Whether you are planning to place an order for a simple small cake or a specialty cake, how you place the order matters. I got together with my mom to discuss our personal experiences working as cake decorators.
It's all in the details...
- Be specific about whether you do or do NOT want borders and what style you prefer.
- If you have special colors, the easiest match is to bring in paint samples with the exact colors. If you email or text colors they can often not turn out exact.
- Decorations are the most important. If you are planning to use sugar or real flowers, tell the baker who is to put them on. Either you would like the baker to have it fully decorated or you might want to decorate the cake yourself. Read more about why we suggest sugar flowers over real flowers in our blog: Sugar Flowers vs. Real Flowers.
- Send photos of any styles or decoration ideas you found that can help the baker.
48 hours advance...
Many bakers are called with just 24 hours advance notice and that usually means they are not able to place your order or, if they are, it will be rushed! 48 hours minimum notice is the kindest thing to do for your baker. Plan ahead and order in advance, it will mean the difference between the perfect center to your celebration.
Celebration count is a must...
Without a fairly good count of how many guests you plan to serve, it is near impossible to guide you on a size. Keep in mind that there is not a guarantee on how many slices you receive from a cake. If Aunt Mary is the one cutting and she cuts larger slices for everyone, many guests might miss out. Understand who and how you will be slicing your cake.
Pick up time is vital...
If you request to pick the cake up at 8am, the decorator is likely doing final touches that morning. They will prioritize your cake over the later pick ups. So be thoughtful and show up at the scheduled time. If you wait until 11am to pick up, they could have been working on others before yours.
My mom still enjoys the artistry of cake decorating and helped me refine some of these tips. If you have any experiences of your own or even fun stories, comment below and share!
