Probably the most delicious item on your wedding checklist, a wedding cake, cupcake, or sweet treat is always a must to enjoy on wedding day! For this month’s bridal tips, we are chatting with Lia, owner of Couture Cakes, about you guessed it – wedding cakes and questions you should ask when selecting the perfect cake designer.
Couture Cakes specializes in a select number of exclusive weddings and events, in order to create exquisite cakes that taste as good as they look. While tailor-made custom cakes are their main line of work, they also create Designer Cupcakes, that are filled on the inside, for a delectable treat. Couture Cakes also offers handcrafted vanilla bean sugar cookies, that can be added as an enhancement to any event, as favors for their guests! For more information on Couture Cakes, contact Lia by clicking here or visiting her website: couturecakesbylia.com
First things first… what should you ask when picking a cake designer? Both myself and my team have a huge sweet tooth, and it is always such a special treat to have a slice of cake during wedding receptions. We can easily decipher if we love the flavor, but that is about as far as our knowledge goes on being cake connoisseurs. In turn, I listed Lia’s help to get a better understanding of what questions our couples should ask when selecting a cake designer.
- How many years of experience does the cake designer have in the wedding/event industry? A good question to actually ask all of your vendors, Lia explained that “baking and pastry arts is really a balance of science, math, and art.” With over 18 years of experience, Lia has tackled all types of challenges, from timing, to transportation, to last minute requests. While many years of experience may not be the “end all be all,” it is crucial to pick a company who has at least a few years of experience, which in turn means they are more likely prepared for any situation.
- Who will actually be creating/designing the cake? Depending on the company, your cake may be designed by a team, owner, or intern. Lia explained that while “although you may have sat down with the owner during the design process, ask who will actually be creating the cake, from he designing, baking, assembly, decorating, and even delivery.” Couture Cakes focuses on a small business model in Lia creating all aspects of her clients’ custom confections.
- How can you view prior work? As a visual person, this question really resonated with me – granted we are photographers! I personally love what seems to be a simplistic white cake, but close up has layers of texture. However, while my style may be somewhat easy to explain, a colorful cake with additional details may be much more difficult to translate. In turn, ask your cake designer if you can view their prior work through an online gallery, shop album, or wherever else they may publish imagery of their designs.
- Do they offer cake stand rentals? A great accessory to your cake, many bakeries offer “one stop shopping” in being able to provide a variety of cake stand options.
- Do they deliver? You would think this would of course be a “yes,” but it actually isn’t all of the time. Lia explained that, “please, if a bakery does not offer delivery, RUN! Delivery & setup of a couture confection is an extremely delicate process. Cakes are heavy and require a tremendous amount of work when it comes to transportation. If a bakery does not offer delivery, it’s most likely because they’re worried that something will happen to it during transport. As a norm though, all bakeries deliver, with the cost being based on mileage and time. Although delivery fees can be a bit cringe-worthy, trust us, it’s not worth the hassle; let the experts do what they do best!”
Once you have narrowed down the questions above, the second consideration to be taken into account would be cost. While you will find a variety of pricing with different cake designer companies, and really any type of vendor for your big day, thinking back to the old saying of is it “too good to be true”? There is quite a bit that goes into the behind the scenes of creating a couture confection, from the quality of ingredients, time taken, level of experience of the cake designer, and delivery/set up. Consider reading reviews online, viewing galleries, and of course having a better understanding of your cake designer from the questions above so you do not sacrifice quality. A cake should not only look beautiful, but taste amazing as well!
