Posts by Susan Smith11

We had some treats from Abraham Lincoln and a cake from sweet secret. I couldn't really eat anything that evening, though I suppose I was happy there was a little bit left over for me to try once everyone started raving about them the next day. They were honestly brilliant. I didn't go for many of the traditional pastries, opting more for the mini bites, tartlets, and chocolate-covered fruit, but they had plenty of variety. I'm just glad I didn't give up on them after seeing all those negative comments on the forum. The cake from sweet secret was lovely, and our portion was delicious, though I can't say much for the others since there were four different kinds available.

silentpuma81 said:If I may just interject, I recently visited the salon on Tim Preradovic Street for a pedicure and manicure, and to put it bluntly, it was quite disappointing... I had specifically booked a medical-grade pedicure and manicure, but the staff seemed entirely disinterested in providing any actual specialized care. There was absolutely nothing "medical" about the service; in fact, I found myself having to point out every single flaw myself, only to be told that there wasn't anything they could do about it. They simply buffed my heels slightly and tidied up my nails, which honestly, I could have done better myself at home. My feet aren't particularly problematic, but I really wanted them to look perfect for a wedding. All in all, for $160, it was a very poor experience

I think I'll back this up. There was absolutely nothing medical about that pedicure, either. To make matters worse, after the polish was applied, I spent about 20 minutes waiting in the hallway for it to dry, so when I finally put my socks on later at home, the polish was completely ruined.
Overall, it was a bad experience.

The guy told me everyone should get about 20 grams, too. I guess we'll just have to wait for Thomas Wilson16 to give us her verdict once she finally tries the cake...

Thomas Wilson16 said:So, I was at the arena last weekend and gave it a shot. I'm just wondering, though—has anyone actually hired them lately? Are they reliable when it comes to sticking to their word?

We ended up trying them out at the trade show and bought some for the house, so we’ll probably stick with them... though I suppose I'm also not entirely sure how they handle their contracts.

Olivia Castillo562 said:They selected the pastries 🙂 Amelia 😁 crumbly (as they ought to be), packed with flavor, aesthetically pleasing, and even offered a bulk discount 😁 so honestly, how could you find a better deal than that? 😁

I guess it depends on when you went and what you actually tried. I stopped by yesterday and grabbed a 10oz pack... and well, it’s just sitting there because nobody wants them. They aren't terrible, per se, but they feel kind of hollow, like the flavor isn't really hitting. The pack had chocolate sponge cakes (decent, but a bit bland), some chocolate ones (same thing), shortbread cookies (those were actually good), crescent cookies (fine, crumbly enough), and those jam-filled stars (probably the worst of the bunch)...
So, for my birthday next weekend, I might grab a sampler from Absum or a Fancy cake, and if they're all more or less mediocre, I'll probably just go with Absum since they're the cheapest (which lets me mix and match with those mini donuts, tartlets, and pralines).
The sugar cookies are the best so far; the sponge cake isn't anything special either, though a few other varieties are quite tasty, even if they didn't quite win me over..
Ironically, I picked up some hemp-infused treats at a vendor stall yesterday and they were actually delicious... Plus, my neighbor is baking amazing cookies to sell locally at $23/lb, but she doesn't have a permit. It's not like any of these options are completely bad, really....

Joseph Jones11 said:Megan Lewis98, I am so incredibly sorry you went through that. 😢

As for how important the desserts are... well, to me, they are huge.

The groom and I are total sweet tooth people, and honestly, at every single wedding we've been to, we've ended up critiquing the sweets—which ones were good and which ones weren't.
Personally, I'm not a fan of those super heavy, old-school traditional pastries; they're getting kind of boring.
So, I have no problem spending a little extra to get us some nicer, more innovative, and pricier treats that I hope will wow everyone else too.🙂

I think something like this would even catch our grandmothers' interest:😁:

http://sweettablechicago.com/wp-cont...sert-table.jpg

http://cdn.greenweddingshoes.com/wp-...wedding-15.jpg

http://ruffledmedia.ruffled.netdna-c...-tables-01.jpg

If you're into that style of dessert, maybe check out Culinary Arts (if you happen to be in NYC); they seem way too pricey for my taste, but I guess if you're into that whole fancy vibe...

Olivia Castillo562 said:Our tastings were totally free, 😁 except at Sweet Talk where we actually paid. Honestly, we would have paid anywhere, but I was surprised they were giving away free samples—we still need to stop by Amelia since we only picked up cakes.

From what I gather, prices in the city range from about $85 (Little Pie Shop) to $130 (Fancy Cako) or Poppy, which charges per piece, making it hard to budget. Amelia offers volume discounts (though Fancy Cako, Lee, and Sweet Talk didn't mention any), but I doubt that helps much with a dessert table since you typically order fewer items there. I'm counting down the days until next Friday or Saturday so we can finally settle on either Amelia or Fancy Cako.😁

I might head over to Amelia next week for some treats myself, so if they turn out great, they're my go-to, but if not, maybe I'll just stick with Emma... though if I go with Amelia, I'll probably grab both cookies and a cake, whereas if I pick Emma, it's just cookies, which leaves me wondering what to do about the cake.
By the way, you mentioned Amelia offers free delivery—is that just within the city or does it cover the suburbs too? If I recall correctly, you live a bit outside the city limits, but I can't quite remember where.

I suppose I’ll have to make an extra trip to Amelia now. I already checked out Magnolia, Emma, and Sugarland.
Regarding Magnolia—the second I walked in, the smell of baked goods hit me and I just knew. I didn't eat anything there, though; I just picked up some treats to take home. Honestly, the cookies aren't exactly... but the pralines are perfect. The cakes are decent enough. The owner mentioned they are $33/lb, since everything is made with real butter and Belgian chocolate. They haven't really handled weddings yet, though, since they just opened up recently. I completely forgot to ask about delivery.
As for Emma—the cookies are great. Probably better than any I've had so far. The cakes, however, weren't really my thing. They charge $43/lb, but if you order more than 15lbs, it drops to $30/lb. There's a delivery fee, I guess, but she said it might be free if we order a large enough amount, though she didn't specify how much that actually is.
Sugarland was absolute perfection. The cookies are delicious and the cakes are good. It's $40/lb, and maybe there's a discount for bulk orders, but she wasn't specific about the quantity. Delivery would probably run me about $23. Still, that feels a bit pricey to me... I don't know, I probably need to give Amelia another shot.

Daniel Smith8 said:If you aren't too far from Absum, give them a shot. I used them once near Seattle—they were actually decent.

It’s not exactly within reach, but I guess everything just boils down to whatever we can afford at the time. $40 It’s always a gamble whether the desserts will be incredible or just drown in mediocrity, though I'm hesitant to overspend on them. It really depends on what else I end up paying for. If I decide to go with Absum, I probably won't stick to basic cookies; I'll likely opt for those little pastry baskets, mignonettes, or chocolate-covered fruit instead. Maybe I'll pick up a few simple treats for the traditionalists.

I guess the sweet talker finally decided to get in touch with me. $37I managed to track down a little bit of Le cake, I guess.$40Per pound. For now, it's probably the most expensive PIECE of cake around. $43I guess that's just per pound.

Olivia Castillo562 said:I've accepted that I'll spend about $40/lb on desserts, so 🙄 I don't usually go out of my way either—except for McCafé 😁—but now I have to scout them out. I'll post my impressions 😁, though perhaps I'm just being overly critical. 🤣

A dessert table isn't for me; I attended a wedding where some of our guests were also present, and I wasn't impressed, nor was the rest of the crowd. I'm not craving a few small sweets right now. We finally managed to clear some time this weekend to go checking, so I might consider them if the options in Chicago turn out to be "meh."

edit: silentpanther32, that would be my favorite combination 😁

That’s kind of what people look for, I guess 🙂

As for that Sugarland shop—Darkness from Križevci—a friend of mine (who’s from a small town near Krapina) mentioned she wasn't a fan of their pastries; apparently they used way too much margarine, and she really prefers things made with real butter. They had something similar from another local bakery there once, but I can't quite remember which one... anyway, there was a dessert table, so I didn't actually try anything. I guess I'm just not the type to get up for dessert when there's already a spread laid out...

Regarding the cakes themselves, I suppose everyone has their own preferences. Personally, I'm mostly into homemade stuff, like homemade pizza or baked goods. I've never been much of a fan of gingerbread or honey pies or those kinds of things, so it's probably harder for me to judge. I usually just assume everything is homemade so my family and friends can all give their usual feedback...

If you end up trying all those pastries, please leave some reviews because I don't have the patience to test them all myself. Honestly, the best wedding cake I've ever had was from Amelia, though I can't actually remember which specific one they served since there were so many bite-sized pieces—I'm not even sure if they even did a large tiered cake. I haven't tried their individual pastries yet. I'm not really the type to wander into bakeries, so I guess I'm just flying blind here. 🙂
I suspect everything mentioned is going to be pretty pricey, though... Based on some old threads, Fancy Cake is quite expensive, Sugarland is $40/lb, and I don't know much about the pricing at Le or Sweet Talker.

Help, I’m actually at a loss here regarding these desserts... I honestly don't know what to do about the catering. Back in February, when I was sampling everything at the expo, Abraham’s stuff was by far the best—everything seemed perfect. But after looking into wedding dessert trends more deeply, I’ve realized that what you taste at a tasting isn't always what actually shows up at the reception. Plus, I've been reading some pretty bad reviews online. I did pick up some treats from Simon, but they were... just okay, I guess. I stopped by King Bakery today since everyone raves about them and they’re definitely better than Simon’s, though they have way fewer options and still aren't exactly incredible. I’ve also been talking things over with Andrew, but I'm not holding my breath, and I'm looking into a small local bakery too. I’m thinking maybe I should just head over to Piece of Cake, Sugarman, or M&M and try those cookies for $43/kg (which feels like an absolute rip-off) just to see if they actually live up to the hype...
Does anyone know if Monica’s pastries are any good? People seem to obsess over her cakes, but nobody ever mentions the cookies. And does anyone know what the pricing is like?

Karen Johnson49 said:We had these incredible pralines, mini mochas, and little chocolate truffles from Austin... seriously, they were out of this world! A buddy of mine who couldn't make it to the wedding actually called me up the other day just to hunt down their contact info, because word on the street was that the dessert spread was legendary. The venue manager actually set them all out on these cute little fancy plates for us before tucking them away in the fridge. My friend was still raving about that specific moment when he saw those rich, glossy chocolate ganaches being carried over to the table 🙂

Did you guys set up a dedicated dessert station or just put them on the individual tables? I’m thinking about ordering from them, but I might just mix some classic pastries with the tartlets and éclairs. I suppose I'm still on the fence about the pralines.