The wedding cake can be a big part of the reception décor and provides an opportunity for some lovely first photos of the newly married couple. But there are often quite a few things that get forgotten, so I think it’s time for a little checklist…..
The Knife
Let’s start with the basics – have you got a cake knife to use for your photos?
Are you going to serve your wedding cake? If so, please consider:
Who is gong to cut your cake up into portions and serve it?
Have you actually asked your caterer to cut up your cake and serve it? Please do so – they need to plan it in.
The time you cut your cake.
If you want your cake to be served as dessert, you need to cut it and do your photos well in advance of dessert so that your caterer has time to then cut it into portions. Normally the couple cut the cake and have photos when they first come in to sit down for the meal before any food is served. It can then be taken out to the catering tent to be cut up and plated, so it is ready when it is time for dessert to be served.
Is all of the cake being served?
Traditionally the top tier of the wedding cake is saved to eat on a special occasion, perhaps your first anniversary or a christening ceremony? If you decide to do this, make sure whoever is cutting up the cake knows about it.
Who is providing the plates, cutlery and napkins when the cake is served? You or your caterer?
Make sure you nail this down. We can’t tell you the number of times we’ve seen the caterer asked to serve the cake there and then but they’ve not had anything to serve it on. As I’m sure you can imagine, it’s quite difficult to conjure up 150 extra plates when you’re celebrating in the great outdoors!
The Weather
Tell your cake maker that your wedding is being held in a tent outside so if it is hot outside, it will be hot inside. This may well delay the time they deliver. Most structures have sides that can be lifted/removed to get some air circulation and if you’re forecast an absolute scorcher, you can add in some electric fans. However, if it is really hot it will be pretty warm inside and so cakes, particularly buttercream cakes, will melt. Believe us we’ve seen it!
The best thing to do is store the cake in a refrigerated chiller until just before you need it. Often couples have ordered a refrigerated chiller to store the drinks in so they can be utilised for the cake too. We can arrange this for you and have a lovely supplier that provides walk in chillers with shelving that will do the job nicely.
If the cake is being brought out last minute, make sure you arrange in advance who will be carrying it out. They are usually very heavy so it might be a two-man job.
Leftover Cake
Whether the cake is being served to your guests or not, make sure you leave instructions of what happens to any remaining cake. Are there boxes for it to be packed into (make sure whoever is displaying the cake keeps the boxes it arrived in)?
Is someone taking it home to store that evening? No-one wants to see a wedding cake just left in the tent and forgotten about but that actually happens quite a lot! They freeze really well so make sure you have someone organised to take the cake home to store and then the next day it can be cut up and popped in the freezer. So lovely to take slices out of the freezer at a later date to enjoy while reminiscing about your special day.
And what better way to wrap this up? All cake dramas now resolved and you can concentrate on the important bit, feet up and eating that cake!
Photo Credit; Jonny Gouldstone Photography
Cake; Simply Divine by Claire