Back to Wedding Basics Blog #14: Choosing Your Cake Baker

Whether you’re opting for the traditional wedding cake or choosing a more modern approach such as cupcakes or pies, there will always be that person who will be creating these scrumptious sweets for your wedding.  Unless you are handy in the baking department and you have decided to make the cake and/or desserts yourself, it will be a process that can get quite excruciating at times when picking the right baker(y).  Fortunately, it is all avoidable and once the process is over, you can rejoice with the fact that you had a delicious cake at your wedding, that your guests equally enjoyed.

1. Ask Your Family and Friends

Do you have a cousin or sibling that recently got married?  Couples who are still “fresh from their wedding” are the best resources when choosing wedding vendors, especially for wedding cakes and desserts.  They’ll tell you who to flock to and who to flee from.  Tip: It’s best to start looking for wedding cake bakers at the beginning of wedding planning so you can reserve your wedding date in advance.

2. Research!

If your wedding is in your hometown or in Bora Bora, it’s always a good tip to find top wedding resources in that area and see what wedding cake bakers or other vendors are prized.  For example, do some research about the local wedding industry in that area.  You might find catalogs on well-known wedding vendors, other couples who are planning who may be able to suggest a vendor, or wedding expos that showcase many vendors at once.

3. Prepare Questions

Now that you have found potential wedding cake bakers that fit within your budget, compile a good list of questions for them, for when you have your initial meeting.  For meetings, call ahead to schedule an appointment; especially for typically-busy bakeries.  Make sure to bring your fiance(e) with you and if you can’t, make sure they jot down any helpful questions for the selection process.

Some good questions to start with:

-Can I choose my own cake design?
-What flavors and/or fillings do you have or can I choose my own?
-For (insert amount of guests here), what size would you recommend and how much would that cost?
-What are delivery and set-up fees, if any?

4. Catering to You

Whether you are spending $500 or $5,000, an ideal baker would be willing to assist you in staying under the budget you have designated for your wedding cake.  They should be inclined to show you elements that can be cost-effective but that also maximize and emanate the style of your wedding.  Be hesitant of a baker who tries to force over-budget items or who doesn’t want to create the type of cake you envision.

5. Congratulations!

Now that you have chosen your wedding cake baker, make sure to reserve your wedding date as early as possible. Once you have done so, pay the deposit to hold your wedding date, sign the contract (do not hire without this!), and now, you can officially say that you have a wedding cake baker.