One night away (!)

Last Friday we woke up at 6am, put on proper clothes (and shoes) and drove to Sydney for a wedding where we were the only guests. At first I was really nervous about leaving our home in such a big way but we checked and checked again that we were allowed to travel, talked a lot about what we were comfortable with and what precautions we'd take (physical distancing and so much hand sanitiser) and then started to get excited about being part of a very special day.

The roads were so quiet and I was super relieved to find lots of places to wash my hands along the way (this is sad but true). We made it to Sydney in record time and stopped in to see my brother Zac and his wife on our way to the ceremony. We had a belated wedding present to deliver and had never seen their place. It was a visit with lots of space between us, because of my sister-in-law's work as a doctor. We watched them open their pressie from the doorstep, and they ran to the other side of the room so we could step inside and have a quick look around.

We gave them a framed print of Tony's and a smiley spatula, my sister-in-law handed me a bunch of dried billy buttons and a Devil's ivy cutting in a jar of water. The entire visit lasted less than 10 minutes, and yet it was completely thrilling. Zac and I have seen each other a lot over video calls, usually over a game of family Monopoly, so it was crazy to see his house/background IRL. I was so hyper as we drove away.

We'd originally planned to do a day trip but because home visits are now allowed in NSW and the ACT, we were able to go to the wedding and then back to the couple's place for champagne, lunch and cake. I made a little wedding cake, this lemon yoghurt cake, which I topped with a honey, elderflower and creme fraiche icing and edible flowers. It was a simple and pretty cake that perfectly matched the special but low-key vibe of the day.

We treated to ourselves to a night at the Paramount House Hotel in Surry Hills, which had discounted rates because of all of the shut downs. Because it was kind of on the way, we drove there via the city so we could visit my brother Derrick and his wife on their final night of hotel quarantine.

I'd seen my parents and Derrick's friends wave to them from the street over Instagram and thought it would be fun and a little bit silly, which is my favourite kind of thing. It took a little figuring out, but like seeing Zachary, it was totally thrilling. Even from very far away with a window and several storeys between us.

We haven't ordered any takeaway since the pandemic started (just bake at home crossiants!), but definitely made up for it during our one night stay. The hotel is right opposite Chin Chin and they were offering room service, so we ordered a big bowl of noodles and veggies, which were piping hot on arrival.

We put on Asia Rising Forever, a video concert featuring all Asian artists that Derrick had been working tirelessly on in America. The whole concert is 4.5 hours, and we watched it in three sittings - some at night, again in the morning and the rest when we were back in Canberra. The diversity of acts was amazing, and it was kind of like watching a mash up between Rage and PopAsia, only all the acts were Asian, which blew my mind.

One of my favourite parts of the stay was... room service coffee! I loved waking up, picking up the phone and having a hot coffee delivered to my room and being able to drink it in my pyjamas. We also ordered breakfast from the cafe downstairs, and may have eaten bacon and egg rolls in bed while watching more music videos.

Everything about the trip felt new and very exciting, from the pretty skies on the highway drive home, to seeing family from afar, and being both witnesses and photographers at a very intimate wedding. It was also so different from our last trip to Sydney in March. This time round we spent time with a total of five people, instead of mingling with 100+.

Hope you are safe and well this week! Here's a film snap from the wedding - I had one chance and blinked 😂

X

I made a wedding cake!

I made a wedding cake for my brother Zachary and his fiancee Hannah who were married on Saturday. Bringing the cake meant showing up in a big way for my youngest brother (we're 12 years apart), who had 50 guests cancel due to coronavirus, including my sister and brother.

Tony took this photo after I'd finished installing the cake on the morning of the wedding - I was completely elated, it looked like a real wedding cake :) My work friend Eleni described the weeks-long process that I documented on Instagram as a "wonderful drama", which just about sums it up.

The cake making started with a couple of test bakes to perfect the sprinkle layer, which I'd offered to include in the cake but had never successfully made. It was also the layer the bride was most excited about, so I really wanted to get it right.

Luckily my friend Danie clued me in on the secret ingredient - American sprinkles which are so much brighter than the ones you can buy here. You can order them from Brisbane, along with clear vanilla extract to make sure the cake stays white rather than yellow. I watched so many YouTube videos at various stages of the wedding cake prep, especially helpful at this point was this video of  Molly Yeh making the sprinkle cake recipe I used and this one of Christina Tosi making her famous sprinkle birthday cake (Alison Roman is in it too!).

The final cake had two tiers, eight layers and four different flavours - sprinkle, lemon, chocolate and coconut rose. It was inspired by a beautiful wedding cake that Molly Yeh made with multiple flavours inside, which I'd had a go at replicating one year for my birthday.

I started baking two weeks out, on weekends and some nights after work. Each layer was frozen, wrapped in multiple layers of clingwrap so they didn't attract any freezer flavour! But before that, they were levelled so they'd sit flat on top of each other. That meant cutting the bit that domed in baking, which was handy for taste-testing as I went along. I drew up a timeline, so I knew what cake I was making each weekend or weeknight, which also helped me feel like I was on track :)

Of all the steps, I took the fewest photos of the icing because it was very new to me and required my full attention. Three out of three friends who'd made wedding cakes recommended making Swiss meringue buttercream instead of regular buttercream. It's made from egg whites, caster sugar and a little butter instead of lots of butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract.

It took me awhile to get the hang of it and I only properly mastered it at 10.30pm the night before the wedding 😂 It can be temperamental (it can curdle or become runny) but when you do it right the texture is silky and it tastes light and marshmallowy. My brother and his fiancee wanted the cake to have a white finish, and Swiss meringue buttercream comes out bright white because it's mainly egg whites and sugar rather than butter. Plus, if you do stuff it up, there are plenty of ways to fix it.

I made all of my buttercream at home in Canberra while listening to a lot of Drake (thanks Derrick!) but didn't even think about practicing icing with it. If I could go back in time, I'd ice a cake with it, just to get a feel for it and build my confidence. And to save me a lot of stress the night before the wedding.

The wedding was in Sydney so I packed everything up and drove it down the afternoon before the big day. The frozen cake layers travelled in a lidded styrofoam box that my veggie store gave me - I'd seen Molly Yeh fly with cake layers like this and it totally worked for a three-hour road trip.

Driving meant I could bring a lot of stuff, including my Kitchen Aid to re-whip the icing and to have on hand in case I needed to make some more. I didn't love the idea of bringing it but am so glad I did, it would've been a very slow process without it. Also in the car, a cake turntable which my friend Angie gave me when I went through a novelty cake phase that included a rubber ducky and bus shelter cake, offset palette knives, and a brand new metal icing scraper.

I put the cakes together at my parent's place because while I'd booked an Airbnb with a full kitchen... I didn't double check the size of the fridge! My accommodation only had a bar fridge, but in the end it turned out for the best. It was so nice to hang out with my parents and brother the night before the wedding and have some company as I got to work. Their place was also much closer to the venue, which made moving the finished cake slightly less stressful.

This cake involved many firsts, including a cake soak! I've never used one before but they're meant to be great for cakes that have been frozen because they add moisture back into the cake. I used a simple syrup that was 50/50 sugar and water and brushed it onto each cake layer before adding icing. I also used dowels, which I'd previously never heard of (apparently if you're a Bake Off fan, this will make immediate sense). They're like extra sturdy straws that you put in the middle of the cake to keep the layers together, there were three in the middle of each cake. They also help strengthen the bottom layer so the top tier doesn't sink into it - aka one of my top wedding cake fears, right up there with dropping the cake. Speaking of...

This happened at around 9.30pm the night before the wedding 😑 It was the lowest point of the whole project, and the first time I wasn't sure I could pull it off. This is how it happened: my parents and brother had left to set up the church hall, which meant my dad wasn't around to hold the fridge door open as I moved the cakes in and out between icing them (I'm all about a good crumb coat). I tried to do it myself, holding the fridge door open with my foot while trying to move the top layer into the fridge. All the juggling meant I lost my grip on the cake and it toppled over - I caught it just in time.

I reckon the dowels were the reason the cake layers didn't go flying, so it could've been worse. Still, I was exhausted by this point and so disappointed. Throughout the whole process, I'd had a lot of support from my friends Le and Angie, so I sent them this photo as a bit of a distress signal. They both replied right away and no one thought it was a big deal. Angie encouraged me to take my time and enjoy the icing bit. So I took a deep breath, put on a podcast (Highly Enthused is back!) and kept going. My energy and spirits returned, and both cakes were finished and in the fridge by 11pm. The final layer of icing wasn't as smooth as I would've liked but I'd decided hours ago that that was fine.

Then came the bit I was most afraid of - driving the finished cakes to the venue and stacking them. I found it hard to sleep the night before and my stomach wouldn't stop flipping. I managed four maybe five hours max. But I found some focus in the morning and pretended I was at work. We got some coffee, picked up some flowers from my friend Angie who'd done a last minute dash at the markets (love her) and were back at my childhood home by 10.30am.

Tony took this pic of my family as the top tier was loaded into its special cake box! Zachary's groomsmen had arrived, my parents were in their wedding clothes and things were feeling festive. Tony ended up carrying both cakes to the car because I was a wreck at this point and the job needed a calm head and hands.

After some debate about who would drive, I put on a playlist and drove carefully to the venue, with the cakes in the boot. The night before (prior to the cake topple), Zachary and I were in the kitchen discussing whether the cakes should be stacked at all. Maybe they could just sit side by side? It seemed a bit risky for a first-timer.

But I'd come this far and with Tony's encouragement (and a second set of hands to spot me/catch cake), I used a palette knife to lift the top cake off one of its bases, slide my hands underneath it and somehow transferred it on top of the larger cake. Not without a bit of a thud, a gasp and some swearing but we were almost there.

I'd brought a small repair kit with extra icing and did some touch ups while Tony prepped the flowers. Angie had given us a crash course in making the food safe - basically we wrapped the stems in clingwrap to make sure no sap got onto the cake. There was no plan for decoration - Tony did a bit and then so did I. It ended up being asymmetrical, which I loved!

Zachary and Hannah had friends and family setting up the church hall with plenty of homemade bunting and fairy lights - the inspiration was Carson and Mrs Hughes wedding in Downton Abbey. The hall looked like something straight out of a movie. As soon as the flowers went on everyone started to get excited about the wedding cake taking shape. After 24 hours of last minute prep, I was totally thrilled with how the cake looked and was ready to focus on the wedding.

We dashed back to the house, ate some lunch, got dressed and headed back to the church, in about 45 minutes flat. I got teary when I saw my brother in his suit jacket and white tie at home. We took some photos together - all of which were blurry because I was so excited.

The ceremony itself was beautiful and I felt honoured to witness it. I thought about all of the firsts I'd seen this little guy - now man - do. From watching him take his first tentative steps down one of the hallways at home, a sibling or parent at each end to catch and encourage him, to his very first movie (Monsters Inc) that was memorable mainly because we made it through the scary bit together (I gave him my phone to play snake when he was sure it was time to go). And now, getting married to Hannah before moving into their first apartment (seeing photos of their place made me teary too!). 

I was so proud to be there for him as he married Hannah, who is clever, kind and extremely thoughtful. She's also excellent at sewing and made her own cheongsam for the Chinese banquet part of the wedding. The ceremony was also the time I thought most about my brother and sister who weren't able to be there.

I checked on the cake a couple of times during the reception just to make sure it was still standing. My uncle Mark pointed out that it had a slight lean, which it totally did from the base cake. Zac and Hannah officially cut it at around 4.30pm and while the original plan was for me to serve it, that job went to Tony and my cousin Max as it was cut while I emceed the speeches and read my brother Derrick's best man speech.

In the end, it was a relief to hand that job to someone else. It probably wasn't the best task to do in heels but also my time with the cake was done. One of my favourite bits was watching Tony and Max silently negotiate the cutting of it while the speeches went on in front of them. I saw them carefully take the top layer off - it wobbled as they put it down and I snuck this photo straight after they did it and congratulated each other.

I tried my best with the exterior of the cake but it's the interior I'm most proud of. It's colourful, fun and different to regular wedding cakes, and was perfect for Zachary and Hannah. The bride and groom chose which flavours would go together, the top layer was coconut rose on the base, sprinkle, lemon and another sprinkle layer. The bottom cake had coconut rose, sprinkle, chocolate and sprinkle. 

I packed up a box of the best looking slices for the honeymoon - one of my happiest memories from my own wedding was eating leftover wedding cake with Tony the day after the wedding. We had cups of tea on our hotel balcony and were still letting it all sink in.

Back at home, we have a lot of egg yolks to get through - leftover from both the buttercream and the sprinkle cake. So we'll be eating carbonara for awhile yet and maybe some chocolate mousse too! Apparently you can buy eggwhites in a carton at the supermarket to avoid a situation like this - but I couldn't do that to my brother. I only bought the best for this cake, investing a lot of money in Lurpak butter.

Throughout the whole process, I imagined plenty of things that could go wrong but not Zac and Hannah cutting into the cake as husband and wife. That bit was totally thrilling. Cake is always great but it's definitely even better when you're baking it for two people you're rooting for, who share it with the people they love most.

It's been a bit a shock coming home from such a happy weekend to bare supermarket shelves and a sense that things are changing quickly. I am on holidays this week and was planning to travel to Melbourne for the food festival and a work mate's exhibition opening and then back to Sydney for a hen's party. All of my plans have been postponed, which I totally understand. Instead, I've been chilling at home and slowly making some preparations for the weeks ahead.

I have a feeling that the satisfaction that came from making the wedding cake and the sheer joy that comes from watching someone you love get married is going to sustain me for awhile yet. 

X

P.S If you're making a wedding cake, I loved Smitten Kitchen's sensible break down of all of the steps, which includes cake maths.

Second wedding anniversary

We celebrated our second wedding anniversary on Tuesday night, which was the best excuse to be festive and go out.

Before work, Tony picked up coffee and pastries for breakfast because cereal doesn't cut it on an anniversary :) We exchanged presents too - we stick to the traditional themes and this year was cotton.

I gave Tony a new dress shirt (which was the same one he wore to our wedding, only a different colour) and a couple of t-shirts from his favourite stores. And he picked a black mini dress from a shop I love! We both wore our new clothes out to dinner that night.

There's something extra nice about a joint celebration. And after spending our first year of marriage chasing work opportunities and spending some time living apart, it's felt especially nice to spend this last year settling into a new city together.

Desktop - Natalija Brunovs, photographer/artist

I am thrilled to introduce you to Natalija Brunovs, a photographer, designer and artist who is based in Fremantle, Perth. These days Natalija is a very busy wedding photographer but a few years ago we were workmates at the ABC, only based in different states.

While we've never met, I've always been inspired Natalija's work, whether it's a professional or personal project. This blog post, where she shares four different crafting projects she tackling at home actually inspired this Desktop series. Today, Natalija shares what she's got on this week, what she's dreaming up and how she handles really busy periods.

A laid-back first anniversary

Tony and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary over the weekend and it was so much fun! We decided to have a simple celebratory weekend at home, which was a lovely break after weeks of travel.

We stuck to tradition and exchanged paper inspired gifts, and I couldn't stop laughing at our almost matching wrapping paper. Tony gave me three cookbooks I've been eyeing off for ages, along with three special drawings he made himself.

I gave Tony a tea strainer and two framed poems that were written on our New York honeymoon by a guy who was writing and selling poems on the sidewalk. He wrote one on the theme honeymoon and another about adventure, and we're planning to hang them above our bedside tables.

Sunday was so lovely and warm and we walked into town to have lunch at one of our favourite cafes. At night, Tony made a much-loved pasta and I baked a strawberry and coconut cake, which was one of our wedding cake flavours. With a gifted bottle of fancy champagne, it felt equal parts cosy and celebratory :) We had such a great day and by 11pm, Tony was already looking up what the present theme was for our second anniversary - it's cotton!

P.S Do you celebrate anniversaries?

Wedding photo by Wattle + Lace.

Wedding people we loved

A few friends have gotten engaged in the last few months, which is really exciting - I love engagement stories. I thought I'd share a list of the people we loved working with, which I've found myself emailing to anyone who asks for recommendations.

I relied on a few Australian blogs to plan our wedding (although looking at too many can be overwhelming - some brides sing and play the ukulele at their own receptions!) and especially loved tips from family and friends.

Louise was our celebrant. She was warm and genuine and kept the ceremony personal and bright. Louise married my brother and sister-in-law a few years ago and was the first person we booked.

My lovely friend Sophie runs Little Triffids and did all of our flowers. My bouquet had wattle from her parent's house and lambs ears from her garden, and I will never forget the pre-dawn flower raid we went on with her husband Tim, where I parked illegally and Sophie bought flowers like a boss.

My friend Alison is a make-up artist and the bubbliest person to be around. She was the first to arrive on the day and quickly made friends with my mum and bridesmaids. Everyone felt so confident and beautiful in their make up, and most importantly like themselves. I was so sad when I had to take mine off!

We had five wedding cakes in all - which sounds like a lot but in my mind they were deconstructed ;) Dell from Cake Salon is a friend's mother-in-law, and she made all my cake dreams come true. She even lent us her cake stands and there was enough cake for dessert and goodie bags.

Our friend Sabine handmade our rings (and my engagement ring too) and was very patient explaining all the different types of shapes and metals, as well as what would actually be comfortable to wear every day. She even mixed metals so Tony's ring would be really unique.

One of the last things we booked was a photographer because finding one that felt right was surprisingly hard. Thankfully, our friends Sophie and Blake had just started shooting weddings as a photographer and videographer duo and we felt really comfortable having them there on the day. If you're unsure about whether you need a video - we were - get one because they really capture the emotion of the day, and are lovely for friends who can't make it.

I am always so excited to see what other brides wear, it's one of my favourite parts of any wedding! My dress was from this designer, which I bought from the David Jones bridal suite. It was really comfortable and I felt excited the minute I tried it on, even before I looked in the mirror.

I changed into a Bowie Wong sample right before we left the reception, which I'd bought years before we were engaged :) The first house Tony and I lived in together was right across the road from his showroom, which was my excuse.

We were very practical with cars and went with this company, picking a black van and later a sedan as a getaway car. The drivers were punctual and helpful in unexpected ways too - reminding my Dad to lock the house (!) and pulling out a surprise packet of snakes for the pageboy on the way to the ceremony.

Two small things - we splurged on Rifle Paper Co. table numbers, having done our dash with DIY and they made the tables look great! We also bought three giant helium balloons that spelt YAY, which were the backdrop for the ceremony. Super simple and fun too :)

Photos by Wattle + Lace.