The chances are, you’ve never ordered a wedding cake before. No doubt you’ve seen lots of pictures of cakes that you like, but have no idea where to start! This guide will help you if you’re starting to think about your cake.
Choosing a designer
If you aren’t one of the lucky few with a friend or relative who are willing and able to bake and decorate a wedding cake, then you’ll need to find a professional who can do it for you. Ask around and trawl the internet - cake decorators local to your venue will generally be best as you’ll save on delivery costs.
Cake decorators vary hugely. There are large, established companies with shops, but there are also smaller companies, often a sole trader working from home. The latter will often give you the best deal - of course I’m biased, but those of us that work from home are often passionate about making beautiful, and tasty, cakes and offer a really personal service. We’ll often design a cake specifically for you, rather than you choosing from a ‘menu’, and obviously with lower overheads we will generally be more cost effective. Anyone working from home must be registered with the Environmental Health Office and will undergo regular checks just like a shop or restaurant.
When to start thinking about your cake
You’d be surprised how many calls I get from people who need a cake for a wedding in a couple of weeks time! Many cake decorators get booked up far in advance. As soon as you’ve set a date, it’s time to start looking for a cake decorator. Brides often approach me very early on in their engagement, they book in and then fine-tune (or change completely) the design as the other elements of the wedding fall into place.
Setting a budget
You’ve no doubt been advised to “set a budget and stick to it” for all aspects of your wedding. That’s great advice - except that you probably have no idea what a sensible budget for a wedding cake is! It’s impossible to say what the average cake costs because it depends so much on the design, but for 3 tiers you’re looking at anything from budget £200 (supermarket) through to £300-£500 (home-based business) up to £700 - £1000 (top designers).
It’s a good idea to tell your designer what your budget is. She’ll be able to tone down her designs to suit if needed. A few words of wisdom if you would like to keep costs down:
A square cake will always give you more portions than a round one.
Most of the cost of a cake is based on your designer’s time. If you want hundreds of hand-made roses, it’s going to cost more.
Mini-cakes look fabulous, but they do take more time to decorate, so the are a more pricey option. SImilarly cupcakes are often more expensive than a more traditional cake because of the extra work.
If the cake is going to be eaten with coffee after a big meal, your guests probably only need ‘finger portions’ (1”x1”), which will make the cake go further,
If your having a really big wedding, you can “top up” the cake by getting your decorator to bake some extra cakes for the caterers to keep in the kitchen and cut to make up the numbers. These could be undecorated (ie not covered in icing) or covered very simply.
What to ask your decorator
You will no doubt approach several cake decorators to compare prices. Try to give each one sufficient information to get an accurate quote so that you compare them fairly.
You should give them the following information as a minimum (it shouldn’t matter if you haven’t decided on everything yet, at this stage you’re just getting an idea of costs!)
The date of the wedding - this is vitally important! You’d be surprised how many people leave out this crucial information.
The number of guests you’re expecting. You probably only have a ball park figure - that’s fine. There’ll obviously be quite a difference between a cake for 40 people and one for 400.
Are you thinking of cupcakes, mini-cakes or a more traditional tiered cake?
Would you like a traditional fruit cake or sponge cakes?
Are you thinking of keeping the top tier for a future christening?
Where is the wedding going to be? You probably want the decorator to deliver the cake and ensure it’s all set up at the venue. You may be able to save a little by having someone else collect and transport the cake, but speaking from experience, a tiered wedding cake is heavy and fragile, and transporting one can be a stressful business.
The design
Some cake decorators have a ‘menu’ of cakes which they’ll show on their web site, others specialize in bespoke cakes.
There are plenty of magazines on the market with cake ideas - however I have yet to find one that really inspires me, they can be pricey too. I would advise saving your cash and googling instead. This can be daunting - too much choice is not helpful to everyone! If you’ve fallen in love with a cake you’ve seen online, show your decorator a picture. They may well be able to recreate it.
Most people, though, don’t really have a clear picture of the cake they’d like. Your cake decorator will meet up with you to discuss the design. Bring her any design aspects that you already have for your wedding - the invitation, a picture of the dress, colours for the bridesmaids, the flowers, the venue. If you haven’t planned any of these, don’t panic. Your decorator should have lots of pictures of both her own work and of others that she admires, lots and lots of books to show you. These will give you an idea of what’s possible. She may go away and sketch something up for you. Personally, I love creating a cake that is really personal to the couple. Either bringing in aspects of the dress or perhaps some architectural detail at the wedding. Perhaps you share a hobby that you would like reflected in the cake?
Flavours
Traditionally in the UK, cakes have been fruit cake but it’s becoming more and more popular to have something different - carrot cake or chocolate, perhaps.
All reputable designers will give you samples to try, which is really the best thing about the whole process!
A cake is a really great way to make a statement in your venue, and it can bring together your wedding theme, or reflect your personalities. My aim is to create a cake that your guests will be talking about for years after the event, after all, they will probably go to several weddings this year - so make sure your cake stands out from the crowd!
