Wedding cakes: a guide for pros

What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.

Offering wedding cakes

You create tiered wedding cakes with custom flavors and designs, delivering and setting them up at venues. Couples want a cake that matches their style, tastes fresh and arrives in one piece.

What customers ask

  • Can you match the cake to our wedding colors and flowers?
  • Do you offer gluten free or dairy free tiers?
  • How do you transport and set up the cake at the venue?
  • Can we taste the flavors before we order?
  • What happens if the venue's weather is hot?

How to win the job

  • On the first call, ask for the date, the venue, the guest count, the style and the flavor preferences
  • Offer a tasting kit with each flavor and filling, and list the allergens on each one
  • Share a written design sheet with the tiers, the decoration, the stand and the delivery plan
  • Put in the quote the servings, tiers, fillings, decoration, stand, delivery, setup and the deposit terms
  • Confirm the venue's storage and delivery access before you accept the order
  • Give the couple a storage and cutting guide for the day
  • Confirm the delivery and setup window in writing with the venue and the planner

What to put on your profile

  • Post photos of tiered wedding cakes in a range of styles
  • List the flavors and fillings you offer and the allergens in each
  • Show the stands and display options you provide
  • Describe your delivery and setup process at venues
  • Add your permits and food handler certification status, described accurately

Follow-up that helps the customer

  • Offer a first anniversary cake for the couple
  • Suggest a dessert table with smaller cakes or cupcakes for the reception
  • Recommend a cake for the rehearsal dinner
  • Share a keepsake box option for the top tier

Licenses and permits

Food businesses commonly need a health permit or a food handler card from the local office that oversees food safety. Wedding cakes are commonly made under those rules, and the kitchen you bake in may need its own approval. Keep your permits on file and check the rules for each venue where you deliver.

Questions

Do I need a permit to bake wedding cakes from my home?

Food businesses commonly need a health permit or a food handler card from the local office that oversees food safety. Ask that office whether a home kitchen can be used for selling wedding cakes.

How do I keep a cake safe in a warm venue?

Agree on a cool storage spot with the venue, and keep the cake out of direct sun and away from heat sources until it is served.

What if the cake is damaged on delivery?

Photograph the damage at once, call the couple and the planner, and repair or replace the damaged tier as your policy states. Keep records of the packing.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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