A delightful wedding cake

Esther Muchene

One of the many reasons your guests may be attending your wedding is probably to see and taste your wedding cake.

The wedding cake is one important element you can use to bring out the theme of the wedding. It is one of the main if not major attractions at the reception. This is one of the first things your guests will see when they walk in and for this reason it better be good.

When choosing, there are a number of things worth considering:

i. Take your time to look for a cake design you will love. Inspiration can be found from your wedding gown to magazines.

ii. Know the number of guests you are expecting to attend and have the colour scheme in check before visiting the cake vendor.

iii. Have the cake budget set and work around it.

iv. Place an order for the cake at least 2-3 months in advance depending on the design, intricacy and cake flavour. Rich fruit cakes require more time to mature thus an early visitation will be of benefit to you.

v. Choose a reputable vendor either from trusted wedding planners, friends or referrals.

vi. Upon being given the final cost, find out if the package covers transport to the venue, serving plates, knives, champagne, wine glasses and cake table decoration. Some service providers charge this as a package while others don’t and would ask you to provide transport to the venue among other things. Therefore ask, don’t make assumptions that can cost you.

vii. Don’t limit yourselves when it comes to flavours. This is the only day you can have the best of everything. If you like chocolate have it in one tier, if you love lemon have it in another and so on.

viii. When it comes to display, consider the theme and your preference. For example, a cowboy-wedding theme can have the cake displayed on a stack of hay.

ix. When it comes to decorating the table, you can use a tablecloth in your colour scheme with a runner or overlay with petals scattered on the table for a minimalist look. Or you can have the table layered in different fabrics, decorated with assorted ornaments and accessories and for the bold look, lighting illuminating from beneath creates a floating effect.

x. For those brides who dare to be different, do away with the whole cake table clichÈ and opt for a grand entrance instead. When the cake cutting time comes, have a delegated person push the cake in a trolley while some background music is playing or a special performance is done in honour of that great moment. Have spotlights on the cake and if possible a fire work display. If you don’t like the fireworks opt for sparklers on the cake or around the table.

xi. When setting up the cake, place it at a strategic place such that it will not disrupt the flow of movement. Ensure it is placed in an area it cannot be accidentally knocked down especially by children or drunk guests.

xii. For a late or dinner reception, incorporate some lighting to bring out the cake by use of candles round the table or lanterns hang above it. However, do make sure the lights are not too hot or too close to the cake lest they cause the icing to melt.

xiii. When choosing the cake table, size matters. It should be according to the size of the cake. It should neither be too big nor too small.

xiv. Don’t limit yourself to wedding cake clichÈs. If your budget allows, you can have miniature cake replicas on each guest table instead of pre-cuts, which most guests actually don’t really like as in most cases they look different from the original cake. Alternatively, you can have cupcakes with cute decorations.

xv. Who said you have to have cake at your wedding? Depending on your theme, you may consider other options such as roast meat or pies.