If you have a sweet tooth and an appreciation for creative confectionery, choosing your wedding cake is likely to be one of your favourite parts of wedding planning. However, it can be a deceptively tricky task. There’s a whole host of things to consider, including the design, the flavour, portions and of course you’re wedding budget.

Sweet Hollywood 4 tier large wedding cakes start from £550 and prices depend on the number of guests you are looking to feed and design elements, however we are happy to advise you and work towards your vision and budget once you have read our top tips.

1. GIVE YOURSELF ADEQUATE TIME TO PICK A WEDDING CAKE

“Three to six months is enough time to plan the cake. Once a bride knows her colour scheme and the wedding venue, it’s good to get the cake designed and ordered before she enters the ‘crunch period,’ which is usually the last two months.” Furthermore whilst it may seem like you have plenty of times, good suppliers only take on selected bookings for each date.

2. THINK ABOUT YOU DESIGN

The age of the cookie-cutter tiered white wedding cake with a plastic figurine at the top is long gone and, personally we are happy to see it go. Many brides bring their colour scheme (wedding gown, flower arrangement, center piece) images into our premises for colour coordination.

Others are coordinating the jewels they wear on their special day with cake adornments — pearls, diamonds and rubies, for example. If a bride is wearing them, we can replicate the look on a cake.”

Also, themed weddings need a themed cake. From outdoor spring weddings to winter wonderland theme, any type of wedding can be accommodated with a custom cake.

If you already have a design that you have had in your head for years, chances are someone has already got there first. Sorry, but it’s actually a good thing!

Try searching on Pinterest and Google for your cake keywords and see if you can find a vision. We are more than happy to mix it up and create something original to your look and taste.

3. BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR BUDGET

It really is important that you trust your cake designer enough that you tell them your real budget. Real! There are lots of ways to translate blush pink peonies and lace into a wedding cake, and letting your designer know means they can work on ideas that are actually realistic. (And we won’t try to wring you for every penny, I promise.)

If you’re on a tight budget, think about having an oversized statement sugar flower or blocks of colour, rather than piped lace or a floral cascade. Throughout the design process you will begin to realise just how much time, talent and hard work goes into each and every cake, especially bespoke wedding cakes and cakes with intricate designs.

4. MAKE SURE YOU LIKE OUR STYLE

Whilst we can work towards creating almost any design, cake designers have styles too! If you are looking for a plain cake with an extended/double barrel tier, chances are you should not go looking for someone who still uses pillars and stairways. 

5. THE SIZE OF YOUR WEDDING CAKE

The number of people you need to serve is more important than the number of tiers you think your cake should have.  If your number is on the low side or you are looking for something with more wow factor and visual impact, you can make it up with dummy tier. However please do bear in mind that they aren’t free, these still need to be treated and decorated like conventional cake. Certain design elements like handmade flowers can take days if not weeks to prepare depending on the size of the cake. 

6. THE TASTE

Sweet Hollywood Cakes taste just as good as they look. Your wedding cake fillings will depend on the cake flavours you have chosen. The fillings should complement and enhance the flavour of your cake. The fillings can also be used to adapt the flavours to suit your tastes.  Avoid fresh cream fillings for summer weddings as these may go off in the heat. Instead, opt for fresh flavoured buttercream fillings which will endure. Also remember if you are choosing exotic flavours they may seem like a good idea at the time, however they may not suit everyone tastes. With this in mind our most popular flavours are those that are light and refreshing, especially after multiple starters and rich main meal.

7. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

If you want to save money, try to be flexible with your designs. But if you’re really keen on being featured on cakewrecks, and you don’t mind being embarrassed by a badly made cake, you can find some hilarious prices online. Furthermore be warned that some companies use pre made packet mix and not fresh ingredients.  As the saying goes, ‘cheap cake ain’t good, good cake ain’t cheap’.  However we are always happy to work toward your budget and guide you during your decision making process. 

8. CONSIDER DISPLAY OPTIONS

Another important factor to bear in mind when choosing your wedding cake is how it will be displayed at your venue. Liaise with both your chosen venue and cake designer on where the cake will be displayed so all your guests get the best possible view of the finished creation.

Many brides spend hundreds of pounds on centrepieces and totally forget about the display of their wedding cake. Remember the wedding cake is the centrepiece of your wedding and the only centrepiece you will actually stand next to and take a photo with.  Furthermore Sweet Hollywood has a number of creative ideas to help give your wedding cake setup that wow factor like our unique floating cake table.

9. DON’T MAKE THESE CAKE MISTAKES

“There are two cardinal sins of planning a custom wedding cake: The first is waiting until the last minute to design and order a cake. Most bakeries have their custom cakes calendared out weeks in advance. Special ingredients and decorations sometimes need to be ordered and, in some cases, created from scratch, which takes considerable experimentation.”

“The second mistake is to have too many people providing input. I’ve seen many brides driven crazy because they involved both sets of parents, friends, cousins, the entire bridesmaid party, etc. When you come to the consultation, keep your entourage down to one or two people at the most. Choosing a cake is about what feels good to you as the bride.”

10. LETS DESIGN YOUR BESPOKE WEDDING CAKE

Now that you have read our top tips why don’t you give us a call when you are ready to create your wedding cake with that wow factor!