STANDS IN DEMAND: “A beautiful cake needs a beautiful stand to display it. The cake is showcased and enhanced by the stand.” Beth Carnevale, founder of Cake It Up, LLC, is shown by a grouping of her custom couture cake stands.

“Everyone is saying this is such a great idea, and thank goodness it’s here!”

Beth Carnevale, founder of Cake It Up, LLC, is delighted by the response to her new custom couture cake stand business.

“It all started with my daughter Nicolina’s wedding last August,” she explains. “I have always been very visual and have enjoyed decorating since I was a girl. For the wedding, we coordinated everything, and it was custom throughout — from table numbers and place cards for the reception to flowers to monograms for the ring bearer pillow.

“Then, I realized that there was no really nice cake stand for the wedding cake. It was a beautiful cake, and should be really beautifully displayed. I asked my husband Nick (Princeton architect Nicholas Carnevale) to build a box, and I bought couture ribbon and bridal satin, which I cut and ironed, to cover it. The box was made to architect’s specifications, and was very strong and solid. Everyone was so impressed with it — it blended beautifully with the cake.”

Creative Vision

Clearly, an idea whose time had come!

Ms. Carnevale’s creative vision and innovation has launched a new career for her. After the wedding, requests came in for boxes — one is displayed in the Chez Alice window in Palmer Square and another in Cramer’s Bakery in Yardley, Pa. — and she decided to explore this uncharted territory.

“I told Nick that I had to do this, and he has been very supportive. I launched it in FaceBook in January, and now have a website. We have already had responses from around the world, including Belgium and Italy, as well as close to home. I think this is really filling a need. The presentation of the cake is so important, and I don’t know of anyone else doing custom cake stands here.

“My design consultant, Laura Bair, is my right hand, and we are very busy going to bridal shows and other events. In fact, I am so busy, I am looking for an intern to help out!”

The boxes, which can become keepsakes, vary in size and style, with most, typically 18 inches by 18 inches. They are covered with different fabrics, such as satin, raw silk, moiré, and basket-weave cotton/linen. Grosgrain ribbon, rosettes, bows, and jewelry, especially brooches, are all used for trim and accent. All the high quality materials can be monogrammed, including the exquisite embroidery, for further customizing.

“Gray and taupe are very popular colors for weddings now, and also blush and ivory,” points out Ms. Carnevale. “We can do whatever color the bride wants. I always ask if she has a special theme, and then, we can carry that theme and style through with the cake stand.”

Elegant Bow

She has a series of sample stands available for customers to view in her studio and on FaceBook and her website. They vary considerably in style, including the sophisticated black and white “High Society”; the signature “Aisle Collection” in ivory moiré or bridal blush with rosettes; “Sweetheart” in pale pink with rhinestone heart accent; and “Chanelesque” in ivory with creamy ribbon and elegant bow, among many other choices.

Ms. Carnevale points out that the cake stands are not limited to wedding cakes. “They are very versatile, and can be for special anniversaries, birthdays, showers, bar/bat mitzvahs, graduations, Mother’s Day, etc. The stands can also become keepsake and memory boxes, and I have made presentation boxes for the place cards and table numbers at wedding receptions.”

Another example of her design skill includes a series of charmingly customized wedding ring/cake plate keepsakes, which she does in collaboration with ceramic artist Nancy Pirone-Tamasi.

“Icing It Up”

In addition to the variety of brooches and other jewelry used as trim for the boxes, Ms. Carnevale is offering “Icing It Up”, a line of jewelry, including bracelets, pins, earrings, necklaces, and accessories. She has also designed her own collection of one-of-a-kind large simulated gemstone and rhinestone rings, very reasonably priced at $25.

Cake stands begin at $125 for a 12-inch by 12-inch model, and Ms. Carnevale suggests three weeks notice for a custom design. A 10 percent discount is available for stands already in stock. A large bridal satin box, encrusted with rhinestones, is available to rent.

“This is such a happy thing,” she says, with a smile. “I love working with the brides, and it’s another way for them to express their own style. I feel I have taken everything I have done in my life, including so much of the design sense I’ve gotten from Nick, and it has all come together.

“It has really all come out of love. My daughter Nicolina was the inspiration, and now, it is my passion!”

Ms. Carnevale is available by appointment. (609) 216-7677. Website:www.cakeit
upstands.com.