Today is the first of a few planned posts aiming to share with you some of our learnings and news from our recent UKAWP study tour to New York.

Some of you may ask “why the trip?” and “were you really studying?” so each in turn: The trip has been something which the UKAWP Directors and a number of members have been keen to do for quite a few years, really because the role of the independent wedding planner is far more widespread in the USA (and in the Cities in particular) and has been established for many many more years than in the UK. Added to the volume and range of suppliers and services in the US, we felt that a visit to learn, watch and listen would be hugely beneficial for our planning businesses and for the growth of the wedding planning craft.

And for studying? OK, so we didn’t have our heads in textbooks, and yes there was time for shopping, cocktails and sightseeing too but the days were pretty full with meetings, and wedding talk continued well into the night on occasion! We were thrilled with our small but successful group, made up of the UKAWP Directors plus 5 wonderful UKAWP members.

So here is how it went:

 First stop on our study tour to visit the great and the good of the New York City Wedding Industry was the incomparable Sylvia Weinstock www.sylviaweinstock.com.

 Sylvia provided us with a great insight into the process she goes through with her clients when it comes to choosing and designing a wedding cake.

 She herself will take charge of each client consultation, which includes both a discussion about the overall design/ theme/ colour scheme and a full tasting of a very wide selection of cake flavours and fillings.

 

And oh my goodness……..Sylvia kindly allowed us our own tasting of at least 8 sponge flavours and what must have been 20+ fillings including raspberry, Seville blood orange, pistachio, hazelnut, coffee, lemon, chocolate, key lime, coconut, to name but a few.

 Once a client books with Sylvia, which unsurprisingly for ‘the Leonardo da Vinci of cake’ is almost always, if necessary she will create a water colour of the proposed design before moving forward with the real thing.

 As her cakes are shipped all over the US and indeed the world, many are ready assembled, but those which require putting together on site will be accompanied by a staff member who will undertake the set up.

 As UK based planners who all work with some fabulous cake designers we were, to a woman, bowled over by the sheer quantity of options as well, of course, as the incredible quality of what we were tasting.

 Sylvia is clearly passionate about what she does and an inspiration to her team. Understandably the prices of her cakes are something for only her clients’ ears, however she showed us the most reasonably priced specimens, which still incorporated an inordinate amount of work, which we found to be surprisingly affordable.

 

Thank you Sylvia for allowing us so much of your time and sharing with us your passion and expertise.

More on the other meetings and visits to follow soon …