And so to the business of cake ...
The choice of one's wedding cake should be approached with the same degree of attention to detail as the bridal dress, or the rings and other important components of a wedding (not to mention the choice of partner!!) The cake is, after all, an eagerly anticipated centrepiece at the celebration.
It is often the brides-to-be who come alone to choose their wedding cake, or come with Mums and sisters or bridesmaids. However, it is good to get the guy to come along too as they are usually as keen to be involved in the decision making process as the bride. It's a misconception that men are only interested in eating the cake, trust me, many are very instrumental in designing them as well, and have valuable and clear ideas.
In terms of design, these days almost anything goes. Cakes used to be predominantly white, with lots of royal icing and elaborate piped work, silver bells and horseshoes. And I'm not knocking them, the skill and time that went into many of those creations was extraordinary. But times change and couples now have a huge variety of styles to choose from. You can opt for the "less is more" philosophy, and have an elegant, stylish and beautifully simple creation, perhaps with nothing more than ribbon and fresh flowers. Or, you may wish to go for a cake that's highly coloured, irregularly shaped, wild and whacky. The choices are almost endless. Cakes can be painted on or even sculpted to create a finished piece that is very personal and reflects something of your own personalities and style. Considering this, give some careful thought as to whether there are any relevant design details that you would really like to incorporate. For example, you may wish to have a pattern from the bridal dress duplicated on the cake, or a certain graphic that appears on an invitation, initials perhaps in a particular font, colours that are appearing in your wedding theme - vintage, classic, modern or beach style. You can even incorporate items in your cake such as your pets, personalised Brides and Grooms dressed in their wedding attire, sugar flowers that compliment a bouquet. "Outside the square" cakes are becoming more popular too as in sports cars with the couple waving from the windows, a Harley Davidson motorbike on which they will ride away into the sunset, the Eiffel Tower where he proposed.
In terms of flavour, most cake suppliers offer a range to choose from, so within a tiered design you can have a selection. Traditional fruit cakes are still used, although less. Dark chocolate appears to be the most popular by far, but many other lovely cakes are available. Usually, you can taste these when you visit for a consultation and it's
wise to take along with you any ideas of your own that are forming. If you don't have any, no matter, your cake maker is there to help you with this.
Also consider how many guests you are catering for. Are there other desserts at the wedding? It's quite common to over cater on the cake front. After guests have eaten a full meal including other sweet treats, not everyone will partake of the cake no matter how delicious it might be. It is an option to serve the cake as dessert if you don't want to be left with a lot to take home. Your supplier will be able to provide you with guidelines on how much you should need for your guest numbers. You may want to save a tier for a future event, or share some after the wedding with family and close friends. All these factors can influence how much you provide.
Should you be confined to a strict budget, a trusted friend or family member could make the cake for you in its' entirety and save you costs. Some companies will agree to ice cakes already made by others - although the majority will have a policy of doing the complete job from A-Z. If you have an especially large wedding and are catering to vast numbers, but don't want an enormous cake, you can have a creation that isn't over the top in size which is displayed, and cutting cakes that remain unseen so there is
sufficient for your guests. Conversely, if you like the look of an impressively large cake but don't actually need it all to be edible, 'fake' tiers can be substituted and nobody will know it isn't all the real thing.
A good cake maker and supplier will provide cake samples and an array of portfolios to peruse for inspiration. They will discuss, listen and learn what is important to you and help make designing your cake a fun and collaborative process.
Article written by Jenny Nicholls from For Heaven's Cake Click here to see her listing.
