One of the sweetest things about your wedding day will undoubtedly be your wedding cake. And while this confection is a delicious dessert for you and your guests to enjoy, it also fulfills a classic wedding tradition. Finally, it can also serve as a focal point of your wedding and a statement as far as decor goes, depending on how extravagant you want your cake to be. There are quite a few factors that go into finding the perfect baker of your wedding cake, so ensure you take all the right steps to choose the right person for the job.
Step One: Find Your Cake Inspiration
It would be hard to find the right baker if you don’t have a solid idea of what you’re looking for. Start by looking online and on social media for cakes that catch your eye. Start a Pinterest board or collect pictures of cakes that you like as far as shape, size, decor, and coloring goes. After you’ve collected an abundance of cake inspiration pictures, you’ll be able to detect themes and really zero in on what you like and envision for your own wedding cake.
Step Two: Do Your Research on Bakeries
Your next step is to do some research into bakeries in the area of your wedding to see what your options are. Use sites that have reviews of vendors so that you can see crowdsourced photos of cakes, and so you know what to expect. Also research items like price and flavor availability at different bakeries and get a feel for the customer service that different bakeries offer. You will also want to check with your venue to see if they have any preferred bakeries that they can recommend.
Step Three: Set Up Calls with Bakeries
Once you’ve found several bakeries in the area of your venue that you think are compatible with your cake wants and needs, call or email them to see if they’re available to make a cake for the date of your wedding. Ask them any initial questions that come to mind and set up a tasting if you feel like they could be the bakery for you.
Step Four: Ask the Right Questions
Make sure you’re asking the right questions of the bakers that you interview before you commit to going in for a tasting. After all, you don’t want to waste your or the vendor’s time! Ask questions regarding how they price their cakes; some bakers charge by the slice, while others charge differently. Concerning price, also check whether they can offer smaller tiered cakes and then sheet cakes at a lower price to stay within a specified budget, if needed. Another question to ask is whether they can create custom cakes or whether they have their clients choose from a host of preset designs. Finally, you’ll also want to ask about their frosting options and whether they only offer buttercream frostings or if they also decorate with fondant.
Step Five: Attend Cake Tastings
Attend tastings with bakeries that you’re seriously considering for your wedding cake. When you go into the tasting with your future spouse, have a general idea of what flavors you’d like to include in your cake. Also bring photos of cakes you like to share with the baker. This is one of the most delicious parts of wedding planning, so enjoy it!
Step Six: Choose your Baker
Once you’ve had your tastings and met with the bakers, you should have enough information to choose the perfect cake baker for your wedding day. Talk it over with your fiancé and use factors such as their portfolio, the taste of the cakes, and the experience you had at the bakery to decide what’s best for you. Once you’ve reached your decision, reach out to the bakery to set up your contract, get deposit information, and to officially hire your perfect wedding cake baker.
This will be a cake you’ll always remember, so it’s certainly not a decision to take lightly—but that doesn’t mean that the decision process can’t be fun (and tasty!).
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