Who’s going to make your cake?
So you're in the market for a wedding cake? Right then, who is going to make it for you? Is it a member of your family, a friend or maybe you need a professional cake designer? I would absolutely recommend that you don't make it yourself unless of course you're a pro but hey, you wouldn't be here if you were would you?
Take it from me, you don't need the stress of decorating your cake the day before your wedding, wrestling with fondant that keeps tearing, sweating and bubbling and then finding out that you don't have any dowels to stop it from looking like the leaning tower of Pizza. Oh and add on the stress of the delivery as well.
No, no, no, you need to be relaxing, sipping something fizzy, getting pampered and enjoying your last day as a Miss/Mr without all this stress.
Choosing a cake maker
You'll probably have a style in mind for what you'd like your cake to look like. It might be modern, rustic, elegant, timeless, naked or semi-naked to name a few. If you don't have any idea at all, that doesn't matter. We are here to help!
Cake designers tend to have their own style, mine is elegant and modern and my speciality is making realistic looking sugar flowers. Have a look at my gallery to see what I mean. I like to meet my couples if I can to find out exactly what they want their cake to look like. I will then draw up their ideas so they can visualise it. I also love it when couples come to me with their own ideas.
Take a look at different cake designers Facebook and Instagram pages to get some inspiration.
How much cake do we need?
Rather than telling your cake designer you want a 4 tier cake, its better to tell them how many guests you're having so that way they can work out the size of cake you'll need. Obviously the more people you want to give cake to, the more the cake is going to cost.
If you're having a small wedding but have your heart set on a 4 tier cake that's no problem at all. Cake designers use polystyrene cake dummies covered in fondant to add height to the real cakes so go as high as you like.
Maybe you'd like to have your wedding cake as your pudding? That's what I did for my wedding (sorry, our wedding). The portion sizes will need to be a dessert portion though so again this will put the cost of your cake up.
What's it going to cost?
It's a good to have an idea of what you'd like to spend on your cake so don't be afraid to tell your cake designer. This isn't so they can price it as high as they can, it's so they know if they can make something for that amount and if they can't then they can come up with some ideas that fit to your budget.
The more elaborate the cake, the higher the cost is going to be. Some cake designers have a price guide on their website to give an idea of cost.
What's your flavour? Tell me what's your flavour oooo OK so Craig David I am not! After the decoration this is the next best bit in my opinion. I love cake and I love it when you love cake too. Check out my flavours and see what takes your fancy. The most requested cakes are sponges, I get very few requests for fruit cakes but I'm happy to make them if Great Grandma would like some. I offer a cake sample box for £20 or it's free if you've already booked your cake with me. You get 5 flavours of cake and two portions of each flavour to take away and enjoy with your other half or to scoff by yourself (hey, there's no judging here).
Delivery and set up I don't think I know of any wedding cake designers who don't deliver and set up the wedding cake for the client. We are quite possessive of our creations and don't want anyone handling our masterpieces especially when you've paid a lot of money for them. Make sure you check with your cake designer that they will deliver and set it up. Also check where your venue usually puts the cake. It's a big expense so you're going to want to show it off in the best light. Bear in mind that a marquee on a hot sunny day for a buttercream cake isn't going to work out well. That's also goes for putting your cake in a conservatory window! Cake stands Most venues have a cake stand but it's never particularly pretty. It's usually one of those terrible plastic silver ones that has bits of the silver missing or its been covered over with the table cloth that looks all bunched up around it. Some cake designers hire out their own cake stands or you can buy your own. My personal favourite is a Mosser milk glass stand however, they aren't cheap. You can buy cake stands from Dunelm, Amazon, Etsy etc but do bear in mind that your cake is going to be heavy so you will need a stand that can take the weight.
How are we going to cut the cake?
Again, most venues provide you with a cutting knife or in some places it's a sword, but please remember to check with them. You don't want your cutting the cake shot with you holding a bread knife!
I hope you've enjoyed reading this and it's answered some of your questions. If you'd like to speak to me about your wedding cake then please get in touch and I will get back to you within 24 hours.