Marshmallows and Rice Krispies. Loads and loads of them. On every free surface in my kitchen, the entire countertop and all over my table. Grinning from ear to ear, my kids were having a blast!
Hot and melted, the marshmallows had to be kneaded together with the Rice Krispies to create those extra layers in my cake. But at that moment, I pushed aside the baker in me and stood watching them contentedly, as a mom. That was in March 2019.
Today, almost 2 years later, for some reason, the scene is still crystal clear in my mind. Just like all the other incidents related to the ‘extraordinary cake’ that changed my entire life. Yes, you are about to embark on a behind-the-scenes journey of none other than my life-sized Bridal Dress Cake.
Success is no accident. It is perseverance, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing. This is exactly why I decided on a Bridal dress to be my showpiece at the Cake Talks Oman. I was always obsessed with fashion and design. This love, and my ability to create lace, pearls and fabric made me realize the possibility of producing an ethereal combination to stand out.
But wait, you already know all of these. What you do not know is that I live in a cozy apartment – with 3 kids under the age of 10. My biggest challenge was safeguarding my life-sized cake, in my small home studio. I had to resort to station it on a table, away from the little hands of my busy toddler.
Being the short person I am, how did I work on a 5’4” piece, you ask? By getting on the table along with my cake, of course! To the delight of my kids, I had to work on the details of the dress entirely standing on this table. I remember I could almost touch the ceiling.
The toughest part behind the creation of this dress was choosing the perfect showpiece. I had too many ideas to try out. Although the actual assembling took only 3 weeks, I took around 3 months to do all the research and planning. It was an assignment like no other.
A question I get asked quite often is, how do I manage this being a mom?
I believe that children can be the best of friends. Believe in them, speak to them and reach out to them. My older two have been very supportive, always admiring and sometimes even giving me criticism on my work. They love it when I ask for their opinion. At times when I work, I make them do things with me. From a very young age, I got them involved when I work. I make it a point to make them feel included, to feel important and respected. And so, they respect me by giving me my space.
Also, I am a major night owl. Night times are more effective to me as the kids are in bed. So I generally make use of the night a lot, especially that last one week. I barely had 3 to 4 hours of sleep.
Still, I simply can’t declare that it was just a cakewalk (pun intended). My youngest was then an active toddler. Anything interesting she finds went straight into her mouth- edible or non edible! So there, I’ve also had my fair share of mom disasters.
And then there are days when the mom-guilt hits. Am I doing the right thing? Shouldn’t I be spending more time with them?
Time. My biggest sacrifice in indulging in this project. Time I could have spent with my family. Initially, halting every once in a while, I made time for them. But that one last week was so hectic. So crucial. My sole focus had to be the Dress.
I told myself, “I’m doing it for a reason and one day my kids will be proud of me.”.
Sacrifices in life are necessary for it to get easier sometimes. I do it entirely for them; to keep them happy; to give them what they want.
I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I came from a middle class family. Sacrifices my parents made back then, moulded my siblings and I into who we are today. Atleast I’m not working away from my kids. I’m doing a job I love and still spending some time with them, while I do that. I religiously take small breaks to give them their due attention. My presence is there and I feel lucky about it.
So yes – when that guilt strikes and I miss them so much sometimes, I keep saying that they would some day feel happy and proud of me. And then that tiny voice in my head says, “Push yourself , because no one else is going to do it for you.”
The relaxing aroma of coffee or the comfort of my lush sofa did nothing to the whirlpool in my head. Just across me, looking tall with all it’s grandeur stood my almost completed showpiece on its table. But I felt no satisfaction whatsoever despite reassurances from all at home. Panic attacks had begun. All I could think of was,.
“ This is SO not what I wanted! “ And I had only two more days to go.
Perhaps the stress, the sleepless nights and the fact that I was seeing too much of it too often. When I woke up and when I slept, I saw nothing but lace and pearls.
There were countless times when I backed off. Why couldn’t I have done something smaller? I kept changing my plan – taking off one thing here and adding another there. Adding to my already mounting fears was the cost getting higher. The whole project costed me a phenomenal amount.
I reached out to Satin Ice and got sponsored for fondant I used on the cake. But the rest – the accessories, the gold dust, around 30 large boxes of Rice Krispies and 25 big packs of marshmallows for the structure – was out of my pocket. Not forgetting the couriering charges to Oman and back, photography, videography all added up to a staggering amount.
The love of a family is life’s greatest blessings. For this task, my husband has been with me right from the beginning- from financial doubts to logistics to simply cheering me on, his support was always there. Letting me get into such a time consuming task itself, was a sacrifice on his part. No amount of words could explain the gratitude I have towards him.
Every time I plan a big project, I get someone down from my family to help me out. This time it was my ever-supportive younger sister who has always been there for me. She undoubtedly played a huge role in the making of this Dress.Caring for the kids, giving them the attention they needed, cooking, cleaning and even just being there for me, my sister was a constant helping hand.
And then comes my brother, to whom I owe a lot for all the constructive criticism he gave me. Professionally design oriented, he is not very generous with his praise, though always ready to support me. So, imagine the thrill I felt when he did the rare gesture of giving me a hug at the final photo shoot and saying,
“All the best Reema datha, You have created a beautiful masterpiece! “ Tears of joy sprang to my eyes. It was only then.. that it hit me.. what he said was true! This was one unforgettable, emotional moment for me.
The rest of my family – my mother, being my biggest inspiration, my father, my biggest strength and my younger brother , my biggest cheerleader , who is though physically not with me, but has always backed me with his sudden phone calls full of marketing advise and praise – is indeed my biggest support system.
The photoshoot was the biggest challenge of all. From the onset, I had this impression about how I want my photos to be – in an iconic location.
My ardent love for the Burj Khalifa made me contact numerous hotels in its proximity. But getting approval was complicated. The green light came from Armani Hotel, located inside the Burj Khalifa, but unfortunately had a contrasting ambience to my Bridal Dress. Beautiful venue. Such amazing service. But no, it wasn’t what I had pictured.
So, I was pleasantly surprised when Souq al Bahr (Emaar), immediately gave me the approval. Permits were ready in only two days, and the photoshoot ensued with the Burj in the foreground, just the way I had imagined.
Countless concerns with the transportation came up. Calling up several people, I had to make sure it was transported to Oman safe and sound. The structure was going in one full piece, so I was very nervous about the transportation. The credit goes to my husband who did all the logistics, measuring my main door, the lift , getting the box done and packing it securely. Thereafter, DHL took over and did an amazing job.
I am grateful to Cake Talks Oman for inviting me as a judge, giving me the opportunity to come out with such a piece and laying out the platform for my structure to be actually seen live, rather than simply on social media. The cherry on the cake was when world renowned figures like Alan Dun recognized me for my work.
The harder you work for something, the greater you feel when you achieve it. Although I faced many obstacles, today I have absolutely no regrets about it. My entire career, my persona, my self-esteem changed with my Bridal Dress Cake. All my hard work got paid off, when I got nominated as one of the finalists for the Cake Masters awards (Cake Oscars). With all the amazing international competition in the field, I honestly did not think that would happen. All praise to the Almighty. It was my dream come true.
Success takes time. Stay focused. Be patient. Work hard. And never give up. Remember…If you can dream it, you can do it!
Written by:
Rushda Wazeer