Wedding cakes and catering
Wedding cakes
Your cake will be the centrepiece of your reception. After your dress, and the bridesmaids dresses, everyone will want to know about the cake, so do make sure it is one which reflects your personality.
If you dont like classic, white icing over traditional, fruit cake, then dont have it!
These elegant cakes can look, and taste absolutely fantastic. But if chocolate sponge or champagne mousse, or a cascade of profiteroles or fairy cakes is more your style, then go with your heart.
Likewise, if your mum always has made your birthday cakes but you would like a professionally-made creation for your wedding day, then point out tactfully that the cake is a huge responsibility and you would rather hand it over to the experts.
While a bride and groom on the top tier used to be traditional, now the only limit in cake decoration is your imagination. So if you are planning a theme to your day, whether a colour or a 1950s-style, or fairies, butterflies, hearts, glamour or football, your cake will be a major part of this and can look fantastic.
Ask to see pictures of cakes your cake maker has made, not just magazine cuttings, to give you a good idea of their capabilities.
Confirm, in writing, who is delivering the cake, where and when. Ensure there is a place for it at the reception venue. Check that your cake maker will supply the knife and any stand. Decide if you want your florist or the cake maker to decorate the stand and make sure they both know!
The cake can be the pudding at the reception, or cut into pieces and put into boxes as wedding favours for guests to take home. So think about where and when the cake will be eaten; while a sticky, strawberry meringue and cream mountain might look fantastic, remember it has to be eaten as soon as it is sliced.
If you would rather not have a cake, then how about a chocolate fountain (very fashionable)?
That way the speeches can be made and, rather than the couple making the first cut before the cake is taken away to be sliced, the couple dip marshmallows or fruit into the fountain, and then invite guests to enjoy it, too.
Catering
Champagne and canaps, a hog roast, a cup of tea and some
biscuits, or a full-blown, seven course, medieval banquet...
Whether you want an informal barbecue or a silver service, sitdown meal, choosing caterers you trust will mean your reception runs perfectly.
While many hotels and reception venues expect you to use their catering services, others are more flexible, and if the event is a marquee in your garden then the possibilities are endless.
Discuss your ideas with the caterers and be prepared to listen to their expertise. They will know whether expecting 500 guests to enjoy sushi is realistic, whats in season and therefore cheaper, and how long to allow for people to be seated and to eat their meal.
Listen to their requirements and suggestions. They may have generators which have to be under cover, need access to running water, space for their vehicles and to know if there are any special dietary requirements.
They may suggest that tea as well as sherry is offered on arrival and served while guests wait to meet the bride and groom, and know by experience that youll need everything from a table for gifts to clip-on holders for glasses.
Confirm, in writing, all the arrangements, from exactly what they will be providing and when, for how many people, to whether they are bringing serving staff, setting and clearing the tables, when theyll need to arrive and so on.
Keep them informed if anything changes from the planned floral table arrangements to your expected time of arrival, and do check when they will need to know exact numbers.
And remember - Norfolk has some brilliant caterers.
Drinks
These will need organising also if you are arranging everything separately for a wedding in a marquee or a hall without a bar.
Sometimes caterers are able to organise the drinks too, while others like you to take this on yourselves. The professionals will have a good idea of how much you need and what should be drunk when.
But if you dont want champagne, only want red wine or perhaps would like a particularly local beer to be served, discuss this with them from the outset.
If planning a wine run to France to buy the alcohol for your wedding, do let your bar know as they may expect to provide all the drink.
Check details such as glass hire and amount of serving staff too. They will need to know how many people are expected and a schedule of events so they have the drinks you require ready when you need them.
Remember, many people like water and soft drinks too, along with party straws for younger guests.