Top 3 Wedding Cake Tips from Wedding Planning Pros
*Que Rihanna singing* “CAKE CAKE CAKE CAKE”. Last time we met on the OneTouch Blog we shared tips for navigating your catering tasting. Today we’re taking a sweeter turn and sharing our top 3 insider tips on how to navigate your cake tasting.
Whether you’re a sweets person, or just in it for the photo op, a wedding cake is a traditional element to the wedding day. At OneTouch, we live by the credo that “tradition is what you make it”. (And many of her baker friends would agree!)
The Wedding Cake wheel is being reinvented in a myriad of ways. From petite cakes to dessert tables, the options have vastly grown. Whatever your selection, a cake tasting is necessary as not all desserts are made the same. And, as many good cakes there are we’ve consumed, we’ve also had some pretty bad ones.
We’ve broken down the high-level categories you’ll have to choose, from such as design elements to sizing, and more.
Wedding Cake Design
- Many wedding cake vendors want to know where your inspiration stems from as it relates to your overall design. What are your wedding colors, any fabrics from your attire being incorporated?
- During your consultation, you may be asked to share inspiration images, saved collections on Instagram, or Pinterest boards. Will you want real flowers or sugar flowers?
- The cake styles you select from are no longer limited to the traditional and modern variety. There are watercolors, custom illustrations, naked cakes, multi-tier, single-tier you name it.
- Your cake should complement your overall wedding design, or be the guiding hand your wedding design is based. What’s important is to create cohesive design elements from colors to shapes and textures.
How Much Wedding Cake is Too Much?
- While you and your partner may LOVE dessert, it is important to keep in mind there is a good chance some of your guests do not.
- Will alcohol be served?? Are your guest’s heavy drinkers? From experience, we have seen time and time again- the more drinks consumed, the more cake you go home with.
- If you and your partner are hoping for a smaller, more conspicuous cake but need more servings for your guests, a kitchen cake is always an option to discuss with your baker. Sheet cakes are cut in the kitchen and served along with the servings from the main cake. You dodge the need to compromise on your design dreams and still manage to serve all your guests. Your cake designer will help with the best serving-size-to-design ratio.
Navigating Pricing + Tasting
- Many bakers have “classic” flavors as well as their “premium” collection, usually consisting of more complex ingredients and baking elements.
- Select a few seasonal or specialty flavors to taste as they may pleasantly surprise you.
- When it comes to design, anything that requires more technical skill and time will cost more. For example, your sugar flowers + fondant icing will be on the pricier side. While real flowers from your floral designer and buttercream frosting will be more economical.
- If opting for a wedding cake + a dessert table, decrease your cake servings, as guests will have a number of sweets to select from.
Whether you are opting for the traditional or trendy, we hope these sweet tips help guide you in your sweets selections.
If you have any further questions or would like to schedule a consultation on planning services feel free to reach out to us by clicking here!