Wedding Cake Tips
THE CAKE
The craziness of the wedding industry really shows up in the price of wedding cakes. When my fiancé and I first started looking, we couldn’t find one for less than £350, and most of them weren’t even nice - Wichita Falls Wedding Photography. If you take away the fact they have the word ‘wedding’ in front of them, would anyone actually pay thousands of pounds for a cake? I think not. In saying that, there are a lot out there with the craftsmanship and design that makes the price worthwhile. If you want great design at a good price then I recommend going the supermarket route. My fiancé and I got our wedding cake from Waitrose. Marks And Spencer also do great, affordable wedding cakes.
When buying a wedding cake make sure you check how many people it serves. The website should tell you or ask your baker. Another thing to check is if decoration is included. Some cakes look amazing but the small print says that the decoration is not included. This is also an easier way to get a cheaper cake, if you decorate it yourself, it costs less. Although there is the added stress.
While researching wedding cakes I saw a lot of gorgeous wedding cake toppers on eBay and ribbon is very cheap to buy from a haberdashery. You could also make your own or get a relative to make one. Although I would not do this if you are not brilliant at baking.Waitrose.com also have some guides on decorating your wedding cake and the BBC also have a great blog on making your own wedding cake on their website.
You can let your imagination really go with the cake. You don’t need to have the traditional fruit mix or sponge. You could have a cheesecake or a chocolate cake. There is an amazing selection of wedding cakes. Unfortunately most of them cost an astronomical amount of money. A ‘cheap’ wedding cake will be at least £230. Depressing.
One way of getting a cheaper wedding cake without compromising on what you want would be to design your own and then take it to a local baker and try to do a deal with them. Don’t just go with the first baker, ask around and get different quotes. Also make sure their customers are happy with them. They need to be able to deliver the cake on time. You will usually have to pick up the wedding cake before the wedding day but you could ask about delivery. You will probably need to get a trusted relative or one of the wedding party to pick up the cake and deliver it to the venue.
You may also have a relative who is an excellent baker or has a skill at cake decoration. Most people love weddings and are happy to get involved so offer to pay for the ingredients and then ask them to make you the cake as a wedding gift.
Hopefully they will be flattered. Make sure they are up to the task and can work to a deadline.
Another option is to buy plain white cakes from a supermarket or a baker and then stack them up. You could then decorate these yourself and add a cake topper. Adding fresh flowers like some roses is also a good touch that really looks beautiful.
Keep a look out for deals as well. Many supermarkets run deals on cakes, especially in summer.
Another good idea is to get a mixed filling. This gives guests a choice as not everyone will like a fruit mix. We went for a mix of vanilla sponge and fruit. It was a traditional choice but it went down a treat.
Many couples also stack cupcakes on a stand rather than having a cake. This can look great and would also be easy for relatives to do. You could ask a few people to make cupcakes for you or even make your own. Try and follow the same recipe and have a clear vision on what you want the finished product to look like. It helps if everyone uses the same icing.
You can also have a cheese tower. This is basically a tower of cheese which is done well and has decoration. It can be served as a cheese course during your wedding and is perfect for those who are more savoury than sweet. It is also good for diabetics. Waitrose and Marks and Spencer do one and you can also put ‘wedding cheese towers’ or another variation into a search engine.
Another option is to have a tower of macaroons. They are delicious and it will look very chic. This could be a cone shaped tower and the macaroons would be attached to it.
For your cake topper you could also get a personalised cake topper made of you and your other half. Quite a number of companies now make these and prices generally start at £100 for one made of sugar. If you want one that is more permanent and that costs less, non-edible ones start at about £45.
To save costs you can also serve the wedding cake as dessert. Most guests won’t be able to handle both anyway and a lot of the wedding cake tends to not get eaten. Which can feel quite sad, especially when it costs so much.
Of course, you don’t need to have a wedding cake. You could make a dessert station instead, full of all of your favourite sweets. It is your wedding, you can do whatever you want.
Another way to save costs is to have a ‘dummy layer’. Many cake designers will do this and it is a good idea if you are in a big venue but your budget is tight. A dummy layer or tier is made of polystyrene but looks edible and is decorated. Tell your caterer about it before they cut it up so the poor things don’t get confused when they are trying to cut through it.
Finding a Cake Designer
Finding the perfect cake designer might sound daunting at first but there are plenty of resources out there to help you find the perfect person to make your dream wedding cake. Have a browse on online wedding directories that have a good reputation and in wedding magazines such as Brides. Pinterest will certainly have pictures of beautiful wedding cakes which will hopefully have a credit, and if you are very lucky, a link to the cake maker, wedding blogs will also have some recommendations. Another tip is to go to a wedding exhibition such as Brides: The Show.
Your local baker may also make amazing wedding cakes and will (hopefully) be cheaper than a top-of-the-range wedding cake designer and may also be just as good.
Top tip: You don’t have to purchase your wedding cake from your caterer. You can ask them to cut the cake you do buy though. They may charge a fee for this. Our amazing caterer, The Pickled Fork, didn’t, but make sure you find out in advance if there will be an extra fee and how much it will be.
As with most things to do with weddings it is best to have an idea of what you want, which means collecting clippings from magazine and photos on your iPad. Have pictures of your venue, your flowers and other things that you think will be relevant. Keep your colour scheme in mind. Our wedding cake was pale pink, white and pale green which matched our wedding colours, apart from the blue in our flowers and bridesmaids’ dresses.
Another tip when wedding cake shopping is to eat cake! Yes, don’t just sample the wedding cake of designers you test out (although that is fun) but also try out different cake flavours when you eat out or if you see any in shops or bakeries. You might come across a wonderful flavour or unique twist that you would never have thought of otherwise.
It is also worth trying to book your cake designer early, as many of the really good ones will get booked up early, especially if you are getting married in peak season.
You don’t have to book a cake designer who lives near you, many will do taste tests by mail. This will be more stressful though, so think hard if you could handle the stress of your wedding cake, or the samples going missing.
When using a search engine good terms to use are ‘wedding cake designer’, ‘wedding cake designer pro’, ‘custom wedding cakes design’ ’good wedding cake designers’, ‘wedding cakes designer online’ or ‘bespoke wedding cake”.
Many high-end cake designers will not allow anything on a cake that is not edible so keep this in mind. If you would like flowers on your cake you can still have them, just choose ones that are edible or have your designer make flowers from icing.
Ask the designer if they will assemble it when it is delivered or if you will have to get someone else to do this. This is usually the caterer or your wedding planner. Also ask what they will deliver the cake on, some provide a silver tray, others just a piece of cardboard.
Your wedding planner or venue manager should liaise with the cake designer to arrange delivery and set up, which should be a good few hours before the wedding. Make sure the cake is up to the task.
Cake Stand
This is another thing you have to think about. We were lucky as our venue came with a beautiful cake stand and a knife. It is these little things that you have to keep in mind when planning a wedding.
If your venue does not have a cake stand you can use you can hire one from a local baker or buy one second hand.
SUPERMARKETS
MarketStreet
MarketStreet do an amazing range of wedding cakes that are reasonably priced. Well, reasonable when you consider how much other cakes cost. They also have the Royal cake maker Fiona Cairns making a wedding range for them. We got our wedding cake from Waitrose and it not only looked stunning but it tasted delicious. We didn’t even need a topper as there was a beautiful rose detail that started at the top of the cake and worked its way down.
Other supermarkets like Marks & Spencer also make their own wedding cakes. They have a very good selection and even have one you can build yourself tier by tier. The tiers range from £8-30 with an extra-large tier priced at £44. We have not tasted any of Marks & Spencer’s cakes but I reckon they would be just as nice.
Making Your Own
If you are a good baker then you could make your own wedding cake. There are a lot of great videos on YouTube that could help. Just keep in mind that this will take up a lot of time and won’t necessarily be cheaper due to the fact that you will have to do a test run and might have to make the cake a few times.
This will be a great talking point at the wedding and the sense of accomplishment will be an amazing feeling.
Flowers are a great idea when it comes to decoration and are relatively inexpensive. Just make sure they are free from pesticides and are removed before the cake is cut up. Roses in particular look beautiful.
Size And Serving
If you buy a cake from a supermarket it should say online how many people it serves. If not, ask. This is important information. If you are having a small wedding you will need a smaller cake, which will cost less.
Tell your baker or cake maker how many guests there will be. Also remember that not everyone will eat cake.
As a general guide a two tier cake will give roughly 60 portions. A three tier cake will give roughly 70 portions, a four tier cake will give about 130 portions. This is based on average sizing and may differ from cake to cake. Ask your baker or cake designer.
We had our wedding cake displayed in the reception on a beautiful cake stand. It really added to the venue and the guests liked it.
Cutting The Cake
While the picture of the bride and groom cutting the cake may be a wedding cliché, many guests still look forward to witnessing this ritual. One of my favourite pictures of my wedding is one that my bridesmaid Holly took of my husband James and I cutting the cake. Just because something is a cliché doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done.
The cake used to be a symbol of the couple’s first meal together. It was a sign that the wedding was over as the bride and groom would then leave.
You can cut the cake before dinner so it is served as dessert (we did this) or you can cut it just before everybody hits the dance floor. Just make sure it is announced as many guests will want to take pictures. There is also a superstition that the bride should cut the first piece or remain childless, considering I found out I was pregnant two weeks after my wedding this certainly would not have applied to me! It is up to you if you want to follow this tradition or not.
If you are into tradition then the right way to cut the cake is that the groom places his hand over the bride’s as she holds the knife, they then cut a small piece from the back of the bottom tier of the cake. The groom then feeds the bride a piece of cake and then vice versa.
After you have cut the cake the venue will take it into the kitchen to be cut up for the guests and then served.
Saving The Top Tier
It is traditional to keep the top tier of the cake and freeze it for the christening of the first child. Obviously this does not have to be done. Many people are not religious or traditional and others don’t want to have children. Another reason couples save the top tier is to eat it on their first wedding anniversary. This is another cute idea.
If you do save the top tier make sure you freeze it properly. You don’t want any mould or freezer burns. Make sure the venue/caterer knows that you want to keep the top tier or they might cut it up with the rest of the cake. If you are going straight off on your honeymoon then ask a trusted friend to take it home and freeze it for you until you come back from your honeymoon.
Your cake designer will be able to tell you how to safely freeze your wedding cake. If you buy it from a supermarket it should also have clear instructions. Ring their customer service department if you are unsure of anything.