One of the more fun things I'm dreaming up is my cake. My current idea is to do a teapot cake in "sane person" chocolate or yellow with equally tame choc/vanilla frosting. Surrounding the tea pot will be a bunch of mug cupcakes in some more fun flavors: earl grey/lemon cupcakes with vanilla or lemony frosting (not sure); pumpkin spice/chai cupcakes with cinnamon ginger frosting; and jasmine cupcakes with green tea frosting.
I know that it's considered bad luck for the bride to bake the cake, but I'm tempted to do it in order to save money. One of my hobbies is cooking and baking, and I have made cakes that have been raved about......
My chief problem is I have no artistic talent. I can flavor frosting, make ganache, execute an upside down cake, get a red velvet cake that perfect red without being dry or taste like dye, etc. It will function as delicious, but fondant and modeling chocolate are beyond me. Hence the need for the baker -- I can make all the stuff I just described, but I can't make it pretty enough to serve to guests without showing up on Cakewrecks. Many bakers don't do the flavors I listed. Any suggestions other than slipping the baker my recipes (and possibly insulting their skills ><)?