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"They taste as good as they look."

How to Choose a Cake Decorator

Your wedding cake is an important part of your special day. Other than you, it will be the focal point of your reception. There are lots of wedding cake vendors that you can choose from. How will you know which one is right for you? You will need to do your homework and be a discriminating shopper to find the right wedding cake decorator for you. The following points will help you make an informed decision.

Quality
You want to find a baker/decorator who has a quality product. In this case, quality comes in two parts: one is the look of the cake and the other is the taste. One of the things your guests will remember most from your wedding is whether the cake tasted good. So you’re going to want a cake that looks divine and tastes scrumptious.

Are they experienced? Experience matters in the wedding cake business. Every cake baker/decorator started out as an amateur, but not every amateur becomes an experienced baker/decorator. Amateurs are quick to promise everything, but sometimes they get in over their head. How experienced is your cake vendor? How much does it matter to you?

Ask to see a portfolio of previous wedding cakes they've done. The baker should have a photo album, or online photos, which serves to show the quality of their work. A bakery will often have “dummy” cakes decorated in their shop. These are the best examples of the quality of their work.

Ask for several references. This is often a double-edged sword as the baker will undoubtedly supply favorable references. Beware any baker who can not furnish references. Ask friends you trust who they used and what their experience was.

Be sure to taste various flavors of wedding cake and cake fillings. Ask the baker to offer you a tasting before you order your cake. While it is essential that your wedding cake appeal to your visual senses, it is equally important that it taste moist and delicious! A beautiful cake is one thing, but the beauty is quickly lost if the main thing your guests remember is the chemical aftertaste or how dry the cake was when eating it.

Ask how long it takes to make a wedding cake. When do they bake the cakes? Are they ever frozen? The closer to your wedding that the cake is prepared, the better it will taste. The busier a bakery is, the more apt they are to bake their cakes ahead of time and freeze them. Cakes baked a week or more ahead and frozen for decorating later usually lose their flavor and run the risk of being freezer-burned. Will your cake be prepared the day of the wedding or before hand? If so, how long before the wedding will it be prepared and how will it affect the taste? Be wary of anyone who says that they bake the wedding cake on the wedding day. Wedding cakes are so intricate that they usually take 3-4 days to bake, prepare, and decorate, and anyone who tells you otherwise is probably not being honest or inexperienced.

Service
It’s equally important that you find a wedding cake vendor that you feel comfortable working with. If you encounter someone who is rude, intimidating, or arrogant, it may be wise to steer away from them regardless of their credentials or reputation. Your cake is too important to let communication issues get in the way. Try to find a baker who has good communication skills, who listens to your ideas, encourages you to ask questions, and explains things.

Who Designs or Decorates the Cakes? You want to find out if you are actually speaking to the person who will be designing and decorating the cake. The fewer people the information has to pass through, the less likely mistakes will be made.

Design: Ask about custom-designed cakes. A creative baker will help you design your own cake. Your choices here are endless. Look through wedding magazines and the baker's cake sample pictures to find a wedding cake design that dazzles you. Mix and match ideas. Modern cakes can be decorated to match the bride's lace pattern on her gown or even the flowers in her bouquet. A particular theme from your wedding can be used to design the cake around that theme. Just realize that the more intricate the cake, the more expensive it will be.

Who delivers the cake? Often the cake is set up at the reception site and additional decorating is done then. On rare occasions repairs may need to be made as well. You want to make sure the delivery person is qualified to decorate in these situations.

What happens when the unexpected happens? This usually isn’t a problem for a bakery where if someone gets sick or quits, there is someone else there to pick up the slack and carry on. But imagine what would happen if you contracted with an individual working out of their home. Without insurance or the proper permits, the health department could shut them down. What would happen to your cake if they became ill or had to tend to a family emergency? Ask your vendor what their back-up plan is in these cases.

Price
Wedding cakes are usually priced by the slice or serving, and a slice/serving is usually 1”x2”x4”(the height of the tier). Wedding cake slices are not meant to be a meal, but a taste. This being said, if you are going to serve bigger slices, you will need to order more cake. Also, while the wedding cake is priced by the slice, there are a number of other factors that could end up increasing the cost of your cake. The initial price-per-serving may be well within your budget, but the price after all the add-ons and extras may send you to the poorhouse! Get the answers to these and other questions related to extra charges before you make a final decision.

Ask the wedding cake vendor how their cakes are priced. We’ve already said most cakes are priced by the slice, but sometimes a baker prices them differently, so be sure to ask.

Is there an extra cost for special fillings or icings? That initial price-per-serving may only include one or two flavors. Additional flavors may be an extra charge.

Design fees? Art fees? The baker may well be able to custom-design a cake for you, but will there be additional fees for that?

Is there a deposit, charge, or rental fee for pillars, separator plates, stands, etc.? Refundable deposits are customary. Extra charges for items vary from vendor to vendor. Make sure to ask so you’re not surprised later.

Is there a delivery fee? Delivery fees are also customary and will vary wildly from vendor to vendor. Make sure you know what your vendor is charging. Also find out if there is an additional set-up fee. Some vendors include set-up as part of the price of the cake. Others will add an additional fee to your wallet.

Deposits and payment: Find out what your vendor requires in the form of deposits, whether they are refundable, and payment expectations. What if circumstances force you to later cancel? What is their policy on cancellations?

Other things to consider

What about the weather? Can I display my cake outside? It may not have occurred to you but you should ask your wedding cake vendor what they know about cakes and weather conditions. A good wedding cake vendor will be able to tell you that some cakes simply do not hold well in high heat or humidity. Make sure you inform your cake decorator about the exact details of your venue.

The Proposal: Once you’ve had your consultation with your cake vendor (you’ve discussed size, styles, and designs, asked questions, tasted flavors and fillings, and had a design worked up for your cake), you should have a written proposal that includes your cake design, the total cost, and a copy of the contract. You can use this to compare to other proposals you have and share with parents/family.

How soon should I reserve my wedding cake? Reserve your wedding cake as soon as you have a date for the wedding. Some dates are more popular than others and some cake decorators are more in demand than others, both of which determine if a cake decorator will be available on your date. It’s not unusual to reserve a date six months or even a year in advance. So do your homework, decide on a decorator, and reserve your date.

What if I need to adjust the size of my cake or wish to change the style? This is not an issue for most vendors, but there is usually a cut-off date after which no changes to the size and style of your cake can be made. Be aware that changes to size or style can affect the cost of your cake.

And finally . . .
This is your wedding cake, not the baker’s. Don’t let them decide what it will look like unless you really want them to. Ask lots of questions. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Do your homework and you can have the cake of your dreams.