Customer Reviews

Colette's Wedding Cakes

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I always enjoy looking at any of Colette's books. While I personally find several of the designs a bit over the top for my, and most of my bride's, tastes, her creativity is astounding! There are quite a few nice, more toned-down designs as well. The directions are very clear and detailed, unlike some other "celebrity" cake decorators who want to sell books, yet not give away any of their "secrets". Her cakes are interesting to look at, and great for coming up with new ideas, perfect for someone who is looking for something different. I'm always amazed by her creations!

Colette Peters is one of the country's most famous wedding cake designers and some of the cakes in this book show why. some of them are just plain silly!! As a cake designer myself, I use this book to show clients the range of cakes that are possible for them to have at their own wedding. Of course many of the cakes are too outlandish for a real bride to consider but the majority are beautifully designed, well photographed and explained step by step for an accurate reproduction. the recipes in the book are wonderful as well.

I"m an amateur cake decorator and enjoy making wedding cakes for family and friends. I"ve used yourbook to do the last two and I found it to be very well written and best of all, unusual and creative like most things I try to do.

For anyone, professional or not, with a passion for cake decorating, Ms. Peter's book is a necessary tool.

Though must of her designs are too heavy for my personal taste, her abilities our outstanding, the ideas inspiring and the photos just wonderful!. I found quite easy to follow her instructions and learned some helpful techniques from designs that looked almost impossible to achieve for the average baker...Your background as an artist is impossible to hide Ms. Peters

Hmmmm, what can I say. The pictures were fabulous, but the wedding cakes would be extremely difficult to cut and serve. However, you can use a few ideas I suppose. For me, this was too far out to be practical for the home wedding cake baker -- only those who have a lot of time on their hands and nothing better to do than play. I cannot see an average couple wanting a wedding cake like these. Sorry.

If you are a bride looking for unique wedding cake designs, this book is full of non-traditional ideas, organized by each season. From a coral-colored peach cake covered with edible shells for summer, to "stained glass" poinsettias on white for winter, these cakes are elaborate and distinctive.

An aspiring cake decorator can't go wrong with a Colette Peters title on the shelf. I don't think these cakes are just for weddings, either--you can take these ideas and scale them down for birthdays, graduations, business celebrations, showers, etc. The little cottage house stacked on a cake garden would be lovely for a housewarming, another cake with crawling icing ants might be great at a summer family reunion or picnic, etc.

Colette's instructions are clear enough for intermediate decorators, but you'll have to take a deep breath before you actually dive in with a spatula (unless sculpting several hundred flowers, molding sugar vases, or spending your life savings on luster dust doesn't give you pause).

Some of the most impressive designs include Chocolate Fantasia, an exact replica of a Cloisonne Bell, an all-white Edwardian cake covered in grapes, roses, and intricate details, and a cake for a fashion designer with each tier decorated in a different "fabric" pattern.

I agree with other reviewers that many of these design ideas are impractical--many inedible features, difficult to transport, complicated to dismantle and serve, and incredibly time consuming to create. However, these designs are inspiring and beautiful.

If you're looking for design inspirations for your wedding cake, the cakes in this book are
- In my opinion, kitsch
- Way too extravagant (and expensive) for normal weddings
- Too advanced for local bakers to make

If you want to know how to make wedding cakes, all you'll find in this book are just a few basic recipes. There are no detailed step-by-step instructions for assembling or decorating cakes.

What this book does is showcase Colette Peters' outstanding skills. If you want to see it, I'd recommend a local library....

The cakes in this book are beautiful, but are meant to be created by professionals. There are too many non-edible items that need to be removed from the cake before serving. Impractical.

The cakes in this book are absolutely beautiful, but a bit more decorative than most people will want. Further, they were personalized for the weddings for which they were made. I do recommend this book as a great starting place; it is inspiring, and it includes a lot of good tips and techniques. And for the couple who wants a really over the top cake, this just might be your book.

This book has the most beautiful cakes I've ever seen. We used it for our wedding cake. Unlike other reviewers, I don't think these designs are too difficult for most good bakeries. We just brought them the picture and description and they did a fabulous job. On the other hand, I don't know if these designs are realistic for doing at home since they are pretty complicated and require a lot of experience. The directions are pretty thorough, though, so it might be worth a shot!