Every Single Question You Need to Ask Your Wedding Cake Baker

When it comes to choosing your wedding cake, the options are truly endless. Buttercream, ganache, or fondant? Sugar flowers or fresh blooms? Intricate piping or a rustic semi-naked style? And we haven’t even gotten to the shape or flavors yet! However, while all those choices are exciting (and delicious), none are more important than choosing your wedding cake baker.

In general, some bakers will offer a consultation that includes tasting multiple flavors, plus a discussion of your cake design, while others will simply provide you with flavors to taste on your own, followed by a design discussion after you've signed the contract. Regardless of which approach you choose to take, though, it's important to vet your baker before jumping into any process.

That's why, to make sure your first sweet bite as newlyweds is everything and more, we’ve rounded up the most important questions to ask a wedding cake baker before the big day. Bon appetit!

General Questions to Ask About Their Background

1. How long have you been in business?
2. What is your culinary background?
3. How many wedding cakes do you make a year?

Questions to Ask Before You Sign a Contract

1. Are you licensed and insured?
2. How many cakes do you deliver on the same day?
3. How soon before the wedding will my cake be baked?

Questions to Ask About Wedding Cake Flavors

1. What flavors and fillings do you offer?
2. Do you have a set menu of flavor combinations, or can we mix and match cakes and fillings?
3. What flavors are your specialties?
4. What kinds of ingredients do you use? Do you offer organic, vegan, or gluten-free options?
5. Is a tasting included in our fee? If not, how much will it cost?
6. Will you do a tasting consultation, or will we simply be tasting the cake on our own?

Questions to Ask About Wedding Cake Designs

1. Do you have a portfolio of past designs we can look at?
2. Did you make all of the cakes in your portfolio?
3. Do we need to choose from a set selection of designs, or do you create completely custom cakes?
4. We have a few inspirational ideas. Can you recreate them?
5. We have no idea what we’d like! Can you offer some design suggestions based on our budget and theme?
6. Are your cakes finished in buttercream or with fondant?
7. Can you make sugar flowers?
8. We’d like to use fresh flowers on our cake. Can you work with our florist to do so?
9. What size and shape should we select to feed our guest list? How big should our cake be?
10. How will the cake be displayed? Do you provide or rent cake stands?

Questions to Ask About Payment

1. How do you price your cakes?
2. Do you have a minimum cost?
3. Are there additional rental fees we should be aware of, such as for cake stands, toppers, or cake knives?
4. Is there a delivery fee?
5. How much is the deposit? When is it due?
6. When is the final payment due?
7. What is your refund policy if we need to cancel our order?
8. When should we expect to receive a contract?

Questions to Ask About Logistics

1. Can we freeze the top tier? Will you provide a box so we can save it?
2. If we are renting items from you (like a cake stand or topper), how and when should they be returned?
3. How far in advance do we need to order our cake?
4. When does our order need to be finalized?
5. What delivery services do you offer?
6. How do you deliver the cake? What do you do if it is damaged in transit?