I am thrilled to introduce you to Anna Elizabeth Wawzonek owner of A. Elizabeth Cakes and designer of the most stunning wedding cakes I have ever seen. I met this extremely talented woman years ago when I was creating styled shoots. I came across her work and just had to ask her be involved as her wedding cakes are simply jaw-dropping.
Anna Elizabeth is lovely, kind and has a sophisticated air. You can tell immediately that you are working with a professional and that relieves a lot of stress as she instills instant trust. I am not sure how she does it but she is able to create a beautiful design with such unique elements while still perfectly complimenting the wedding theme and design.
One thing that surprised me was her sketching ability. It is pretty spot on and is a pretty true reflection of what the finished product will be.
If you are not already following her, she is one to keep an eye out for! So, allow me to formally introduce you Anna Elizabeth…
RB: Would you be able to tell my readers a bit about yourself? (i.e. Name, where you were born, age, hobbies, interests, etc.)
AE: Hi! My name is Anna Elizabeth. I’m 28 years old and was born and raised in Vancouver. I’ve travelled a lot and have live in a few
different cities across Canada, but I’m a west coast girl at heart. I studied science at university, but found myself needing a creative outlet. I find pastry to be the perfect balance of science and art!
Outside of making cakes (which tends to take up most of my time) I love to travel, cook and try my hand at all manner of arts and crafts.
RB: Did you take any culinary programs?
AE: Yes, I graduated from pastry school with a patisserie specialty at VCC.
.jpg "white wedding cakes")
Credit: Blush Wedding Photography
RB: What prompted you to become a cake designer?
AE: As I mentioned before, I studied science at university, but knew that that wasn’t what I wanted a career in. I had made a few cakes here and there and tried to find a summer job working at a bakery. No one would hire me because I didn’t have any pastry training, so I decided (on a bit of a whim) to go to pastry school. Pastry and I totally clicked and I was especially drawn to cake design because it is so artistic and creative. I worked at a couple bakeries in Toronto before returning to Vancouver to open my own business.
RB: What is your favourite part of being a cake designer?
AE: I love that cakes serve as centrepiece for so many of life’s most happy occasions. I know I may not be changing the world, but I love that I get to bring a little joy to people through my baking.
.jpg "blush wedding cakes")
Credit: SoWedding
RB: What is the hardest part of being a cake designer?
AE: Although rewarding, owning a bakery is incredibly busy and there can be a lot of stress. I spend many sleepless nights each summer working late into the night putting the finishing touches on wedding cakes. Finding that right work/life balance can be very difficult.
RB: What prompted you to go into business for yourself and when did you first start A. Elizabeth Cakes?
AE: At time time I started, I felt that no one in Vancouver was making the style of cakes I wanted to make. I wanted to craft artistic, creative designs and to challenge how amazing wedding cakes could be. I rented space in a catering kitchen and launched A.Elizabeth Cakes in January 2011. It was a big leap to take, but business took off quickly and I haven’t looked back! I moved on from shared spaces and opened my own bakery in the spring of 2015.
RB: What kinds of cakes do you create? (wedding cakes, birthday, etc.)
AE: I make all kinds of cakes! baby showers, anniversaries, birthdays (I’ve even done a dog’s birthday cake and cookies!), but wedding cakes are our specialty.
RB: How would you best describe your decorating style?
AE: I love creating artistic, clean, modern, beautiful cakes. One of the things I am best known for is my sugar flower work. I craft each flower by hand petal by petal, painting and assembling them to look as real as possible.
.jpg "butterfly wedding cakes")
Credit: Blush Wedding Photography
RB: Do you only take orders locally? What cities specifically?
AE: We deliver cakes across the lower mainland and can occasionally accommodate deliveries to other cities and even internationally. We’ve traveled with cakes up the gondola to the top of whistler mountain, sent cakes on float planes to wilderness resorts and even to Greece!
RB: When does wedding season start for you?
AE: Wedding season seems to last longer every year. We have weddings almost every weekend throughout the year, but the craziest months are definitely April to October.
.jpg "floral wedding cakes")
Credit: Vasia Photography
RB: How many cakes do you create per month during wedding season?
AE: The number of cakes we can take on depends on the size of the order and intricacy of the design. During our busiest summer months we are normally making between 16-25 wedding cakes per month.
RB: Do you have any tips for Brides and Grooms when deciding on a cake design?
AE: When talking with couples about cake design, i often have to remind them that less is more. It can be tempting to try and tie every element of your wedding into your cake design, but that can often end up looking busy and overdone. I love helping clients tailor their vision to create something even more spectacular than they could have imagined.
.jpg)
Credit: Life Studios Inc
RB: Are there certain questions/topics that should always be discussed when choosing a cake designer?
AE: When searching for a cake designer, look for someone who has a good portfolio of images and make sure that the cakes they make are in a style you love. Every cake designer has their own specialty, so make sure you are picking the artist that is the best fit for you.
When meeting with your cake artist to discuss your cake design, make sure you are both on the same page. They should be providing you with a sketch of some kind of illustrate their designs concepts. It’s so much easier to visualize what your cake will look like if you can see it on paper.
RB: How far in advance should an order be confirmed?
AE: We generally recommend booking your wedding cake 6-8 months in advance. We can often accommodate orders on shorter notice, but the most popular summer dates tend to fill up quickly!
RB: What goes into the design process for creating one of your cakes?
AE: We start with meeting our clients to learn about them and their wedding day. Often couples will come in with photos of other cakes they have seen, or with photos and descriptions of their decor plans, stationery etc. It can be fun to pull details from these elements into their cake.
After discussing the cake design in detail, we create custom sketches that we email to each couple. Usually we will do 3-4 designs in a range of price points to help our clients visualize the final product.
Often couples will chose a design as is from our sketches, but we can also work with them to revise the design, or mix and match elements from the sketches to produce their dream cake.
RB: Where do you draw inspiration from for your designs?
AE: I love looking at textiles, art and architecture but really inspiration can be found anywhere! I also love following what florists are doing and pulling colour schemes or arrangement ideas.
.jpg "wedding cakes")
Credit: Sweet Pea Photography
RB: What trends are you currently seeing?
AE: For the 2018 season, I am seeing a lot of really large and elaborate cake designs in the works, which is different from last year, where minimal and rustic were very much on trend. Secret garden themes or bringing the outdoors in, even sometimes with a tropical vibe seem to be the big trends so far. Quite a few of my couples have been looking at brighter, bolder colour palettes, and of course blush, ivory and gold are still very much on trend.
.jpg "nature inspired wedding cakes")
Credit: Jasalyn Thorne Photograph
.jpg "white and gold wedding cakes")
Credit: Blush Wedding Photography
RB: Are there any designs you are dying to try?
AE: I love ikebana floral designs and I’m dying to use that as inspiration for a very modern cake design.
RB: Do you have any tools you can’t live without?
AE: I love my x-acto knives. From precision cutting to sugar flowers and sculpted figurines, I use them daily!
RB: Do you have any tips for budget conscious brides?
AE: We usually encourage budget conscious couples to look at buttercream cake designs as opposed to more expensive fondant finishes. Gorgeous buttercream textures accented with fresh florals (instead of our handmade sugar flowers) still give that “wow” factor.
Couples should also consider the number of guests they need to serve. If your venue is providing dessert, or you’ll have a dessert or candy bar, you probably don’t need cake for everyone. Cutting down the size of your cake can be another great way to save.
RB: What is a favourite cake you have designed?
AE: I am a perfectionist and am constantly striving to be a better artist and designer. I feel like each new cake I make becomes my favourite!
RB: What is the most unique cake design you have ever created?
AE: I love creating wedding cakes that perfectly reflect the couples we are making them for. One of my favourites was a Disney themed cake. The couple wanted something elegant and classic, but bringing in a sense of whimsy with hidden mickeys and small golden animal figurines hidden throughout the design. The cake was around 5 feet tall and was topped with a sugar replica of sleeping beauty’s castle.
.jpg "Disney wedding cakes")
Credit: Jasalyn Thorne Photography
RB: What cake flavours do you offer?
AE: We truly believe that a cake has to taste just as good, if not better, than it looks . We just “best tasting wedding cake” at the Professional BC Wedding Awards in November! We have a selection of 8 cake flavours listed on our website that we offer for wedding cake tastings. These range from strawberry champagne to vanilla chai and chocolate blackberry bergamot. We think there’s something for everyone on this list! Of course we also create custom flavours for clients when requested.
.jpg "cake servings")
Credit: Blush Wedding Photography
RB: What is your favourite flavour of cake?
AE: That’s a tough one! I think it depends on the time of year. During the summer I love our lemon blueberry cake. It’s so light and refreshing! When the weather gets cold, I’m a chocolate girl all the way – you can’t go wrong with our chocolate salted caramel cake.
RB: Have you ever had any interesting or funny experiences? (i.e. fires, dropping a cake, etc.) Explain.
AE: Luckily (knock on wood) we’ve never had any cake disasters. We have had a few very last minute orders. There was one wedding where the couple’s venue burned down just days before their wedding and they had to relocate everything from Vancouver Island to Vancouver. I guess the cake they had ordered couldn’t travel with them, so we jumped on board to help out and create a cake for their celebration.
RB: Do you have any future business plans you are working on? (i.e. cake design workshops, expansions, YouTube how-to’s?)
AE: We had had a lot of requests for sugar floral classes, so plans for those are in the works for spring 2018. Make sure to follow us on instagram to stay up to date on all of the goings on at A.Elizabeth Cakes!
@aelizabethcakes
_____
Choosing your wedding cake is one of the best parts of planning your wedding (cake tasting anyone?) – but it can sometimes be hard to know where to start. If you have any questions about where to start, great vendors in your area, how to incorporate your theme in your cake design, or anything else – send us an email and we’ll be happy to help you!
.jpg "A. Elizabeth Cakes")
