A Guide to Creative Wedding Cakes

How creative wedding cakes have come about…

Creative wedding cakes come in so many shapes, sizes and styles these days. This week I have been staying and my Granny’s house and we had a great chat about how wedding cakes used to be. She didn’t even have a cake at her wedding; they went out for beans on toast as that’s what post war Britain had to offer. Cake was a luxury then.

But now, of course a wedding must have a cake (in my opinion!) and the reason being that the cake can truly be whatever you want it to be. And if you’re going for a cake, why not have an original cake that reflects your tastes, personalities and quirks, rather than a ‘standard’ one?

Wedding cakes have become a creative offering at a wedding, acting as a part of the overall styling of the day. They’re a chance for a couple to show their creativity, but also an opportunity for a cake maker to really niche down, have a distinctive style and really design a cake from scratch, inspired by, well, anything that inspires them. I have made cakes inspired by wedding venues details, wedding dresses, wedding stationery, a couple’s kitchen (yes!), the view from a couple’s roof terrace, just about anything you can think of.

So what’s the difference between a cake maker and a cake designer?

I call myself a cake designer, because every cake I make is designed first, (obviously!). Each cake starts with a digital sketch which puts all the ideas from a couple and my inspiration together to realise an idea and, firstly see if it works aesthetically, and secondly, are we on the same page?! I never create a cake without sketching it first. That’s how I like to manage the expectations of my clients, but also to help them visualise their idea.

Why have I gone for the design-led approach?

I have always been a designer. Although I have had a teaching career, I trained as a graphic designer. I like each cake I create to be truly unique. Not only is this more special for my clients, it (selfishly!) allows me to use all the inspiration I gather from everywhere to put into my designs. So you won’t catch me copying another cake makers cake, or following trends in the cake world. My inspiration comes solely from interior design, architecture, graphic design and the world outside of cakes.

So what can I expect from my design –led wedding cake service?

Once I have checked and confirmed my availability for your date we can set a cake tasting and design consultation which will be held at the Andaz Hotel where I am preferred supplier. This is a great place for sipping tea or cocktails, whilst tasting a selection of my cake flavours and discussing the design details of your wedding cake idea. From that meeting, I will go off to produce a digital design sketch of your wedding cake idea, which will be sent over to you as part of your wedding cake proposal with a quote. At this point I will recommend any wedding cake extras you may not have thought about, like cake stand, topper, a cake knife and any extra table decorations. I will tweak the sketch until you are both completely happy at which point you can proceed with the order. Have a look at some of the other design-led wedding cakes I have created. You can see some of my cake stories and the inspiration behind them here. And get in touch if you’d like to discuss your design-led wedding cake, I’d love to hear your ideas!