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Ordering a Wedding Cake FAQs
Written by
Earlene Moore
Reserve your date with a decorator or bakery
1. Call the bakeries or cake decorators in your area
to check for date availability. If the date is open
that will then give you opportunity to make an
appointment to go in and check out the designs,
taste and skill level of the business. Depending on
the decorator you may need to call as far as 6
months to a year ahead to reserve your date. Many
specialty cake decorators limit the number of
wedding cakes they do each week where bakeries have
a larger staff and can do a larger quantity of
cakes. Thursday through Saturdays are very hectic
for baking, decorating and delivering wedding cakes.
Most weddings are on the weekends and therefore the
bakers deadlines also coincide with that timetable.
A phone call to make an appointment to visit with
the individual or bakery about your cake will be
appreciated. Just walking in and expecting undivided
attention might lead to disappoint if they simply do
not have time to visit with you at that time.
Deposits
2. Be prepared to leave a substantial deposit to
insure that the bakery or individual reserves the
date for you.
Taste is important
3 . The taste, flavor and texture of the cake itself
is the most important decision you will make when
you order your cake. The outside beauty of your
wedding cake will be important for your pictures and
your personal statement. But, the inside of that
cake is what you will be serving to your guests. You
want a cake that is flavorful, moist and yummy to
eat. . Ask friends or people who have attended
recent weddings about how the wedding cake tasted.
You might want to ask if samples of the cake flavors
will be available for you to taste when you visit
with a bakery or individual you are interviewing.
Cost
4. Be prepared to pay for the cake decorators time.
Simple cake designs are the least expensive. The
more time and complicated the cake design the more
you should be prepared to pay the decorator. Know
ahead of time what amount of money you can budget
toward your cake and that will help the decorator
help you choose wisely from their designs.
Outdoor Pitfalls
5. If you are planning an outdoor wedding in the
summer heat remember - flies love sweets, heat melts
most icings and high humidity will also turn
gumpaste flowers limp, chocolate curls will melt and
fresh flowers will wilt in prolonged exposure to
heat. Rain and wind can cause havoc such as
collapsing tents and blowing table cloths right off
of the tables. You need to have a backup site just
in case of unforeseen extreme weather conditions.
Fresh Flowers
6. Fresh Flowers to go on a cake have possibly been
treated with insecticides and pesticides (besides
the chemicals they are inserted into to keep them
fresh longer before they reach your florist). Some
flowers and greenery might be harmful if ingested so
select carefully.
Sugar Flowers
7. If you choose to use gum paste flowers on a cake
you must be prepared to pay for the time it takes to
make these exquisite flowers. Many of these flowers
may be made on wires or toothpick to achieve the
look and arrangements you want. Those wired and
toothpicked flowers must be removed from the cake as
it is served.
Color
8. If you expect a cake decorator to come close to
the colors you are using in the wedding you must
take a swatch of fabric to her at least 3 inches
square. Preferably solid color in each swatch. Dark
colors are difficult to achieve the right shade and
color in icing as well as difficult to arrange
attractively on a decorated cake.
Artificial Pearls
9. If you require the cake decorator to use the
artificial strings of pearls on a wedding cake -
those pearls must be removed before the cake can be
served to your guests. Since it is your choice to
use those on a cake design - it is your
responsibility to make sure the cake cutting people
understand to remove those pearls from cake being
served to your guests.
Cake servings
10. The Cake designer or bakery can guide you as to
the number of servings of cake you will need. But,
it is ultimately you and your mother who must decide
on the numbers.
Fruit fillings
11. Be considerate of your guests. Seeds and coconut
in fruit fillings can be very difficult for many
people.
Cake Placement at your Reception
12. Where will your cake(s) be place in the
reception area. Consult the reception site
consultant as well as your cake person. Look at the
walls and consider the background for your wedding
pictures when planning where the cake(s) will be
placed. Are there fire extinguishers, plugs,
restroom signs, and etc. in the background of your
cake placement? If you are planning to use a
fountain in your cake set up, is there a wall plug
nearby. Does the reception site furnish extension
cords or will you need to provide those?
Other things you might want to consider at the
reception site are how the traffic flow will be
handled. All of the food placement in one area might
cause a traffic jam. A cake placed near a dance
floor can be hazardous for traffic flow. Is there a
door that opens in toward the cake? Are the tables
sturdy enough to hold the cake(s)? Does the
reception site have tables and table coverings?
Person to cut the cake
13. Don?t assume that a caterer or reception site
personnel will be cutting your cake. You should ask
if this service is included and if so how much the
fee will be for the service. Also ask if the caterer
provides the cake serving knives? If you ask a
personal good friend to serve your cake, you are
asking them to work your wedding party event. Are
you bestowing an honor on them? Or are you cutting
corners at the expense of your party guests.
Ornaments
14. When picking an ornament for your cake consider
the weight. Icing and cake are soft so very heavy
ornaments must have some extra support in the cake.
If you do select a heavy ornament and it should fall
from the top it can do damage to tiers as gravity
pulls it downward. If that should happen you should
be prepared to pay the decorator extra to make an
extra trip back to the reception site to repair the
damage.
Phone Numbers
15. Phone numbers would be appreciated by the
persons you have acquired to work together on your
wedding. Such as the caterer, florist, cake
decorator and photographers generally need to know
the others schedules to be able to coordinate
deliveries for your wedding day schedule.
Final Cake Payment
16. Final payment for your wedding cake will vary
with individual bakeries or decorators. Two weeks in
advance of your wedding is reasonable for basic
cakes. When you consider that your name and
residence will be changing it is very reasonable for
payment to be expected in advance.
Delivery
17. The delivery of your cake is covered in the cost
of your cake in most instances if the wedding
reception is local. Cake deliveries out of town will
have an extra delivery charge.
Cancellation
18. If for some reason you must cancel your wedding,
you should notify the bakery or individual cake
decorator as soon as possible. A forfeiture of the
deposit may be required.
Unexpected Happenings
19. Expect to have the most wonderful day of your
life. But with all the advanced planning and the
numerous people required to complete your wedding
plans something will probably go wrong. Only life
threatening circumstances should warrant your truly
getting upset. Cake decorators, florists and etc. do
the best they can for each of you individually. If a
mistake is made, don?t let it upset your day. Just
chalk it up to a future fun memory. Memories are not
made up of all the things that go right but alas
they are usually formed from all the little and big
things that go wrong. Not funny that day - but
someday it just might be your favorite memory.
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