CHOCOLATE DELORES CAKES - UNFORGETTABLE CAKES

I am truly in love with Chocolate Delores, both the cakes and the lady who makes them. I have known her for several years now and she is a massive inspiration to me as I am in awe of her creativity and her passion for what she does.

I remember the first time I saw one of her cakes - my jaw actually did drop - and I spent the next half hour just circling the cake wondering how on earth she could design, let alone actually make, something so beautiful … and what's more it was made of chocolate!

Each of these scrumptious chocolate wedding cakes are handmade to order, using the best quality organic, Fairtrade and local ingredients. The main ingredient is a deliciously dark chocolate and each cake is soaked overnight in Port before being layered with Madagascan vanilla buttercream and homemade plum jam. After that, using white, dark or milk chocolate, master chocolatier Lizzie Melling gets to work designing.  So not only do her cakes look stunning, they taste amazing.

Now I also know just how much time and love go into these stunning creations as Lizzie often works into the early hours of the morning to ensure the cake is absolutely perfect.

Every time I see Lizzie's cakes I have a new favourite … for a while it was the cherubs (which I still adore) and more recently I've been bowled over by her skull cake - perfect for a couple looking for something a little dark and different!

But I've been made speechless by a classically beautiful dark chocolate cake filled with deep red roses, and blown away by her edible stylish shoes (perfect presents for hens or bridesmaids!).  

I am a real fan of her individual cakes - for a small affair or perfect as a special present for any occasion.

Copyright Rosa Fay Photography

If you want a cake that not only supplies the 'WOW' factor but will also have your guests wanting more, then Chocolate Delores Cakes are for you!

Strumpets with Crumpets

How can we at Bristol Vintage not love a company with a name like Strumpets with Crumpets?

Outrageously racy and delectably tasty with toppings to suit every palette, Strumpets with Crumpets are brilliant evening wedding party entertainment.

With a menu that caters for all ages and tastes and a fine selection of Fairtrade coffee, tea and hot chocolate, their delicious square crumpets are divine. And when it comes to toppings... think goats cheese and blackcurrant jam, camembert with red onion marmalade, roast beef with creamed horseradish and Bristol Vintage's favourites... the banoffee pie, lemon cheesecake and cream tea crumpets.

The fun doesn't stop there... Strumpets with Crumpets will add a touch of glamour and sparkle to your evening with playful banter as they serve you from their flamboyantly gorgeous crumpet wagon, 'Scarlet'. They're not your average caterer... they're part of the entertainment so for an extra wow to the evening, ask about their high flying Strumpet trapeze act!

You can find out more about Strumpets with Crumpets on their website.  Make sure you check out their gallery for inspiration...

The Dandy Cabin

If you’re looking for something truly unique for a special event, then The Dandy Cabin  - a mobile drinks bar, a beautiful, head-turning vintage teardrop trailer, may be the very thing.

Let The Dandy Cabin be your outdoor Champagne bar for the day. She’s the ideal place from which to serve champagne and, as every vintage lover knows, any good glass of bubbly should be served in the finest original Babycham glasses, all available to hire with the Dandy. She can even be supplied with her own Dandy waiting staff!

The Dandy Cabin also doubles up as a hot drinks bar - organic, Fairtrade teas, fresh coffee and yummy hot chocolate all served up with the best free-range, buttery cakes.

The Dandy’s owner is vintage aficionado, and co-founder of Bristol Vintage, Katie Daniels. With a background in Film, TV and event planning, Katie’s little black book of contacts is seriously impressive. She’s found the very best local cake suppliers, and sister-company, Bristol Vintage, can provide vintage china for up to 300 people as well as an array of wonderful vintage props including gramophones, cake-stands and tea trolleys.

  

They love what they do here at The Dandy Cabin. They want to spread the love, and always make sure they're decent, both to the planet and to the people who work with them. They only use Fairtrade, organic teas and coffee, and their disposable cups are all bio-degradable. Plus, they only work with independent local suppliers who share their values.  

The Dandy Cabin draws a crowd wherever she goes. Katie's seen people hanging out of their cars on the motorway to snap a photo! The Dandy is perfect for weddings, tea parties, festivals, corporate events and even childrens’ tea parties. She can also be hired as a prop for TV and film. You can catch up with The Dandy Cabin’s adventures on Twitter, or simply book direct by calling 07816 372 017 or emailing thedandycabin@icloud.com - but make sure you catch The Dandy Cabin in action at our next Fair - Caterers with a Curve at the Zoo on March 10th!

The Wilde Bunch

If you’re after something different, something organic, something vintage for your wedding, then you want The Wilde Bunch.  Working with the seasons and inspired by wild flora and natural fauna, everything they produce is locally sourced or Fairtrade. 

Owner Claire Nicholson has worked in floral & event design for the last 25 years. She trained with the Royal Horticultural Society as well as with international florists in Holland and the UK.  Based in a design studio (a very cool barn in Abbotts Leigh bursting with vintage chic), The Wilde Bunch are totally mobile across Bristol, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset & Gloucestershire.  Not being shop-based allows them to offer you an entirely exclusive personal design service at very competitive prices.

The Wilde Bunch have transformed wedding venues from castles to barns and however grand or intimate your big day, they promise a unique tailor-made service with stunning flora and all without that 'exclusive' price tag.

This year has seen them move into styling and dressing venues too.  It’s all part of producing the perfect vintage design to suit the wedding couple. 

This year has seen them style teepees with pewter and metalware, stoneware and wood, all of which is fast replacing birdcages and teacups as people’s ideas about vintage grow. It’s all about the opulence; think green, think succulents, passionflowers and hand painted decorations. It’s also about the dramatic; think old iron candelabras and candles catching the light. The WildeBunch will take you beyond the vintage tea party to a decadent, beautifully dressed Downton Abbey dinner party look.

You’ll be able to see Claire’s fantastic creations at our Fair this year.  She’ll create the featured display you first see as you walk in and the handheld bouquets you’ll see the models carrying will all be her design.  She’ll have a table of gorgeous props and even more gorgeous greens for you but until then, check out her website or Facebook page and see some more of her wonderful designs. 

Chocolate Delores

These scrumptious chocolate wedding cakes are designed and created in Bristol by boutique cake maker Chocolate Delores.  Every one of these sumptuous delights is handmade to order, using the best quality organic, Fairtrade and local ingredients. They’re fun, funky, very luxurious and extremely delicious.

The company’s owned by Lizzie, who began making cakes at the age of ten for her family and later became the chief designer and chocolatier at one of Britain’s leading Organic Chocolate Cake companies. She’s now launched this wonderful designer cake business and is creating her own delicious, visually stunning chocolate cakes for Weddings, Birthdays and as she says, 'Vintage Tea Parties'!

 

The main ingredient of these gorgeous cakes is a delicious 72% dark chocolate. Also in the mix are Fairtrade sugars rich in molasses, organic butter and milk, free-range organic eggs and flours. Once baked and cooled, Lizzie soaks the cakes overnight in Port. They’re then layered with Madagascan vanilla buttercream and her own homemade plum jam. After that, the fun really starts and using white, dark or milk chocolate, Lizzie sets to work designing the cake of your most delicious dreams.  If this is whetting your appetite, don’t worry, as on the day of the Fair, you’ll have a chance to have a little taste yourself.

Chocolate Delores have created many fabulous designs for weddings, so I recommend you take a look at their mouth-watering website, Facebook page or follow Lizzie on Twitter for more pictures of individual cakes.  
Lizzie’s happy to combine styles and to work with you on any ideas you may have and being based in Bristol, she can deliver locally and beyond.  You’ll also find a section on her site about her chocolate stiletto shoes. 

Lizzie makes these 
deliciously glamorous shoes to order and we recommend devouring them along with a bottle of Champagne; a perfect way to celebrate any occasion and a wonderful idea for unique Bridesmaid’s favours.

Thanks to Rosa Fay Photography for the images.

Inspiring Us - Wedding in a Teacup

We at Bristol Vintage just love good stationery and we know you’ll be as totally bowled over by Wedding in a Teacup as we are.  Their exclusive and bespoke wedding invitations are absolutely gorgeous and perfect for the creative bride-to-be. And this online boutique isn’t just about stationery… Wedding in a Teacup has all the original favours and styling pieces you could possibly want to create your uniquely perfect wedding day.

 

Owner Hester Lear is lovely. With a background in fashion buying she has pretty defined taste. She loves all things retro and vintage with a hint of quirkiness and charm and Wedding in a Teacup encapsulates that perfectly.  She searches for only the most fabulous finds for her website, making sure wherever possible that they’re made from recycled material (or recyclable), Fairtrade or made right here in the UK.

  

At Wedding in a Teacup, they’ve taken the hard work out of styling.  Loving all the nuptial traditions (confetti, favours, place card holders) they’ll help you to style your day yourself using the website as a pick and mix where you can choose from all the wonderful pieces they’ve found.  They’ve got gorgeous mini vases for holding just a few sprays of delicate summer flowers, hanging teardrop tealight holders, wonderfully quirky cake toppers and vintage stamped labels for place markers.  They’ve even got favours for the guests so you can jazz up the tables with retro sweets and personalized honeys and jams.  They’re stocked with brilliant ideas.

The Wedding in a Teacup mantra is “take great pleasure in your planning and preparations, it will spill over into your wedding day and light it up.”  So for help making your wedding fun and original visit their online boutique to be inspired and get creative.  They love hearing from customers, so if you’ve a question, a query or want some advice, you can contact them by email at hello@weddinginateacup.co.uk or by phone on 01273 933134.  They’re around Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm (excluding Bank Holidays) and you can find them on Facebook, Twitter and with gorgeous images on Pinterest.  There’s also a blog on all things stylish and stationery and a newsletter so the inspiration never stops!