Choosing your Wedding Cake

Choosing the best wedding cake depends on your own likes and dislikes, the wedding theme, and your budget. While it is ultimately up to you to choose the cake, the choice can be made a little easier by following these steps:

1. Plan well in advance. Unless you already have a firm idea of the kind of cake you'd like, there will need to be time to look around at options, as well as booking the cake creator, allocating the funds, and finding any special decorative elements. So be sure to give yourself plenty of planning time. Be aware that cake makers who are in high demand can be booked out during the June, Easter & Christmas season, so don't leave your booking too late if marrying at this time. 

2 Start looking for ideas. While your wedding theme might automatically suggest the type of wedding cake, this won't always be self-evident or in line with your other preferences. When choosing a cake style, consider looking at the following research resources:

• Read wedding magazines that feature cakes
• Look online at wedding cake ideas
• Look in baker's displays, particularly those who specialize in cakes and fine pastry making
• Look in old family photos for cake ideas (especially nice if you want to carry on a tradition).

3 Know the traditional and alternative wedding cake choices. The following cakes are among those considered appropriate for the wedding context. While a big, complicated single cake perfectly covered in frilly frosting or smooth fondant may be beyond a typical home baker's skill, several cheery alternatives aren't!

• Cupcake tree/tower: using the cake stand cupcakes are stacked decoratively and in some instances a larger cake goes on the top of the stand. The couple will share a cupcake when the time comes to stick the cake.
• Cheese cake: For the bride and groom who don't much like cake, a cheese cake is an option. This isn't a cheesecake, it's a layer of cheeses! One large cheese disk is on the base, with smaller cheese layers working their way to the top. Flowers and other decorations are added to the cheese layers. This can work out to be much cheaper than a traditional wedding cake but still lets you have the "layers".
• Normal/traditional wedding cake: these traditional cakes can be stacked, seperated or individual cakes, of many various shapes ans sizes.
• Fake cake: these have become quite popular lately especially when the cake that the couple wants is out of their budget. The baker may use the last/bottom cake as an actual cake and all the other tiers as styrofoam shaped into the design of the cake. 

4. Visit the bakers and caterers who specialize in weddings and that seem like good choices to you. Ask to see their portfolios of cake ideas. Ask them to show you photographs of previous cakes. Don't rush this step–take time to compare and contrast the different styles and specialties provided by each baker.

• Ask for demonstrations of decorative elements such as writing in chocolate if you're not sure.
• Always ask to taste their cake. You need to know if the bakery's cakes have the texture and flavor you like. Even if it's a place you already purchase from, ask for a taste of their more recent cakes, in case anything has changed such as ingredients or methods. Good bakeries will offer a small selection to taste from.

5 . Decide on your budget. Once you've got some idea of the type of cake you'd like, you'll need to work out how much money you have to spend on the cake. Be realistic and compare the prices of various cake vendors. When it gets down to the time of choosing the baker, you can ask for quotes and then compare these and ask for discounts where appropriate.

6. Draw up your own plans for a cake. Once you have decided which bakers' creations you like the most, take your ideas along to them and discuss these. Ask about the difficulty, the possibilities, the costs. At this point, you should be able to start getting a good idea of what type of cake you can realistically have, and which of the bakers is most likely to achieve this for you.

• Tell the baker how many people the cake has to serve. The more guests, the larger the cake needed.
• Be very clear on your budget with the baker. If you cannot afford all the options you'd like, your baker will be able to advise you on what can be done within your budget. Be sure to ask if the cake will be delivered and set up and if any accessories that may be used have to be returned. If there is be sure to allocate some one to secure these items for you on the night of the wedding.

---