This month we have a guest blog post, written by Bonnie Brunt Cakes. Bonnie Brunt Cakes make beautiful and special wedding cakes, Birthday cakes, and cakes and cupcakes for all types of special occasions:
Every bride has a few details that are the most important for their wedding. Some the dress, some the venue, some the flowers, and some just finding the perfect person to make all those decisions so the bride-to-be can just relax and be the Bride-To-Be! For us…it’s the CAKE! Yum!
At our shop, when you enter our doors, we want YOU to feel most important to us!
I do feel that the first priority should be your venue, for many details revolve around the “where”. It is important to establish how many people you plan to invite. Every vendor needs this number for planning purposes, especially your wedding cake baker! Colors are helpful and style is a plus. These can change, and sometimes they do.
Jessica Roberts Photography
Wedding Cake Size
A good cake designer should guide you here. Not everyone at your wedding will eat cake. We typically suggest about 20% less cake than the anticipated number of guests, but you know your crowd. Also, consider the space. If you are placing a large, 6 tier cake in a small room with 50 guests that might be a little over-the-top. On the flip side, if you are planning a wedding for 400 in a grand ballroom, a small 2 tier cake may have guests wondering “Where is the rest of the cake?” LOL. Our suggestion is that you size your cake to be appropriate for the number of guests and size of the space.
Cake Design
Once again, a good designer will be your friend and guide you through the process. My take on the cake design is that it should be an extension of the bride’s unique style. We ask lots of questions and try to get a feel for who the bride is and what she likes. Then we design a cake with her in mind. The style of the wedding and the venue all come into play. Flowers and color are considerations. Pinterest is a great resource. If you have photos of cakes you like or styles, or just a great Pinterest board, these are all helpful in establishing your style, thus a good direction for your cake.
Flowers are a consideration. Do you like fresh flowers or are you drawn to sugar flowers? Fresh flowers are typically provided by your florist and should be a complement to the other flowers in the room, giving you a fluid design over all. Sugar flowers can be anything you desire, with color and style left to the skill level of the cake artist.
Choosing a Wedding Cake Flavor
Wedding cakes were traditionally a white cake with white icing. Not always as delicious as symbolic. Today, this is no longer the case. Flavor is king and we use a variety of flavors in our wedding cakes, often a different flavor in each tier. My suggestion, TASTE THE CAKES! Choose the flavors that you love the most and share them with your guests. They will be grateful. Always choose delicious. Food should be delicious and your wedding cake is NO exception. At our shop, we feel that we can do anything style-wise with cake and sugar, but the heart and soul of our business is our flavors. CHOOSE DELICIOUS!
Grooms Cakes
We see more and more grooms cakes all the time. Traditionally, they were a simple chocolate cake. Today, tradition has stepped aside for an all-bets-are-off design. Some of the most elaborate and unique cakes that we do are our grooms’ cakes. They are all about the groom and a little about the bride…reflecting his likes, hobbies, and his unique personality. Fun, festive, whimsical, crazy…and often over-the-top. That’s our grooms’ cakes!
About 60% of our grooms’ cakes go to the rehearsal dinner and the remaining go to the wedding venue. That decision is up the bride or the family. If they go to the wedding, make sure they have their own table. The grooms’ cake should not compete with the wedding cake. The wedding cake always remains the front and center cake for the wedding.
Choosing a South Carolina Wedding Cake Vendor
People ask me all the time how to choose a vendor for this or that. My response is always the same. Ask questions and trust your gut. There are many talented and clever people in the wedding industry. I personally like working with good, kind people. I try to surround myself with them. You can see examples of work and read reviews online. READ REVIEWS AND LOOK AT PHOTOS. Talk to the vendors. Make your decision based on professionalism, skill, and quality of work…but mostly on if you feel that the person you are hiring can deliver what they promise in a timely and appropriate manner. Regarding wedding cakes, are their cakes beautiful? Are they delicious? Do you trust them? Would you want that person at your wedding? If yes…that’s your girl….or guy.
Most importantly, relax. Enjoy this journey. There will be bumps and bubbles along the way. It’s OK. You are getting married to the person for whom your heart longs. At the end of the day, if you are married the day was a raging success. Everything else is really just filler. Focus on the real thing, the only purpose…the love between two people…the commitment to each other before God. That is all that matters. That of course…and the wedding cake! ENJOY!!
Bonnie Brunt Cakes is located at 440 Great Circle Dr. in St. Matthews, South Carolina (29135). Take a look at their cake galleries, get your frequently asked questions answered, book a cake tasting, or connect with them directly at 1-803-655-7467. We love working with them for our unique weddings at the zoo, and hope you will too!
