Many couples see the cake as the centerpiece of their wedding, showcasing their style while feeding their guests something delectable and memorable. So, if you’re not sure how to go about choosing a wedding cake designer, maybe you’ll benefit from the experiences we’ve had during the planning of our October wedding…
Our cake was made by Felix’s Caketeria of Newtown, PA, who we met through the venue we selected as our wedding reception location. Turns out he was opening a bakery storefront about a block away from our house, so once he had the grand opening we stopped by. We went through the normal process of coming in and sampling some of the basic cakes he offered, and even bought a cake or two for special occasions over the summer. The bakery is great and they offer a large selection of delicious stuff. Probably not the best situation for our waistlines having them right down the street…
My then fiancee and I weren’t thrilled by the more traditional, simple flavors offered so we asked Felix if we could come in for a second meeting. We didn’t want to offend him by requesting we do something more exciting, but it turned out he was just as excited to make a special cake as we were. In hindsight it makes sense… he probably makes chocolate cakes all day long! So don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for what you like. Felix had a ton of different suggestions, but we ended up choosing something that fit our Fall theme.
We were torn between two choices: a pumpkin cake with chocolate cinnamon ganache, or a maple walnut cake with cream cheese icing. We all decided it would be even better if we did both! Felix alternated the layers, and covered the outside in buttercream. This turned out very cool, because people at the wedding got to try two different types, especially those with dates who swapped halfway through. We found a picture online of a cake made to look like a white birch tree, and Felix used that as his muse and created a really unusual cake for us with our initials “carved” into the “bark” on the outside of the cake. Fit our personalities, theme and the venue perfectly, and was something more memorable and personal than a typical traditional style.
The design process was a great success obviously. The ending product tasted great, as we expected, but the service is also worth mentioning. We bought sample cakes to try the two Fall flavors with friends, and Felix was texting me the next morning to see what we thought. He was just as excited as we were, if not more so.
All in all, it was one of the least stressful parts of the wedding process, and considering we had an excuse to eat about 20 pounds of cake along the way, one of the most enjoyable. The effort to create something special was more than worth it, and we owe Felix a big thank you for his inspiration and great work!
Final Thoughts: We recommend finding cake photos to offer inspiration, visiting the baker and getting samples and asking your wedding venue for names of bakers they have used. Be sure there’s some good communication between you and your baker to make sure you get the cake you want and so you’ll know they’re dependable.