So, you want to see some behind the scenes
from the wedding?
Of course you do. Alrighty then. I debated how to share all the photos and moments from the wedding — what to show, how to show it, and whether anyone would stick around. In the end I decided to simply break it down and share the sweetest part: the cupcakes. If you enjoy this, there will be a follow-up post about the candy bar.
When my daughter and I began planning the wedding, we thought cupcakes would be a fun, fitting dessert for a youthful beach-town celebration. Cupcakes and a candy bar weren’t original ideas, but they were big hits. We borrowed many ideas from wedding blogs and magazines during the planning process; those resources were invaluable for inspiration.
We visited local bakeries and sampled many options. Truth be told, sampling added a few pounds, but it helped us decide. At over $3 each for bakery cupcakes, we started to wonder: how hard could it be to make our own? Only in our family would that even be a question.
Baking 200 cupcakes on an over-100-degree day was a challenge. The baking itself was manageable, but transporting them intact was the real issue. We baked most in Portland, drove to Gearhart to frost them, then took them to the beach house where the reception was held. The logistics of a destination wedding added extra complexity, and we were also learning how to use pastry tools for the first time.
Yes, she knows Red Bull is not healthy — she regrets this picture lol.
The advantages of making our own cupcakes were clear:
- They were more affordable than the bakery options.
- We could match frosting colors and decorations to the wedding palette.
- It created lasting memories — frosting in our hair and laughter in the kitchen.
And honestly, our cupcakes tasted better than many we had sampled. We made three varieties: chocolate brownie cupcakes with mint-green accents, white cupcakes with pink frosting and white pearls, and white cupcakes with white frosting topped with pink pearls.
The chocolate brownie cupcakes, finished with chocolate curls and mint-green bark, were especially delicious. To save time we used a Ghirardelli brownie mix as the base — yes, a mix — and it produced a rich, satisfying result. Using a boxed mix may not be traditional, but for us it was practical and perfectly acceptable.
The white cupcakes were made from a bakery-style white cake recipe we found online. My daughter learned to use a frosting tube to create the swirls; they weren’t perfect, but lined up together on trays they looked charming and cohesive.
We mixed and frosted many of the cupcakes at a friend’s beach house in Gearhart, where she generously hosted part of the wedding party. While working in her kitchen we heard a knock — it was a real estate appraiser who wanted to photograph the kitchen. It was a little embarrassing, since flour and supplies were everywhere, but we made the most of the space and got everything done.
While we were preparing cupcakes, we also assembled breakfasts and lunches for the wedding party. A large farm table was a lifesaver for organizing food and care packages — I forgot to photograph the bridesmaids’ care packages, which were spring-green takeout boxes and looked adorable.
Once the cupcakes were frosted we faced the challenge of transporting 200 unstacked cupcakes for a half-hour drive to the beach house, along with suitcases, a wedding dress, a karaoke machine and other essentials packed into a minivan. It was hectic, but we managed.
Was it worth it? Absolutely. The memories we made frosting, laughing, and working together are priceless.
Stay tuned for the follow-up post about the wedding candy display — one of my favorite decorative elements from the reception.
If you’re new here and want to know who the wedding was for or see more about the beach house and the countdown to the wedding, search the site for the related posts mentioned in the original series.