Being chosen to create a couple’s wedding cake is such a privilege and one that I never take for granted, but where do you start when looking for a wedding cake? There are lots of tips for couples as to when you should book your wedding cake but since our first lockdown and so many couples having to postpone their wedding, all suppliers I talk to would agree you need to book much further in advance than previously as people are booked up.
Many people love the idea of making their own wedding cake and as lovely as this can be, honestly I wouldn’t advise it. My key reason for this is wedding cakes, when done well, can take days, sometimes weeks to create, and you want them as fresh as possible. At the same time the run-up to your wedding should be a time to enjoy, not stressing about creating your wedding cake. The tips in this blog are just from my experience and I hope it helps…
Creating a wedding cake can take a considerable amount of time. For instance, a cake I made last week took over 60 hours because of its intricacy. For me as a wedding cake designer I don’t just check if I am free on the wedding day to deliver and set the cake up, it’s also about what the design is, so I can work out how long the cake will take to create and also where the venue is in relation to my home. Some cake people will travel far and wide, and they need to know how long it will take to transport the cake too. So it is helpful to let the cake designer know where you are getting married.
You can actually lose days looking at cakes on Pinterest, I’ve done it myself but having an idea of a cake design always helps even though it’s not essential. During lockdown, many of my couples changed what they wanted, some due to a change in season, some just because they fell in love with a new design. I always say it’s your cake, so have it your way and if you can make your mark or bring in something that means something special to you then just ask your cake designer. Some people start with a colour scheme and go from there but if you are unsure look at cake designers that appeal to you and then talk through the options.
Many cake designers are contacted to ask for a price and some feel the reply is vague. You will mainly see wedding cakes advertised as a starting price and the key reason for this is that a wedding cake can have so many variables and different elements to it. If you have fresh flowers, these are generally sourced directly from your florist, whereas sugar paste flowers are intricate and can take days to create. Fondant covered cakes are generally more expensive than buttercream covered cakes as there are more stages to creating them, and more ingredients.
Many cakes are quoted in order of how many tiers you need. My advice is to liaise with your cake designer regarding how many people you want your cake to feed, and they can advise you on what size tiers you need. Square cakes generally give you more portions than round and hexagonal is in the middle of these but many couples choose the shape based on what they like to look at, as opposed to how many portions. they get. If you like a design and want to add more cake portions but don’t want to change the design then there’s an option of separate cutting cakes, something I’ve definitely seen an increase of this year.
Finally one of the best questions I have been asked is how far in advance do I make the cakes? A great deal is down to the design of the cake but for me I try and make the sponge cake tiers as close to the wedding day as possible so its fresh. It is possible for cake to be frozen but I don’t and yes it does put more pressure on the cake creating side but its how I work.
For those searching for a cake I hope this has been helpful in some way, happy cake hunting and have the most magical wedding day!
Being chosen to create a couple’s wedding cake is such a privilege and one that I never take for granted, but where do you start when looking for a wedding cake? There are lots of tips for couples as to when you should book your wedding cake but since our first lockdown and so many couples having to postpone their wedding, all suppliers I talk to would agree you need to book much further in advance than previously as people are booked up.
Many people love the idea of making their own wedding cake and as lovely as this can be, honestly I wouldn’t advise it. My key reason for this is wedding cakes, when done well, can take days, sometimes weeks to create, and you want them as fresh as possible. At the same time the run-up to your wedding should be a time to enjoy, not stressing about creating your wedding cake. The tips in this blog are just from my experience and I hope it helps…
Creating a wedding cake can take a considerable amount of time. For instance, a cake I made last week took over 60 hours because of its intricacy. For me as a wedding cake designer I don’t just check if I am free on the wedding day to deliver and set the cake up, it’s also about what the design is, so I can work out how long the cake will take to create and also where the venue is in relation to my home. Some cake people will travel far and wide, and they need to know how long it will take to transport the cake too. So it is helpful to let the cake designer know where you are getting married.
You can actually lose days looking at cakes on Pinterest, I’ve done it myself but having an idea of a cake design always helps even though it’s not essential. During lockdown, many of my couples changed what they wanted, some due to a change in season, some just because they fell in love with a new design. I always say it’s your cake, so have it your way and if you can make your mark or bring in something that means something special to you then just ask your cake designer. Some people start with a colour scheme and go from there but if you are unsure look at cake designers that appeal to you and then talk through the options.
Many cake designers are contacted to ask for a price and some feel the reply is vague. You will mainly see wedding cakes advertised as a starting price and the key reason for this is that a wedding cake can have so many variables and different elements to it. If you have fresh flowers, these are generally sourced directly from your florist, whereas sugar paste flowers are intricate and can take days to create. Fondant covered cakes are generally more expensive than buttercream covered cakes as there are more stages to creating them, and more ingredients.
Many cakes are quoted in order of how many tiers you need. My advice is to liaise with your cake designer regarding how many people you want your cake to feed, and they can advise you on what size tiers you need. Square cakes generally give you more portions than round and hexagonal is in the middle of these but many couples choose the shape based on what they like to look at, as opposed to how many portions. they get. If you like a design and want to add more cake portions but don’t want to change the design then there’s an option of separate cutting cakes, something I’ve definitely seen an increase of this year.
Finally one of the best questions I have been asked is how far in advance do I make the cakes? A great deal is down to the design of the cake but for me I try and make the sponge cake tiers as close to the wedding day as possible so its fresh. It is possible for cake to be frozen but I don’t and yes it does put more pressure on the cake creating side but its how I work.
For those searching for a cake I hope this has been helpful in some way, happy cake hunting and have the most magical wedding day!
