The theme of the Grand National Wedding Cake Competition was “The Language of Flowers”. I designed my cake around magnolias, oak leaves, and love letters. The love letters on my cake were actual love letters that my grandparents wrote to each other while my grandpa was in WWII. He flew a B24 in Europe.

The meaning of the magnolia is perseverance and the oak leaf mean strength. So, the idea of the cake was to show the perseverance and strength that my grandparents had for the years that my grandpa was away at war. After the competition, I thought it would be nice to put the cake on display in Sigurd, Utah where my grandmother lives and invite all of her friends and family to come and celebrate her and my grandpa’s life.

It was very successful. Lots of friends came and my grandma seemed pleased. And hey, the Richfield Reaper even came and did a story on it. That was fun. Here are a few pictures that were taken.

Marylene Dastrup- My Grandmother and the inspiration for this cake.

Love Letters cake at the Grand National Wedding Cake Competition in Tulsa, Oklahoma

I have been walking on clouds. My dream of going to the Grand National Wedding Cake Competition actually happened. I’ve wanted to enter a cake in the competition for a long time now. It is the competition that beats all. If you can win in this competition you are a master.

I was so excited to be able to go and meet some of the big names in cake decorating. I have followed the top decorators and was so excited to be there in person and get to know a few of them. Actually being there and getting to know these master cake decorators was more rewarding and fun than I anticipated. These women and their families are wonderful. Not to mention all of the friends I made that were rooting for me and my cake.

Just going and being a part of such a big competition would have been enough for me. I was just honored to be there. However, something even bigger happened. I won the third place prize!! I couldn’t believe that such a cool thing could happen to me. I hold the title of being a Master Cake Decorator and I am among the best in the nation! It still blows my mind that I could accomplish something so huge. This has the potential of opening so many doors for me and my business.

Here are some photos of my winning cake (3rd place overall) at the 2008 Grand National Wedding Cake Competition in Tulsa, OK.