Your cake will be serving double duty at your reception - as both a delicious dessert and a piece of your overall decor. Choosing your cake is also one of the most fun aspects of the wedding planning process!
ResearchLook through as many magazines as you can get your hands on for pictures of cakes. This will help you narrow down the cake style that you really love. Show your fiancé your favorites so you can further define what both of you think will work well. Also keep in mind your wedding theme as the cake is a great way to tie back into the theme. Tear out the pictures that you love of these designer cakes and have them ready to take with you to a bakery or cake designer. Pictures are a good way to express your ideas so bring them with you even if they aren't of the exact cake you want.
TasteSo you have an idea of what the cake will look like, now imagine what it will taste like! There are no standard flavors for wedding cakes so be as imaginative as you want to. Also, keep in mind that bakers can create every tier with a different flavor so you can make everyone happy. When choosing your flavors, keep your wedding location in mind. A delicate cake with mousse filling and whipped cream will not work if you are having an outdoor wedding in Texas. Try to please your sweet tooth with a layer of chocolate cake but make your sweetie happy by throwing in a layer of fresh strawberries.
SizeWill your wedding cake be the only dessert or will it be surrounded by gulab jamuns and mithai? Determine this before moving ahead so you can estimate how many slices of cake you will need, and therefore how big your cake needs to be. Many couples also choose to cut a cake that is made up of many fake tiers. This way they get the large dramatic cake for the pictures but only a small part of it is actually edible and served to guests.
BudgetBefore you get carried away dreaming of that gorgeous 7 tier creation, make sure you’ve estimated how much you want to spend on your cake. If you go to a bakery, expect to pay between $2 and $6 per slice. Cake designers will on average start at $6 a slice and can go much higher. Choosing to include your cake in your reception package with the banquet hall can also influence the total price.
Cake DesignerThere are basically two routes to the cake of your dreams – a bakery/cake designer or your reception hall. Your reception hall will most likely offer you a cake within your package. The pros are that you can usually settle on a good price; the cons being that you usually don’t get as much of a unique touch with your cake. A bakery is a good alternative as you will get more leeway to express your ideas. Also, bakers will be more willing to copy a design from a picture in a magazine. If you are looking for a more custom creation, meet with a reputable cake designer.
MeetingsOnce you have your perfect cake and budget in mind, start making appointments. Click here to search for bakeries and cake designers in your area. Click here to find out everything you need to ask them to make sure you get what you want.
Cake TastingAnd now we come to the worst part of the process – tasting slices of delicious cake made just for you. Ok, so it’s not that bad. All cake designers should want to give you pieces of cake to try so you can see how great their work is. If you have any idea of the flavors you want, call ahead and let them know so they can try to have those created when you come in.
Order that Cake!Now that you’ve met with all your choices, narrow it down to the one person who you feel confident in and whose cake takes you to heaven. Before you hand over the check make sure you have both signed a contract that covers all the important details. Click here for all of the details you need to include. Now that the yummy part of wedding planning is done, it’s time to move on to the next task!
(Contributions to this article were made by Vedika from
Lotus Cake Studio.)