Rick'n'Abby's Wedding Cake (Part 4)

I figure I should finish the saga of the wedding cake and get some pics on here since it's been more than a week since the wedding.

I pulled myself out of bed at 4:55 AM on Friday. Despite my efforts to get lots of sleep, I actually got next-to no sleep. Every time one of the cats started messing with something, every time Branden moved, every time I had a dream that was even slightly off from happy I woke up... And stayed awake for at least 10 minutes each time. We were supposed to leave here by 6 AM so there was no reason to stay in bed any longer even if I had been able to sleep. After a quick shower I started loading the car and pestering Branden to get out of bed at the same time. Let's just say that Branden wouldn't believe me that Rick would be on time to my parents' house and therefore refused to get out of bed and into the shower until 5:40. Branden takes long showers. By the time he was ready to go it was 6:20 and I had everything packed into the car except the frozen cake.

Keep in mind that there's a drain tube sticking out of the bottom of the layer I iced on Thursday. While I was able to place the two layers that were not yet stacked or iced on a full sheet pan on the back seat, I could not set the bottom layer down on the seat without it being at an angle and, therefore, not stable for transportation. So guess who got to hold it while I drove? Yep, Branden. He spent the entire hour-long drive from our house to my parents' house with a 20 lb block of frozen cake and icing on his lap. (I'm not exaggerating the weight. If anything, I'm under-estimating it.) Sitting in the driver's seat, I could feel the waves of cold air coming off the cake and I can only imagine how cold it was for him. He was NOT happy with me when I was driving slowly through the construction in Weber Canyon, but I was glad I hadn't sped up when the truck in front of me hit his breaks and I had plenty of time to slow down without the cake ending up in his face or smeared on my dashboard.

We arrived safely at my parents' house to find that Rick had been waiting for us since 7. I TOLD Branden he wouldn't be late! We got everything inside and went straight to work. First we tested and picked which of the two waterfalls we were going to use. Then I set Rick to work trimming cake boards while I quickly filled and iced the 4" top layer. About that time I realized that I hadn't seen Branden in a while. He was out in the yard cutting roses with my mom. :) While Rick and I worked on the cake, Branden ran errands and helped my parents out in the yard. What a great guy.

My mom went to McDonald's and got everyone breakfast. I'm not normally a big fan of McD, but their breakfast is ok and I was HUNGRY. Afterward, I leveled the 10" layer and Rick got to work carving it up for the waterfall. While I filled and iced the now-waterfall-ready middle layer, Rick got the pump all set up. Together we got the waterfall into the cake and it was time for the decorating to begin! I couldn't believe how well everything was going.

Oh, there were minor mishaps and we actually ended up having to sort of prop the top layer up a little in the back, but all-in-all things were great and I was working with one of the most creative problem-solvers I've ever known. We got the layers stacked and figured out the exact method we wanted to use to add color around the ponds. I know he thinks that he was stressing me out with his questions and concerns, but honestly it was great to have him there. Don't get me wrong: 99.99% of the time you DO NOT want any member of the bridal party or family members there while you're making the cake. They don't need to see the mistakes and small crises that arise while decorating. But Rick... He's got an eye for detail but when I say no he accepts it. Plus, he's Rick. We have many years' experience working together- he even helped me make Katie's wedding cake- and when there's a creative catastrophe, well, there's noone I'd rather have on my side during those times than him.

So together we finished his wedding cake. The most amazing thing was that we were done sometime around noon. Mom made sandwiches, but I think he was already asleep on the couch before we ate. He really needed the sleep. The whole time we were working he'd go from excited to stressed. The stress had nothing to do with doubt and everything to do with his fear that they were forgetting something. So we let him rest a little then sent him on his way to get ready. I admit that this is the boring part. I took a nap, as well. Branden ran errands with my dad... I really appreciate that Branden will spend time with and talk to my dad and I know that it makes my dad feel good as well.

Around 4 PM, we changed clothing and packed everyone and everything that had to get to the wedding into two cars. James rode with us and kept an eye on the stacked top and middle layers while Branden, once again, held the bottom layer on his lap. Once again we arrived with no mishaps and got the cakes out of the car and over to the picnic pavilion which housed the food for the reception. We spent some time debating when and exactly where we were going to be setting up the cake. A table was procured and we began setting things up just as Abby arrived. I was a witness so it was decided that we'd finish this later... And that's when Branden stuck his hand in the side of the cake. No child stuck his chubby little finger into the cake while it was sitting on the picnic table, no small mouths tasted the frosting prematurely... All that time and all that driving with no problems and Branden managed to stick his hand in the side of the bottom layer as he was setting it on the base. And there was nothing I could do about it until after the ceremony.

The ceremony was very nice. I cried a little. When it was over, my little brother was a husband. :) I signed the marriage license and hurried back over to fix the cake. I wasn't thrilled with the fix on the side, but most people didn't notice that anything had happened. We got everything set up and running and I was finally able to relax and enjoy myself. Unfortunately, since I had a cold and hadn't had a lot of sleep, as soon as the stress was over I was pretty close to wiped out. I still had a good time and I know Rick and Abby were happy with everything. Branden and I spent the drive home talking about what we would do differently if I were to ever do this cake again. You'll see in the pictures that this one turned out just fine, but there are a few things that could make this easier to handle IF I were to attempt this again.

I'm just glad that everything turned out well. We went to bed at 11:30 PM and I slept for 12 hours... Sleep I desperately needed.