Wedding Cake Ordering FAQ, How to prepare for a Cake Consultation

Congratulations on your engagement! We will be happy to meet with you to discuss your wedding cake. Here are some common questions and answers about the ordering and consultation process to make our cake meeting easy and productive.

I finally got the ring and have called everyone I can think of to tell them the news. Now I call the baker and order the cake, right? 

A cake consultation should be scheduled only after you have chosen invitations, your wedding dress, and decor. This allows us to work from those elements or learn how you would like the cake to fit into your theme. The cake should be an edible centerpiece that ties into the rest of the room’s decor, not be totally disconnected from the rest of your reception. If you feel that you might not have these items crossed off your to-do list, feel free to email customcakesbysteve@gmail.com and make sure your date is available. Cake consults should be booked about 3-4 months before your wedding.

What should I bring to the consultation? 

The more prepared you are, the better! You might bring:

• Pictures of cakes that interest you and/or your fiance’
• A tablet loaded up to Pinterest with cake ideas.
• An invitation is usually the most useful thing to bring if possible. Not only does it express your style but we may also be able to pull design elements from it and utilize them on your cake. We may also use the same font for a monogram if you would like one on your cake.  Most importantly, it provides us with vital information about your wedding such as the date, time, and location.  It is beneficial to us if we can keep it.
• A color swatch for matching edible flowers, ribbons, etc. We might like to keep this too if possible.
• An example of any design element you have already decided you would like on your cake.
• Please be prepared to leave a deposit to reserve your wedding date. Cash or Check are preferred. Typically 50% deposit at consult and 50% two weeks prior to the event. (This can be adjusted if necessary and payments may be split up if desired).
• Payment for cake tasting sampler (if applicable).

Should I bring my whole family to the cake consult?

No. You may bring a total of three people, including yourself. We cannot accommodate more than than three, if you need seating for three please inform us prior to the appointment. The main person we focus on in these meetings is the bride (and sometimes the groom too), additional family members may attend if you deem it necessary. Well behaved Children are welcomed and will be rewarded with sugary goodness. Please let us know who will be attending so we can be prepared.

Can you deliver to my venue?

Make sure that your venue allows outside cakes to be brought in before ordering, the bride and groom are responsible for ensuring that a venue will accept a cake from Custom Cakes by Steve. Some venues ask us to send in a copy of our food service license, this is good practice, and we can take care of that easily.

If your venue uses Custom Cakes by Steve as one of its preferred vendors, your wedding cake may be included in your wedding package! If this is the case, we offer a number of wedding cakes that have a traditional design and can be may be ordered at no additional charge to you.

My wedding cake is included in my package and Custom Cakes by Steve is one of their preferred vendors what should I do? 

We offer a number of cakes that are completely paid for by your venue and there would be no charge to you. These cakes are listed on our website www.customcakesbysteve.com under the wedding cakes tab. Any cake that is numbered, for example: #101,#102, etc would be completely included in a wedding package and would not require a consultation at all. You can simply call us, and let us know which cake you would like.

What’s included in the cake packages?

Cake packages include a three tiered cake in vanilla, chocolate, or marble cake with a vanilla or chocolate buttercream or chocolate mousse filling  and vanilla buttercream frosting. All of our wedding cakes have three layers of cake and two layers of filling. On cakes that have flowers or colors, you may have your choice of colors. Some of these cakes have ribbons on them. We can provide a black or gold ribbon if desired, but when a client would like a certain color ribbon we ask that they purchase the ribbon for the cake. The ribbon needs to be dropped off or mailed to the bakery at 1448, Dixwell Ave Hamden, CT 06514 up to 2 weeks before the wedding date. Also, we do not offer cake toppers. Cake toppers can be purchased online or at any party or craft store.

What if I want one of the included cakes but I want to add a little something to make it my own?

You may choose to add on elements to these cakes to make them semi-custom and you would only be responsible for the additional charges that are incurred from adding-on to those cakes.For example:

If you added a fondant bow, or gumpaste flowers you would only have to pay for those add-ons.

If you chose to add a fruit flavor or a gourmet filling to your cake you would only pay for the flavor(s) or filling(s) that you added on.

My cake is included in my package but I don’t like any of the cakes I can choose from what should I do?

Just because you have a wedding package that includes the cake does not mean that you can only choose from the “included cakes.” You can have any cake design, style, size, number of tiers, flavor(s) or filling(s) that you want. If you chose to go with a completely custom cake instead, we would charge you for the cake that you designed with us, minus the cost of the traditional cake that is paid for by the venue. So we will only give you pricing for the difference between the cake you chose and the included cake.

*Please note that when we make a cake for a venue that includes a cake in your package, we bake the cake based on the number of guests reported by the venue and not the client*

If you have questions about any of this call us at 203-715-6764 or email customcakesbysteve@gmail.com to discuss your cake.

I was told I might need to get a ribbon and a topper for my cake, what kind of ribbon do I need?

Yes. We ask that you purchase the ribbon for your cake if you would like a color other than black or gold. We do this so that you get the exact shade that you would like without question. We suggest that you purchase 1 inch to 1 7/8 inch wide ribbon. The ribbon should not be sheer or have glitter that might get onto the cake, or be toxic. For a cake for 100 guests you would need about 7 yards of ribbon. Also, the cake can give off moisture and if the ribbon absorbs some of that moisture it may change the color of the ribbon so be sure to get something that has a thicker backing that is not susceptible to moisture (you may want to test it at home with a spray bottle of water to see if the ribbon changes color when wet. The ribbon should be dropped off or mailed to the bakery up to 2 weeks before the wedding at:

Steve DiSorbo 1448 dixwell ave hamden, ct 06514

As for cake toppers, they can be purchased at any number of outlets including Amazon, a crafts store, or a party store. Please let us know what your topper will look like, if you will have a topper and if you would like us to include any other decorations with the topper. Also please make us aware of whether you will be leaving the topper at the venue for us to put on at delivery or if you will be dropping it off or mailing it to the bakery.

*If you choose to have a cake topper, please protect it. If you did not retain the box it came in, please wrap it in bubble wrap or something similar

The cakes are 3 layers, what does that mean? Does that mean I can get different flavors?

Our wedding cakes have three layers of cake with two layers of filling sandwiched between them. So yes, you could get different fillings or even different flavors of cake. We would simply price those options out for you. However, the more flavor choices, the more cake you will need. For example: Uncle Charlie has a sweet tooth, he heard there are three different kinds of cake, he wants to have all three! Well now Uncle Charlie’s one serving has turned into three and the more “Uncle Charlies” there are at the wedding the less cake there is to go around. Not to mention Aunt Sally who got a piece of carrot cake and really wanted a piece of chocolate and there isn’t any left.

To avoid this you may purchase additional sheet cakes in all 3 (of however many) flavors to accommodate all the guests. What we suggest is that you keep it simple, if you would like to incorporate a few different flavors, we can work with you to figure out a way to showcase them all.

I saw a spectacular cake online and I love it, but it may not be in my price range do I have to scrap it as an option?

Not at all, it does not hurt to ask and we will price out any cake we feel we can create. We may be able to scale down a cake to a smaller or simpler version and make sheet cakes to cover the remaining guests to cut costs.

That being said, most of the cakes seen in magazines are so over-the-top that they are not practical for a wedding. Much like a fashion show highlights clothes that don’t work for real life, some magazine cakes are not feasible for a real wedding cake.

Is my wedding cake going to be expensive? 

This may surprise you, but the wedding cake is usually the lowest bill you will have to pay for your wedding day! (Even though it probably takes the most amount of prep and labor hours) Most brides don’t realize the amount of planning and work that goes into creating a wedding cake from scratch. A wedding cake could take anywhere from 4hrs, for a simple cake, up to a cake that I once spent 80 hours on!

So please keep in mind that you are getting a piece of edible art that has gone from a sketch on a page, to purchased ingredients, to cake batter in pans, which is then baked, cooled, cut, filled, frosted, designed, decorated and delivered.

What might I expect to pay for a Wedding Cake?

We cannot give a definitive price of your cake until we have worked together to arrive at a completed design. Factors that affect the price of your cake will be: the number of guests to be served, the flavor(s) of cake(s) you would like and of course the design and design elements on your cake. Anytime an element is added to the cake design, expect that the price should increase.

It is best to come to the consultation with a price-point in mind. Just as we cannot give an exact price until we have customized your cake, we would not expect you to have an exact price in mind either. We believe that communication is the best tool in arriving at a price-point and design that everyone is pleased with.

Before coming in for your appointment, discuss options with your fiance’ and try to have a range of what you would be comfortable spending on your wedding cake. The cake will be the centerpiece of your wedding reception and likely the most memorable cake you will ever purchase.