Eye-Opening Wedding Cake Research For Brides Searching For Significant Information

Eye-Opening Wedding Cake Research For Brides Searching For Significant Information

Wedding Cakes…

Eye-Opening Research For Brides Who Are Searching For Meaningful Information

Our research odyssey was launched in January of 2004. We originally interviewed 250 brides to find out their experiences in ordering wedding cakes and the criteria, if any, they used to choose a wedding cake baker.

Since this initial sampling, we’ve contacted 1,174 additional brides in 34 cities, covering 18 states. We found essentially the same concerns, worries, and experiences continually popped-up again and again.

What’s our conclusion to this on-going investigation? Whether or not brides are from small communities or larger cities, their experiences and concerns can be documented as being applicable to any location within the U.S.

Searching for the best baker/designer: Here’s what our latest up-to-date research has revealed…

92% of the brides surveyed asked their friends if they knew of a good and reliable wedding cake baker/designer.
89% said they trusted a wedding cake baker they met at a bridal show.
83% asked for recommendations from other wedding vendors, such as the reception site, church, florist, photographer, or caterer.
71% contacted a baker/designer who was suggested by a parent.
48% of the brides said they looked in the Yellow Pages to locate their wedding cake baker.
28% said they contacted a bakery that advertised in the newspaper or other local publication.

Price by wedding cake servings: The following pricing reflects calculated averages from around the US. These prices document 80% of the readily available wedding cakes various baker/designers offer.

Grocery Store Bakeries

$.95 to $4.00 per serving

(Lowest: $.56 Highest: $8.50)

Retail Bakeries

$1.15 to $5.00 per serving

(Lowest: $.85 Highest: $12.00)

Specialty Cake Shop or Boutique Cake Store

$3.00 to $8.00 per serving

(Lowest: $1.50 Highest: $28.00)

Home Decorator

$1.25 to $3.00 per serving

(Lowest: $.75 Highest: $10.00)

Flowers: Currently, fresh flowers are a hot item. In our surveys, 61% of brides are utilizing fresh flowers on their wedding cake (83% on or near the wedding cake), 19% are utilizing silk flowers, 10% are utilizing frosting buttercream flowers, 6% are using gum paste, fondant, or another type, and 4% don’t use any kind of flower.

Platforms: Platforms that lift your entire cake off the table are picking-up in popularity. Year after year their use is up 25% nationwide. The only trouble is the lack of choice. Platform designs still remain limited unless a wedding cake baker makes their own collection. Consequently, most baker/creative designers don’t carry much variety for you to choose from. You’ll have the same problem if you go to a rental store with hope to rent one.

Cake Flavors: Over the course of the last 5-8 years, the classic white wedding cake is on its last leg. Bakers around the nation report an average of 22% of brides are ordering white, yellow, or chocolate cake. The other 78% are selecting a myriad of flavors, depending on what section of the nation the reception is being held.

Cupcakes: Our recent survey results tell us that less than 2 out of 100 brides order cupcakes for their wedding reception.

Fake Wedding Cakes: Over the last 2 ½ years, the choice of a fake wedding cake for a centerpiece, and then using sheet cakes to serve guests, has been gradually growing in popularity…if at all. Just like cupcakes and mini-tiered wedding cakes, the current percentage of brides making this selection is miniscule. A national survey indicates 9 out of 2,150 brides select this option. In addition, over 70% of the baker/designers we contacted don’t rent their fake wedding cake displays.

Take A Peek: Actually, chances are you can see your wedding cake prior to your reception, according to 83% of the baker/designers we surveyed. They agreed that generally your wedding cake is finished by the day before, or early the same morning of the reception date.

Design Vs.Taste: Upon surveying and interviewing brides on which is more important…design or taste…taste wins at a ratio of 54% to 46%. This suggests the majority of brides believe the taste of their wedding cake is more important than the cake’s visual effect. This is an eye-opening discovery because conventional wisdom would think the opposite is true.

The Rope Tightens: Approximately 20% of the baker/designers we surveyed will only allow you to choose wedding cakes from their selection of designs. These bakers refuse to recreate a cake from an additional source or wedding cake baker.

The other 80% of baker/designers are ready to create whatever you want. Bear in mind, most wedding cake baker/designers are willing to try just about anything due to their “artistic ego.” Just ask every baker you visit and watch out for the “expert” versus the “imposter.”

Unhappy Brides: Our study indicates a whopping 18% of brides polled were unhappy with their original or unique design. This is an astonishingly high number. This compares to only 6% of brides who were not satisfied with a cake they selected from a display or photo.

Most Bakers Are Not Specialized: Most baker/designers (93%) reported they did not specialize in any uncommon styles of wedding cakes.

Brides Choose: Near 65% of brides choose flavors based upon their own personal preferences. They do not consider the likes or dislikes of the family, friends or guests.

Many brides have the mindset that this is their wedding, so they are going to order the flavor they like. Here’s the interesting aspect. A high percentage of brides never even taste a slice of their own wedding cake except when the groom offers a quick nibble as they pose for photos.

Consider this suggestion: Make one or two tiers of the flavors you really like, and the other tiers more general flavors everyone will enjoy.

Fillings Win: About 87% of orders across the nation are now including fillings and/or flavored cakes. This percentage was 73% a year ago, and 63% two years ago. The trend is clearly increasing and will peak at an estimated 90%-95% within 3 years.

How Far Away Do You Deliver? In all instances of our surveys, baker/designers are prepared to deliver up to 30 miles away. When asked if they deliver at a distance between 30-50 miles, roughly 65% said yes. How about 50-75 miles? The number drops to 45%. Finally, when asked if they delivered over 100 miles, only 12% said they would.

Wedding Cake Accidents: According to our research, there is a cake incident once in every 32 deliveries. A delivery incident implies any kind of damage to a cake that needs repair. The complete loss of a wedding cake only happens at a rate of roughly 1 in 350 cakes.

Of all the statistics we gathered, we’re a little bit leery of this one. Ego might have gotten in the way for some of the baker/designers we interviewed. In our own bakery operation, the total loss rate is around 1 in 275. That means one can feel pretty safe. But just in case your wedding cake is that 1 in 32 or 1 in 350, it would be prudent to have a backup plan.

When it comes to refunding the price of your cake, we found about 36% of wedding cake baker/designers are willing to reimburse the entire price of the cake, but no more. The other 64% explained they would give all your money back, plus a reasonable amount for you to cover the expense of obtaining an emergency cake elsewhere. The reimbursement is $1 per guest (around $200 to replace a 200 serving wedding cake).

Make sure your baker/designer’s guarantee addresses this potential problem.

What Other Brides Are Saying About These Wedding Cake Articles

“I looked everywhere for articles or a guidebook to help me with my wedding cake selection. This is the only in-depth, fully researched source on the subject that I could find. These articles are a must-read.”

–Sarah H., Jersey City, NJ

“It should be required reading for every bride. These articles helped me understand how to choose a bakery based on sound business practices, instead of a fast-talking salesperson showing you a few attractive cakes. To me, it’s like an insurance policy for my wedding cake.

–Ashley B., Memphis, TN