Purple Wedding Congratulations Cake

This is the cake I made for a pre-wedding celebration party for my cousin and his fiancée. Therefore it is not a wedding cake, but simply a celebration cake, like I have made before. I used my large round pan, and a double recipe of my signature chocolate cake. I covered it with my signature vanilla buttercream, then I got to decorating. I used a light purple because that is the bride's favorite color. I also used my new larger eighteen-inch piping bag with a large open-star tip for the two borders. I did a shell border around the bottom edge, and a sort of flower or star border around the top edge. I used a larger open round tip to do the lettering, so it would take up more space and be the focus of the cake. I did the lettering free-hand. I added a double heart below that with the year 2014, as that is the year during which the wedding will take place. I used my new multi-opening star tip to add two small designs on the bottom of either side of the cake, but this could be done with a plain open star tip as well. Finally, I added three pansies on top and one on the bottom, as well as a little green for the centers and leaves. I found the larger-sized piping bag easier and more efficient to use for a larger-sized cake like this one, and it makes the borders larger and more attractive as well.