Planning a wedding can almost feel like a full time job. Wondering where to start, who to book first, how do you even know if that person is going to be the right “fit” can sometimes be tricky, after all you have probably never done anything like this before. You want to make sure you have the best possible team working with you creating the day you invisage.
Making the big decisions for your wedding has been described to me on many an occasion as “overwhelming” and “ I thought the cake would be the easy bit”. With so much choice out there, where do you even begin?
Below are five top tips to try and help settle those emotions when it comes to choosing who you will decide to bake your wedding cake.
1) How do you find a good cake maker ?
The internet and social media are a great way of finding suppliers. You immediately get to see their work and get a feel of the style of cakes they offer. Many will have websites which are excellent to gain a more indepth look into what the booking process is, give an initial indication to pricing and also what flavour options are available. So, if you had your heart set on a particular flavour you will be able to see immediately if this is something your potential cake maker offers.
Recommendations from friends and family are also really helpful as are testimonials that are available to see on social media platforms and websites. It is amazing how much information you will get just from these platforms. Wedding Exhibitions are also a good way to meet potential suppliers face to face and ask any questions you may have.
2) Style
Cake design really has transformed over the years, there are many cake styles available to choose from naked, semi naked, fondant, novelty, carved or half and half designs can all be chosen as wedding cakes. It is very rare, that you will find a cake maker that specialises in offering all of these options for you to choose from. Most cake makers to prefer to work with either fondant or buttercream so think about the location of your wedding and the venue you have chosen in helping to decide which one would suit your day. For example a barn wedding with a rustic feel would suit a semi naked buttercream cake as opposed to a luxury country house where a fondant cake would perhaps be more suited. The overall aesthetic of your Wedding day also has to be considered when thinking about design, modern, contemporary, abstract, sugar flowers these decisions will all help you to decide what cake maker you will be suited too.
3) Consultations
Consultations are an absolute must when it comes to designing your wedding cake. It’s important that you get a chance to speak to your cake designer either by meeting in person or having an online talk. This is your time to tell your cake maker all about your day. Come prepared and bring everything wedding related. It’s great to see everything in person especially if you are looking to colour match aspects of the wedding such as bridesmaids dresses or invitation design. Be prepared to leave a small piece of fabric with your cake maker so when it comes to making your cake they have a visual reference. A good cake maker will ask lots and lots of questions to get a feel for your day. They will take the time to find out what you would like to incorporate, any do’s or don’ts that you may have and come up with a design that’s been made just for you.
4) Budget
It’s great to have an initial and realistic budget in mind when you are planning your Wedding Cake. Most cake makers are really upfront on pricing. You can normally see a price guide section on their websites with a range of prices from most requested cake sizes. Cakes really aren’t cheap to make and involve many hours of care, attention and skill to create the dream cake just for you. Your cake maker will ask you for a budget for them to work within. This isn’t so they can work to the maximum limit it’s so they can come up with some different design options for you and also for them to advise if the vision you have is possible within the budget you have.
5) Get In Touch
You’ve seen someone you think might be the one …….. but you’re not sure and you have some questions for them ? Go for it …….Send them a message giving them as much information as you can. Ideally you would be looking to book your wedding cake as soon as you have your date and venue confirmed as most key dates April – September are always the first to go. It’s normal for a cake maker to be taking booking 12 -24 months in advance so get in early and check your date ! If the person you have contacted isn’t able to help because of perhaps your budget or the style is not theirs then I will guarantee you they will be able to recommend someone else. We all know each other and are always happy to refer people to someone we know may be better suited for you to work with. It’s important to note that you don’t need to know an exact design to book in with a cake maker but it is important you have an initial feel for the potential style and finish you would like.
