Are you one of the many brides out there trying to figure out where to begin with your wedding cake? Are you wondering how much cake you actually need, how much it costs (and alternatives if cake isn’t your thing), what cake size to choose, or where to get one for that matter? Don’t worry, many are in, and have been in your shoes, but I’m going to help you get the answers you need!
In a recent live interview with entrepreneur and wedding cake extraordinaire Rachel of Blondie’s Bake House, Serena Gifford of the Dallas Oasis got us the scoop on all we need to know as well as the answers to all of our wedding cake questions!
Serena and Rachel got together during this interview to let brides know that YOUR WEDDING PLANNING DOES NOT STOP HERE.
What You Need To Know About Tastings And How You Don’t Have To Wait
Rachel from Blondie’s Bake House helps you keep your wedding planning on track in many ways when it comes to your cake! As a bride, by this point, you may or may not know that when you meet with a baker, you get to meet in person and discuss your vision for your cake, and most bakers will ask you questions and get an idea of the flavor and the design you want.
Virtual Design Consultation
Rachel traditionally likes to sit down one-on-one with brides over a good cup of coffee and really get to know them before settling on a wedding cake design. One of her favorite aspects of creating wedding cakes is getting to know the bride and groom to help create a completely custom cake that reflects their dream vision.
This is why she enjoys making cakes for weddings more than for any other event!
When she can’t meet one-on-one with a nice cup of coffee or tea, she conducts phone interviews so that planning can continue!
Carryout Tastings
Again, cake tastings are an exciting and extremely fun part of picking the perfect cake for you, and Rachel gets this. Rachel expressed that she loves the cake-tasting part of the process, as she gets to work with the bride and groom and fulfill their needs and wants.
Currently, she is offering tastings for pickup, so if you’re planning a wedding this year or for 2021, you can place your order, pick up your box of cake tastings and let Rachel know exactly what flavor(s) you want in your cake!
How Many Tastings Does A Bride Get And How Much Does A Wedding Cake Cost?
Serena – “Many brides have asked me about flavors for their tastings, they want to know, how many flavors they can pick for a tasting and how much does it cost?”
Rachel – “My tastings come with three flavors and I charge $40. The tasting comes with a dozen cupcakes with three different flavors of your choosing.
Brides can also add flavors for an additional charge. And so I’ve had one bride do six flavors before and THAT was fun––she wanted to try everything, and I love it when brides try crazy fun flavors. I’ve also had brides and grooms do two rounds of tasting boxes. They will give me a call and let me know that they want another tasting box and drop by to pick it up!
As far as deciding on a flavor, brides and grooms definitely have lots of time to choose their flavors. When it comes to a wedding, I don’t need to have the flavors set in stone until two weeks before the actual day, so if you can’t decide or have a last-second change of mind, don’t worry, I’ve got it covered!”
Wedding Cake Flavors
This portion of the interview was probably my favorite to listen to and watch; ALL the flavors and all the EXCITEMENT from both Serena and Rachel, had me wanting to plan a wedding just for the cake!
Serena – “I’ve had Rachel’s cakes a lot, any time she comes to the Dallas Oasis, she always brings many different and unique flavors, which is horrible for me and my diet, because I seem to lose all self-control each time.“
Rachel – “Absolutely, flavors are where it gets fun, because the sky is the limit when it comes to my flavors and I like to try all kinds of crazy things! Most of the time I suggest that brides and grooms try something out of the ordinary and out of the box. Especially for their cake tastings, because you know, if they like the unique flavors then we can go ahead and assume they’re going to like the timeless classics like vanilla and chocolate; so why not try something different to see if that’s the route you want to take?
And really encourage brides and grooms to try the alcoholic flavors because they’re my favorite flavors to work with. I just think they’re fun and delicious; I do a lot of champagne flavor––which I absolutely love, as well as chocolate and Bailey’s.”
Serena – “So what do you find yourself making the most for brides and grooms? Apart from chocolate and vanilla––you know, the basics, what are your most popular flavors when you schedule tastings?”
Rachel – “Yeah! That’s a great question. I find myself making a lot of cookies and cream, and white chocolate raspberry. Those are my two most popular flavors and I think they’re amazing! But along with those two flavors, I always encourage my brides and grooms to try indie colada, tiramisu, creme brulee, and/or Italian cream. Those flavors will positively have you drooling!”
Serena – “So what Rachel is saying, guys, is that she can do anything! Just tell her what flavor you want and she will make it happen! Not only this, if you don’t know what flavor you’re looking for she can also help you narrow it down and choose the perfect one for you!”
When To Place Your Wedding Cake Order
Rachel says, “Twelve months from your wedding date is ideal, 7-8 months is cutting it close, and the closer you get, the less likely you’ll be able to book me or another cake maker. Two months before is the limit, and by this point, the cake’s cost would include a rush fee, and even that can’t guarantee your spot at a bakery. My recommendation is that you get your cake taken care of at twelve months or earlier!”
How Much Does A Cake Cost And How Much Cake Do You Actually Need?
Serena – “One of my brides at the Dallas Oasis was asking me this week, how much a wedding cake is and how much do they need to feed their guests? I think this is an excellent question that a lot of brides would love to get a good answer to!”
Rachel – “So with cakes and with any other vendor, it’s always going to depend on first of all, who you’re going with. So I could give you an average price for Blondie’s Bake House, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be anywhere near what another vendor might charge.”
Blondie’s starts around $4 a serving and it goes up depending on what kind of design you get. It can get expensive, but there are a lot of hacks to get a stunning centerpiece cake and save money. For example, you can do fake layers, and something that is awesome that bakers don’t really talk to you about is that, you can get a tall cake and it not have to feed a lot of people.
“So you could do a four, six, eight, ten, twelve-inch cake, and have a five-tier cake. It’s a smaller tiered cake that doesn’t feed a ton of people, but it’s still tall, you know?
You can also add thick separators and use tall cake stands for that extra height!
So my fee is $4 a serving, but unless I knew how many people you were feeding, I couldn’t really give you a good estimate on the exact cost without sitting down and talking over your whole day and all the details.
One thing to keep in mind though is that many guests are not going to eat, so this is something we can work out together once myself or another baker knows your guest count. We can determine exactly how much cake you really need so you don’t have gobs of left-overs to take home later.”
How To Choose A Design For Your Wedding Cake
Serena – “I had another bride ask me yesterday how to choose a design for her cake based on her color scheme and style that she’s doing for the wedding. How do you go about choosing elaborate designs that match and complement the bride’s vision and style? I know that you do custom design, so what would you tell her as far as coming up with the perfect cake for her color scheme, wedding theme, and style?”
Rachel – “So what I really love is getting to know my brides! I always send my brides and grooms a questionnaire to really get to know them and to get an exact idea for the cake design. I ask brides what their style is––are they modern or romantic? Do they like a garden theme or any kind of theme at all? I then ask about colors and the mood they’re going for. After I get a completed questionnaire, I will sketch up a few cakes before our consultation.
I love doing my designs this way because I am creating unique cakes for brides and grooms, ones that are not copied right off Pinterest and that have not been in a dozen other weddings!”
Can You Save The Top Layer for Your First Anniversary?
Serena – “Another question brides are asking is whether you can or should save the top layer of your cake for your first wedding anniversary?”
Rachel – “So my friends actually did this. And I made their wedding cake; I was there when they ate it and I closed my eyes and I was like, okay, this is no reflection on me––do not take it out on me if it’s gross, it is a year old!
I mean, if you’re really sentimental and you really want to do that and then we will do it for you. We will give a box to your event coordinator the day of and they can wrap it up for you and you can freeze it and it will be edible a year later. Or what I highly recommend is that you grab one of my $ 20-anniversary cakes, which is a big discount on my small cakes, and it saves you the trouble of eating a freezer burnt cake.”
Are Groom’s Cakes Still a Thing?
Serena – “And just one last question for you today, Rachel, Brides want to know if grooms cakes are still a thing?”
Rachel – “Okay. So I don’t get grooms cake orders very often. I actually haven’t seen a lot. There are the occasional grooms that actually want a cake. But a lot of the times the bride will take a little more charge there and she’ll ask for a groom’s cake but want it to match hers. So that’s something that I’ve seen, you can get two cakes that echo your theme, but then the second, smaller cake, will be the flavor that the groom wants; so I would say, it is not very common right now.”’
Wrapping Everything Up
This was an incredibly informative interview with a lot of invaluable information! So now all you need to do to get started is:
- Know your guest count
- Reach out to Blondie’s Bake House or a cake shop in your area and order your cake!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’ve still got questions, we’re ready to provide answers. Below are some of the most common questions we’ve heard from brides about cakes as they plan their wedding.
What Is The Average Wedding Cake Cost?
Wedding cake pricing can change depending on the type of cake you order and how many people you need to feed, but the average cost for most wedding cakes is generally around $550 across the country. Other factors that influence the final price include whether you want a specialty cake or something more traditional, the number of tiers, cake toppers, and whether or not you want elaborate decorations (like edible gold leaf, handmade sugar flowers, fresh flowers that are hard to find).
Who Should Pay For The Wedding Cake? The Bride’s Family Or The Groom’s?
Traditionally, it’s always been the bride’s parents who pay for the wedding cake and reception. But there’s no rule saying you have to do it this way!
How Many Wedding Guests Usually End Up Eating Cake?
According to Brides.com, about 70-85% of guests usually end up eating cake on the wedding day.
Do I Have To Pay A Delivery Fee To Have My Cake Brought To The Venue?
Delivery fees are common practice, since cakes aren’t always easy to transport. The cost of a wedding cake delivery changes from baker to baker. Some charge a flat rate fee. Others charge based on how far they need to transport the cake. Make sure you ask about delivery fees so you have a clear idea of the final cost.
What Are Some Cheaper Alternatives To Tiered Wedding Cakes?
Tiered wedding cakes are the traditional choice at most weddings, but again, there’s no rule saying you have to do it this way. Cake pops, wedding cupcakes, or a large sheet cake are all great options that are sure to save you a bit of money without failing to delight your guests. Like Rachel mentioned in the interview, most bakeries know “hacks” that can help you save, so be sure to ask about them. If you’re working with a tight budget but you have a lot of people to feed, you could also go with a traditional cake, but simply serve smaller cake slices during the reception.
The Wedding Cake Baker I Wanted Isn’t Available, So What Should I Do?
It’s simple: find another one! Google and Instagram are both great places to start, and a lot of talented wedding cake bakers host portfolios on their websites and social media profiles. You can’t tell how great the cake tastes by looking at pictures alone, so it’s also important to choose a cake designer who offers consultations and tastings (like our dear friend Rachel at Blondie’s Bake House).
Should I Provide Vegan And Gluten Free Cake Options For Guests?
If it works with your overall budget, it’s a kind gesture – especially if you already know some of your guests have food sensitivities.
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