Choosing the right wedding cake for your special day can seem like an overwhelming task. I mean, the cake is the centerpiece of your reception and photos; and what people will be talking about for months to come. Fortunately, you do not have to stress out about choosing the right cake for you and your soon-to-be spouse. Take a deep breath, relax, and follow these easy steps, and you will be on your way to wedding cake bliss.

Find the Baker: The first step to choosing the perfect cake is to start the process by finding a bakery that you feel comfortable working with. When the person handling your wedding cake has a good idea of what you want, the theme and style of your event, and you and your significant other’s personalities; the better the chances of wedding cake success. If you already have an idea of what you want your cake to look like, take pictures or examples to perspective bakers and make sure your design is something they can successfully manage.

Be Honest: Be honest up front with your chosen baker about budget and your expectations. If you have an idea for a four tier fondant masterpiece with rosettes and pearls, but your budget is only on par with a vanilla cake topped with silk flowers, then you are going to be horribly disappointed. Don’t be disappointed on your wedding day about your cake not meeting your expectations.

Don’t Panic: When you start looking for the perfect baker, make sure you do so with plenty of time for your creation to be completed. Reputable bakers often have a backlog of customer orders, so it is imperative that you allow enough time for them to construct your masterpiece with hurrying. When you hurry, that’s when mistakes are made.

Be Creative: Don’t worry about the old-fashioned traditions that many people will tell you “have” to be considered. Design your wedding cake based on what means something to you and your significant other. If you love purple poppies and your fiancé loves camping, have the baker make the cake look like a log cabin, and have purple flowers flowing along the tiers. Compromise, creativity, and fun will make your wedding cake perfect. If you get married at the beach, consider a wedding cake designed like a sandcastle with edible seashells. Dream big!

Taste, Taste, Taste: This step is simple; try as many cake combinations as you want/can before choosing the right cake for you. Don’t settle for white cake with raspberry filling because that’s the best of the three choices you tried. Try different flavors and don’t be afraid to step outside the traditional wedding box and ask for a chocolate cake if that is what you want. If you and your fiancé have different tastes, then make each layer a different flavor so that you both have cake that you will enjoy eating.

Size Matters: When it comes to choosing the right wedding cake, size does matter. Depending on how many guests you have, your ideal cake may need to be modified to be larger or smaller. It is a great idea to be sure that you get the appropriate size cake so you don’t end up either running out leaving guests without cake, or having way too much and paying for someone to store half of your cake in their freezer for eternity.

Groom’s Cake: Every bride wants her special day to be perfect with no glitches, frat chants, fist bumping, or footballs. An easy outlet for some masculinity is the groom’s cake. Allow your fiancé the opportunity to design his own groom’s cake, or you design something that will mean something to him. I mean, let’s be fair, the bride gets the dress, the flowers, the cake, and the three toasters; the groom should get something too.

Written by; Meagan Cline

Photo Credit: Cam Ta Photography