After the end of our cocktail hour at Bouchon, we decided to cut our cake.
Our cake was vanilla with lemon curd and vanilla buttercream frosting. Our wedding dinner package at Bouchon included a two-tier cake with fresh floral decoration. In a series of emails to the events planner, I explained that we weren’t terribly picky about the flowers on the cake: any type of bloom in coral/pink, green, or ivory/white would work. I also mentioned that we love the look of textured frosting. I sent along the following inspiration photograph.
Does it look at all familiar?
Image via The Knot / Cake by Michelle’s Pâtisserie / Photo by SMS Photography
Little did I know that the Bouchon Bakery would copy the picture almost exactly! The events coordinator came up to us when we first arrived at Bouchon and apologized that the flowers were the wrong colors. Honestly, I didn’t care at all. I know that details like the flowers on the cake seem so very important during the planning process. I get it. I’ve been there. I spent too much time on Pinterest looking at images of different cakes for inspiration. But my take on this is the following: on the big day, don’t sweat the small stuff. And things like the cake? Small stuff, indeed.
Anyway, the cake was gorgeous – and it was absolutely delicious.
Mr. Mole and I had never cut a cake like this together before. I have to admit that we had some trouble, mainly because we were trying to cut through the cardboard base that separated the cake from the stand. Oops.
Once we figured that out, we succeeded in cutting a small and incredibly sloppy looking slice. I first fed a piece awkwardly to Mr. Mole, and then he fed it equally awkwardly to me.
Yum. I was pretty excited about the fact that I would get a full-sized piece, along with the scoop of vanilla bean ice cream that would accompany it, later.
After we finished feeding each other cake, our guests were seated for dinner. The waitstaff went around the room to explain the menu and take orders. For the first choice, guests had a choice of fennel and apple soup or mixed greens with red wine vinaigrette, warm goat cheese, and herbs. For the second choice, they could choose between sautéed salmon with melted leeks and beurre blanc; roasted chicken with caramelized savoy cabbage, forest mushrooms, and whole grain mustard jus; or prime flatiron steak with caramelized shallots, butter, and pommes puree. Mignardises—or small desserts like macarons, chocolate almonds, caramels, and brittle—then followed. The cake was to be served last.
As people began making their selections, we said goodbye to our photographer. Our six-hour package had unfortunately come to a close. (In hindsight, I would have added on some additional time!)
We then turned to our guests. Mr. Mole and I stood up from our seats and thanked everyone for coming and celebrating our lives together. My father then took the floor for the first speech of the night.
All photography in Las Vegas by Brian Saculles, unless otherwise noted.
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Your cake looks exactly like your inspiration, I love it! And, it sounds yummy too 
Funny, when I saw your actual cake I thought, “Wow that looks like my cake inspiration photo!” Then I clicked “read more” and you had the same one. Nice.
They got the cake bang on! Your meal sounds amazing, too.
Your cake looks amazing! Exactly what you asked for. And it sounds delicious.
Thanks everyone! I think that we will be going back to Bouchon Bakery for a small cake for our first anniversary. Maybe they can even replicate the replicated wedding cake! 
Your cake is SO beautiful! It looks so similar to your inspiration photo!
Beautiful pics! I had that same cake from the same inspiration pic! I loved its simplicity and the fact that it was buttercream and delicious!
Reading your posts only a few months before our wedding is really making me second guess our wedding choice. I know there’s nothing we can do now. But I love the intimate feel of your wedding, and given another chance I think I’d rather do something small like this. But I guess instead I’ll just have to live vicariously through your posts!
@AT: That’s funny! I knew that I didn’t want fondant either; I like the texture and taste of buttercream so much more!
@Miss Ariel: I am sure that you will have a beautiful wedding! I think that’s the interesting thing about weddings; many people grow up imagining their own wedding in such different ways over time, so you can come up with mutually exclusive visions of the “perfect” day. I still think about the other types of weddings that we could have had: if we decided to get married in LA or in Chicago instead, if we decided to invite more people, etc. In the end, though, I am happy in the knowledge that any of these weddings would have been wonderful since I would have ended up married to Mr. Mole in the end of each!
Mrs. Mole, Los Angeles/Las Vegas Age and Occupation: 29, Test Prep Instructor Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, User Experience Architect Engagement Date: April 2011 Wedding Date: January 2012 Venue: Wynn Las Vegas/Bouchon Bistro About Me: I’m a Wisconsinite-turned-Angeleno who is planning a destination wedding in Las Vegas. I am passionate about education: I spent 23 (!) consecutive years in school, and now I work to help other people get into graduate programs. I love running on the treadmill, buying bath products from Lush, learning new moves in step aerobics, and exploring my neighborhood on foot. I am sometimes snobby about food, but I am rarely snobby about books. I read everything from Geoffrey Chaucer to Iris Murdoch to Chuck Klosterman to Candace Bushnell. My fiance and I are getting married on our third anniversary!
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