Who else has a sweet tooth, like me? Raise your hand. I love cake. I love pastries. I love cupcakes. I love cheesecake. I love dessert. So choosing what to serve at my wedding has been difficult! Add in aesthetics and it can be so incredibly overwhelming when trying to determine what you want to have on that cake table. Desserts are a detail that have become such an important feature that not only do they get a whole table dedicated to them, but they get their very own moment in the timeline at the reception!
Like almost everything associated with weddings, there’s an interesting history in how serving cake came to be. The first instances date back to ancient Rome when the groom broke a loaf of barley bread over his bride’s head – a symbol of fertility. Their guests would then rush to pick up the crumbs of luck. Depending on the time in history, and the region, there are several interesting tidbits regarding the tradition’s history, but that’s another blog post!
Take a trip to flavor town!
There are tons of flavors to choose from and the first step is deciding if you are vanilla people or something more adventurous like salted caramel or white chocolate. The first step to figuring out what you love is tastings, tastings, tastings! Research the bakers in your area… most should offer an opportunity to meet with them, check out their portfolio, ask questions and sample their baking. Start with asking for referrals and make sure to take along pictures of what’s caught your eye or your Pinterest board…this can help the baker narrow down choices. Don’t be afraid to mix and match either. Lots of flavors compliment each other, so you don’t have to go strictly with one if you don’t want to.
Cupcake and dessert bar trend
There’s been a huge uptake in providing alternatives to cake the last several years and the popularity of dessert stations is still on the rise. Since the 2010s, we have seen more than half of weddings include treats like cupcakes, pies, cookies, cake pops, chocolate-covered strawberries, truffles, chocolate covered pretzels – all very trendy additions to any dessert bar. You can even find ice cream sundae and smores bars occasionally!
If the tradition of cutting the cake is important to you still, there’s nothing you can’t have your dessert bar and eat your cake too! Order up a small 4″ or 6″ round for just you and your love to have for the ceremonial aspect.
Personal pieces of beauty that perfectly tie in your wedding theme
Finalize your guest list
You’re going to need to know how approximately many mouths to feed before you determine the size of cake or amount of individual desserts you’ll need. Generally, you can expect 80% of your invited guests to attend, so use that as a ballpark figure. When deciding what size of cake to order, or how many tiers, look to your guest count first.
There are lots of guides online to show you how many servings you can get from a tiered or slab cake, but you can get 100 servings from a 3-tier (6/9/12″) cake or a 14″ square slab.
If you have decided to go with the more untraditional dessert bar route, a good rule of thumb is to multiply the number of guests expected by 2.5 to determine the number of individual desserts you’ll need. If budget allows, you can opt to multiply by 3 or 4 and serve the remainder at the end of the night… generally speaking you will only have 75% of your guests stay until the end so there would be lots to go around!
Choose the right frosting
Did you know that not all frostings are actually created equal? Depending on if you are having an outdoor wedding or not can have a significant impact on your choice of icing. Whipped cream, meringue, and buttercream do not hold up if you are holding a lovely tented summer wedding in 25c heat. They will melt right away! Make sure to talk to your baker about summer icing choices, especially if a refrigerator is not readily available for your location.
Knowing your theme and style can also help. Going formal? Fondant is a great choice. Maybe rustic is more your style? Naked cakes are a barely there icing choice that is both trendy and are an alternative to large white wedding cakes.
Some money saving tips
Set a budget for your wedding cake/desserts and shop around. Because many bakers charge a fee based on how many slices the cake will serve, the price can range anywhere from around $5-$15 per slice and is completely dependant on how complicated the decorating scheme is. Often couples will think that a styrofoam layer will cut costs, but the same amount of detail and work is required, so if you are looking to save, try these suggestions instead.
Order a small cake for just the two of you, that is decorated to perfection and a sheet cake or two of the same flavor but much less detail to feed your guests. Tiers, handmade sugar flowers, and specially molded shapes, while stunning, are costly. Consider garnishing with seasonal flowers…make sure they are organic however or have a plastic barrier if they will be touching your cake directly. Fruit is another choice that can add elegance without a huge cost factor.
Photo by: @photography_by_alaa
Remember, work with your wedding planner to find the perfect baker. They will have suggestions to keep you on budget and make sure that you are finding the best baker for your vision and timeline… cakes can take anywhere from 3 months to a year to plan out.
The cakes and cupcakes in this blog post were all created by You Had Me at Cupcake. Owner Chantal Lesage has grown her business from baking in her home kitchen to owning her own licensed commercial space in just under 5 years. Everything she bakes is made fresh from scratch, including her amazing handmade sugar flowers seen above. She can create anything from stunning wedding cakes and cupcakes to celebration cakes, cookies, even cakesicles. You can have the amazing desserts she created for our RockOn! shoot for just $160 (cake) and $40/dozen Check out her website www.youhadmeatcupcake.com/ as well as Facebook and Instagram.
Vendor Team for the RockOn! styled shoot:
- Lead Photography: www.bucklandimagery.com
- Rentals and Concept Design: http://www.themabystudio.com
- Mixologist: www.ontheroadpop.com
- Behind the Scenes Photography: The SnapHappy Photographer
- Planning & Coordination: Vesta Weddings
- Venue: 52 North Venue http://www.52northvenue.com
- Invitations & Stationery: http://www.ajscraftcreations.com
- Florals: Stems Flowers & Cafe: www.stemsfloral.ca
- Cake/Cupcakes: http://www.youhadmeatcupcake.com
- Bridal Couture: Your Wedding Place
- Men’s Attire: Rob Rae Clothiers
- Videography: Flying Goose Media
- Makeup Artistry: Maici LeFevre Makeup Co
- Hair: Michelle Doupe: https://www.facebook.com/CENTRALALBERTAHAIRSTYLIST/
- Models: Jay & Tiara Adams
