With Our Decision-Making Tips, Choosing Your Cake is Easy!
Gather Ideas for Your Design: Begin your decision-making process by gathering ideas as you browse magazines -- and the websites linked to this page. Along the way, collect photographs of cakes that inspire you. Your cake design should reflect the theme and feeling you want to create for your special day. Consider the style, shape, color and adornments that suit this purpose and make a list of the qualities that best suit your needs.Interview and Select a Baker: Find out whether or not your reception site allows outsider vendors. If they do, make appointments with several local bakers -- links to some of our favorite Florida confectioners are listed below -- and follow these steps for a successful interview:
- View the baker's portfolio and be sure to taste samples. This will give you confidence in their ability to create a masterpiece with the look and taste you desire.
- Discuss your preferences and concerns -- If you have your own cake topper, bring it along to ensure their design will accommodate it. If you want to coordinate your cake with your dress or wedding colors, bring photos or samples for the baker to see. If there are folks in your wedding party with dietary concerns, discuss alternative choices for them.
- Determine the logistics of the day -- who will set up the cake, supply the serving needs and return platters when the reception is over.
- Find out if there are extra charges for set up and clean up, as well as shipping costs or cake-cutting fees and add them to the overall cost.
- Be sure you understand how far in advance of your wedding an order must be placed.
Stick to Your Budget
To help keep the cost of your cake in line with your budget, keep the following information in mind:- The cost of a wedding cake is based on a per slice rate and the complexity of your design -- square cakes yield more servings than round ones. A simple wedding cake or one adorned with fresh fruit or flowers, rather than handmade spun sugar decorations, will be less expensive.
- If your heart is set on an intricate design, simply showcase a smaller version of it on the reception table and serve the majority of your guests from a sheet cake made with the same recipe.
- If you're nontraditional, use the links below to find delicious, money-saving alternatives to conventional cakes -- cupcakes, artfully displayed, or different mini-cakes on each table offer guests a variety of flavors to enjoy. A dessert bar provides them with a buffet of sweet treats.
- Many reception sites offer a cake as part of their wedding package, saving you delivery and service fees. Be sure to inquire about this when you investigate reception sites.
Our Favorite Florida Confectionary Artists Really Take the Cake!
Lucky you! Every region of the Sunshine state has a multitude of wedding cake designers who would love to create a masterpiece of culinary art for your special day. Streamline your search by checking out our favorites first:For your Northeastern Florida wedding, explore the choices available online at Sheila's Cakes in Jacksonville. Sheila's delectable desserts are masterfully prepared right in the shop -- and receive rave reviews from satisfied customers!
If you're tying the knot in the Florida Panhandle take a look at the incredibly beautiful cakes at Destin's most popular wedding cake bakery for over 20 years, Wedding Treasures by Ronda.
Party Flavors, serving the Central Florida area, boasts numerous existing designs as well as confectionery artists who will sketch into form your sweetest, most romantic visions before settling on the ideal cake for you.
On Florida's Gulf Coast, you'll find Sarasota's premier cake designers, A Slice of Heaven Custom Cakes, ready to serve you with choices that range from simply elegant confections to the most elaborate imaginable.
In the middle of the Sunshine State's Atlantic Coast, is the up-and-coming Candylicious Cakes in Melbourne. It was recently opened by the highly creative and exciting gourmet chef, Candice Chapman, and can already be found on numerous regional top ten lists.
The greater Miami area is home to some of the state's finest wedding cake bakers. Among them, is Anna Paz Cakes, a family run business in Coral Gables that produces stunning works of confectionery art and has an impressive client list, including many of the major hotels, 5-star resorts and exclusive clubs in Southern Florida.
In Key Largo, your option are fewer but there's a standout, for sure. It's Chantilly Cakes. Their custom wedding cakes are baked from scratch with only the finest creamery butter, fresh eggs, real chocolate and fresh fruit...for a cake that will make a knock-out reception centerpiece.
For Your Final Consideration...
Some wedding planners say the reception table isn't complete without a cake for the groom. This smaller delicacy sits beside the wedding cake and is created with his personality in mind. A football field complete with goalposts and flags, a poker table or a simple layering of squares are all appropriate designs for the groom's cake. All of our listed vendors will be happy to discuss one with you.And last but not least, don't forget to save (by freezing) the top layer of your cake to eat on your first anniversary. According to tradition, it will bring you and your lifemate years of sweetness!
