ABOUT CLAIRE OWEN CAKES
“Designing wedding cakes is really the combination of my two passions – the inspiring creativity of art and design, and the soothing nostalgia of baking”.
Meet The Designer
I’ve always felt at home in the kitchen, and come from a family of enthusiastic bakers and eaters of treats! As a child, I remember the house always being filled with the smell of something warm, buttery and sweet in the oven, and for me that’s a sure-fire way to make a house a home.
I studied sculpture at art school – fascinated by the beauty and self-expression of three-dimensional art. After graduating, I spent ten years working with some of the UK’s most acclaimed artists, curating public installations. Being so immersed in the art world has definitely influenced my cake design style, and I love to draw on techniques and styles I admire from famous artists, sculptors and architects in my work.
Claire Owen Cakes was born in 2011, and it allows me to indulge in all of the things I love: making art with a purpose, playing a part in meaningful celebrations, and keeping the oven in my kitchen sending scents of vanilla, chocolate, butter and spice up to the rafters of the old Victorian School in Billingshurst, West Sussex where I live and work.
We moved to the old school house in 2019, and have been slowly renovating it to make this big, rambling dream home ours. I make all of my cakes from the kitchen here, and am excited to be able to welcome you for design consultations as part of my cake experience.
My Approach
Planning, designing and tasting for your wedding cake should be one of the most fun bits of the wedding planning adventure, and it’s my goal to keep things as simple and stress-free as possible for you. I’m something of a relaxed rule breaker, and don’t believe in tradition for tradition’s sake. I also love a challenge, and find quirky or unusual commissions to be the ones that light me up the most. You can find out more about the cake design experience here, but I promise every one of my couples out of the box ideas and artful, original design without unnecessary fuss and faff. I pride myself on my intuition, and I love being able to translate a splurge of ideas and inspirations into a cohesive, visual sketch for you. Watching my couples’ faces light up as they start to see their cake design come to life is one of my favourite parts of the process.
So, if you’re ready to start planning your own exquisitely bespoke wedding cake, get in touch and let’s have a chat. I can’t wait to hear about your wedding day.
Claire x
A few of my many loves…
〰️ Camping in all weathers with my husband and children
〰️ Rummaging in junk shops and charity shops for hidden treasures
〰️ Crafting – I love turning my hand to all sorts of new skills
〰️ Waking up to a surprise snowfall
〰️ Getting lost in art galleries
〰️ Singing around the piano
〰️ The sort of trees that take your breath away
〰️ Deep blue dusks and twinkling lights
〰️ The satisfaction of a job well done.
Kind words
More than we could have expected!
Where to even start. Designing my wedding cake with Claire was an absolute joy. Having started with very few ideas beyond something traditional with a twist, Claire really helped to draw out from me and my fiancé exactly what would complement our day. She gave advice on how large our cake needed to be (as we were serving it for pudding) as well as tips on what cake stand would work well!
The cake tasting itself was swift, and we were able to do so during the winter lockdown with samples sent perfectly in the post. Exquisite flavours and flexibility to really personalise too.
We settled on gin, lime and tonic and a pistachio and rose water – it really stood apart from other wedding cakes and guests commented on how delicious it was!
On the day, the cake really took my breath away (as cliché as that sounds) and made our day so special. Beautiful sugar paste flowers, watercolour detailing, and gold leaf all came together to make a perfect classic cake with a twist. Well worth the money spent and Claire was professional, kind and supportive throughout. A great supplier!
Katie L
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