A bride who went viral on social media recently for making her own wedding cake — and who faced criticism from strangers — is not letting unkind comments bring her down.
Lilly Mendoza, of Washington, D.C., married her husband, Dennis Mendoza, an active-duty service member, in Altamonte Springs, Florida, on May 14.
Hours before she said, “I do,” Mendoza assembled and decorated her five-tier wedding cake.
It featured swirling white and blue icing, gold flecks, a cascading vine of blue flowers that ends with a small grouping of white blooms and accent leaves at the base.
Lilly Mendoza (left), put the finishing touches on her wedding cake (right) on May 14, 2023. A video snippet that shows her working on the cake on her wedding day has gone viral on Instagram and TikTok — with over 16 million views. (Daniella Koontz/Complete Weddings + Events Orlando)
Mendoza, who is also a U.S. Air Force veteran, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in April with a bachelor’s degree in applied food studies and a focus on baking and pastry.
“This was the first wedding cake I have made and served,” she said. “It was such an amazing experience.”
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Making her own wedding cake not only offered Mendoza a chance to save money — it provided her with a chance to showcase her newly acquired pastry skills.
Lilly Mendoza, a recent culinary graduate who specialized in baking and pastry arts, decided to make her own wedding cake a month after her graduation. The five-tier cake incorporated her wedding colors and had a cascading floral vine. (Daniella Koontz/Complete Weddings + Events Orlando)
Daniella Koontz from Complete Weddings Orlando, Mendoza’s photographer, recorded and uploaded a snippet of Mendoza’s cake-making process to Instagram on May 15.
“POV: You’re a pastry chef, so you make your own wedding cake,” she captioned the clip — which has received more than 7.8 million views, 815,500 likes and 2,050 comments.
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Mendoza’s wedding hair stylist, Adrianna Thomas, also shared the clip to her TikTok account on May 20. There, it received over 8.4 million views, 593,800 likes, 12,500 saves and 1,800 comments.
“We were on our honeymoon when the video went viral,” Mendoza told Fox News Digital.
“We had no idea. We were on a cruise, and we didn’t pay for the internet package, so I found out when we stopped at a port and had cell phone service again.”
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Lilly Mendoza, a bride from Washington, D.C., who made her wedding cake in Altamonte Springs, Florida, told Fox News Digital that her guests were able to see all the details that she put into her cake when they got close to the reception dessert. (Daniella Koontz/Complete Weddings + Events Orlando)
Commenters who supported Mendoza’s choice to make her own wedding cake argued that the only opinions that should matter are the bride’s and groom’s.
“What better way to celebrate your union than with food made by your own hand,” one Instagram user wrote.
Mendoza told Fox News Digital that some commenters accused her of making her own wedding cake to “become famous” — but that was never her intention.
The top tier of Lilly and Dennis Mendoza’s wedding cake features swirled white icing, gold splatter, a cascading vine of blue flowers and a gold cake topper with their shared married name. (Daniella Koontz/Complete Weddings + Events Orlando)
To Mendoza’s knowledge, her 125 wedding guests enjoyed the vanilla cake she made, which had a caramel extract icing with simple syrup for moisture.
Mendoza noted that she baked the four tiers of her cake in advance — and froze them until they were ready for detailing and decoration.
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Lilly and Dennis Mendoza’s white, blue and gold wedding cake fit the color palette of their wedding theme. (Daniella Koontz/Complete Weddings + Events Orlando)
Mendoza’s sister, brother and sister-in-law delivered the cake to her venue — and it was set up in an air-conditioned room until it was ready to serve.
“My husband and I saved a slice of cake and froze it instead of taking the entire top tier,” Mendoza said.
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In light of all the viral discussion about her wedding cake, Mendoza has launched a social media account – LilDozaBakes – on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
There, she can address the frequently asked questions about how she pulled it off.