Planning your wedding cake is such an exciting time and although you might be a little daunted at first, there are a few really simple step to follow:

1. Secure your venue and wedding date before contacting Finesse Cakes - the key information I need before we do anything is your wedding date as unfortunately I'm unable to provide any quotes or information on availability without a booked date and confirmation of your venue.
    
2. Contact Finesse Cakes by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to check availability - I aim to let you know my availability within 24 hours. My initial confirmation of availability is only provisional and is not secured in the diary or confirmed until a booking deposit has been received.  If you'd like to secure your date immediately you can pay a booking deposit of £100 and then carry on making all the necessary arrangements (just let me know if you'd like to do this as soon as possible so I can send over paperwork and relevant payment details). If you prefer to wait until after you've had your consultation, that's fine, and I'll always try to give you warning if anyone else is interested in your date to help avoid disappointment.
   
   
3. Book your consultation and cake tasting - Consultations cost £20 (payable by bank transfer in advance) and are usually held weekday evenings around 8.30pm. Some daytime or weekend appointments are available on request. Consultations usually last about an hour/hour and a half and are held at my home in Hockley, Essex (payment and address details will be supplied). I can comfortably accommodate between 2-4 people at the consultation, but remember to let me know who is coming so I can get out enough samples. Please also ensure I know about any allergies or intolerances in advance.  The cost of your consultation is deducted from the total cost of your wedding cake once you have paid your deposit.
   
   
4. Prior to your consultation, think about your themes/colours and style of cake you might like - take a look through my extensive galleries of wedding cakes for inspiration or searches online can also be useful. Spending time to think about your cake and looking at pictures will soon get you thinking about styles you like and more importantly styles you don't like! Feel free to bring photos/theme and colour ideas to your consultation as this will also help. Although not necessary, it is often good to already have a feel for how your overall wedding theme and flowers will look as these elements often influence your cake design.
   
   
5. Come along to your consultation (and be prepared to eat plenty of cake!) - during your consultation we'll talk about your cake ideas, preferences and requirements, and I usually draw up a design(s) as we chat. We also chat about delivery and set-up options and any extras such as cake stands/cake menus. You will then also get to try a wide selection of different cake samples so that you can select which flavours you'd like.
   
   
6. Receive your quote - shortly after your consultation I will email over your quote. This will take the form of a schedule detailing all aspects of your cake, along with deposit payment details and your cake sketches.
   
   
7. Confirm your booking - if you are happy with your quote and haven't already done so, you can now pay your deposit to confirm your booking and secure your date in the diary. You will receive updated paperwork confirming receipt of any payments made. Remember you are welcome to contact me at any stage if you have any queries. Email always works best for this. 
   
   
8. 6 weeks before your wedding - I will contact you again to finalise arrangements and at this stage your balance will be due (again by bank transfer). If you wish to make any balance payments prior to this date, or if you have any queries, just let me know.
   
   
9. During the week of your wedding - I contact your venue to finalise delivery and set-up arrangements and I will drop you an email to keep you updated on the delivery plans.
   
   
10. Day of Wedding - unless otherwise arranged, I will set your cake up at your venue as arranged. I always take loads of photos of the cake once I've set it up!!
    
    
11. After your Wedding - if requested and discussed previously, please return cake stand(s) to me or arrange for someone else to return it. Although I will have taken loads of photos of your cake, I would love to see any photos you get of you both cutting the cake as I have a "Couples Gallery" featuring many of my weddings. I also really appreciate feedback as it helps to maintain my very high standards and is also great to share with my future couples. I always try to add my latest cakes to my website and social media platforms (although it sometimes takes a while). If you have any objections to me using photos of your cake, please let me know asap.