Francks Bridal Studio Cake Tasting
After browsing through many of the items that were on display inside Francks Bridal Studio, it was time to get down to the business at hand. The following little song popped into my head:
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"If I Knew You Were Comin I'd've Baked A Cake"
(click here for music)
Lyrics and Music by Bob Merrill, Al Hoffman, and Clem Watts
Performed by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope
If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake
baked a cake, baked a cake
If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake
Howd-ya do, howd-ya do, howd-ya do
Had you dropped me a letter, I'd a-hired a band
Grandest band in the land
Had you dropped me a letter, I'd a-hired a band
And spread the welcome mat for you
Now I don't know where you came from
'cause I don't know where you've been
But it really doesn't matter
Grab a chair and fill your platter
And dig, dig, dig right in
If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake
Hired a band, goodness sake
If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake
Howd-ya do, howd-ya do, howd-ya do
If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake
baked a cake, baked a cake
If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake
Howd-ya do, howd-ya do, howd-ya do
Had you dropped me a letter, I'd a-hired a band
Grandest band in the land
Had you dropped me a letter, I'd a-hired a band
Spread the welcome mat for you
Oh, I don't know where you came from
'Cause I don't know where you've been
But it really doesn't matter
Grab a chair and fill your platter
And dig, dig, dig right in
If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake
Hired a band, goodness sake
If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake
Howd-ya do, howd-ya do, howd-ya do
Howd-ya do, howd-ya do, howd-ya do
Howd-ya do-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
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Since
I love sweets, I had especially been looking forward to the next item on my Fairy Tale Weddings Vow Renewal Planning Session Agenda:
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Planning Session Agenda:
11:45 am 12:15 pm: Francks Bridal Studio - Merryweather Room
Janet & Friends
Janets Event Manager, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Cake Tasting
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The second half of my Planning Session would take place inside the Merryweather Conference Room. For those of you who havent been inside
Francks Bridal Studio, I should mention that this conference room resides there.
The Merryweather Conference Room was a tastefully decorated room. Inside it sat a nice-sized conference table and enough chairs to accommodate my entire party plus the Cast Members who would be joining us there throughout the afternoon.
I am going to re-post below a little background information:
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Shortly after I had FAXed my planning packet, I received the following e-mail from my Event Managers assistant:
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Janet, I received your planning session information. I noticed that you do not know what type of cake and flavor you are going to have for your wedding. For the planning session, do you want us to choose some cake and filling flavors for you to taste? Please let me know since our bakery usually requires 2 weeks notice before a planning session.
Have a Magical Day!
Your Event Managers Assistant
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Boy, if he had asked me if I wanted ketchup or mustard for my hot dog, I could have answered him in a heartbeat (neither I like em plain). But since he had asked me what cake and filling flavors I wanted, well, with me, the skys the limit. I havent met a cake or a filling that I dont like. Asking for my favorite cake/filling flavors was like asking me which of my two children was my favorite. I have no favorites. I love my children (and my cake/filling flavors) equally:
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Event Managers Assistant,
I have no idea what I want for the cake. The only request I have is that the cake/filling not contain nuts or coconut, as I am allergic to both of those items. If the Bakery could provide some samples of various flavors of cakes and fillings, that would be wonderful.
Janet
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Before my Planning Session, that e-mail exchange was the only time the topic of wedding cakes had been discussed with me. My only request was that nuts and coconut not be used in the cakes and fillings that would be presented to me due to my
food allergies (
note: that video clip will take a little while to load). Other than that, the entire cake topic was an open book for me.
Now that it was time for the Cake Tasting, I was curious to see what cake and filling selections the Grand Floridian Bakery had provided. My guess was that they would be the most popular flavors, and that was perfectly fine with me. I knew that if I didnt like any of them, the Bakery would work with me to accommodate my needs. I didn't have a care in the world.
As I entered the Merryweather Conference Room, I noticed a platter sitting in the middle of the conference room table. That platter contained the following selections of cakes (
click here): yellow, chocolate, and marble (a yellow and chocolate combination). I also saw teardrop-shaped cups that contained the following selections of fillings: strawberry, Baileys Irish Cream, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. As expected, my Event Manager informed me that these were the most popular
cake and filling flavors. I was pleased with the selection that sat before me; everything looked yummy.
My Event Manager asked if we wanted something refreshing to drink. My beverage of choice would have been a
glass of milk, but I knew that wouldnt be an option so I didnt ask for it. My second choice would have been a
can of Pepsi, but I knew that wouldnt be an option either so I kept quiet about it. There was one beverage, however, that I knew would be possible and so I asked
for a Coca-Cola. My Event Manager was happy to oblige me. The ladies asked for
cold water.
My Event Manager soon returned with our beverages and cups to pour them into. Then someone knocked on the conference room door and my Event Manager let them in. It was my Sales Manager. She was carrying a
pink gift bag which she placed before me. What a very unexpected surprise. I was touched. She only stayed a moment and then she was gone. I was sorry to see her go, but I was happy that she had spent as much time with us that day as she had. My Sales Manager is an absolute doll, and I will
forever be in her debt for everything that she did for my Fairy Tale Weddings vow renewal.
The ladies and I were sipping our beverages when my Event Manager handed me a
large photo album (note: view the wedding cake slideshow on that webpage) that contained photographs of various styles of wedding cakes. The cakes shown in that book ranged from the
simple to the
sublime. I saw cakes that were decorated with fruits; cakes that were decorated with flowers; and cakes that were decorated with more fanciful items (bride & groom figurines, Mickey & Minnie Mouse figurines, butterflies, ribbons, and so on). There were even a few photographs of whimsical Grooms Cakes. I was amazed by everything I saw. To give you an idea of what Im talking about, please take a look at the following slideshows:
Food Network and
Sylvia Weinstock. The cakes shown in those slideshows were indicative of what
Disneys pastry chefs could create.
I must admit that the photos in the cake album that really caught my eye were the ones of the miniature wedding cakes. After having personally viewed a few of those cakes inside Francks Bridal Studio that afternoon (
mini-cake #1,
mini-cake #2,
mini-cake #3, and
mini-cake #4), I had pretty much made up my mind that a miniature cake would be served at my vow renewals dinner party. Since my guests would be enjoying their desserts inside the Land of Oz, a munchkin-sized dessert was in order. There wasnt a more appropriate dessert for such a whimsical location than a miniature wedding cake. The only question remaining in my mind was
which miniature cake style to choose?
As I sat inside the Merryweather Conference Room, I quickly narrowed down my miniature cake choices to three: the Cinderella Castle cake, the Underwater-Themed cake, and the Mickey Mouse Ears cake. Those three cakes all caught my fancy.
The castle cake was initially in the lead because there was no place other than Walt Disney World where a cake topped with a replica of Cinderella Castle could be served. But since my dinner party wasnt being held inside the Magic Kingdom Theme Park, I decided that cake wasnt appropriate for my event. My list was now down to two cakes: the
Underwater-Themed cake and the
Mickey Mouse Ears cake.
As much as I loved the Underwater-Themed cake, I knew it would look out of place inside the Great Movie Ride. That meant the only logical choice for my event would be the Mickey Mouse Ears cake. The more I thought about it, the more confident I felt regarding my decision to choose it. The original icon for the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park had been the
Earffel (or Earful) Tower. That cake definitely reminded me of the tower. It was truly the perfect choice for an event inside the theme park.
I tried to visualize the expressions upon my guests faces as the miniature cakes were placed before them on the night of my party. I knew their expressions would be priceless. And so with a smile upon my face, I felt at peace with my decision. Since I hadnt planned any Disney touches for my vow renewal just yet, a cake topped by mouse ears would be the
perfect way to incorporate a little bit of
Disney magic into my event.
With the hard part out of the way, the fun could now begin. It was time to
finally taste the cakes and fillings that had been sitting on the table before us. My thoughts quickly turned back to the
following song verse:
Now I don't know where you came from
'cause I don't know where you've been
But it really doesn't matter
Grab a chair and fill your platter
And dig, dig, dig right in
The ladies and I did exactly that as we began sampling the goodies from the Grand Floridian Bakery.
I started with the yellow cake and the strawberry filling. I proclaimed both of them delicious. The ladies started with the yellow cake and the white chocolate filling. WeFullTime, Nutz4dzny, and Bonzie1 were in perfect unison with their enthusiastic
Yums!
I then moved onto the yellow cake with the white chocolate filling. Another delicious combination, but the strawberry filling still held a slight edge with me.
The ladies moved onto other cake and filling selections. The
yums continued to escape from their mouths as they tasted combination after combination. It was fun listening to their moans; however, after a bit I began to feel like the restaurant patron in the movie
When Harry Met Sally. I wanted to say to my Event Manager,
Ill have what shes having (
click here).
With each bite of cake and filling, it was getting harder and harder for me to make a decision. When Nutz4dzny polled everyone in the room for their favorite cake and filling combination, the ladies response was unanimous,
White with white. Since I still preferred the strawberry filling, I was wavering with my decision.
Then my husbands face popped into my head. After 22 years of being a couple, I knew he was strictly a yellow cake and white chocolate filling kinda guy. It was at that point that it became crystal clear to me what cake and filling choices I needed to make. So, in honor of my husband and my dear friends, I told my Event Manager that I wanted the yellow cake and the white chocolate filling to be used for the miniature wedding cakes at my vow renewals dinner party.
It felt good to have that scrumptious decision out of the way.
plush toy and an adorable card waiting for me. It appears that the florist forgot to deliver the second part of my Event Manager's gift the other day. As I always say, better late than never! And now I have my very own Mickey Mouse doll to sleep with this evening. Psssst...Please don't tell my husband that I plan on sleeping with another man -- he's jealous enough of the Big Cheese as it is. 
