Let Them Eat Cake: The #BrideHour Guide to Finding your Perfect Wedding Cake

Choosing your dream wedding cake is the perfect opportunity to indulge your sweet tooth and choose a culinary concoction that provides the cherry on top for your big day! Finding the right cake designer, style and flavour can however be a daunting task when faced with so many choices. So, here at #BrideHour we have teamed up with Ellie Rymer, cake creator and founder of Milk Street Kitchen, to bring you her top tips on finding your dream cake. 

Sweet Inspiration
Wedding magazines and blogs are bursting with beautiful and inspiring ideas for wedding cakes, from dizzyingly tall iced creations to rustic 'naked' cakes, patisserie towers and whole tables dedicated to cakes and sweet treats of all shapes and size. Spend time seeking out inspiration and collecting images you like on a DIY moodboard or Pinterest. This will be really helpful so you can share your likes and even dislikes with cake designers you meet. 

Naked Wedding Cake – Lauren By the Sea

Perfect Partners
Each cake designer will have their own style and approach to designing your cake. It's important to find someone you gel with and who understands your vision for the big day. Have a look online for suppliers near you and visit their websites and social media sights to get a feel for their style - Instagram is ideal for this. Personal recommendations are a great way to find someone you trust so talk to friends, your venue and other suppliers, like your florist - they will often be able to suggest reliable and creative cake creators. Wedding fairs are another good place to meet designers, see examples of their work and even sample a few sweet treats. 

Butter Iced Wedding Cake – Bev Downie Photography

Price of a Slice
As with all wedding decisions, it's wise to keep your budget in mind. The cost of a wedding cake can vary hugely depending on the designer and on the size and style of your cake. Generally speaking, the more tiers and sugar work, such as iced flowers, the more your cake is likely to cost. £300-£400 is a common starting point. While this may seem like a costly cake, the price will often include the cost of several meetings, a bespoke design, a tasting as well as delivery and set up on the morning of your wedding. If you do find a designer you like and are worried about budget it's always worth speaking to them about your specific requirements as there may be room for manoeuvre.

To your Taste
The days when a traditional fruit cake was the only choice for a wedding cake are long gone and you can choose from a seemingly unlimited array of sumptuous sponges, fruity fillings, creamy buttercreams and rich chocolate ganache. You may wish to opt for your all time favourite flavour but do speak to your designer about other options too, they may have some great ideas for seasonal and original flavours that will surprise and delight your guests and work well with your wedding day menu. If you can't decide on one flavour, why not mix and match between tiers – what better excuse to treat yourself to more than one piece of cake!

Iced Wedding Cake – Helen Cawte Photography

The Icing on the Cake
Show off your cake! Think about where and how to best present your creation at your wedding venue. Many designers will be able to help you plan a cake table that complements the style of your wedding. The right cake stand can really set off your design. From a classic white pedestal stand, to a rustic wooden board, there are lots of options to choose from and often designers will be able lend you a stand or recommend somewhere that can. You may also want to dress the cake table with flowers or other sweet treats, such as macarons - perfect for keeping guests topped up while they dance the night away. Goodie bags or pretty little favour boxes also give guests the chance to take a piece of cake home with them at the end of the night.

Author: A Cordon Bleu trained pastry chef, Ellie founded Milk Street Kitchen to cook up patisserie inspired wedding cakes and favours for couples in Surrey, Sussex and London.

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