MIDDLEBURY — When it comes to weddings, there are numerous details that make up a couple’s big day — the venue, the music, the guest list and, of course, the dessert.

Middlebury baker Nikki Bowdish has spent the past several years helping make newlyweds’ special day all the more memorable, whipping up cakes, cookies and other confections for weddings around Addison County and beyond.

Bowdish runs Thistle & Honey Baking, a Middlebury home bakery that specializes in handmade desserts and wedding cakes. From strawberry cakes to macaroons, she strives to provide couples with the perfect treats to celebrate their nuptials.

“I would say my favorite part (of making wedding desserts) isn’t even the baking, it’s just communicating with the couples and getting to be a small part of their day,” Bowdish said during a recent interview.

Bowdish launched her home bakery in the fall of 2019 and began pursuing the business full-time at the start of the pandemic. She’d previously worked as a baker at the former Carol’s Hungry Mind Café in Middlebury, as well as large production bakeries and a couple of businesses in Burlington.

“I’ve always baked on the side for friends and family. I made both of my brothers’ wedding cakes,” she added. “So, I’ve always been baking.”

Thistle & Honey offers all sorts of baked goods, from cakes to cookies to treat boxes for students at Middlebury College. Bowdish said about half of her work at Thistle & Honey consists of making desserts for weddings, largely during the May-through-October wedding season.

When she launched her business, Bowdish connected with couples through listings on wedding planning sites like The Knot and WeddingWire. Now, a lot of those introductions come through referrals from photographers, planners and other wedding vendors who recommend Bowdish to couples.

FROM IDEA TO ‘I DO’

When a couple finds its way to Thistle & Honey, Bowdish first has them fill out a wedding inquiry form that provides a basic idea of what they’re looking for, such as a particular dessert idea, style or color palette.

Sometimes couples come to Bowdish knowing exactly what they want, which has largely been the case this year, she said.

“I would say 90% of the couples I worked with in the 2024 wedding season knew exactly what they were looking for and they had multiple reference photos and wanted me to do something similar,” she said.

Bowdish tries to gather as much information from that initial contact as possible and then works with couples to get on the same page about their ideas, provide a tasting box to sample cakes or other desserts, and eventually iron out all the details.

“We don’t get into the real nitty gritty until it’s close to the wedding when they have a final guest count, but I would say along the way I try to be very communicative with my couples because I know how important the day is,” she said.

The timeline for how long Bowdish works with a couple varies depending on how far out their wedding is, though she said most couples book with her and start the process about nine months to a year before saying “I do.” A key part of the communication between Bowdish and couples takes place in the final month or two leading up to the wedding.

“I like to have all the details finalized a month prior to the wedding,” she said. “Sometimes you’ll get a straggling RSVP late in the game, but I try to account for that in terms of quantities.”

The actual baking process takes about four days, Bowdish said. Weddings often fall on a Saturday, so typically Bowdish makes the fillings for desserts on Wednesdays, bakes on Thursdays, decorates on Fridays and then delivers the desserts and sets them up at the venue on Saturday.

The baker aims to source her ingredients as locally as possible, using honey and maple syrup from Addison County producers and stocking up on local fruit when it’s in season and flash freezing it to use later on.

Bowdish offers both wedding cakes and dessert grazes, which are spreads of various goodies that can range from macaroons and hand pies to cupcakes, cookies and bars.

“Those have a similar (baking) timeline, but some of the stuff lends well to being made ahead of time because you can freeze a lot of things,” Bowdish explained.

Some of her favorite wedding creations over the years have includes a German chocolate cake for a couple getting married in Addison.

“The cake was my favorite because they’re the only couple in four wedding seasons who opted for a 100% chocolate cake,” Bowdish recalled. “I’ve had other couples get chocolate cakes, but this one had chocolate on the inside, chocolate on the outside and it had these huge, gorgeous florals from (South Burlington florist) Clayton Floral.”

Other memorable orders included Bowdish’s biggest cake, a four-tier cake for a wedding at Brandon’s Lilac Inn, and a cutting cake for an elopement at the Swift House Inn in Middlebury this past fall.

“All (the couple) knew they wanted was color, texture, for it to be unique, and the flower in their boutonnieres to be featured,” Bowdish said. “I topped it with some local apple cider doughnuts and the trout lily that was their flower. It was such a sweet cake.”

THE BEST PART

Whatever kind of dessert she’s working on, Bowdish said she loves getting to see all the pieces come together on the big day.

“I’m such a romantic at heart, and my favorite part is when I get to deliver the cake and set it up and see the culmination of months of hard work on everyone’s account,” she said.

She acknowledged that putting together the final product has involved some trial and error through the years, particularly when it comes to delivering the desserts. Bowdish recalled one particularly nerve-wracking delivery, which required transporting a cake to a wedding via the winding Route 125.

“The cake was a three-tier and I had it stacked, so it’s got the support rods in it and theoretically it’s sturdy, but there was a hairpin turn I had to take, and the cake tipped over,” she said.

Bowdish was able to quickly return the cake to pristine condition, but delivering desserts long distances remains the part of the job she finds the most challenging.

“The plus of that is you arrive at the most gorgeous venues and get to see the beauty of it,” she said.

Bowdish has worked with couples all around Addison County and in other parts of the state. She tries to stay as local as possible when it comes to the venues she’s delivering to, including Tourterelle in New Haven, An Affair by the Lake in Addison, and the Bixby Free Memorial Library in Vergennes.

Bowdish works with various other wedding vendors based in the Burlington area as well as some local vendors, such as Crooked Ladle Catering in Middlebury.

Some couples she works with are local residents, but more often they come from out of state to get married in this beautiful area.

“I’ve had maybe five couples this year who are local in Addison County or Vermont in general and are getting married in Addison County; everyone else is from all over the place,” she said. “I’ve had a Florida bride, a New York couple, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas, California, and a British couple.”

Bowdish loves getting to work with couples on their wedding desserts, and she tries to make it so most every couple can find something for their special day at Thistle & Honey.

She offers both a budget-friendly and luxury package for wedding treats. The budget-friendly package ranges from $200-$500 for cake and/or a dessert graze. For that package, the venue must be located in Addison County and delivery is free.

The luxury package ranges from $700-$1,500 and is a good fit for couples who might want more custom, specialty flavors, more intricate designs, or a larger dessert spread. For example, Bowdish noted one order in that higher price range consisted of a spread with 17 different desserts.

Those interested in learning more about Bowdish’s offerings can visit her website here.