General questions you need to ask.
Q: Do you have a business license?
Q: Do you have inspection reports from the Health Department?
Q: Do you have insurance?
The above questions must be answered "YES" in the State of California, because home based food businesses are not legal.
Q: Do you accept credit cards? What type?
Q: Do you deliver the cake? When do you deliver? Is there a cost?
Here are other frequently asked questions.
Q: How do I make an appointment to discuss our wedding cake?
A: The first step is call the bakery you are interested in using. Ask if your date and delivery time is still available. Ask what the base price per serving is. This will tell you if the base price is in your budget. Our prices start at 3.50 per serving. Our fondant cakes start at only 4.50. Give your estimated guest count and find out when you have to give a final count. We don't need a final count until 10 days prior to the event. Make an appointment. Remember the weekends are the busiest time for wedding cake deliveries so most bakeries set there appointments for weekdays and weekday evenings. Appointments generally take about an hour. Bring pictures, color swatches and your ideas to the appointment.
Q: What is the cost of a wedding cake?
A: Each cake is priced individually, as size, flavor, filling, design, and extras like sugar flowers, bows, and type of icing such as fondant will factor into the cost.
Q: What size cake should I order?
A: When you ask your bakery this question they should tell you both the height and diameter of the cake. Some bakeries count the top cake, some consider it the anniversary cake and don't count it. For 100 servings, one place you may give a 12" - 9" - 6" tiered cake. We give you a 14" - 10" - 6". Also ask how many layers of filling are in the cake, ours has three.
Q: How far in advance should I book my wedding cake?
A: Wedding season can be very busy and we limit the number of cakes we book. Some months book faster than others. Once you know which bakery you want to use, book them. That way you get who you want instead of who's left. Some dates book as far as a year in advance.
Q: How can I cut the cost for my wedding?
A: For us, and every other wedding vendor around, here's the trick to cutting your costs. Get your guest list under control! The price of everything is based on the number of guests. There are and have been a lot of articles in newspapers, on line, TV shows and magazines dealing with cutting wedding costs but I haven't seen
any that suggest cutting the guest list. If you can control your guest list you will cut your costs across the board. Remember when you're pricing any wedding service, the vendor's numbers are based on your numbers. If you have a wedding budget, it is easier to fit your guest list around that number than it is to cut your expenses around your guest list.
Q: Can I buy my wedding cake from you and a groom's cake or cut and serve, sheet cakes from someone else?
A: We do not do wedding cakes if someone else is doing the groom's cake or the cut and serve cake. If the quality of the other cake is not up to our standards your guests have no way of knowing which is ours and which is not. Our reputation is on the line and future referrals as well.
Q: Is a deposit required to hold a wedding date?
A: Yes. The amount of deposit varies. Find out if any or all deposits are refundable and the date the final payment is due.
Q: Can I sample the cakes before I place my order?
A: The answer is usually yes. Find out if you have to sample on certain days, if you take samples home, and how many samples do you get. Ask if the samples are baked fresh for you or if they are a shelf item you pick from. Our test cakes are baked to order and you take them home.
Q: Can I get more than one flavor of cake or does it all have to be the same?
A: You can usually do more than one flavor. Ask if there is an extra charge. If you choose to have more than one flavor keep in mind guests tend to go back for seconds.
