How to help your clients choose the perfect wedding cake.
Whether you’re a wedding planner, events co-ordinator or caterer, you might be called upon to help your client choose the perfect wedding cake for their big day. Between social media ideas and bespoke creations, there are so many options when it comes to today’s wedding centrepiece.
No longer a case of a traditional white marzipan fruit cake with a topper (though those can be fabulous too), bridal couples are free to choose what suits their style and their taste best. So many factors come into play when it comes to choosing a cake for such a big event – from flavours to design to preferences to when and where it’s going to be cut and served.
Our top tip? Don’t go it alone. If your client wants the perfect wedding cake, encourage them to use a professional baker or caterer to get the job done just right (at Food Matters, wedding cakes are one of our speciality offerings!). To start you off right, here are some practical guidelines for helping your client choose the perfect cake.
Savvy tips for picking a picture-perfect cake
1. Align your style
In most cases, the wedding cake is the centrepiece of the food part of the big day. That means it needs to align with the style and design on the day overall. Is the wedding inspired by a spring time floral romance or is it a more modern, party-time affair? Work with the overall wedding theme and let it hold sway over the style and look of the cake so that it both fits in and stands out.
2. Know your budget
This might not be the most romantic tip of the day but it is the most practical. Wedding cakes range in price as much as they do in style. Discuss your clients’ budget for the cake – are they going to splash out or would they prefer a simpler option with some more lavish desserts to round off the final part of the meal? Also decide when the cake will be cut and how it will be served. Will it be enjoyed as part of the main meal for all the guests to enjoy, reserved for just the couple (in which case it can be smaller), or sliced and sent home as part of the wedding favour (reducing that expense)? This can help your clients decide how much of their food budget to allocate to the cake.
3. Encourage the unique
To help your clients serve up a wedding cake that’s truly unique, suggest a different spin on the flavours, icing choice, and decorations. From the sponge base to the icing (or no icing at all), there’s no saying you have to go with vanilla or chocolate (though those can be great too). How about praline and hazelnut, topped with chocolate mousse? Or a fresh lemon and mint sponge that’s as light as it is pretty? Whatever they go for, a taste testing is a must to make sure the flavours are the ones they like – it’s their big day, after all.
4. Think location, location, location
Is the couple tying the knot outside? On a beach? A sunny outdoor location, for example, will probably not pair well with a butter icing. And an ice-cream cake might withstand an air-conditioned room but probably isn’t the best choice for a chilly winter celebration. See where we’re going with this? The location and the environment can have a look big impact on the look, taste, and ultimately the impact left (or not) by the cake.
At Food Matters we enjoy working closely with our clients to deliver the best possible corporate event every time, from weddings to corporate festivities. And from catering, bar, and cake services designed to deliver only the best in service and food, you can leave it all to us. Talk to us about your clients’ catering dreams and we’ll be sure to deliver top quality fare (and cake!) on time and within budget.