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A wedding reception is not complete without the wedding cake. After the bridal couple, it is the wedding cake that commands the attention of guests. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that choosing the wedding cake requires extra care and effort. Just as the bride is beautiful, so must her cake be special and beautiful too. Among the many details that you must plan for your wedding is that of your wedding cake. But, how does one choose the perfect wedding cake? There are many factors to consider when deciding on the wedding cake. For instance, you have to take into account the number of guests, the time of your reception, the season if it's going to be outdoors, the venue if it is air-conditioned or not, the type of your wedding or your wedding theme, the color motif, expertise of available supplier, etc. When you have noted down all these elements, you can readily envision what you want for your wedding cake. As you work on the details of your wedding cake, you need to decide on the following aspects - The size of your wedding cake How much cake you would need depends on the number of guests that you expect. Your cake maker can readily help you determine the needed number of tiers and the sizes of the individual cake layers. Shape of the cakes Nowadays, wedding cakes come in different shapes. Some are square, rectangle, and of course the traditional round. There are heart shapes, ovals, hexagons, and octagons. Occasionally you can come across some that are shaped like the comma (punctuation mark) or some other odd forms. Style The style of your cake depends on the theme or the type of your wedding. Say you are having a western wedding or a beach wedding or perhaps one with an Asian or Oriental motif. Therefore, the style of your wedding cake should be in harmony with the theme. It would look odd if you bring a cake that is elaborately decorated with ruffles, drapes and swags to a beach wedding. Structure or set-up as related to the method of construction You can have your cake layers stacked up, one on top of the other in one single column, or have them separated with the use of pillars. Another popular arrangement is to display the cake layers on individual stands of varying heights. Still in vogue are wedding cupcakes arranged on a cupcake tree. Design works hand in hand with the style This includes the decorations, ornaments and other embellishments you may want on the cake as well as the flowers whether fresh, silk or made of sugar and the cake topper too. Sometimes, the decorations are personalized and reflect the interest(s) of the bridal couple. Color You may opt for the traditional all white wedding cake although most modern wedding cakes incorporate the wedding colors either through flowers, decorations or even the icing itself. Icing Your choice of icing is influenced by the time of your reception, the season and the venue. If your party will be held outdoors during hot summer months, you are advised to stay away from butter-cream and anything that melts. Even fondant-covered cakes can be problematic if the humidity is high. Should your reception be indoors in an air-conditioned hall, then you can have your choice of icing, even whipped cream if that is what you want. Cake Flavor(s) Traditionally, fruit cakes are used as base cakes for wedding cakes. Nowadays, it is common to have varied flavors for the different cake layers. You may have chocolate cake, rum cake, carrot cake, apple-walnut cake, banana-nut cake, etc. It's your cake, choose what you like to serve. Cake Supplier You have to select your baker with care. You need to ascertain the expertise level especially if your design is elaborate and difficult to execute. When shopping for your wedding cake, visit as many possible suppliers as you can and run through their portfolios. Request for a tasting or sampling of their products. You would want a cake that looks good and tastes good too. Be sure to provide ample time allowance when booking your cake. If you make your reservations too close to your wedding date, your choice baker may no longer be available. Your Budget Set a realistic budget for the cake that you want. Scrimping yet demanding so many things on your cake will not get you on the good side of your cake maker. If you are working on a tight budget, communicate honestly with your supplier who can help you choose wisely. There are many designs available for simple but elegant cakes that are priced well within affordable levels. Displaying your cake Your wedding cake should figure prominently during the reception. Its placement in the reception hall is important. You can decide on this in coordination with both the caterer or the reception site consultant and your cake maker. Other than the location of the cake, the items that need to be specified are the height and size of the cake table, color of the table cloth, crumpling, elevation that may be required for the cake, additional flowers or greenery on the table, extension cord if you will have a water fountain, lights or other electrical gadget(s) on your cake and any other things you may want on the cake table. Knowing what you want and what you need for your wedding cake will make things easier when you start shopping for your wedding cake. Do take sometime to ponder on these things. When you do your homework right, you can be assured that you will get the perfect wedding cake for you.
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