1. Take a look at your guest count. First and foremost you want to be sure you'll have enough cake to serve all your guests. Remember, the top tier of your cake is traditionally reserved for your first anniversary.
2. Visit the bakery and do some cake tasting. Most bakeries have no problem with clients reserving times to come in and taste a few cakes. There are so many flavors to choose from, the tasting will be a very enjoyable way for the bride and groom to bond.
3. Now that you've decided what flavor of cake you want, it's time to decide what you want it to look like. Do you want round or square tiers? Do you want the tiers to be stacked atop one another or separated? There are many questions to be answered. Bridal magazines and bridal web sites are great resources for inspiration. The bakery you choose will also have sample photos of cakes they've done in the past.
The one thing most guests remember from the wedding - aside from the first dance - is the wedding cake. The wedding cake is one of the focal points to any special day, and you can guarantee that your cake will make an appearance in many of the photographs. Deciding on what wedding cake to have can be very difficult; there are so many shapes, styles and colours to choose from now. Here are a few things to consider when choosing your perfect wedding cake.
Style of cake
When people picture wedding cakes, the most common image is that of a three tiered, pillared white or ivory cake. However, your wedding cake does not have to be like this anymore – unless you want it to be of course. There are so many options available, you could opt for a traditional pillared cake, stacked tiers, round, square, cupcake towers, or even a novelty sculpted design. Wedding cakes can now be designed to suit the theme of your wedding and your personality.
Cake filling
Once again there is the traditional option of a heavy fruit cake with marzipan, but more and more people are opting for a Madeira sponge, chocolate cake, coffee cake, lemon cake or even rainbow coloured sponge! A good cake baker should be able to create any type of wedding cake filling you want. Remember that not all tiers have to be the same so you could always choose to have each tier with a different type of cake.
Icing & decoration
White or ivory royal icing is obviously the most common type of decoration, but you can let your imagination run wild. Simple and elegant might consist of ivory icing and piping with a coloured ribbon, or perhaps sugar roses cascading down the tiers. Many people are now opting for icing and decoration to match their wedding theme – perhaps a romantic red cake would set the mood.
How many people do you need to serve?
Wedding cakes are all about making a statement and so the actual eating of the cake is often compromised for the design. If you are looking for a wedding cake to serve a lot of people, a popular choice is to request an extra ‘cutting cake’ to ensure there is enough to go around. Also, if you have a smaller guest list but still want a stunning cake, ask your baker for dummy tiers.
Toppers
There are countless different types of wedding cake topper available nowadays, whether you would prefer a standard bride and groom, or a novelty one, there is something for everyone. Most couples choose to search for their own cake topper but you could always request for your cake decorator to provide it.
Whatever type and style of wedding cake you decide to go for make sure that you book it well in advance as wedding cake bakers can often get very busy especially during the summer period.
