How to choose your cake designer.

Before you start meeting with wedding cake makers and asking them questions, it is essential to perform your due diligence. Research potential cake designers, check out their websites, read their reviews, and ask family or friends for recommendations. Once you have shortlisted some cake makers that catch your eye, it’s time to schedule consultations with them.

As you plan your special day, there is no doubt that the wedding cake is one of the most significant aspects of your celebration. The wedding cake is not just something that is meant to be eaten; it is the centrepiece of your reception, the symbol of your love, and the ultimate dessert that your guests are looking forward to.

When it comes to choosing your wedding cake maker, it is essential to ask the right questions to ensure that you choose the perfect cake for your special day. In this blog post, we will discuss the best questions to ask your wedding cake maker to help you make your decision easier.

1. Experience and Inspiration One of the most crucial factors in choosing your wedding cake maker is their experience. Ask them how long they have been in the wedding industry, where they gained their expertise, and what they specialise in. You can also ask them what inspires their designs and if they can provide a portfolio of their past work.

2. Pricing and Payments It is essential to determine the costs involved in your wedding cake. Ask the cake maker if there is a minimum order requirement, what their pricing includes, and aspects such as payment method and deposits, and what their pricing includes.

3. Cake Design and Options You want to make sure that your wedding cake reflects your style, taste, and preferences. Discuss with your cake maker if they can create custom cake designs based on specific themes or preferences. Additionally, you should ask about what flavours and fillings they offer and if they can provide gluten-free, vegan, or other dietary choices. You may like the look of some designs you have seen and it’s always worth showing them to give your intended maker the style you’re after, but don’t ask them to reproduce exactly as you see – no two cakes are ever the same and isn’t it worth having something unique to you rather than some-one else’s design?

4. Delivery & Set-up It is vital to know how the cake will be delivered and set up at your reception venue. Ask if they provide delivery and set-up services, if there is an additional cost for delivery, and what the process is for transporting and setting up the cake at the venue.

5. Timing and Availability It is crucial to ensure that the cake maker is available on your wedding day and that they have sufficient time to create your dream cake. Ask if they have the availability for the wedding date, how many cakes they schedule on the same day, and what their policy is for last-minute changes or cancellations. Don’t wait to book a consultation. Most will secure your date on consultation then you will be assure of their availability.Leaving it too late will result in huge disappointment and stress.

6. Contract and Communication It is essential to ensure that everything is in writing to prevent any miscommunications or misunderstandings. Ask the cake maker if they can provide a written contract outlining all the details. Additionally, ask how they prefer to communicate during the planning process and what the procedure is for making changes or additions to the cake order.

Additional tips for choosing your

wedding cake maker

It is important to discuss the design and flavour options with your partner, read reviews from past clients, and trust your instincts when choosing a cake maker that aligns with your vision. Remember to book consultations and start the process of finding your dream wedding cake.

What NOT to ask your wedding cake maker! While cake designers will rarely show their frustration, there are some questions that require a more sensitive approach, and in some instances, are best avoided altogether. It's important to remember that bakers and cake designers are human too and showcase an incredible range of skill and dedication in their field.

1. What happens to my cake if you die? We can't imagine that it would ever be appropriate to ask this question (and yes, it has been asked!). We would like to think that should the unthinkable happen, the majority of readers would agree that your cake would become a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. If you are concerned about what should happen in the event of unforeseen circumstances, perhaps the more delicate question of "Do you have any contingency procedures in place should you be unable to deliver the cake?" would be more appropriate.

The Wedding Journey should be one of joy, fun and of course love. You need to laugh at the ridiculous, shun the con, and above all enjoy the whole experience - after all we only do this once!!!!!

Wishing all you planners a time of love, laughter and of course CAKE !!

Wedding Cake Pricing

Let’s tackle the very thorny issue of wedding cake cost. When looking at your wedding cake there are so many things to think about and we as cake designers are well aware that it’s always the last big item to be crossed off the list and as such money is tighter than when you first started planning. However, remember you are paying for experience, skill, and time as well as the basic cost of ingredients, if you wanted a bespoke item made exclusively for a single purpose you’d expect it to be expensive cake is no exception.

The time it takes to carefully come up with the right design within a couples budget is no mean task especially in these times. With base ingredients increasing by some 60% and energy increasing - well we all know that’s ridiculous - but it all adds to the expense of producing your one off cake. Add detailed sugar flowers, models, handpainting, colour matching well we could go on but enough of the scare tactics.

Pinterest is an amazing tool for finding that one off modern masterpiece, but I can guarantee you 90% of them will be out of most people’s idea of reasonable price. Your wedding cake should start at £500 if the maker is worth their salt and can offer you the style and attention to detail you’re after. A fully designed, fondant covered, sugar flowered masterpiece will be upwards of £900 so have a healthy budget if you’re wanting sugar flowers and a truly luxurious design.

Buttercream with piped buttercream flowers will be just as expensive as colour matching and piping the required flowers all takes time and detailing. Buttercream with fresh flowers can have a super design element to them too and be just as stunning in the right setting. I always refer to the fabulous cake scene in Father of the Bride and the inimitable Steve Martin’s reaction to the proposed cost of his daughter’s cake!! Even in the 90’s a huge cake was thousands of dollars!!

In short have a healthy budget, all these designs range from £675 - £950, the more elaborate the higher the cost. Skill, time, attention to detail are so very important. So why do couples say well I can get one for £200. Indeed you probably can - from the high street!! Wedding cakes are bespoke and handmade and are priced accordingly. Be honest with a supplier and tell them all the information they need to give you what you want this includes budget.

Too Many Flavours

There not too many people in this world that don’t like cake, but there are many who will shy away from many flavours. When deciding on your flavours there’s only 1 rule in my book - pick what you like it’s your day after all!!!

Always go with the flavours you both love. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Make sure your chosen supplier can upsize your samples. Bigger size calls for bigger batter. This takes longer to bake. Part of the skill is knowing how long and at what temperature you need to bake your cake at to produce the same taste and texture as you tried at consultation.

When choosing flavours for naked and semi-naked cakes your baker should guide you to a flavour profile that will not stand out in the design. You don’t want 1 tier in the classic sponge 1 tier in Red Velvet and a final tier in Chocolate!! They will all be delicious I’m sure, but think of the look - your cake will look a complete mishmash!!

Simplicity, uniformity and colour are key in Sem-naked wedding cakes. The colour should be in the flowers and decoration

Don’t be afraid to ask for a specific flavour to be made for you either. There are so many tried and tested recipes out there. Remember thought, the cake you tried at the local cafe won’t be the same as what is required to hold up in a wedding cake. Any baker will be keen to try new flavours, but you need to be prepared for it to add to the final cost of the cake. It’s important that the flavour is not only there, but the structure and ability to stack - this takes trial and error and time!!

Ultimately the flavour choice is yours and all bakers will be keen to showcase their most popular, easy to produce and tastiest flavours - give them a challenge - I would!!

How to Choose your Cake Supplier

The skill and expertise of a cake maker is not just in the baking. It’s how they interact with you - the bridal couple - how they listen and understand your ideas for your day, and above all how they interpret your ideas from paper to reality.

It’s a daunting process planning a wedding, and comes with so many hiccups couples find themselves with. One thing’s for sure cake is always something that people look forward to with not only the taste but the creative masterpiece in the centre of the room for their day!!

So, how to you know you’ve found the right designer for you and your day? Can you trust what is being said to you? Can you afford them? All questions we will answer for you.

Where and When to Begin?

A good place to start are wedding websites. You may have already used one to find your venue, or your photographer. Return to them and have a look at local bakers, read reviews, look at their websites. All this is a fabulous guide as to how they are not only viewed by clients but what care they have taken to build their own sites, how proud they are of their own work - passion always show’s through.

When you have narrowed down your shortlist - and do keep it short, there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to remember who you’ve contacted and what conversations you have already had, and contact them through the listing with more than the standard questions that are set out. As a baker on a very good site there is nothing more frustrating than a standard “please send me more information”. Information on what? Availability, style, location!!! You have a full list of information that will help your supplier to determine if they are able to help you in this process - don’t hide it from them - help them to understand what it is you’re wanting. Ask about availability - no point in continuing if they are already booked - give them the likely numbers, an idea on style is very important. Sugar Flowers are the most creative and skilled area of cake making and some makers steer clear, others relish the thought of spending hours creating flowers out of sugar.

In today’s world wedding suppliers are opening their diaries earlier and earlier. This will ease in the coming 12 months or so, but there’s no let-up just yet. 9 - 12 months is the current norm with some 18 months in advance. Remember, DATE IS KEY, If suppliers have your date in their diary all the detail and fun stuff can be done so much closer to your day when your individual style and theme will be pretty much sorted!!!

Don’t Leave it too Late!!

Your dream cake isn’t far away - just make sure you’re preferred supplier is available to produce it for you

Buttercream or Fondant

Style of either finish can both be fun and relaxed or traditional and funky. It sometimes comes down to budget, and also what you like!! If you don’t like fondant - don’t have it! Simple elegance is always a good base. This can be achieved with either fondant or buttercream. Just remember on a very hot day buttercream - by it's very nature - does not enjoy sitting for hours in a hot room in direct sunlight!! Fondant on the other hand because of the many layers underneath has firm structure and will hold up far better. Don’t be fooled though chocolate still melts but it takes a lot longer than butter!!

How big will my cake be?

Numbers are vital for this. Do remember not everyone will eat cake, but the majority will. Kids will love it and keep going back for more. It’s a fine line between generosity and over indulgence that leaves you with mountains of cake in the freezer!! Most bakers will work on a minimum of 75% of the total number of guests. This includes evening guests. Ask your baker if they will leave a box on delivery so that you are able to take any left over’s home. Why not look at getting cake slice boxes personalised for your guests to take a slice home with them. This is a lovely thought and one I think bakers should start to think about.

What to expect at Consultation

So, you’ve reached the point you need to engage your cake supplier. However, have you done this early enough? In the past about 6 months was ample notice to start the process. Sadly with so many suppliers falling by the wayside due to global events you need to at least know your preferred supplier is available and has your date in their diary almost 12 months in advance!! Yes that’s right 12 Months. Remember detail, consultations, logistics can all be done closer to the time.

Now is the time to finally meet and begin the very exciting part of designing your very own Wedding Cake!!

Consultation should be your next step. All reputable bakers will offer a consultation, you need to make sure that all the information you’ve received actually stands up!! Taste is a key component of cake. No point in paying the large sums of money for something that really doesn’t taste good. There are so many recipes out there that bakers can use, but there are some key things to note.

Structure vs texture vs flavour. The nature of a wedding cake is such that the actual structure of the cake is vitally important. A moist crumbly cake you have in a cafe is very different from the cake required to cope with the amount of pressure needed to keep it standing upright when stacked one on top of the other. A dense madeira cake is ideal for wedding cakes - but oh so very boring and very heavy. Make sure your baker has a good range of flavours that they can prove have worked in the past.

During a consultation you will need to ask as many questions as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask if they deliver, how do they deliver, is there a charge (this is the norm I’m afraid. With the roads as dreadful as they are these days transporting cake is a fine art in itself!!), are all cakes freshly baked, can you freeze any after the event, how many slices, what size slices - actually the list can be endless, but now is your opportunity to make sure you’re getting what you want!! Most bakers will welcome the questions, it gives a boost to know couples have actually thought about things.

Once flavours are chosen it’s down to the design and what your showstopper is going to look like!!!

What could be sweeter!!

A Luxury Consultation including Afternoon Tea, Wedding Cake Design and a glass of bubbles - treat yourselves if it’s on offer!!