If you’re reading this, I’m so happy for you. You’re here because you’ve chosen the absolute beauty that is Syon Park for your wedding venue, a decision I wish I had made! Whilst I can’t go ten years back and make that choice again, I’m over the moon that I get to visit Syon Park at least once a year to deliver a wedding cake. Silver linings and all that.
I’ve had the pleasure of delivering wedding cakes to Syon Park for the last five years, and it is as grand as the first time I went. What’s not to love about Syon Park? Multi-space venue? Check. Large manicured lawns? Check. Stunning, domed conservatory? Check. And it’s those very same wonderful features that make Syon Park perfect for the right cake design. Let me talk you through what works beautifully here!
The Great Conservatory is one of the most enviable features of Syon Park. During the winter, you can look up and see the stars. In the summer, you get the wonder of golden hour and a late sunset. Beautiful. The Great Conservatory is essentially a stunning greenhouse. In peak wedding season, between May & September, it’s filled with swathes of golden light and warmth. With this in mind, it’s the perfect reason to use techniques specifically designed for this incredible space.
Five years of delivering to this amazing venue, and I’ve never had a single issue!
Stability from the Inside Out
Good cake design has it’s environment in mind from the very beginning. I know it sounds more like an engineering project than a cake, but structurally sound cakes are absolutely approached with such precision. Second to this, no matter the finish, all my wedding cakes are wrapped in a layer of chocolate ganache. Ganache is a mixture of double cream and chocolate – and it has higher melting point than butter. A cake in The Great Conservatory in summer’s high heat needs a chocolate ganache surround. Whether the ganache coating is finished in fondant or buttercream is down to your preference, but I’d go with fondant if you want a flawless cake in those temperatures.
If you have your heart set on a buttercream cake for your Syon Park wedding, you’ll be pleased to know I use Italian meringue buttercream on all my cakes. It is a delicious, silky, not-too-sweet buttercream, and holds it’s shape better than other variations.
Multi tiered wedding cakes stay perfectly level and beautiful with internal dowels. Whether your cake is two or six tiers tall, it will look exactly as intended from start to finish.
kind words from peter & rebecca
“We commissioned Jasmine for our wedding cake and we are so glad we did. On the day the weather was scorching hot and her contingency plan to ensure the cakes structural integrity survived the day was incredible.”
Sugar vs Fresh: Why Stability Wins at Syon Park
One of the beautiful things about Syon Park is the fact it can be customised so beautifully. All colour palettes and styles look wonderful and come alive at Syon Park. I’ve seen jungle themed flowers, pretty pastel arrangements and exotic colour ways last through the night. When it comes to flowers on your wedding cake, you have two gorgeous options to explore. You can either have seasonal fresh flowers, to ensure a perfect match with your other floral decor, or personalised handmade blooms that you get to keep forever.
Sugar flowers have some wonderful advantages. If you’ve always dreamt of peonies at your August wedding, sugar flowers allow us to bypass their seasonality and the midday heat in one fell swoop. They stay picture perfect from start to finish regardless of the climate.
Fresh flowers are always added on as the final touch, ensuring they look just as beautiful as they did in water.
Golden Hour Magic
Different parts of Syon Park are aglow depending on the time of day. Tracking the sun means we can get the best position for your cake, and we can time your cake cutting for the best photo opportunities.
I’ve had couples cut their wedding cake directly outside the Conservatory. I can’t explain just how magical this looks. I’ve also seen The Cactus Room washed with the purple glow of a summer sunset – timing is absolutely crucial.
Just in Time
Delivering to Syon Park is just as considered as the wedding cake itself. From venue coordination, to navigating the gravel paths, every point is considered. Syon Park has a wonderful service entrance for all deliveries. The path from the car park winds through Syon Park’s charming grounds. Each tier is individually carried in to ensure your cake arrives in pristine condition.
Unlike many other venues, there is no dropping off the cake at 10am. Wedding cake set ups at Syon Park are always later into the afternoon to ensure the cake’s safety. Most of the time you and your guests will have just sat down to your wedding breakfast, whilst the cake is silently put into position. Right down to the finishing touches – gold leaf, sugar flowers, these last minute additions are performed on site to ensure that you arrive to a pristine cake. The result of this strategy? A stunning wedding cake that looks incredible from 4pm until 2am!
The Professional Details
With Syon Park being a heritage venue, they are scrupulously meticulous about the food they serve on site. The wedding cake isn’t exempt from this. I have full Public Liability Insurance and the required Risk Assessments which I send directly to the coordinator. I have maintained a 5* food safety rating since opening, which is great insurance for venues, couples and wedding guests alike.
If you’re getting married at Syon Park and want a cake that looks flawless from start to finish, you can enquire here or order a tasting box to experience the flavours first.
To see some of my other designs for this stunning venue, visit my Syon Park Highlight page.
Until next time,
Jasmine