Choosing your wedding cake maker can be surprisingly complicated. After all, creating a cake masterpiece to match a couple's style, budget and tastes is harder than you'd think! This handy guide can help you pick the best wedding cake designer for you!
Be sure they match your style
These days, there are wedding cakes to match every couple's style. They range from traditional tiers in royal icing to intricate sugar flower creations, and rustic naked cakes to modern drip designs in new flavours. When looking at your local wedding cake makers, be sure to look through plenty of pictures on their portfolio, not just one or two, to be sure that they have experience making the kind of cake that will suit your wedding style. This is particularly important when it comes to complicated sugar work or custom designs!
Bear distance in mind
We generally recommend looking locally for your wedding cake. This is because transportation costs (and potential complications) can easily start to mount up the further afield you go. Wedding fairs are a great place to meet potential cake makers. This way you can see examples of their work, taste any samples, and chat to the baker in person in a low-pressure environment.Â
Check availability and reviews
Before you get your heart set on a certain baker, it's always worth checking out two things: their availability and online reviews. Many bakers will have testimonials on their website, but it's better to take a look at a more impartial source for reviews (such as Guides for Brides) to be sure that you're getting the full picture.Â
Once you're happy with your baker's reviews, you'll need to check their calendar or drop them a line to see if they're available on your date. We recommend choosing your baker at least 6 months in advance. However, if you're marrying in peak season or on a weekend, you may want to start the search earlier than this. The best suppliers get booked up very quickly!
Dietary requirements
It's worth making sure that your chosen cake maker can accommodate any dietary requirements. This could include gluten-free, nut-free, vegan or diabetic diet. We recommend that you have a separate, clearly-labelled cake made up for guests with dietary requirements, rather than including a special tier or layer in your regular cake, to avoid cross-contamination.Â
Consultations and tastings
Before you book your wedding cake maker, you may want to visit them for a consultation or tasting. As exciting as this is, ensure you have the major details sorted (the venue, date, flowers and budget) before you visit your baker. All these elements may affect your chosen style. Take inspirational images of cake styles you like, along with details of your flowers and colour scheme with you. This will help your supplier get an idea of what you're looking for.Â
It's a good idea to let your cake designer know if there are any flavours you'd particularly like to try. For example, if you are considering following tradition and having a fruit cake, you'll want your baker to know so that you can try their fruitcake recipe. Some bakers will charge for a tasting, but often the price is taken off your final cake order. Whether you get to try them on the day, or you're given mini cakes to take away with you, we recommend you don't go into it too hungry so you can be objective! Our Ultimate Guide to Wedding Cake can help you with the key questions you should ask your wedding cake designer at your consultation.
Sound good? Find a cake maker here!