The Big Fat Wedding Cake

Tips to choose the right cake for your marriage

One of the most thrilling things for a cake lover during a wedding is to choose their own wedding cake. While it can be an exciting task, one must realize that it is a daunting task and the ‘Wedding Cake fuss’ is not just an adage. Besides the appearance of the cake, one has to consider a host of things including flavors, size and the budget.

When you got out on your first recce, the prices and designs can be overwhelming, but soon you will realize the effort and time that goes into making a wedding cake not to mention that every care is taken to ensure it turns out great. No one wants to be on the side of ruining someone’s wedding day.

We give you some tips to help reduce your wedding cake hassle:

Plan in advance: Plan your cakes months in advance. You can start with some basic research online and walking into nearby bakeries. It is highly advisable to choose a reputed bakery or professional as they come with tones of experience and you can be sure, the cake will turn out as you imagined. But beware! Many professionals take orders months in advance and have calendared orders to avoid clashes and confusion.

Budget it and be honest: When sharing your ideas with a professional, be honest about your real budget. No one is going to judge you! A design can be created in many different ways and if the professional is aware of your real budget, they can work on ideas that can match your budget. Tip: Delicate flowers, elaborate shapes and colors with handmade pipings and tiny details up the cost by manifolds due to the labor involved, opt out of those if you are on a tight budget.
Size your cake: The number of people attending your wedding will decide the size of your cake.The price of a wedding cake is based on the number of serving; the more guests you have, the more tiers you can add to your cake and the more elaborate the cake, the more expensive it is. Tip: When on a small budget, order a small fancy cake to display, and then serve sheet cakes (no one has to see them) to majority of the guests. Your guests do not have to know as cakes are generally cake whisked away from the guests to be sliced.

Design and Decoration: Wedding cakes are generally theme based depending on the venue and theme of the wedding and the colors used. Most wedding cakes match the subtle and sometime outrageous themes chosen by the bride and groom. Lace, ribbons, bows, satin and pearls are a few decorations that make any cake ‘The Wedding Cake’ so have some ideas ready while designing your cake. Make sure your cake is all you and your partner and not the baker. They will suggest options based on budget and their abilities but eventually it is your wedding and the cake must represent the two of you!

Frosting: Butter cream and fondant are the two types of frostings mainly used and choosing either of these can cause enough fluctuations in the final cost of the cake. Butter creams are light and delicious also much cheaper but not very suitable for a humid environment or outdoor venues as they tend to melt or fall off. Fondant, on the other hand, will give you a smooth finished look where you can have tiny petals and flowers detailed to perfection, almost real and are great for outdoor locations as they help preserve the cake.

Delivery: Not many consider delivery as a part of their planning but it is more important than most ‘Things to do’ and it is not just the baker’s responsibility. It requires a lot more co-ordination and assistance than you can anticipate. The cake may or may not be delivered in its final form. If not, the baker will need some open space and cool surrounding to set it up and give the finishing touches. And it is as important to ensure that the cake is stored until or after the ceremony in cooler temperatures considering the venue and theme.

We hope these tips will help with your ‘Wedding Cake’ shopping. After all, as bakers with over decade long experience as one of the finest cake shops in Mumbai, it is our responsibility to guide you rightly while planning or you’ll never be satisfied with the final product and for an occasion as marriage; we only want to represent satisfied couples. After all, every wedding cake is a memory and a story of love and we would love to have a good one!