Unless your wedding cake is near the top of your priorities when it comes to wedding planning, booking your cake maker does often come after you have booked the big-ticket
items (venue, photographer/videographer, catering, florist) and you have established what kind of styling you’re going for, as your cake tends to be an extension of that. That said, many wedding cake designers work alone and can only take on a limited number of bookings per week and as such, I would suggest booking them in around 9-12 months before your wedding date, especially if you’re getting married on a peak weekend date in the summer season. At that point you don’t necessarily have to have a set design in mind, if you like your chosen cake designer’s work and you’ve enjoyed their tasters then you can usually lock in the date with a deposit and revisit the design nearer the wedding.
Wedding cakes vary enormously in price as it very much depends on the size and level of decoration you would like. The bigger the cake and the more intricate and time-consuming the decoration, the larger the investment. Many cake designers will indicate starting prices on their website, which will give you a good idea as to whether it’s within your budget. I would allow a minimum of £600 up to £1500. As with all things, there will be a supplier to suit every couple from low budget weddings to luxury high-end weddings so one budget doesn’t fit all but don’t underestimate the time, skill, talent and business costs that go into creating wedding cakes.
Determining how much wedding cake you will need depends on a few factors, you’ve probably never fed cake to hundreds of people before, it can be really confusing trying to work out exactly how much you really need.
The amount of cake that you will need will depend on the portion size you plan to provide your guests. Your caterer will cut your cake in either finger or dessert portions rather than the wedge type slices you would have at a birthday or with a cuppa.
- Finger portions 1” x 1”
- Dessert portions 1” x 2”
If you plan to cut your cake and offer it to guests to help themselves during the evening reception, then I would suggest finger portions and catering for around 10-20% less than your total number of guests to allow for those who don't fancy cake or are too busy on the dance floor.
If you plan to serve your wedding cake during the meal as a dessert, a larger dessert portion would be ideal. and you will need to allow enough cake for all guests.
Leftover cake can be frozen, cut it into slices and wrap well with clingfilm - a sweet reminder of your wedding day and a lovely touch to celebrate with fizz on your first wedding anniversary.
The cake stand can make or break a cake, it's like the equivalent of putting on a pair of high heels to finish off an outfit - it can totally transform it! Don't skimp on the stand, most wedding cake designers will have a range that can be hired. Consider the position of the cake, lots of natural light will show the cake at its best. Lots of couples this year have made a bigger display of the cake by adding fresh flowers around the floor of the cake table or adding a floral hoop.
Meet the wedding cake artist - Charlene owner of Terre et Lune
The meaning of Terre et Lune is ‘Earth and Moon’. Charlene takes a lot of inspiration from the earth, art and nature and at the same time her designs are quite romantic. Charlene works predominantly with fondant (also known as sugarpaste) and uses hand-painted watercolour effects to create soft, romantic designs often with a dramatic edge. She specialises in handmade edible wafer paper flowers to create beautiful and realistic blooms to complement your wedding styling.
Charlene’s dream is to create a cake for a French château wedding so if anyone would like to fly her out to create a show stopping cake, then hit her up and definitely give her a follow on Instagram - her weekly inspiration posts are the highlight of my week!
