What you should know about wedding cakes

Here are a few guidelines to help you select your cake vendor and the cake itself.  You may find that many of these will help you in choosing other vendors as well!

1.  CAKE DESIGNER VS. BAKERY!--- "What's the difference?"  Full service bakeries offer many other goodies in addition to wedding cakes.  Cake designers specialize in decorated cakes.  Design companies are usually small and limit their output to a few cakes per week/weekend in order to devote the time that is necessary to customize orders.  Bakeries oftentimes mass produce so customization may be at a minimum.   You will probably pay more with a designer because you are getting individualized attention and service.  Designers will probably book up faster than bakeries simply because they don't do large volume.  Be sure to allow 6 months to a year before your wedding to book a designer.  Interview at least 3 vendors  before making your decision.

2.  RAPORT! --- Do you get along with the vendor?  Are you able to meet and speak with your designer personally?  Does the person listen to what you want or are they telling you what you "want."  Will the vendor offer suggestions for you to consider?  Bottom line--if the person rubs you the wrong way, don't book them.

3.  DESIGN! --- Do a little research on the styles that you like and if you can, bring pictures to the designer.  He/she will be able to copy or modify the design to suit your tastes and offer low cost alternatives to make that $3000 magazine cake more affordable.  You are only limited by your imagination (and your designer's skill level!).

4.  SCULPTURE! --- Shaped cakes are nice but they are pricy and not all designers specialize in sculpture.  I, for one, am not a sculptor but I will attempt projects that I deem to be relatively simple.  Sculpted cakes are a lot of work (hence the price) and difficult to guarantee serving number.

5.  TASTE! ---  Wedding cake is expensive and it should taste good!  Be sure to sample as much as you can.  I would be wary of vendors who do not offer samples.  Sample should be free, by the way.  You will find out that taste and texture vary greatly between vendors so this is an important step!  As an aside here - I follow the KISS principle.  You know, "keep it simple sweetheart."  Just because it sounds fancy doesn't mean that it's good.  If you've never heard of genoise or dacquoise before, you've probably never tasted it before either.  Save the experiments for much smaller parties.

6.  ICINGS! --- There are quite a few choices for icings, some better than others.  With the way that wedding cakes are cut, icing is more functional to the look than to the taste in my opinion.  Why?  Because you get so little icing in comparison to cake in a typical wedding cake slice, with the exception to the corners and sides on square tiers.  My icing of choice is buttercream--it's what I call a southern buttercream (some shortening and no butter which seems to hold up better in this region).  Buttercream tastes better, holds any color, and holds up well under all piping techniques.  I also offer rolled fondant.  Fondant is a sugar dough that is rolled flat and smoothed over the top of a lightly iced or glazed tier.  It is not popular in the southern U.S. because of the taste.  It's not horrible, just different.  It is difficult to cut through and most varieties cannot be refrigerated because it gets gummy.  Fondant is somewhat heavy so the cake underneath should be strong enough to hold up to the weight.  Soft cakes will be torn up when it comes time to cut--consider a firm cake like Italian Cream or a pound cake.  This being said, you are limited in your filling choices--no mousses, cream cheese or whipped cream because these need refrigeration.  Ask for a sample before you decide to cover your entire cake with it.  I have been told that most people will peel it off and not even eat it.  I suggest that you use whipped cream and cream cheese as fillings and not as icings--they do not hold up well out of the refrigerator and make the cake look messy.

7.  SCRATCH VS. MIX! --- I do both depending on which is better for the cake.  Some scratch cakes are dry and somewhat flavorless which is why I'm open to mixes.  Just because it's made from scratch doesn't guarantee that the cake will be perfect and just because it's made from a commercial grade mix doesn't mean that it's sub-par.   For example, you will notice that I don't offer a yellow cake on my cake recipe list.  Honestly, I have yet to find a decent scratch yellow cake that even compares in taste and moisture to good old Duncan Hines.  If someone asks me for yellow, I tell them exactly that and let them know that if they don't mind me using Duncan Hines then I don't mind either!  On the flip side--I did a special request recipe for a bride one time.....a Julia Child cake recipe that she said she had had before.  I told her that I would do it but that I didn't have time to test it first.  Well, I did it and it was (for the lack of a better word) crap.  I saved some batter out and made a small cake for my mother with it.  She told me she had to pour milk on it to eat it it was so dry and the texture was like a course corn bread.  I never heard from that bride again, I can't imagine that she though it was wonderful.  So, that being said,  (1) I will do a bride's chosen recipe at her risk and  (2) I stand by what I have made for years!

8.  LAYERS VS. TIERS! --- Tiers are made up of layers of cake and individually iced.  So you will have a 4 tier wedding cake not a 4 layer wedding cake.  This is just picky semantics......thought you'd like to know!

9.  COST! --- If you select your vendor based on cost alone you will probably be disappointed.  Expensive cakes are not always best and cheap cakes are not always worst.  Weigh all of the factors before you decide.

10.  CONTRACTS! --- You will be signing a lot of contracts--these should outline all of the particulars--flavors, fillings, size, number of servings, equipment used, what needs to be returned and when, a sketch of the cake/s, your personal info and the date and time of the event.  With me, your estimate sheet and your payment serve as your initial contract.  The formal contract is signed closer to the wedding date when final decisions are made.  Brides tend to change their minds a lot so I like the final contract to be as neat and complete as possible.

11.  PAYMENTS! --- All vendors are different so you'll have to check with each one for their policies.  With me, 1/3 is due at order time and the 2/3 balance is due two weeks before the wedding date.  It is unreasonable to expect to pay on the day of the wedding because it's a busy day for everyone.

12.  INDOORS VS. OUTDOORS! --- Indoors is your best choice, hands down, no contest.  Outdoors is risky due to heat, wind and bugs!  If outdoor set up is unavoidable or insisted upon,  I will try to deliver as late as I possibly can.  You will assume all of the risks in an outdoor set-up--sorry--I have to protect myself!

13.  DISPLAY! ---  Be sure to keep in mind the total picture when deciding where to place the cake.  A few pointers-- have the table protected on at least one side.  Try to avoid having people walk all the way around the cake if you can.  Children can't resist leaning on the cake table.  Placement near the dance floor is not wise!  Elevating the cake up off of the table is important for small cakes but may not be necessary for large cakes.  The table should be "dressed" before the cake is due to be delivered.  Windows are nice but not the greatest background for the cake.  They are a pain for photographers and heat and direct sunlight are not cake friendly.  Keep in mind that a white cake on a white tablecloth in front of a white wall  will be pretty boring and washed out in photographs.  Consider colored tablecloths and/or flowers for dimension and beauty.  Is the wall behind the cake table dirty or scuffed?  Does it have anything ugly hanging on it that will show up in the pictures?  Feel free to use props on the table that will reinforce the mood or theme of the cake or that are meaningful to you as the couple of honor.  If you can, stack the plates and forks on a small table or cart next to the cake table not on the cake table itself--not attractive!

14. RELAX! ---We as vendors know that planning a wedding is stressful.  Most of us have been right where you are.  We are professionals with lots of experience and we value our customers as well as our reputations.  Are there some bad apples?  Sure, but most of us will do the best job we can for you completely and honestly.  If you have done your research and make your choices wisely, you shouldn't worry yourself to death.  At some point you will have to relinquish control and trust us.  We are all human and not above making mistakes.  As you know, something somewhere will not go as planned.  PLEASE!!!!  DO NOT COME UNGLUED!!  You are no less married if the DJ plays a song by mistake that you asked him not to, or if the flowers wilt or if the cake hits the floor (God forbid---and it has not happened to me yet!).  You and your spouse are what is important, not the details.  And even though the things that happen are upsetting at the time, they will become funny memories believe it or not.  Focus on the marriage and not the wedding -- it lasts longer and deserves more attention.

Hope these tips help you!

All my love,  Michelle