The wedding cake way to plan a wedding: Part 2

Hello again! Welcome back to part two of this cake-fest extravaganza of wedding planning. If you managed to get through part one without immediately wanting to dive headfirst into a Vicky Sponge, then I applaud you. Let’s see how far we get this time without craving something sweet, moist and filled with lashings of cream, shall we?

The Middle Tier – Bringing it all together

By now, enough time should have passed that you’ll be at the point of feeling comfortable with saying “I’m engaged!” or “This is my fiancé(e)!”. Hopefully, the idea of planning a wedding doesn’t feel quite so overwhelming.

So, you’ve heard from all your friends and family. You’ve been bombarded by all their suggestions and ideas and have a head full of thoughts and plans all whirling around. You’ve also had some time to figure out a rough idea of what your day is going to look like and how much money you have to dedicate to it! Perhaps you’ve realised that your wedding is going to be more Lemon Drizzle than Traditional Fruit Cake. But you’re ok with that. So, where do you go from here?

Bridesmaids hugging each other

Gathering Your Gang

You’ve no doubt heard of the saying “Too many cooks…” right? The same goes for your wedding. As much as you’d love to involve every person who’s played some part in your life, it’s best not to cram everyone into the kitchen. That cake will not get made if there’s no room to stand and whisk the mix together, will it?!

Figure out who you want to be involved at an early stage. And then get on and ask them as soon as you can too. A good support network of people helping you prep your ingredients is vital to minimise wedding planning stress as much as possible.

Choosing Your Suppliers

You may have already ventured to a few wedding fairs or dropped the odd message in a Facebook wedding group. You might already have searched out a few suppliers on the interwebs and come up with a list of possibilities. In which case, you’ve already figured out that there are hundreds, even thousands, of suppliers all offering similar products and services geared towards making your wedding day the best it can be.

So, allow me to throw a little cake analogy at you for a moment and let’s talk about sugar. Yes, sugar. You know, the white stuff, wrapped in paper, tastes sweet and is a vital ingredient in cake-making? Well, when it comes to baking, there isn’t just one brand of sugar to choose from. Go and stand in the baking aisle at any supermarket and you’ll see all sorts of varieties. From the well-known Tate & Lyle, right through to the supermarket’s own brand stuff.

Little girl applying make up to woman

The point here is that it is all sugar. It generally tastes the same and works the same way in your recipe as any other brand. There are, of course, differences. The most noticeable is usually the price and there’s always a chance there’s a difference in quality as well. That doesn’t mean that cheaper is bad or that it’s going to make your recipe worse than someone else’s. Try to aim for the best that you can afford rather than trying to compete with everyone else. That way you’ll maintain your individuality and keep your wedding looking uniquely yours. Better than being an identical spin-off of someone else’s special day – only with a hefty hole in your wallet that might take a while to refill!

Making Your Own Traditions

My Mum makes the best jollof rice in the world ever. Fact. One of my aunts, her sister, also makes very good jollof rice. They likely learned to make it from the same person, but they taste slightly different. Both very good, but I would pass a blind test as to who made which one. I like to think that each woman has altered it slightly to suit their taste as I know I will when I can make it just as well as them!

That recipe is exactly what tradition is and should be – taking something old and putting your spin on it, to make it yours! On your wedding day that might be the bride choosing to make a speech instead of, or as well as, the other more traditional speeches. Or having a best woman, or a bridesman, or any other variation to that theme. Just because it’s a wedding, it doesn’t mean you can’t step outside the realms of what’s expected to do what works best and feels right for you.

Button bridal bouquet

Adapting Your Recipe

So, you’ve got your recipe, you’ve carved out a nice amount of time to get baking, the oven is preheating, and you are ready to go. As you reach into the cupboard for some maple syrup you realise it’s run out. Alarm bells! What else do you have? Honey? Will that work?

Sometimes even the best-laid plans don’t quite work out. And so it goes with wedding planning. For whatever reason – be it time, budget, something else – you might have to look for a quick substitute to one of your wedding planning ingredients. It might not seem like the most obvious one, but it might be all you have available at that moment in time.

This is not a reason to panic. Those little adaptations add to the uniqueness of what is YOUR day. And here’s the kicker… most people won’t even know what’s going on behind the scenes. They won’t notice you’ve had to change your plans. If you keep that little bit of information in mind, I guarantee you’ll feel less stressed about your day.

Bride and groom with heads together

Also, there’s always a chance that your choices might not work. But that’s ok! The only ones who know what’s changed, or what ingredients you’ve substituted, are the two of you. There’s even a good chance people won’t notice that the substitution hasn’t quite worked as it should. And if it does work? Then you’ve got one great post-wedding drama story to share!

I hope you’re finding this series helpful. We’ll be wrapping up the advice on the prettiest tier of them all next time – the top tier! Stay tuned for more wedding cake-related wedding planning advice.