As a professional pastry chef I’ve catered more weddings than I can count, and each year a family friend offers to supply the wedding cake, which can be a blessing or a curse.

A certain Aunt Judy* once arrived with a green garbage bag filled with her attempt at a wedding cake. Dropping the bag and scurrying away, mumbling serving instructions over her shoulder, I was left to reconstruct the unfortunate garbage bag cake. I intricately piped it into a fluffy white confection, bedecked it in fresh flowers and set it out in grand style on a beautifully appointed table. When the designated hour for speeches and thank-you’s arrived, an uproarious round of applause was given to generous Aunt Judy for all of her creative efforts, and all lauded her as a truly talented baker. For weeks afterwards I was known in my catering kitchen as “Aunt Judy.”

Since turning in my piping bag for a computer, I take great pleasure in seeing pictures of successful baking ventures that our readers regularly send us, interpreted from our recipes - such as our Chocolate Mousse Wedding Cake seen above. Reproductions of our Test Kitchen's cakes circulate the office with great admiration for creative embellishments and exacting reproduction. Those who attempted Canadian Living's Teapot Cake were especially impressive!  

With the wedding season right around the corner, we have lots of do-it-yourself ideas for the weddings, showers or engagement parties you're planning. Our best ideas for shower cookies, table etiquette, reception party menus for rehearsal night or post wedding brunch, champagne know-how and lots more are being showcased for the wedding season in a one-stop-shop easy to use package.

Are you an amateur patisserier? Send us your pictures of wedding cake successes to food@canadianliving.com. If you’re a novice, our wedding cake recipes can get you started with step-by-step instructions.

*The names in this article were changed to protect the less talented.