With National Proposal Day quickly approaching on Thursday, March 20th, couples planning upcoming nuptials can make their wedding extra special with the help of local purveyors such as Cake Life Bake Shop, Philadelphia’s woman-, trans-, and immigrant-owned award-winning small-batch artisanal bakery, DreamWorld Bakes, the East Kensington Black- and woman-owned bakery that specializes in dreamy custom cakes and boasts a community café concept, and My Local Brew Works, the world’s first custom craft brewery focused on special events and contract brewing.
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Cake Life Bake Shop, Philadelphia’s award-winning small-batch artisanal bakery and all-day café (who baked Beyoncé’s birthday cake – twice!), offers a wide variety of desserts fit for a wedding, including its wildly popular Petal-Pistachio Cookies ($21//6-pack), made with crisp, buttery shortbread, and iced and decorated with dried rose petals, crushed pistachios, freeze-dried raspberries, and violet sugar. These treats are the perfect accompaniment to a spring wedding with floral decorations and a light, delicate flavor.
Pre-order now for local delivery or in-person pick-up – Petal-Pistachio Cookies are also available online for nationwide shipping.
Looking for a custom wedding cake? Cake Life offers a wide variety of flavors (like Funfetti – Beyoncé’s cake of choice!) with designs including semi-naked icing, colorful sprinkles, and flowers. Email brian@cakelifebakeshop.com for more information.
Hours of operation: Wednesday through Thursday 8am – 9pm, Friday through Saturday 8am – 10pm, Sunday 8am – 7pm
1306 Frankford Ave | www.cakelifebakeshop.com | Instagram @cakelifebakeshop
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Wedding cakes have come a long way from just being the sweet ending to a couple’s big day – nowadays, partners have the opportunity to express their personalities through unique designs and flavors. Ashley Huston, owner of DreamWorld Bakes, the Black- and woman-owned bakery that specializes in dreamy custom cakes and boasts a community café concept, has been at the forefront of creating one-of-a-kind wedding cakes with trendy components including:
- Live florals – Wedding bouquets aren’t the only part of a couple’s big day that calls for flowers. Whether couples are looking to add a pop of color with bright, bold blooms, or want to tie together ceremony arrangements or reception centerpieces for a polished look, each of Huston’s floral arrangements are one-of-a-kind and customizable.
- Wiggled and wavy piping – DreamWorld Bakes continues to make waves with its distinctive piping style – Huston designs ruffled, wiggly buttercream ribbons that connect multiple cake tiers to create a more complex, textured design.
- Fruit as décor – Get a sneak peek of what flavors are inside of the dreamy wedding cake with fresh fruit that adorns the tiered dessert (think: passionfruit, figs, blood orange slices, mango, and beyond).
- Multicultural cake flavors – Couples looking for international flavors are in good hands with Huston, whose desserts are inspired by her travels with flavors including pandan, mango lassi, tonka bean, and more.
- Never enough glitter – Huston’s playful style is marked by her generous use of edible glitter that makes every custom cake shine.
Wedding cake inquiries can be made online – delivery fee is based on drop offs for Philadelphia only. If delivery is outside of city parameters, fee will be based on mileage and hourly rate.
Hours of operation: Thursday and Friday 8am – 3pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am – 4 pm
2400 Coral St, Philadelphia PA | www.dreamworldbakes.com | Instagram
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My Local Brew Works (MLBW), the world’s first custom craft brewery focused on special events and contract brewing, offers a unique opportunity for soon-to-be newlyweds with its Custom Craft Brewing package. Inspired by the continued increase of hyper-customized weddings, couples can create their own one-of-a-kind batch of custom beer for the big day or any of the occasions that lead up to it: think wedding showers, engagement parties, bachelor/ette gatherings, and everything in between.
Couples will join Tim Montague and Wayne Humphrey, award-winning home brewers and founders of My Local Brew Works, as well as George Hummel, brewing mentor and grain master, in the brewery (situated in the historic and industrial-chic Globe Dye Works building), for a day filled with beer tastings, catered lunch from top local purveyors, a tour of the brewery and building, Polaroid snapshots to take home as a keepsake, and more. In opting for a customized brewing experience, couples are involved in the entire process, from choosing the grain to designing the name and label, and are granted complete creative control over their brew, all while creating new shared memories in the process.
My Local Brew Works has also recently collaborated with beer-loving soon-to-be-weds to create signature wedding day beers with labels inspired by the couples’ pets, such as naming a custom beer after one couple’s cat, “Bug” – adding another layer of personalization to their wedding experience and creating a unique avenue to involve furry friends in the celebration.
Pricing for a Custom Brew Day varies based on a number of factors including volume of beer brewed, fermentation time, and ingredients, but starts at $120 per person. Custom brews range from $90 – $140 per case, depending on labels, ingredients, styles, and other variables. Those interested in learning more about the custom brewing process and to reserve a brew day with My Local Brew Works may do so by emailing beer@mylocalbrewworks.com.
4500 Worth St, Philadelphia PA | www.mylocalbrewworks.com | Instagram @mylocalbrewworks
