Image by Aphroditenet Photography 

If you are feeling a little peckish this afternoon then you are in for a real treat. It’s all about the cake.

I am thrilled to welcome the brilliant MurrayMe Cakes as one of WWW’s newest sponsors.

MurrayMe Cakes create the most striking pieces of art work painted straight onto scrumptious cake. Perfect for weddings and celebrations, their cakes make a huge impact. Whether you’d like to bake your own cake and get it decorated for you or let MurrayMe Cakes take over the whole bake and design; there is an option for every couple…

Hi Natalie, could you firstly tell WWW readers a little bit about you?

My name’s Natalie and I’m a 29 year old wedding obsessive who’s trained in graphic design and illustration. Alongside running MurrayMe where I design gorgeous hand painted wedding cakes, I continue to work as a freelance graphic designer. I am an all round creative person, and love nothing more than making beautiful things.

I am based near Brighton in Sussex, so spend much of my spare time wandering along the seafront with my lovely hubby and gorgeous new baby boy.

What do you love/dislike about your job?

I have the best job in the world. Not only do I work with cake (any girls dream), I also get to use my artistic skills on a daily basis. I simply love painting and drawing – I’m lucky enough to do this and bake as part of my job, so I can’t think of a better way to make my living. My favourite thing about working as a cake designer is seeing the look on a couples face when they see their cake for the first time. It’s a true honour to be able to create a part of someone’s wedding day. I feel so lucky to be doing that.

There really isn’t much I dislike about my job, except maybe missing human interaction every now and then. I can go for days without leaving my computer or kitchen, which probably isn’t too healthy.

How did you get into the wedding industry?

I got married a few years ago and being a designer and illustrator, I made practically everything for our big day. It was very much a DIY affair. Once the wedding was over, I was really sad that I would no longer be working on anything wedding-related. So, regardless of already being married, I continued to read the dozens of wedding blogs that had taken up my lunch breaks for the previous 2 years, and one day I came across an article on hand painted wedding cakes. I couldn’t believe that I had never seen these before! I was gutted that I hadn’t stumbled across it earlier as I could have painted my own wedding cake.

As soon as I read the article, I knew instantly that this was the perfect job for me. I’d get to continue working in the amazing world of weddings, creating dream wedding cakes for couples whilst using my creative skills in a completely unique way. I did a lot of research and found only a handful of people that were painting their cakes which didn’t surprise me. After all, it’s quite a specialist skill so I knew that I was onto a winner.

What do you aim to achieve for your clients?

Because I offer such a unique service, my number one aim is to create a ‘WOW’ moment when their guests first see the cake. All couples want is to impress their guests, and my cakes certainly provide a talking point at every wedding.

What style is your work?

Everything I do is either hand painted or hand drawn. I never use stencils or airbrushes. Vintage floral designs are the most popular and these are my favourite to design too.

Could you tell us some information about your packages/prices?

I always price my cakes individually, and this is because every cake order is unique. My prices are not only based on the size and flavour of the cake, but also on the complexity of the design. If someone wants a very intricate design, then the cost will be higher than something very simple. It’s all down to the amount of time it takes me to paint, and I never overcharge my customers unnecessarily. As a rough guide, a price for a three tier wedding cake costs between £350 and £800.

Do you have any tips for couples in selecting their wedding cake?

I always tell people that when choosing your wedding cake, it’s really important that your personality shines through in the design. Long gone are the days where you had to have a traditional iced white cake covered with sugar paste roses. There are so many more options today, so don’t settle for a bog standard cake. Go for that real wow factor.

I often get contacted by couples having a small wedding who think they must have an equally small wedding cake. But you can still have a big show-stopping cake no matter what the size of your wedding. We offer to decorate ‘dummy’ tiers which are just blocks of polystyrene, iced and decorated as though they were real cake (you really wouldn’t know the difference!). You’d have these as your bottom tiers, and you can have a real cake as the top tier for cutting and eating. This keeps costs down and means you won’t have any wasted cake. Most importantly, you can still have a super impressive cake for your big day even if you’re having an intimate affair.

How can we get in touch with you?

The best way to contact me is by email. This can be done through my website or contact me directly by emailing natalie@murrayme.co.uk.

When emailing me for a quote, it’s really handy to provide me with as much information about your cake as possible, such as the number of people it needs to feed, flavours and fillings, the date of your wedding, and any ideas you have for your painted design.

How fascinating to see the painting in progress.

Thanks so much to Natalie for sharing all about her gorgeous cakes with us today. Do pop by her site to see even more of her wonderful designs XOXO Lou

Website: MurrayMe Cakes

Twitter: @murraymedesigns

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/murraymedesigns

* MurrayMe Cakes is a Whimsical Wonderland Weddings sponsor.