One of the most fun parts (or at least tastiest) of planning your wedding is picking the wedding cake. However, this isn't always a piece of cake........pun intended! So we have put together some tips that we think you may need to know before picking your wedding cake.
1. Have your wedding date, wedding venue, and an approximate number of guests sorted first. This may seem like a given but some couples do jump ahead and without a date and venue set the baker won't be able to tell you if they are even available.
2. Wedding cakes tend to be priced by the number of people attending the ceremony, or reception, rather than the number of tiers you have. For example, if you want a two-tiered cake and have 100 guests, the baker will pick bigger pan sizes to create bigger tiers instead of more tiers.
Cake made by Cakes & Carousels. Photo courtesy of Ilto Photography https://www.cakesandcarousels.co.uk/
3. Having a small wedding but want a big cake? Then you could always ask the baker for a dummy tier, which will look like the rest of the cake but only be made out of plastic or foam.
4. Have a set budget? Gather a few ideas together and take them with you for your meeting with the cake designer. Once they look at your ideas they will be able to tell you what they can come up with that's within your budget.
5. If you need some inspiration for cake designs head to Pinterest it is full of wedding cakes from classic styles to quirky designs.
Wedding Cake by F4D Events. Photo courtesy of David Charles Photography. https://www.f4devents.co.uk/wedding
6. Layers and Tiers...........not the same thing! Layers are the number of cake layers with filling in between such as buttercream. Remember this when wording the order you put in.
7. Get creative and mix it up. Not every tier has to be the same type of cake, and you can also mix up the layers and fillings in each tier too. The possibilities are endless (depending on your cake designer).
8. Get creative with your tiers. There is no rule that says each tier has to be the same, shape, style, colour etc. So why not play around and make the cake truly unique.
Cake by Where the Ribbon Ends. Photo Courtesy of John Oliver Photography. https://wheretheribbonends.com/
9. Don't be afraid to go quirky. There are so many ways to make your cake more personable and funky. It may mean you have to shop around for a baker that has the right skills but it will be worth it in the end.
10. Cut your costs. If you were planning on a floral cake instead of the baker designing flowers to go on, buy some really good fake flowers and dress it up yourself.
11. Check how many other weddings the cake baker may be doing that weekend. If they have a lot of weddings on that weekend they are likely to pre-bake and rough frost some of the cakes early on which could lead to getting a stale cake for your wedding.
Cake by Bride's Mother. Photo Courtesy of Scott Carney Photography. https://www.scottcarneyphotography.com/
12. Worried about dry cake? You can ask for a simple syrup to be drizzled between the layers of the cake as it is put together. This will make the cake a little bit sweeter but it should keep it lovely and moist.
18. Make the top tier your favourite flavour! If your having different types of cake in each tier make the top one your favourites as this is the tier that is cut first and then generally handed to the bride and groom.
19. Don't stress. Easier said than done we know!
Cake by L S Cakery. Photo courtesy of Lloyd Clarke Photography.
For more wedding tips and ideas head over to our blog page.