Even in today’s modern weddings where traditions are sometimes thrown to the wind, the Wedding Cake is still one of the most important symbols in a couples special day. A few weeks ago I met the lovely Pauline and Julie, mother and daughter team, from Cakeydora. Their cakes are to die for and so beautiful! We love it when we find local suppliers who we can really recommend and these ladies certainly fit the bill. I asked Julie how they started their business and if she could give us her pearls of wisdom on how to choose and budget for your wedding cake.
Cakeydora How it all began!
After years of making cakes for her own children Pauline gained cake orders through word of mouth. As the orders came flooding in Julie helped out and gained knowledge passed on from her Mum. This in turn led to Cakeydora being born. The name Cakeydora is the name my Mum was christened by my Dad due to her always being in the kitchen beavering away on cakes, so it seemed like the natural choice when choosing the name of our Business!
At Cakeydora we are passionate about baking and design. We are always developing new designs and recipe ideas to make our cakes stand out and taste fantastic. Along with your cakes we also provide Wedding favours in the form of cookies and cupcakes. These can be personalised with an edible message or photograph, our gingerbread men and ladies are a firm favourite as well as our more recent “Hollywood icons” cookies! Cakeydora has featured within several publications including “Your West Midlands Wedding” magazine and counts one of the leading High Street names within the UK as their clients.
Cakeydora’s Top Tips for Choosing your Wedding Cake
How many guests have you got attending?
This will determine the size of the cake you will need. Make sure this is enough for all your guests. If you decided to cut the cake at the reception so that your evening guests can see your cake prior to it being cut, then you will to take into account the extra guests. Equally, you don’t want too much left over that may go to waste.
Set A Budget
The price of your cake will naturally depend on the size, type (flavour) and number of tiers and the complexity of the design and decoration. If you opt for a large cake with a lot of detail, you will be pay considerably more than a less extravagent design.
Consultation Service
Find out if your chosen baker is willing to arrange a consultation meeting with you. This will enable you to run through your ideas and also taste samples of possible cake flavours, yum!
Cake Type
You want your cake to look amazing but you also want it to taste amazing! It’s worth considering the following when choosing the cake flavour(s)
- When will you be serving the cake?
- If serving as dessert will the cake go with cream/fruit?
- Do you have children attending?
- Do you want to keep a tier for after the wedding? If so this would obviously need to be fruitcake.
Decoration and Design
Your baker should be able to guide you through the design process and give advice on choosing decorations and colours that work with your theme. Your cake should reflect the overall feel of the day: pick and choose elements that will compliment each other.
Be Prepared
When visiting the baker it’s a good idea to take along photographs and designs of the the type of cake you would like. i.e. shape, colour, display options. This will be a great starting point for your baker and will also save time.
Colour Swatches
Providing your baker with colour swatches is a great way for your baker to make sure you cake will match up with your theme, where colours can not always be matched 100% it will be possible for them to blend and compliment each other.
Display
Decide how you wish your cake to be displayed i.e stacked, on pillars or on a stand? If your cake will require a stand ask the baker if they can provide one for you to hire for the day.
Delivery/Setup
Does your baker provide a delivery service/set up service? If so is there a charge?
Time
Don’t leave ordering your cake at the bottom of your “to do list”. Good bakers are often booked well in advance so to avoid disappointment book early!
Well thanks Julie for great advice. If you are on a strict budget consider serving your cake as a dessert, or let your guests take a piece home as a favour. Your venue or wedding planner will be able to sort that out for you. I hope you liked today’s blog it has certainly made my mouth water. Julie and Pauline will be showing their cakes in Birmingham at Debenhams wedding fair this weekend. Go along for a taste and chat.
Until next time, happy planning.
Saving for a wedding can be tough, especially at the moment with all the budget cuts.This week The Wedding Genie blog is going to concentrate on showing you how to save money without compromising on style. There are plenty of areas that you can save money on if you just take time to check them out. 
The web site is very user friendly and answers all the questions you can think of. Waitrose is another high street option that you can use too which also has a super selection. If cupcakes are more your style then both websites offer a good choice. One of the best things about ordering your cake from these stores is you don’t have to book months in advance so for last minute weddings they are a great option too.
Subscribe in a reader
