Wedding cake, a ubiquitous part of any wedding celebration, can come in so many shapes and sizes. Gone are the traditional ideas of 3-tiered fruitcakes covered in marzipan and thick icing. Cake decoration has now become an art form and for those who have the budget for it, the cake can be the second most awe-inspiring aspect of the day, after the bride that is of course.
Many couples opt for light sponge cake, that way guaranteeing more guests are likely to try a slice, or as recent times has seen, cupcakes are fast becoming a popular choice. Not only does this look pretty and chic, but it also guarantees that there will be the right amount of cake for all the guests without leaving you with too much leftovers after the wedding.
There are so many options for design, icing colours can be coordinated to match the theme of the wedding, and indeed cakes can be designed to match with any theme for the wedding. Some brides, in an attempt to curb costs will attempt to bake and decorate their cake themselves, a very good idea if you are blessed with the skills of baking and icing, but sometimes if like me you might end up making it look more like the dog’s dinner rather than something for after your dinner, it might be the best idea to leave it to the professionals!
When you discuss cakes with a baker/cake maker don’t be frightened to ask if you can see pictures of their work or to sample some of their work. They will be pleased to help you with this and most of them will offer samples without your asking for it to ensure that you do like the cake etc. Don’t feel pressured into taking the first quote you get, if you have a budget for the cake let them know and they might be able to work something out.
But do bear in mind that if you are on a budget there are perfectly tasty cakes available from the supermarket, Tesco and Marks and Spencer are prime examples. Tiers can be bought individually for a few pounds and assembled on the day into a beautiful cake – all you need to do is add some decoration should you wish.
Once you’ve decided on your cake, it’s a good idea to check if the reception venue has a cake stand you can use or whether the cake maker will provide one for you. Many cake makers do have a stand that you can use and often they will go to the wedding venue on the day and set up the cake for you. If the hotel does not have a cake stand you can use, have a look on Ebay, bargains aplenty can be found.
Once that’s all decided, you might start think about cake toppers……do you want a floral decoration on the top tier?
Do you want little figures of a bride and groom? Would you prefer custom designed ones? There are many businesses on the Internet that offer to make a custom designed topper for your cakes, just send them photographs and any information they might need and they can create a likeness for you.
We’ve opted for a custom-made topper from Artlocke Designs, Cheryl’s work is amazing and fun. We saw examples of her work on her website and came across a topper that had a bride atop Yellow Pages books because she was shorter than the groom, and with a foot difference between my partner and I we just had to have a topper like this!
No comments:
Post a Comment