Wedding cakes, from the first tasting to the final slice

Most couples approach wedding cake makers between six and twelve months before the date, and many makers take only one or two cakes per weekend. Popular Saturdays in spring and autumn go first. If your date is inside three months, it is still worth asking: midweek dates and smaller cakes are often achievable. The booking timeline guide sets this out alongside other cake types.

Tiers are a design decision, servings are a maths decision, and the two do not always match. A three tier cake can serve anywhere from roughly fifty to well over a hundred depending on tin sizes and how it is portioned. Work out servings first with the cake size and serving guide, then decide how tall you want it to look.

A three tier cake built from 20 cm, 25 cm and 30 cm tiers reaches roughly 105 to 120 wedding portions, which covers 100 guests with a margin. A two tier cake will not, whatever the photograph suggests. If you want the look of a smaller cake, keep a two tier cutting cake for the photos and add a plain kitchen cake cut in the back. The cake size and serving guide has the full table by tin size.

There is no honest single figure, and any site that gives you one is guessing. An Australian wedding cake is quoted from the servings, the number of tiers, the covering, the amount of handwork, whether there are sugar florals, and whether the maker is delivering and assembling on site. Two cakes that both serve 100 can sit a long way apart on price because one is smooth buttercream and the other is three days of sugar flowers. The fastest way to a real number is to send your date, guest count, style direction and budget band once, and compare what comes back. Moments Worth Cake does not set or take payment for any of it.

It varies by maker. Some include a tasting once a date is held, some charge a fee that is credited against the booking, and some post a tasting box instead of meeting in person. Ask what the tasting includes, whether it is redeemable and how many flavours you can compare before you commit to a date.

A naked cake is finished with little or no covering on the outside, so the sponge layers and filling stay visible. A semi naked cake has a thin scraped coating instead. Both suit relaxed and outdoor weddings, though they are less forgiving in heat and are usually finished closer to the ceremony than a fully covered cake.

Yes. Cutting cakes with a dessert table, single tier cakes with a larger kitchen cake, individual desserts and shared plated options are all common. If you are leaning that way, look at dessert tables as well and mention it in your brief so the responses you get are actually comparable.

Usually the cake maker, or a courier they trust. Confirm who is delivering, what time the venue allows access, whether the cake needs refrigeration on arrival, who supplies the stand and who is responsible if the stand goes home with the wrong person.