Vendor Spotlight- Sugarlips Cakery

A few years ago I was searching online for an awesome cake company that could make Hunter's 1st birthday cake. We were doing a huge big "Hunting/camo/safari" theme (hence the name Hunter.) All of a sudden I came across Sugarlips Cakery. I was immediately draw to the name and decided to give her a call. She delivered Hunter's cake to me and the minute the cake box open, my heart fell to the floor and I was in awe. It was adorable. She still has it on her gallery page today- click her to see it

From that moment on, I have been looking for extra occasions to get cakes through Melodie and Sugarlips Cakery. I get my kids birthday cakes from her every year and if I wasn't married already, she for sure would do my wedding cake!! I highly recommend them to all of my brides. They are very creative, very reasonable and her little shop is to die for. Each time I walk in, I fall in love. The walls and the decor are so nicely done and there is so much to look at.
I went to her shop to take some pictures to show you and also wanted to let her tell you about her business. :)

Here are Melodie's questions:

1. How long have you been in business?

Sugarlips Cakery has been in business for over 3 years now. I have been decorating cakes professionally for 19 years.

2. How/Why did you start your own business?

I dreamed of opening my own cake shop for 12 years before I actually did it! I took my time and learned whatever I could about cake decorating. I worked in several different bakeries over the years. But as a creative person, and a bit of a workaholic, I wanted a shop that was entirely of my own creation.

3. What is a typical schedule for you the day of the event making the cake?

This is a good question…the day of the event, there are actually MANY events for us! A typical Saturday, for instance, we are finishing about 30 specialized custom party cakes, and delivering anywhere from one to eight wedding cakes!
So, on the day a cake is picked-up or delivered, it is normally just in the “finishing” stage of being decorated. We don’t do any baking on Saturdays, unlike bakers who specialize in muffins or donuts or breads. All our cakes are made fresh to order… and they are all baked by the ovenload mid-week. Every cake layer is individually baked, then immediately wrapped and placed in a giant cooler, until it is time to “build” /“fill”, and also crumbcoat. Each goes back into the cooler, until one by one, they are iced in the proper color and type of icing. Finally they each come back out once again, for the finishing work, or decorating. All of this happens throughout the course of our week; that’s Tuesday-Saturday.
Wedding cake deliveries must be choreographed and well-timed, and any little hiccough in the schedule can really snowball! We even check the ADOT website every Saturday morning to avoid freeway closures/delays, as these little inconveniences could mean disaster for us! It can be incredibly stressful.

4. What is your favorite part about the business?

I love the satisfaction of a job well done! I love to be able to create someone’s vision in cake, especially when it turns out even better than the customer expected! I love to hear the hoots and hollers from the lobby when one of my staff members brings out a customer’s fabulous cake! I love to download the all the week’s cake photos from my camera, and view all that finished work, knowing that my sore feet and tired body have accomplished something wonderful.

5. What is your least favorite part about the business?

My least favorite part about the business is the stress involved; even though 99.5% of the time our clients are thrilled, sometimes we make something that doesn’t fit the vision of the person who ordered. Or there is a misunderstanding of some kind. We work so terribly hard to see to it that everyone is happy, however, once in a while something is just not quite right. And it is so hard to make amends; it’s shocking what people will say when they are angry over a cake faux pas. I have certainly learned to be kinder and more understanding as a consumer, through the experience of owning a business!

6. Name something important that you make sure your clients know about you and your business.

We want you to be thrilled with your purchase! We don’t want you to spend more than you are comfortable with. We don’t want you to have to settle, in any way shape or form. We want to help you find a cake size, flavor, and design, within your budget that you will be excited about. And if we can’t do it, we will make our best effort to refer you to someone who can. We care about your occasion, because we know how important it is to you.

7. What is a huge misconception about your industry?

Right now, I think the biggest misconception has to do with all the reality cake shows on tv. We certainly love them, because they raise interest in custom cakes! But many people don’t know that the cakes on these shows run in the thousands, pricewise. (The Ace of Cakes has a $1000 minimum order! And that’s not even the spectacular ones they cover on the show!) I wish they would state what the client paid for each cake. Many people call us for reproductions of what they’ve seen on tv, and are flabbergasted when I quote them a couple hundred dollars. It’s frustrating when people don’t realize that a cake to replicate the Taj Mahal takes more time than a half an hour tv show! (“$500?! But it’s just flour and eggs!”)

8. What makes your business so unique from others?

We make cakes that look way beyond the ordinary! Some are basic, sure, but you can choose most any theme, and we are up to the challenge! We happily welcome the strange and unusual. We have made cakes upon request that look like Speedo swimsuits, internal organs, and midgets being shot out of canons. It just goes to show you can’t get ‘everything’ at Walmart!

9. What do all clients need to be aware of in your industry?

Think ahead! It’s not the best scenario to decide you need the most impressive cake on earth with a few days notice. And if you do require a rush order be prepared to be flexible. And, as always, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar! As in most any industry, be nice! It can go a long way

Sugarlips Cakery

2120 W. Guadalupe Road ~ Suite 12 ~ Mesa, Arizona 85202

480-292-8891

website: www.sugarlipscakery.com

blog: www.sugarlipscakery.blogspot.com

Vendor Spotlight-Meant 2 Be Events

I have started a new series on my blog. I am going to do a monthly spotlight introducing a wonderful vendor to you. A great person who I have worked with in the past, or currently working with. Hopefully it will shed some light on on who the vendor is, let you know a little bit about their business and allow you to get to know the person behind their company.

First up- Regina Osgood from Meant 2 Be Events!!!



When you first meet Regina, you know right away she is one of those people you will never forget. She has a bubbling personality and a contagious laugh. She takes her job really seriously and details of her weddings even more seriously.

Regina is organized, creative, fun, real and honest. She will surely create your dream wedding and exceed your expectations!

I met up with Regina for lunch to ask her a few questions about her business and take some fab shots of her!!!


1. How long have you been in business?



My first wedding was back in 2004 for a city event planner. After that I knew I had to gain the experience to be an independent planner. I started with SKM Entertainment in 2005- assisting with 200+ weddings a year. As clients would come in I would ask a million questions about their catering, décor, and event design, they would ask me to handle the rest of their planning details and Meant2Be Events was created! And after a few years, my clients required more of my time than I could do with SKM and it was time to let M2B grow. I am now enjoying more than 4 years in the business and absolutely love it!

2. How/Why did you start your business?

Wedding/Event Planning allows me to tap into so many of my talents and interests.

3. What is a typical schedule for you the day of the wedding?

This is a tough one for a planner! Each wedding is so different! Last weekend I was turning 75+ apples into candles at a wedding for a chef! In general, always a good breakfast at Crakers or ZUZU Lounge (depending on the locale of the wedding) Pack the last remaining details in the car (including the change of shoes when your feet are aching!) and the IPOD to jam out to on the way there..



4. What is your favorite part about weddings?



The details. Every wedding has some similar events, ceremony, first dance, cake, etc. But what special touches are there that make each and every wedding unique? Creating a new experience for each and every client that is a personal reflection of the client is what I do best! Transforming the ordinary into extraordinary!

5. What is your least favorite part about weddings?

Managing RSVPs. Just won’t do it. You know your guests best. You know their family situations -their dynamic. I can’t make your seating chart- I don’t know who gets along with who!



6. Name something really important that you make sure your clients know about you and your business.

Every bride DESERVES AND CAN AFFORD to have a professionally planned wedding. M2B and many of my colleagues offer packages that can fit every budget. The important point here is that you have an advocate in the industry who is letting you know the ins and the outs of a very complex and competitive industry. Do you know how many times a property has “bumped” a wedding and lost their space? Do you know how many weddings that a DJ just didn’t show up for? How about which gown shop has the reputation for ruining dresses in the fitting process??
A wedding for many, is the 2nd largest investment ( next to a house) and in many ways more valuable for a couple. Just as you find a realtor, find a planner/designer you trust to help you create the memorable experience you are dreaming of!



7. What is a huge misconception about your industry?

Your facility coordinator takes the place of a professional planner. If you know what the difference is, than you know how ridiculous this statement is. The problem is that brides are UNEDUCATED or MISINFORMED. Let me explain.
Many brides are simply UNEDUCATED. They know they have to find a locale before looking at their next steps. And they find a great locale and the salesperson gives them preferred list and now a bride feels that this is the game plan. So where is the problem? Some lists have great people, some have people who might not be the BEST option for the client. A facility coordinator is not there to do research, negotiate contracts, offer alternative creative solutions, or to be there 2am when it hits “I’m getting married!” Won’t hold their hand in the gown shop when the dress is found, or advise on the etiquette necessary in dealing with family. Worse yet the MISINFORMED. There are properties that will suggest that they are a one stop shop or that they will advise them throughout the process and that a planner is unnecessary. What I would hope would be known by a “soon to be”, is that consider who your professional is working for. Does your property manager get paid by you or by a company? Therefore who do they really work for? Whose interests will come first? They are an important part of your team, they manage the facility that your wedding will be taking place at, but in no way take the place of an independent planner.
A GOOD planner will save you money, save your sanity, and create a wedding that will be unforgettable!



8. What marketing ideas/strategies have worked for you?

Relationships! When you own your own business you work 24/7! I want to work with the best, offer my clients the best, and have the BEST time doing it! So, my wonderful relationships with industry professionals has created a beautiful team of talented individuals who both feed my soul and exceed my clients expectations!



9. What makes your business so unique from others?


Still to this date, I have not met another independent event designer/planner that is single. Not to fault those who are married, however, I didn’t not start in this industry because I had so much fun planning my own wedding and now armed with a MODERN BRIDE magazine am ready to plan yours, as is the case with MOST. My first wedding, I was trusted with the creative details for another planner to help create her visions. And she has been singing my praises since then!
Now with hundreds of weddings under my belt, I still get excited about getting to know new “soon to be's” that are anxiously awaiting their big day and can provide them with “out of the box” ideas and creative solutions to make it magic!





Regina's website 480-219-4323Regina's Blog