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Wedding cakes used to just be a basic ivory 3 tier decorated with a spray of fresh flowers, but these days wedding cakes are a much more creative affair. Check out this advice from Sinead at Another Slice to ensure your cake is drop-dead gorgeous....
1. Choose a Reputable Bakery
Sinead from Another Slice says:
"Brides-to-be should absolutely begin their research online. Visit general wedding sites to obtain real customer feedback from other couples. Then visit the bakery's website to view images of their work. If the photos aren't up-to-date, their work isn't either. You want to work with a bakery with positive feedback from married couples and a wide range of cake offerings."
2. Give yourself adequate time to pick a wedding cake
Sinead from Another Slice says:
"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."
3. Make sure you love how the cake tastes
Sinead from Another Slice says:
"I can't stress this enough: Arrange for a cake tasting before the cake is ordered. If the cake has multiple flavours, taste all of them. Basic flavours like chocolate, strawberry and vanilla will vary depending on how the cake is made, its formulation, its frosting and more. Don't assume — taste!"
"Also, with regard to taste, avoid the exotic. A good bakery can make vanilla taste amazing. Exotic flavours sometimes alienate guests who don't recognize the flavour."
4. Get creative with the design
Sinead from Another Slice says:
"The age of the cookie-cutter tiered white wedding cake with a plastic figurine at the top is long gone and, personally, I'm happy to see it go. Many brides bring their colour scheme (wedding gown, bridesmaid dresses) into the shop 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 religious ceremonies, any type of wedding can be accommodated with a custom cake."
5. Need inspiration? Try a cake trend
Sinead from Another Slice says:
"Matching the bride's dress to the cake is a big trend this season. We've matched the ruffle on a bride's dress to the cake. We've also matched specific pieces of heirloom jewellery on the bride to the wedding cake."
"We're also seeing a return to classic buttercream frosting — the original style of frosting that looks more realistic and has a richer flavour than modern frostings. As for shapes, ovals are really this season's hottest shift. Round is traditional, square can be a lot of fun, but an oval-shaped cake draws a lot of attention and allows us more room upon which to create."
6. Don't make these cake mistakes
Sinead from Another Slice says:
"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 bakery, 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."
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