12/01/2023
🥹Long post ahead- bear with me….
At the age of 13, I started making cakes in my grandparents grocery store. In 2010, I took a scary leap of faith and opened my very own bakery at the age of 19. So for almost 20 years now, I have been making cakes. It has been one of the greatest joys of my life to have the opportunity to be a part of so many people’s celebrations throughout life. Literally tens of thousands of birthday cakes and over a thousand weddings-such a blessing and something that I will treasure forever! The bakery has supported my passions and dreams, as well as sustained our family and children…and for that I am so thankful!🤍
As our family has grown and our children have gotten older and more involved in sports,etc. Phillip and I have prayed about what our future at the bakery looked like- how we would juggle the late nights and looong hours and it has taken several years to find that answer. We’ve looked at so many different avenues, all of which have fallen through and now we know why. But in August, I got an incredible (unexpected) opportunity. I became the interim Minister of Children at First Baptist Louisville, our home church that we love so much. A blessing in disguise is an understatement. These past 4 months have shown me that this is EXACTLY where I’m supposed to be and what God wants me to be doing- being the hands and feet of Christ and serving these children and their families, alongside an amazing team of leaders and teachers at FBC… a true answer to our prayers! He is giving us the “break” we have prayed for, but using us in a different way to do His work and glorify Him daily! 🙌🏼🤍
I have now taken the full-time position as “Minister of Children and Families”. God’s hand has been so evident to me in everything that has taken place and I couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity. It’s humbling (and intimidating at times), but I have complete faith that THIS is where I am supposed to be!
Sooo… where does this leave my journey with Cups -N- Cakes Bakery? Things will definitely look a lot different- I will be cutting my business in half (if not more-that’s scary😬) I will be transitioning to primarily Wedding Cakes from here on out. My weddings are such a huge part of my business- there is just something incredibly special being chosen by a couple to be a part of one of the most important days of their lives as they start their new life together! I usually do around 150 weddings each year. This change will also allow me to focus solely on my weddings, paying more attention to detail in the planning process and being more available for my brides with communication, etc. During “down seasons” when I don’t have as many weddings and maybe some holidays, I plan to still take a few regular orders as I am able. (Time will tell on this and we don’t have all of that figured out yet, honestly🙈. When able, I will post a calendar to Facebook of availability)
While nervous, we as a family, are so excited for this new season in our lives, to have more *quality* time together. Not that this new opportunity will be easier or take any less effort, but it will give us a little bit more “normalcy” as far as hours. To be able to come home from work and cook supper and eat at our kitchen table as a family, instead of grabbing fast food and coming to the bakery to work all night. To be able to come home from school and play outside with the kids, instead of coming to the bakery every day to get orders ready for the next day. To be able to go to ballgames together and sit and enjoy visiting instead of rushing to leave to get back to cakes. To be able to sit on the couch and watch a movie together- which I cannot even tell you the last time we did that! 😔 Don’t get me wrong- I am so so thankful for every single order and for every single customer throughout the years. I’m thankful for the looong hours, all-nighters, and the bags under my eyes because that means I had a thriving business. Y’all have helped shape me into who I am! But it’s time to start putting my precious family FIRST- time is a thief and not something you can get back and my babies are growing up tooo fast!
I know I will have some sad customers to lose their “Hailey Cakes” as they have been named over the years🥰. But I truly hope that you understand my heart behind this decision and will pray for us as we transition into this new season of our lives.
I’m stepping back from the only thing I’ve known for the last 20 years, what I’ve built from the ground up and have poured my heart into… and am putting complete faith in God as HE uses me and my family to further His Kingdom! 🙌🏼🤍
-Hailey Peterson Williams
***Effective immediately- we will not be taking any more orders, except WEDDINGS. Any new couples getting married in 2024/25- send them my way!!🤍
***All birthday/custom cake orders that have already been placed for 2024 will still be honored I promise- don’t worry! 🥰
(For future orders, there are SOO many talented bakers/bakeries in and around Winston County that I am honored to work among. They would love to have your business for birthdays and special occasions as well!)
