can fill your cakes with filling the same flavour as the sponge and then coat the outside in one flavour so that it all looks the same. I also advise that if your having chocolate that its the middle tier to keep it even.
I love how this couple personalised their semi naked cake with bunting, Lego flowers, bride and groom. You can really tie in the theme of your wedding with small touches like the topper or flowers on your wedding cake.Â
So I hope that has helped you find out more about semi naked wedding cakes. The next blog will be about buttercream or ganached wedding cakes.
Following on from part one, what style wedding cake do I want? This blog will look in more depth at luxury wedding cakes – naked cake. So what is a naked cake, don’t worry it has nothing to do with being naked! Simply put it is a cake where you can see the layers of sponge and filling of each tier.
Why would you choose a naked wedding cake?
Naked cakes are hugely popular at rustic weddings. By adding fresh fruit, fresh flowers or both you can create a centre piece for your rustic wedding. Added bonus is they are great if your not fan of the fondant icing found on a more traditional cake. You can easily personalised a naked cake by adding bunting. Or for a bit of colour add macarons and chocolate drips.
Naked cakes are not just for barns…
Just because your having your wedding in a hotel and not a barn or marquee. Does not mean you can’t have a rustic themed wedding. I have previously set up a naked sponge at The Park Hotel, Barnstaple. The couple had tied in the rustic theme by using a log cake stand and log centre pieces. Then with fresh flowers that match the bouquet and centre pieces we tied the cake in as well. However most of the rustic style cakes I deliver go to marquees or barns. That have been decked out in bunting, hessian and other rustic decorations.
Downsides to a naked cake
There are a few downsides to a naked cake. First is that it has no icing to stop it from drying out! To reduce this I cook your cake the day before the wedding, its then cling filmed over night. Then an early start to the day of your wedding to sugar syrup and fill your cake. I then cling film it ready for transport. I always set up your wedding cake on the morning of the wedding. So your cake has only a few hours to sit before being eaten. ​ Secondly you can see the flavours and filling. Now the cake above still had four different flavours (vanilla, lemon, salted caramel and strawberry). But if you wanted a chocolate tier you will have a different colour sponge. This can cause the cake to look mismatched. Unless you have three tiers and pop it in the middle like the cake below. Similarly the cake at the bottom of the post has raspberry as the bottom tier. You will notice the pink tinge to the buttercream from the fresh raspberries.
So I hope that has helped you find out more about naked wedding cakes. The next blog will be about semi naked wedding cakes.
