Your wedding cake. You want to get it just right. Here are some tips to help you on your way!
Basic style points.
Before you you even start thinking about ordering your wedding cake you need to have the basic design points for your wedding. If your having a rustic or elegant wedding, if you have a colour scheme or theme for your wedding - that must be the starting blocks of your wedding planning. From that point you and your cake designer can design a cake that is not only in theme with your special occasion but also with that can be a centrepiece.
Chose a flavour you like.
The struggle many people face when picking a flavour for their cake is the struggle to balance having flavours you like and what you think guests will like. A simple principle to keep in mind is that this is your day. Your entire wedding is a reflection of you as a couple. If you like fruitcake then have fruitcake. If you like mango and pastion fruit flavour cake then have mango and passion fruit!
Be informed
When attending your tasting session make sure you have some questions for your baker. Do some research on cakes that look good to you. (Pinterest is the best place to get ideas. It is a treasure trove of inspiration for cakes. Take a look at mine:https://pin.it/7c5ms4biszcwss) But make sure you ask as many questions as you need. Information is power!
Some examples are:
What kind of ingredients do you use? Do you offer organic, vegan, or gluten-free options?
Do we need to choose from a set selection of designs, or do you create completely custom cakes?
We have a few inspiration ideas. Can you recreate them?
We have no idea what we’d like! Can you offer some design suggestions based on our budget and theme?
We’d like to use fresh flowers on our cake. Can you work with our florist to do so?
How do you price your cakes?
What size and shape should the tiers be to feed our guest list? How big should our cake be?
How will the cake be displayed? Do you provide or rent cake stands?
Can we freeze the top tier? Will you provide a box so we can save it?
How do you deliver the cake? What do you do if it is damaged in transit?
Think about the weather.
Something that many couples don't think about in relation to the cake is the weather. For example, if you are getting married in the hotter months, you need to think about where you will place the cake. If its boiling hot its probably better not to have the cake sat outside (even when under a tent) baking away. Only Bring it out later in the day when it's a little cooler. One simple trick I have found to help such a situation is if it's too hot for you then its to hot for your cake; If you are sweating in the heat you can be sure your cake is too.
Finalise your guest list.
It seems like a simple detail but its really important to have a final number of guests that you will be expecting. Without this number it will be really hard to A) get an accurate quote from your cake designer and b) have a final design from your baker.
Cake delivery takes coordination.
Cake delivery takes coordination, so give yourself peace of mind and opt to have your cake delivered. Complex cakes may not necessarily arrive in final form, so allow time and space for assembly. And make sure that once the masterpiece is delivered, it has a place at the venue (especially if it requires refrigeration). Bottom line: Discuss all the delivery details with your baker before the day.
If you have a budget stick to it.
It's easy to be wooed by rich chocolate fillings and a multi-flavour cake or a super elaborate cake when you're high on sugar from your cake tasting, but its really important to have a handle on your budget and to understand that if you want a really intricately decorated cake you will have to pay the big bucks. Things like sugar flowers and fondant details and even gold leaf(which is very fashionable right now) either take long hours of hand crafting and skill or are just plain expensive.