How to order a celebration cake?
So, you have a celebration coming up and you have been put in charge of the cake! Ha! no pressure then!?
No doubt you will get straight onto Google to find the best cake decorator in your area to get a price, right? One of the first questions I get asked is ‘How much are your cakes?’ sometimes accompanied by a reference photo. But there is so much more information we need to know, so to make your buying experience go a little more smoothly I have listed a few things to think about when making an enquiry.
Date the cake is required.
The first and most important thing! I always ask this now before getting into design and prices. And remember we need the date of COLLECTION not necessarily the date of event.
Budget.
Even though you send a reference photo of your ideal cake, giving the decorator your budget will allow for them to adjust the design and size of the cake to suit. If your budget is unrealistic the decorator will let you know straight away [some have a starting price for their cakes too] and give you the opportunity to look elsewhere saving you both valuable time.
Design
We cake decorators are artists by default but, we do need some guidance from our customers. Reference photos and details of the recipients interests and hobbies are always welcome, the more information we have the better the design of the cake will be.
Servings required.
How many people do you need the cake to feed? Will you be cutting the cake at the event and want to serve every guest? Or will it be more of a centrepiece/photo prop and cut later for family? Most cake decorators will have a servings guide on their websites to give you and idea of the size of cake you need.
Venue
Will you be collecting the cake or wish to have it delivered? This is important as it can add extra costs to your final bill so bring this up in the conversation as soon as you can. Also good to know is, if the event is indoors or outdoors as this can determine if the cake and it’s structure can survive sitting outside in varying weather conditions.
Cake flavours
The best way to pick a good flavour for a cake is to find out the recipient’s favourite type of cake. There are so many beautiful and unusual cake flavours available but these will be no good if the birthday girl or boy likes plain old vanilla! For bigger events like weddings cake taster boxes are available from most cake decorators and sometimes can be posted out to you.
Decoration.
An important thing to bear in mind is adding decorations to a cake. Flowers, toppers and hand-made figures will add extra cost to the finished cake, although your decorator will advise you of this during the consultation.
Allergies and intolerances.
This is so important! If you know of any allergies please let your cake decorator know straight away! Any decorator should ask this of you at the time of ordering your cake.
Deposit and payment.
Ask if there is a deposit required and when the balance is due. All cake businesses have different terms and conditions. E.g. Some give you 48 hours from giving you a quote to paying your deposit otherwise the date can be reallocated to another customer. Some take final payment on collection of the cake while others require full payment 48 hrs.
I hope you find these tips useful please comment below if there is anything else you would like to know.
For design ideas click the link https://www.cakes2party.com/celebration-cakes