Meet Natalie Bryn | Luxury Wedding Cake Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalie Bryn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalie, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
There are so many small decisions day to day, week to week and year to year that, when put together, lead to great outcomes! Even small steps, done consistently in the same direction over time lead to places you never thought you’d be. I’d have a hard time pinpointing any one thing. If there is anything I’ve noticed in our “throw away” “140 characters only culture, however, it would be that we’ve lost our passion for excellence. We lean toward the “go big or go home” mentality. The “Boss Babe” culture. The “Influencer/look at me” culture. We aim to build it bigger, better, faster! We don’t think deeply about the small, the quiet, the slow, the intricate, and the unseen. We don’t consider the “why”, we just go full force after the outcome and focus very little on what it takes to master the process. Do we even consider why the process is there in the first place? What was it meant to do? My advice to new decorators in the space is often to embrace the slow and steady. Embrace what it means to build. I am now where I only dreamed I could be years ago, but if I’d have gotten this level of success when I asked for it, it would have crushed me. I had to learn quietly, in obscurity, unseen by most, to get here. So embrace the small, consistent, unseen, seemingly insignificant parts of the process. It’s what leads to success in the end. And not just success, but success that you’re ready and able to step into and sustain.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think I’m most proud of how I started. I was older when I started Cake Envy. It was never on my radar that I could make a living doing this. I started out as a single mom just wanting to make birthday cakes for my kids. I was always “artsy” so I wasn’t intimidated by trying something new.

I started making kiddie cakes and progressed into basically anything: baby showers, birthdays, bridal showers and eventually wedding cakes. It began as a hobby, then I started making a little extra side cash working in the evening. I was laid off from my “real job” in January of 2011 but had been doing cakes on the side for about 4 years at that point, so I collected my unemployment for 15 months and hustled my booty off.

Going to venues, taking samples, meeting other vendors, participating in open houses, etc. By the time my unemployment ran out, I was booking weddings regularly and on the preferred provider list for about 10 venues! It’s grown from there every year! When I joined Instagram, that was the next catalyst, in that it introduced me to sooooo many other vendors, got me involved in styled shoots, and got my name out to a whole new audience who were searching for inspiration!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’d go to the North Georgia Mountains! Dahlonega, Blue Ridge, the lakes, Helen, Apple Orchards, antique shops, farmers markets, wineries!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would have to shout out Diane Toth from DTE Event Planning! She first accepted me as her wedding cake provider when she ran Windemere Golf Club, and took me with her as her provider as she leveled up around Atlanta to her new positions and new golf clubs. She believed in me and is the reason that my name began to be seen and known! I don’t know what she’s doing now, but maybe she’ll read this and know that I still say her name every time someone asks me how I got here!

Website: www.cakeenvyonline.com

Instagram: @cake_envy_ga

Image Credits
The Snell Weddings, Laura Watson Photography, Shauna Veasy Photography, Harwell Photography