There are guidelines for wedding cakes every wedding planner needs to know and be familiar with.  I’m sharing all the tips and questions you need to ask your client’s cake bakers below.

How Much Cake?

How many servings of cake you will need will depend on the number of guests your client is planning catering for.  If they are planning for 350 guests I suggest having enough cake between the wedding cake and the groom’s cake to feed 350 guests just to be safe.

Not everyone will eat cake so you could possibly order about 10% less than that if your client wants to make sure there is no cake left over at the end of the reception.  I would discuss this with the cake baker though and see what they suggest.

Things to Note:

• A cake plateau will be needed for both the wedding cake and the groom’s cake.  Most cake bakers don’t provide the cake plateau, but some do offer them as a rental.  If the cake baker doesn’t provide or rent cake plateaus you will need to make sure your client selects one from your local rental store.
• To find out the size cake plateau needed simply contact the cake baker to find out what size they suggest.  The rule of thumb on the size cake plateau needed it to go 2″ wider than the board the cake will be sitting on.  So if the cake is on an 18″ board you would need a 20″ cake plateau.
• Some cake bakers provide a separate anniversary tier for the couple to save for their one year anniversary.  You need to find out if the top tier needs to be saved or if an anniversary tier is being provided that’s not sitting on top of the cake.
• Most caterer’s will cut the wedding cake and groom’s cake for a set amount or for a dollar amount per serving.  I require all of my clients to have the caterer cut their cakes as family members and friends really don’t like being assigned to this task. And you want a professional cutting the cake to ensure it’s cut correctly and to keep the cake table looking as clean as possible.
• Some cake bakers will require the cake boards and inserts inside the cakes to be returned after the wedding.  Make sure you contact the cake baker to find out what; if anything, needs to be returned after the wedding.  If anything needs to be returned I will return them the Monday after the wedding if the cake baker and/or rental store is in my area.

The Groom’s Cake

Tradition states the bride’s family is supposed to pay for the groom’s cake since it’s a gift (surprise) from the bride to the groom, but that’s not always the case anymore.  The groom is usually involved in what his cake will look like.  I have found that a lot of grooms’ mothers think they are supposed to handle the grooms’ cake and want to so when that’s the case I say let them go for it.  Otherwise, the groom’s cake is always added to the brides wedding budget.

Grooms’ cakes don’t have to be just cakes these days.  A lot of groom’s are going with their favorite dessert for their “groom’s station.”  The groom’s station can be anything from donuts, cookies, themed cakes, pies, etc.

Questions to Ask Cake Baker

• What size cake plateau will be needed for the wedding cake? Groom’s cake?
• Do you provide cake plateaus? If yes, is there a rental fee?
• Will the top tier need to be saved for their anniversary or do you make a separate anniversary tier?
• How many layers will the wedding cake be?
• Do we have to return cake boards or any of the hardware inside the cake?
• If the wedding cake will have fresh flowers do you place those on the cake or do you want the florist to do so?
• Total for the wedding cake? Total for the groom’s cake? Deposit required to book?
• Do you charge a delivery fee?

xo, Terrica