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The Sweet Life Reviews

The Sweet Life

The Sweet Life

Annandale, VA
4.0 out of 5 rating, 19 Reviews
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Reviews

4.0 out of 5 rating
4.0 out of 5 rating
19 Reviews
80% recommend it
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  • Quality of service
    4.3 out of 5 rating
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    3.6 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    4 out of 5 rating
  • Value
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    4 out of 5 rating
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Awards

19
  • B
    Brad Sent on 06/21/2017
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    The folks at the Sweet Life really delivered and our guests are still asking who baked our cake. Ordering our wedding cake was the easiest process, thanks to Norman and his team. We picked our flavors, emailed three images of the cake we envisioned for our wedding and ta-da - it was deliverd and met our expectations and beyond. You won't go wrong with the price, quality, and Norman's team. Delicious and a beautiful cake. Very, very pleased and impressed. Thank you, Norman!
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    Daniel Sent on 10/27/2015
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    Norman Davis is a pleasure to work with at The Sweet Life. He is a busy guy, because he is that good. If you have time and can work with his schedule, he is definitely worth it and more! When you mention his name to those who know The Food Network tv channel, folks' jaws drop that we got to meet him and had our cake made by him. The reviews of the cake by us, the happy couple, and our guests at the wedding were over the top. He personally delivered his cake to the Top of the Town (our venue) in Arlington, Virginia. We very much enjoyed the consultation we had at his amazing/ornate shop that is the first floor of his house and definitely plan on using him again for any future events we have involving a cake.
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    Christina Sent on 01/11/2016
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    I knew since the moment I saw Norm on The Food Network he was the one that was going to make my wedding cake. It was a pleasure to work with him. My cake was absolutely beautiful and tasted AMAZING! Everyone at the wedding and to this day can not stop talking about how great the cake was. THANK YOU NORM!!!
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  • FFBride
    Brittany Sent on 04/09/2010
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    So while watching the food network challenge one day I saw Zane do a cake for a surprise birthday and LOVED IT! I recently got married and decided THAT was the cake my husband and I would have. I was so excited to work with Norm and Zane knowing that their work has always been amazing and tasty! The only neg thing was their secretary or whoever answers their emails. She was rude and very unprofessional... to say the least. After ending communication with her and only speaking with Norm everything went smoothly. The cake we got at our wedding was 100,000 times better than we ever imagined...(not suprised though!) not to mention the BEST cake I have EVER tasted!! We also got my husband a surprise groom's cake that was the talk of the evening! Thank you to Norm and Zane for everything they did to make my cake fabulous!!!
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    Jessica Sent on 06/23/2008
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    Our cake was perfect, tasty AND exactly what we wanted it to look like. I keep trying to think of a reason i need them to make me another specialty cake!
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    Dominique Sent on 03/22/2011
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    Norman from the Sweet Life was great to work with. Yes, he can be a little bit tricky to get ahold of, but I found that he absolutely always gave me a call back if I left a message, so you just have to be patient. The cake that I wanted was pretty simple and he absolutely nailed it. He is a great person to work with and really delivered exactly what I asked for with no fuss and for a great price. He was super funny and personable at our tasting, too, and made us feel right at home.
  • Nik_McAwesomepants
    Nikole Sent on 10/23/2011
    4.6 out of 5 rating
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    The Sweet Life's services came included with my catering package and I'm beyond happy that it did. Norman is a true genius when it comes to cakes. He can seem a little short in emails and may take a day or two to get back to you but it's usually because he's traveling the country sharing his cake awesomeness with the masses. We only had 40 or so guests so we had to pay a couple bucks to get an extra tier but man was that cake beautiful! We got chocolate and almond with buttercream frosting and everyone raved how moist and delicious it was. We brought the top tier and a tray with left over bottom tier cake home the day after the wedding and the sliced cake was still delicious even after sitting in the hotel fridge all night. Norman works out of his home but don't let that fool you, he has a full cake studio in there filled with beautiful examples of his work. Not only would I recommend The Sweet Life but I plan on using this bakery again in the future. Thanks Norman!!
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    Maree Sent on 07/02/2008
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    We first found Norman Davis at a bridal showcase and loved his cakes - they're light, not too sweet, and really moist. We booked him about six months before the wedding and were impressed that his prices were so reasonable (especially considering that he's one of those big Food Network challenge chefs now). We picked the French vanilla cake with raspberry filling and were not disappointed...there were no leftovers at the wedding. Norman also made a surprise Star Trek themed chocolate groom's cake that tasted even better.

    The only reason that Norman didn't get a 5 for everything is that he can be pretty tough to get a hold of. It can be a little unnerving when you're getting everything ready and not hearing from him at all, but he's great if you manage to discuss things with him face-to-face. In any case, he's totally professional and you can trust that he knows what he's doing...I had no idea what the cake was going to look like when he made it and it turned out beautifully. If you want a gorgeous cake that tastes great, I would recommend the Sweet Life.
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    Patricia Sent on 04/15/2007
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    We first encountered Sweet Life at the Bridal Showcase in fall of '06 and loved Norman's cakes from the start! After the Bridal Showcase, it was a matter of trying to remember which cake guy he was out of the ten THOUSAND cake guys we saw at the Patriot Center. When we finally went in for our tasting with Norman, we knew as soon as the first piece hit our mouths... this was our guy.

    Norman's got a great array of pictures of cakes he's done in the past and it seems like he can pretty much do anything! Like our florist, we pretty much just told Norman what our colors and (not too flashy) budget were and told him to work some creative magic for us. Our cake turned out looking really elegant and pretty and I couldn't have dreamed up a better design! Not to mention tasty - I know everyone loved that cake!

    The reason I gave him 3 stars out of 5 for responsiveness is because it was a little difficult getting Norman to write back to my emails or to call me back after I left a message on his voicemail, but I got a hold of him whenever I really needed him. :)

    This guy is worth every penny!
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    Ruth Sent on 03/01/2011
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    I have used The Sweet Life bakery for two of my daughters' weddings and have been delighted each time! Not only did the cakes look amazing, they also tasted great. Norm was charming and easy to work with and I would highly recommend his services for anyone looking for an extra special cake for their wedding day.
  • E
    Emily Sent on 10/20/2009
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    My husband's brother used the Sweet Life for his wedding cake and highly recommened them. Norm was wonderful when it came time for helping us choose the design for the cake. I couldn't be happier with our cake. It was beautiful... and delicious!!!! I would recommend them to all my friends.
  • K
    Katarina Sent on 08/24/2014
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    Norman was great. He worked really well with us. He was a little slow to reply with emails. Other than that, it was good. The cake was absolutely delicious and beautiful. It was perfect. It was delivered on time. He was very clear with how much everything would cost and also what we had to return to him.
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    Laura Sent on 01/19/2009
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    We were referred to The Sweet Life by another cakery we'd contacted who could not make our date. And what a blessing that was! Though we tasted many cakes throughout our planning process -- both at wedding shows and at private bakeries -- there was really no comparison. Norm & Zane (who, incidentally, we've enjoyed watching on The Food Network) are the BEST! We absolutely LOVED the cake -- which was as beautiful (perfectly recreated from a photo I'd provided) as it was delicious. It was so gorgeous, in fact, that we hardly wanted to cut into it...but we're so glad we did! Our guests and we enjoyed three different flavors and fillings to include chocolate with hazelnut, white with fresh strawberry, and red velvet with cream cheese. Mmmmm!!! My only concern with The Sweet Life was with communication. Norm was at times difficult to reach and no "out of office" message (e.g., when out of town and/or on vacation), leaving me a little anxious during the planning process. Still, everything was as promised and I could not have been more pleased with the end result. Thanks, Norm!
  • K
    Katherine Sent on 03/17/2009
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    The cake was delicious! The design, however wasn't exactly what I asked for. My modern asian motif somehow acquired babys breath and big bulky rose buds...not at all what I asked for. I did have trouble getting in touch with Norm during the planning and design process, probably the reason the cake wasn't 100% right. All in all it wasn't so bad, and again it was delicious!
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    R Sent on 09/30/2010
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    Norman was difficult to work with, but the cake was amazing. Many guests told us it was the best wedding cake they had ever tasted.
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    Coelle Sent on 06/29/2010
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    I LOVED our cake that we got from Norman. It tasted fantastic and the details were amazing. He is very difficult to get ahold of and can become quite rude with his online interface. In person is much better.
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    Erica Sent on 09/22/2010
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    Let me start out with saying our cake was delicious! We were referred to The Sweet Life by our reception site, our cake was included in the package! When we arrived at his shop we glanced through the cakes included int he package and decided to upgrade adding fondant, and a sugar flower cake topper. There was a cake in his shop that is a pearl-light gold color, which is exactly what we wanted. We also requested a large mound of roses, hydrangea's, pumpkin and pear all the same color as the cake on the top. We asked for french vanilla on all tiers except one, which would be italian almond. Norman was a little rude about our guests not being able to pick which cake flavor they wanted, when in actuality my mom was the one who wanted the italian almond and did get her piece she requested!

    When I arrived at my reception site and took a quick look at the cake, I noticed several imperfections. Some of the tiers were a little off, the colors was not at all what we wanted, there were a few holes in the fondant and the cake topper was minuscule in comparison to what we'd asked and paid extra for.

    Overall, everyone thought the cake was beautiful, and taste great. It did not ruin my wedding by any means, but it was not what we agreed on or paid extra for.
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    Kamnell Sent on 04/27/2011
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    This was one of the wedding cake vendors that we had considered, but we did not book Norm. His cake tastes good, but his attitude was very unprofessional. When we went in for a cake tasting, he left us sitting there while he chatted on the phone. When we tried to discuss pricing with him since he was much more expensive than other cake vendors, he said he would get back to us, but never did. It was rude not to be upfront and just say "no" if he didn't feel like meeting our prices. Trust me, you don't want to deal with someone like this on your wedding day. Pick a cake vendor that treats you right. We found another much nicer person, with fantastic cakes and much more reasonable pricing!
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    Jessica Sent on 03/27/2012
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    Norman is rude and condescending! No one deserves to be treated the way he treats people. There are tons of talented bakers in NOVA who still manage to be kind, professional people! Do yourself a favor and skip this place!
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