PREPARING FOR YOUR WEDDING CAKE TASTING 

 A wedding cake tasting is a fun task to check off your wedding to do list. What is better then spending an hour tasting some delicious cake flavors?

Cake tastings are typically scheduled 6 months in advance of your wedding date. When scheduling your tasting let the Pastry Chef know any allergies to take into consideration. At Peppers, we offer a large variety of flavor combinations. For the tasting, our chef will choose a selection of cake flavors for you to try. If there are any specific combinations you are most interested in we are always happy to accomodate. When tasting the cakes, If there are any flavors you like but want a different filling know that you can always customize to create the combination that works for you. 

Between tasting the different cake slices have a sip of water so the flavors don't mix. Keep a tally of which ones you and your fiance like best and then rank them in order. If you are doing a tiered cake you can offer different flavors on the different tiers. Save the flavor you think will be the most popular for the bottom tier - which is the tier you will get the most cake slices out of! If you are opting for a smaller size cake you can have sheet cakes of different flavors that can be kept in the kitchen then cut and offered to guests later in the evening. 

At your cake tasting you will also discuss the design and look of the cake. Bringing photos with you or saving a Pinterest board of the designs you like is always helpful. You can  combine elements from different cakes to create a unique look. 

You will also want to decide if the cake will be made with buttercream or fondant. If your wedding will take place outdoors in the heat of summer you may want to consider a fondant cake that won't begin to melt in the heat. 

Most importantly remember to have fun and enjoy the experience! 

Looking for wedding cake design inspiration? Check out our pinterest board. 

FEATURED EVENT VENUE: THE GARDENS AT ELM BANK

 Photo by douglasolyons | Aerial Photographic Solutions 

The Gardens at Elm Bank is a beautiful event venue, located on Massachusetts Horticultural Society's 36 acres on the Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley, MA. The venue is home to fields, meadows, streams, wooded areas and colorful formal gardens. The gardens, buildings, and grounds of Elm Bank are an ideal setting for weddings, a bar or bat mitzvah, corporate events, meetings, retreats, and social events.

With twelve gardens and several indoor and outdoor spaces, Elm Bank can accommodate groups of virtually any size.

Photo by douglasolyons | Aerial Photographic Solutions 

The Hunnewell Building (Carriage House) offers 3,000 square feet of indoor function space with a vaulted and trussed ceiling. Attached to the building is a beautiful three season tent complete with permanent flooring and doors to separate the two spaces. The tent and building combined can accommodate events up to 225 for a sit-down dinner or 400 for a standing reception. The Carriage House provides a blank slate that can easily accommodate a variety of different styles and looks, whether you are looking to host an elegant gala reception or a rustic wedding celebration. 

Photos: (left) Lauren Methia Photography  (right) First Mate Photo Co
The Maple Grove is a sprawling grassy area surrounded by towering maple trees in the heart of the twelve gardens. This space can accommodate a large event tent ideal for weddings and corporate events in the spring and summer months.

Elm Bank provides a picturesque setting for your wedding. Say your "I do's" in the Italianate Garden surrounded by seasonal flowers followed by cocktails in the quaint Weezie's Garden. The carriage house and adjacent three season tent are the perfect location for dinner and dancing. Guests can enjoy dinner in the carriage house with dessert and dancing in the tent. For more intimate gatherings the carriage house provides a perfect space for both dinner and dancing.

No one wants to think of rain on their wedding day but having a backup option for an outdoor wedding is key. In the event that you and your guests need to move indoors you can utilize the tent for the ceremony and cocktails.

On top of it all, the photo opportunities around the property are endless. 

Photos: (top) Ellysia Francovitch Photography (bottom two) Magdalena Studios

Contact us to learn more about hosting your event at The Gardens at Elm Bank. 

Weddings with a Personal Touch 

Many busy brides quickly realize they can't do it all. The hours you wish you could spend DIYing your entire wedding are quickly filled with fittings, makeup trials, and following up on RSVPs. Wedding professionals are here to help while still allowing you to add your personal flair to your day. 

We worked with the following three brides to incorporate their unique and personal touches into the design of their wedding.

Judy, one of our White Room Venue Brides, collected heirlooms of silver and pewter pitchers, bowls, and candlesticks throughout the year. She ended up building a fairly large collection, some even from her wedding venue’s antique mall (Crompton Collective). We used her collection to create unique centerpieces for the guest tables. This gave every table its own style and look by incorporating the different and unique vessels that Judy had spent a year collecting.

Photography by Joseph Gonzalez-Dufresne Helloimjoe.com

Caroline, another one of our Brides who tied the knot at The White Room, provided us an array of fun and unique touches to incorporate throughout her wedding.  We tied in her gold dinosaurs with our centerpieces of taper candles and potted ferns for a fun and natural feel. We displayed her handwritten placecard tags on our custom  “Find Your Seat” lattice board. For the ceremony aisle we set up large Boston Ferns and lanterns to line the aisle which we later utilized in the reception space to complement vintage seating and frame Caroline’s oriental rugs.

Caitlin, who celebrated her special day at The Larz Anderson Automobile Museum, wanted to play on the castle-like car museum theme. Her brother and father collected license plates to use as table numbers. We then incorporated touches of rose gold to match her wedding ring along with mini teacup arrangements stacked on antique books around the license plates. She had found a retro radio from the dash of an old car that we used to accent her sweetheart table, where a eucalyptus garland was later draped around, recycled from the ceremony arch. For her bouquets, we wrapped her mother and mother in laws lockets along with the groom’s grandmother’s lace around the base of the bouquets. It was such a nice and personal touch.

Photos by Dreamlove Photography

These brides utilized our style and design services while still providing many of their own personal items to complement their day. By working together we created custom style and design packages that allowed us to assist in bringing their dream wedding to life while having them be an active part in the design. We are happy to help our brides with as little or as much design assistance they need.  

We invite you to check out our pinterest page to get inspired from previous weddings and events we have done or contact us to learn more about our style and design services to see how we can work together to make a create a truly memorable and personalized celebration.

ASA Waters Mansion Photoshoot

We had the opportunity to participate in a styled photoshoot at Asa Waters Mansion in Millbury where four vastly different styles and looks were created to showcase the versatility of the venue.   

Vintage Elegance
Farmhouse tables paired with lace runners create a rustic vintage feel while rose gold floral vases and gold candlesticks add a touch of elegance. 

 Turquoise Romance 
Bright pink and purple floral arrangements really pop on a turquoise blue linen. Peacock feathers with hints of blue and green help tie the linen and flowers together to create a cohesive look. 

 Tangerine Dreams
Tangerine colored linens with hot pink napkins create a fun, fresh and tropical feel to the tables.  The bright colored florals accent the table linens and complete the look. 

Garden Party

Deep wine colored pintuck linens paired with rustic garden centerpieces create a truly unique feel to these tablescapes. Natural elements of birch and moss add texture while the ivory roses soften the look.    

No matter what the occasion or theme of your event, Asa Waters Mansion provides a wonderful backdrop to compliment your celebration.  

The Team
Venue: Asa Waters Mansion
Photographer: Alvah Reida Photography
Floral Designs and Centerpieces: Peppers Artful Events Style and Design Team

Featured Event Venue: Asa Waters Mansion

Asa Waters Mansion, located in Millbury, MA is is a historic landmark listed with both the National and State Registers of Historic Places. The mansion and grounds offer great indoor and outdoor options for hosting weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, bereavements, meetings and cultural events.

When hosting a wedding at Asa Waters, the estate is yours for the day. Ceremonies can take place on the lawn, on a 19th century bandstand, under a portico or inside the mansion. Following the ceremony your guests can enjoy cocktails outside under a tent or inside the mansion. Depending on the size of your guest list and look and feel of your wedding, receptions are held in the mansion, under a tent or a combination of both!

Photo @ Reiman Photography

Photo @ Alvah Reida Photography

Asa Waters Mansion hosts events year-round and can accommodate everything from an intimate afternoon bridal shower for 25 to a large corporate fundraiser for 250 on the lawn. Contact us today to learn more about hosting your event at Asa Waters Mansion. 

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Bridal Shower Cakes

Bridal shower cakes can be personalized to fit with the celebration in many ways

• Does the couple have a custom wedding monogram that you can include in the design of the cake?
• The design can be centered around the wedding color scheme or season that the wedding will take place.
• Sports fans or book fanatics? Go with a look that showcases something that the couple loves.
• Tie in the overall look and feel of the wedding. Think rustic cake for a barn wedding or glam cake for an upscale city wedding. 
• Girly, frilly and feminine is always perfectly suited for bridal showers. 

Girly, Frilly, Feminine

Modern and Glam Cakes

Personalized and Theme Cakes 

To see more cake designs and other desserts check out our CakeART page. 

MOLLY AND JOHN'S DAZZLING SUMMER WEDDING

   Molly & John were married at a beautiful church in Wayland, MA with their reception immediately following at Molly’s parents’ private residence. Guests arrived by shuttle and were welcomed by servers passing a variety of signature cocktails before making their way to the cocktail hour. The cocktail hour tent featured a full bar, a fresh iced tea and lavender lemonade station, a chef active raw bar, and a variety of passed hors d'oeuvres. Guests were able to take full advantage of the property- sitting on the deck, taking pictures by a tree with hanging picture frames, swinging on an old wooden tree swing out front and taking in the beautiful surrounding.

   When it was time for the dinner reception, guests received a small Moscow Mule mug which doubled as their place card and favor. The mini mugs were displayed on two free-standing, dark-stained wooden “pegboards” with gold hooks, creating a unique and impactful display.

         The dinner reception was held in a large clear tent, allowing guests to take in all of the beautiful scenery surrounding the home. The table linens and chairs were all white, making the blush and rose gold centerpieces really “pop”. The centerpieces were a mix of three styles, a grouping of three rose gold vases with matching votive candles, a geometric terrarium filled with florals and accented with candles, and vessels of floating flowers with candles. The mix of arrangements created great texture and height on the guest tables.  

    The Bride, Groom and all of their guests spent the evening dancing to a live band, enjoying a decadent dessert, and having a ball! The evening ended with the newlyweds running through an arch of sparklers leading them to their private town car. It was such a magical and perfect wedding for a truly lovely couple! 

The Menu 
Cocktail Hour
Classic "Au Poivre" Sirloin Steak Skewer
Parmesan Tuile, Roasted Pear, Arugula, Local Honey
Coconut Crusted Chicken with Ancho Honey Sauce
Spring Leek Arancini with Tomato Basil Coulis
Avocado and Roasted Vegetable Quesadilla 
Bacon, Mozzarella & Tomato Panini
"AW SHUCKS" Raw Bar
First Course
Farming Turtles Rocket Green Salad
Second Course
Herb Rubbed Tenderloin of Beef with Fingerling Potatoes & Sugar Snap Peas
Seared Halibut with Fresh Summer Salsa, Quinoa and Vegetable Pilar, & Sugar Snap Peas
Creamy Polenta Cake with Vegetable Ratatouille served over Pesto Zucchini Noodles
Dessert
Tiered Wedding Cake- Lemonade Cake with Raspberry Mousse, Lemon Curd Cake, and Salted Caramel Devils Food Cake
Late Night Snacks
Sliders & Fries

THE TEAM

Caterer, Florist, Cake: Peppers Artful Events
Photographer: Once Like a Spark Photography
Tent: A Tent To Rent
Moscow Mule Cups/Peg Board: Designs at Peppers Artful Events
Rentals: Peak Event Services

Katy and Rob's Wedding at Tyrone Farm

Katy and Rob were so much fun to work with. They were so easy and laid back but knew what they wanted. Their wedding vision was the rustic look of a farm with a touch of bling and blush. This was accomplished by incorporating with the natural beauty of the chestnut barn at Tyrone Farm sparkle and blush linens, a gold drip cake, and beautiful pops of color in the florals from It's So Ranunculus. We especially loved the placecard holder they made themselves with wood and chicken wire. It fit perfecly with the overall look of their day! Here is a sneak peek of their beautiful summer wedding. 

The Wedding Menu

Passed Hors D'oeuvres
Thai Coconut Shrimp with Mango Lime Chutney
Parmesan Tuile, Arugula, Mascarpone & Caramelized Pear
Pulled Chicken Slider
Churrasco Steak Kabob
Bacon Mozzarella & Tomato Panini
Fish and Chips Cone
First Course
Chef's Pick Salad with Local Seasonal Vegetables & Greens
Second Course
Murray's Statler Chicken or Braised Boneless Short Ribs
With Leek and Potato Pancake & Summer Vegetable Succotash
Desserts
Lavender Pear and Cannoli Tiered Wedding Cake
Cheesecake Pops
Assorted Cookies

The Team:
Catering & Bartending: Peppers Artful Events
Wedding Cake: CakeART 
Photographer: Joanna Fisher Photography
Florist: It's So Ranunculus
Venue: Tyrone Farm 

Tyrone Farm: Featured Wedding Venue

Tyrone Farm, situated on a beautiful 170 acre country estate in Pomfret, Connecticut, provides an idyllic backdrop for weddings. With spectacular views, beautiful gardens, and perfectly manicured lawns, the farm sets the stage for an unforgettable wedding.

The farm only hosts one wedding a day so the entire estate is yours for the day. Ceremonies can be held under 2 granite pergolas, under a tent or in the barn. Cocktail hour is held on the bluestone terrace with expansive views of the estate. Guests are invited to stroll the grounds and gardens taking in all that the estate has to offer. Dinner receptions take place in the historic chestnut barn or bluestone terrace.  The Chestnut Barn has been renovated to create an elegant yet comfortable environment while showcasing the barns original structure with hand-hewn beams, wide plank floors and wrought iron chandeliers. Both the barn and terrace provide a memorable location to celebrate with friends and family.  

Like Peppers, Tyrone Farm is committed to environmental stewardship. The farm is solar-powered and was placed under conservation easement to preserve this singular estate for future generations. Just another reason Tyrone Farm is a unique location to host your wedding! 

Contact our Sales Team to learn more about hosting your wedding at Tyrone Farm or check out our Pinterest page for more inspirational photos from previous weddings at Tyrone Farm. 

Marisa and Garrison's Elegant Garden Wedding at Tower Hill

Tower Hill Botanic Garden was the perfect venue for Marisa and Garrison's elegant garden style wedding. The natural beauty of Tower Hill provided the ideal complement to their wedding theme.

Wooden handmade signs, rustic lanterns, and ivory and green colored florals welcomed guests to the ceremony in the Lawm Garden, setting the stage for the celebration. Following the ceremony guests enjoyed a walk through the gardens basking in the beauty of Tower Hill, as they made their way to the Winter Garden. Once in the Winter Garden guests were greeted with cocktails and a chef active gnocchi station.

Dinner and dancing took place in the Orangerie, a beautiful 18th-century glass conservatory. The Orangerie looked stunning with rustic farm tables, a soft neutral color palette and lots of candlelight intertwined throughout the table designs. Each place setting was adorned with a rosemary sprig and a mini infused oil bottle. It was a perfect blend of rustic and elegance.

We were honored to be a part of the celebration and had so much fun bringing their wedding vision to life!    

THE TEAM

Photography: Love & Perry Photography
Venue: Tower Hill Botanic Gardens
Rentals: Peak Event Services
Farm House Tables: Boston Rustic Wedding Rentals
Florals, Favors, Signage, Design: Peppers Artful Events
Cake & Cannoli Bar: CakeART at Peppers Artful Events
Catering: Peppers Artful Events