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A local lawyer turned cake maker has stirred Jersey into a mix of some of the industry's most esteemed wedding suppliers.
Samantha Boon was last month crowned Wedding Cake Designer of the Year in the South Central region at the Wedding Industry Awards (TWIA), which recognises excellence in wedding suppliers across the UK.
Pictured: Samantha said she was "shocked" to receive the award.
A former lawyer, Samantha is owner of Samantha's Cake Design, which crafts bespoke wedding cakes for both islanders and also those from outside too.
Samantha told Express she was "shocked" to receive the prize, adding: "You kind of question yourself, 'Was that my name they just called out? It can't be me.'"
She explained she had signed up because she liked the idea the awards were based on submissions from clients rather than just votes from anyone, and then are judged on the percentage of them, making it about the quality of work rather than a 'popularity contest'.
"I'd seen it come up on Facebook, and what I liked about this award rather than perhaps other awards is it's not vote-based. You do have to have a certain number of votes but you get those from your clients," she said.
Pictured: Samantha and the founder of the awards, Damian Bailey.
Her most "nervous" moment was asking clients to do it and contribute towards her submission. But she needn't have worried - they were "absolutely amazing" and sent good luck messages which left her "touched."
The judging process also required her to answer questions about her business and process, looking at the way she worked - a process of self-examination Samantha said has since helped her "grow" and "improve."
Having gone through this process, she was then invited to the awards night.
She recalled speaking to her family on the day she was due to leave to go on her own to Reading: "I don't know why I'm doing it, I'm not going to win, the competition was so high." She quelled these nerves by resolving that: "You know what, I'm in the mix and that's good enough for me at the moment."
So when her name was read out as the second award of the night, it was a "very overwhelming and surreal" moment. having to get up after having just sat down and accept the award, having beaten out some of the top designers from across the UK.
Pictured: One of Samantha's career highlights was Hannah and Chris' wedding.
On the night overall, she said that: "I could not have been welcomed there there was such a strong feeling of solidarity, obviously people there from lots of different areas within the wedding industry, and they were so welcoming and so friendly, and I had a great night."
She felt it was a win for the Jersey industry too, saying it helped her realise how the island is just as good as any UK suppliers - "I think that there's so many talented suppliers here, that we could really be a wedding destination of excellence."
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She now is due to go to the Regional Finals at London's Globe Theatre on 23 February, where she will be competing against the other regional winners from across the nation.
With it being her clients' comments that helped her up on that stage, she reiterated that her favourite part of the process has been "meeting the client and getting to know them and being a part of their journey."
"I think that's why I enjoy it so much - it's such a happy time, I can be really creative," she continued, talking of helping find a couples' "style of the day".
She said it was hard to pick a favourite wedding she had helped with, summing up: "They're all my favourites - every single one of them, I've put my heart and soul into each design and creation."
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