Choosing your wedding cake has to be one of the most exciting parts of planning your wedding – after the dress, of course! (Sorry grooms, I’m not sure the suit is quite as exciting!)
Your wedding cake is often one of the focal points of your reception. It’ll feature in your photographs, your guests will gather around it as you cut it together and, of course, everyone gets to enjoy eating it too.
whether you’re getting married in a grand venue Holmewood Hall or celebrating your nuptials in a cosy pub/hotel The Queens Hotel Nassington. your wedding cake should feel completely right for your day.
But with so many different styles, sizes, flavours and designs to choose from, knowing how to choose your wedding cake can sometimes feel a little overwhelming.
The good news is that you don’t need to have everything figured out before speaking to your cake designer.
So here’s some helpful pointers on how to Choose your wedding cake design.
Things to consider when choosing your Wedding Cake Design
My job as a wedding cake designer is to guide you and help bring all the different elements of your wedding together into a cake that feels completely personal to you.
Most couples already have their wedding date and venue booked by the time they start thinking seriously about their cake, and from there the other details usually begin to fall into place.
There are a few important things to think about when choosing your wedding cake:
- Your wedding venue and time of year
- How many guests you’d like the cake to serve
- The size and number of tiers
- Your budget
- The overall style and design of your wedding
You might love something beautifully simple and elegant, or perhaps you’re dreaming of a luxury bespoke wedding cake with handcrafted sugar flowers and intricate details.
There’s no right or wrong choice – the most important thing is that your cake works for your celebration and feels like you.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these things.
1. Consider Your Wedding Venue
Your wedding venue can be a wonderful starting point when choosing your wedding cake.
Think about the style and surroundings of your venue. A grand country house might inspire something elegant and luxurious, while a rustic barn, outdoor celebration or more contemporary venue could lead you in a completely different design direction.
There are practical things to consider too.
Where will your cake be displayed? Will it be in a cool room or somewhere that could become warm during the summer? If you’re having a marquee wedding or an outdoor celebration, temperature can be particularly important when deciding on the finish and style of your cake.
Your cake designer can advise you on what will work best for your venue and make sure your cake not only looks beautiful but stays looking its best throughout your day.
2. Think About Your Wedding Cake Style & Design
This is the fun part!
Your wedding cake should feel like your wedding – not something you’ve chosen simply because someone has told you that’s what a wedding cake is supposed to look like.
You might love something elegant and timeless, a relaxed semi-naked cake decorated with flowers, a colourful contemporary design or an elaborate luxury wedding cake covered in handcrafted sugar flowers and intricate details.
Inspiration can come from anywhere – your wedding flowers, invitations, colour palette, venue, dress or even something completely personal to the two of you.
Don’t worry if you arrive at your wedding cake consultation with lots of different ideas. Part of my job as a wedding cake designer is to bring those ideas together and help create a design that feels completely right for your day.
Whether you want something beautifully simple or a real showstopper, the most important thing is that you both love it.
Looking for inspiration? Explore my wedding cake gallery to see some of the bespoke cakes I’ve created for previous couples.
3. Work Out What Size Wedding Cake You Need
The size of your cake does depend on how many you want it to feed. It doesn’t have to be big enough to feed all of your guests but you do want it to make a visual impact.
So before you have your initial wedding cake consultation, it’s a good idea to have an approximate idea of the number of guests you are inviting. Usually your cake will feed around 75-80% of your guests, as the cake is the very last thing that will get eaten. Plus you don’t want to have any cake going to waste. This will also give your cake designer an idea for pricing.
Most couples tend to choose a three or four tier design which can easily feed around 120 guests.
If your numbers are smaller and you still like the look of a three or four tier we can substitute one of the tiers with a fake cake. It is iced the same as a real cake and nobody will know it wasn’t real and it can also save you money.
4. Decide on a Comfortable Wedding Cake Budget
It’s always helpful to have an idea of what you feel comfortable spending on your wedding cake.
There’s no right or wrong wedding cake budget, but having a rough figure in mind can help your cake designer suggest ideas that work for you.
The size of your cake, number of tiers, complexity of the design and amount of handcrafted detail will all affect the final cost.
For example, a cake covered in individually handcrafted sugar flowers or intricate decorative details will naturally take considerably more time to create than a simpler design.
Being open about your budget means we can focus on creating the most beautiful cake possible within it – and sometimes there are clever ways to adapt a design while keeping the elements you love most.
Understand What Goes Into the Price of a Wedding Cake
The big question, how much will you be paying for your wedding cake? As mentioned above there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account with the pricing of your cake.
Our smallest wedding cakes start around £300 and can reach to well over £700.
No matter which Wedding cake maker you choose, you will be paying much more for your wedding cake than any other sweet treat in your life. Why I hear you ask? Because you are paying for their expertise, time, love and creativity that the professional cake maker will put into their creations.
So basically, the more tiers you have, the more intricate detail or even characters on your cake this will add to the cost.
When Should You Book Your Wedding Cake?
Once you have your wedding date and venue confirmed, it’s a good idea to start thinking about your cake designer – particularly if you’re getting married during the busy wedding season.
You don’t need to have your final cake design decided when you first get in touch. Securing your date is the important part, and we can develop the details of your design as your wedding plans come together.
If you have your date and venue booked and would like me to create your wedding cake, get in touch to check availability.
Ready to Start Planning Your Wedding Cake?
Choosing your wedding cake should be one of the fun parts of planning your day, so don’t worry if you don’t have every little detail figured out yet!
Whether you already know exactly what you want or simply have a collection of colours, flowers and ideas you love, we can work together to create a wedding cake that feels completely personal to you.
You can explore my wedding cake gallery for more inspiration or get in touch to discuss your wedding cake.
I’d love to hear all about your plans!
Till next time,
Carol x
