Your Cheshire and Merseyside Wedding - March/april 2021 (Issue 56)

44 FIONA HACKSHALL, FIONA HACKSHALL WEDDING CAKES www.fionahackshallweddingcakes.co.uk Fiona is based in the beautiful historical town of Nantwich, Cheshire, and describes her style as modern, clean elegance. She’s been creating beautiful baked centrepieces for more than fifteen years for hundreds of couples and even the occasional celebrity. “I didn’t set out to be a cake designer,” she tells us, “In fact I trained and worked as a dental hygienist and therapist.” Despite the obvious differences in the two professions Fiona believes there are some similarities: “Both involve recreating natural elements and use intricate tools and craftsmanship,” she explains. Fiona’s top tip “Avoid asking a cake designer to recreate a wedding cake you’ve seen pictured online. Instead, let them create something that’s unique to you. Photos of other cakes are a great to help us understand your tastes and style, but why spend on a copy when you can have a sweet centrepiece designed especially for you.” “The use of edible wafer paper will continue to grow in popularity. Flowers made from this medium are light and airy adding the same feel to the cake design. It’s also being used to lend a sense of movement.” “Flowers of all descriptions will forever be used to decorate wedding cakes. This year I think we’ll see the continued use of dried blooms in designs as well as colourful edible flowers adding a twist to the decoration.” “In contrast, when we return to normality, I think we’ll see a lot of big extravagant weddings to make up for not being able to get together during the pandemic. Cakes for these affairs will be large and glamorous.” “With last year being so devastating for weddings, 2021 is looking to be a year of contrasts. I believe a lot of couples will focus on intimate celebrations with only the closest of family and friends. They’ll look more closely at core values and may be more inclined to consider traditional themes. The cake will likely be relaxed and more modest. Buttercream covering decorated with fresh flowers is still popular and suits the smaller wedding cake.”