So, you’ve ticked off those all important items on your wedding list:

Date confirmed – Check!
Venue booked – Check!
Number of guests decided upon – Check!

And now it’s time for the CAKE!!!

Even if you know very little about wedding cakes there’s no need to panic. As long as you’ve allowed 3-6 months before your big day, then deciding on the perfect cake, and of course cake designer, won’t be a problem.

The thought of spending an hour or two trying out different cake flavours, is probably very enticing, but before you excitedly start booking consultations with designers, it is very important that you have the 3 pieces of information mentioned above. Date, venue, number of guests.

Prior to booking a consultation with a designer, email them or give them a call. You’ll probably realise very quickly that cake designers looovve to talk cake, and for me personally, wedding cakes are my all time favourite topic of conversation. Make sure you include those three important pieces of information in the email, or that you mention them during your phone conversation. You don’t want to waste time turning up at a consultation, only to find out that the designer has no availability for your wedding date.

If you do have any images of cake designs that you like, include them in the email. This will give the cake designer an idea of the type of cake themes that inspire you, whether its whimsical, contemporary or traditional.

Prior to your consultation, a good cake designer will make preparations for your meeting. As well as baking the cakes and preparing the fillings for the cakes you will be trying, they will identify cake designs that you might like, based on the images that you have sent. They may even sketch a few designs for you too.

A quick word of caution

although most cake designers will offer the tasting session free of charge, there will almost certainly be a limit to the number of flavours on offer. Enquire about the number of flavours available, and what those flavours are, when you book your appointment. If the flavour you had your heart on trying is not one being offered, then just ask. Most cake designers will be happy to swap one of their standard flavours for your choice, within reason, and if enough notice is given. For example, if you would like to try a fruit cake, then make sure you give as much notice as possible as dried fruits may need to be soaked ahead of time or cakes baked and fed, to ensure the flavours are matured enough in time for the consultation. Don’t assume the consultation or tasting session is free, if payment is required, then often this will be deducted from any booking that you go on to make.

It’s a very good idea to make a note of any questions that you may want to ask the designer. As a starter list here are some questions that you may want to consider:

The cake consultation is an opportunity for you to feel confident about the designers ability to be able to create you a beautiful and great tasting cake. However, another key factor will be the rapport between you and the designer. There may be times when you need reassurance that the design you have agreed upon is going to work, or, just have questions that need addressing. You need to feel comfortable that when you contact your cake designer for updates, that they will be able, and willing to respond. On the flip side, if you don’t want to be contacted with weekly updates, can you trust that the designer will be able to progress the creation of your dream cake with minimal input from you, once the consultation is over? Did they get all the information they need to produce your perfect cake?

Just some points to consider, as the working style of each designer will vary greatly from person to person or company to company.

You just need to find someone who’s a perfect fit for you.