Destination Wedding Cake, from New York City, to Arizona

In May we blogged about our inspiration for beautiful bride, Anja Winikka's wedding cake. Having worked with Anja, the online site editor of The Knot, for many years, we know that few can surpass Anja in her wealth of wedding experience and insight. We were thrilled to design Anja's wedding cake and are excited to share a behind-the-scenes view of her wedding design with you.

Anja and Ben Bullington were married on May 25th at Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson, AZ. We traveled from New York City to Tucson to deliver Anja and Ben's wedding cake.

You may want to take a look at our inspiration post to refresh your memory, here, before taking a special look at Anja's wedding cake creation!

Our view when we arrived at Tanque Verde Ranch, a dude ranch with a rich and colorful history.

After a long flight from New York City to Phoenix and a drive to Tucson, with our cake and sugar flowers in tow, we were welcomed by Cindy, Tanque Verde Ranch's Catering Manager, and Head Chef Ben Drury.  Chef Ben gave us a quick tour of the kitchen reserved for our use, and the eventual destination of the cake once we finished it.

We had been in touch with Chef Ben prior to our arrival to explain our plan for assembling this multi-tier cake. Our main requirements were work space and refrigeration.



Garry Parzych working hard in the kitchen to assemble the bottom tier

Chef Ben was very hospitable and had made arrangements to provide us with everything we needed, and more! He supplied us with a separate kitchen with ample counter space, working tables, mixers, and vast refrigeration space to keep our masterpiece fresh for the reception. 

The pastry chef at the ranch was also very attentive and was quick to provide us with any tools we needed. She came in once an hour to check in with us and make sure we were comfortable in our work space. We can't thank Chef Ben and his team enough for all their assistance, in everything from our own kitchen, to all the utensils we could use, to moving the cake!

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The wedding reception was being held in the Cottonwood Grove on the property, where the staff at Tanque Verde Ranch set up an on-site kitchen with convenient access to the reception.



Left to right: Garry Parzych, Ana Parzych, and Chef Ben Drury



Ana Parzych putting her finishing touches on Anja and Ben's wedding cake

The wedding cake was covered in a light sandy colored fondant to blend in with the desert surroundings and give the cake an earthy, natural look. The neutral color was a great backdrop to showcase the bright sugar flowers that adorned the cake. 

At Ana Parzych Cakes, we pride ourselves on designing wedding cakes that are unique, timeless, and elegant. It was very important to us that we create a beautiful wedding cake that drew inspiration from the outdoor desert theme, but still be distinctive of the Ana Parzych brand and unmistakably elegant. 

Small touches of gold brushed onto the band of fondant appliqués resembling the details of Anja's engagement ring (click here for details) adds a subtle, timeless quality to the design. 

Your imagination is limitless when creating your custom wedding cake design. If you have unique inspiration, different flowers, and details in mind for your day, Ana Parzych Custom Cakes can create an amazing and delicious wedding cake that is special to you and the influences of your theme, setting, and event design.

The topper of the wedding cake consisted of a sugar urn in a turquoise blue to match some of the wedding details, such as the napkins and Anja's beautiful shoes. 

The cake was placed as one of the focal points of the reception on a beautiful pale pink linen, which Ara from Rock Paper Scissors Events chose for the table. 

LaFleur Plantscapes + Fresh Flora decorated the place-card table with fresh-cut flowers, pillar candles, and mercury glass accessories.

We loved how Laura Wright of Rock Paper Scissor Events tied the desert landscape of the cottonwood grove together with comfortable furniture and soft pillows in poppy, soft pink, and blush hues. 

The low bistro-style string lights which illuminated the reception after dusk cast a warm romantic glow on the details. 

Colleen of LaFleur Plantscapes + Fresh Flora arranged a multitude of lovely centerpieces, which naturally incorporated beautiful vibrant flowers into the table design.

Besides selecting great flowers for the wedding, we loved meeting Colleen and her team. They were great company and looked lovely in their coordinating black dresses. You can't tell from the picture, but  they were all wearing cowboy boots with their dresses. We loved the dress and cowboy boot combo!

We knew we had done a great job executing our sugar flowers when we saw how similar the hues and details of our sugar flowers were to the fresh flowers at the tables.

The beautiful desert setting provided a gorgeous background for Anja, Ben and their guests to enjoy the reception. The ceremony took place at sunset and the reception was located in this cottonwood grove surrounded by trees, a truly magical oasis in the middle of the desert. 

Once the sun had set it was time to relax and enjoy the reception; the strings of lights and pillar candles lit up the outdoor space beautifully!

To learn more about Ana's custom wedding cake design process click here.

Stay tuned for more details of Anja Winikka and Ben Bullington's wedding!

Venue:  Tanque Verde Ranch, Tucson, AZ

Wedding Planning by Laura Wright Events

Event Design by Rock Paper Scissors Events

Floral Design by LeFleur Plantscapes + Fresh Flora

Photography by Ana Parzych