THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS DO NOT IN ANY WAY AFFECT YOUR STATUTORY RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER.
PLEASE NOTE - Your booking is not confirmed and cannot be guaranteed until a booking deposit has been paid and received. This is regardless of any initial discussions about availability or design as multiple enquiries are received for most dates and booking confirmation is strictly on a deposit payment basis only.
Booking/Consultation Terms - Wedding Cakes
Consultation Fee - A fee of £20 is required to book a wedding cake consultation. This covers the cost of samples, cake design and initial emails/administration. All cake designs remain the property of Finesse Cakes and cannot be used by other cake makers (private or professional) unless by prior agreement with Finesse Cakes. The consultation fee is non-refundable unless you go on to book, in which case, the fee will be deducted from your balance after the booking is confirmed and booking deposit is received.
Booking Deposit - A non-refundable deposit of £100 is required to book a wedding cake. Payment of the deposit secures your date in the diary. Availability for a date cannot be considered confirmed or guaranteed until the booking deposit has been paid. The booking deposit covers administrative costs such as quotes, emails, phone calls, design research/creation and any initial material purchases.
Balance Payment - Payment of the balance is due 6 weeks before the wedding.
Cancellation or Change of Date
- If you cancel your booking or change your date to one I am unable to accommodate, your booking deposit is non-refundable. However consideration may be given to individual circumstances and any booking deposit refund offered will have a fee deducted of a minimum of 50% of the deposit. This fee covers administration/design/consultation time/materials/any other costs relating to processing & preparing the order and loss of other bookings/business.
- If you cancel or change your booking once your balance has been paid, or less than 6 weeks before your event date, your full payment will not be refunded. However consideration may be given to individual circumstances and any refund offered will have a fee deducted of a minimum of 50% of the total cost of the cake. This fee covers administration/design/consultation time/materials/any other costs relating to processing & preparing the order and loss of other bookings/business.
- If it is not possible for Finesse Cakes to fulfil your order due to illness or any other unexpected event, you will be informed as soon as possible and will receive a full refund. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for any indirect damages or additional costs resulting from your cake being cancelled.
Booking/Consultation Terms - Celebration Cakes
Consultation Fee - Consultations are not usually required for celebration cakes, but if requested, there is a fee of £20 to book a celebration cake consultation. This covers the cost of samples, cake design and initial emails/administration. All cake designs remain the property of Finesse Cakes and cannot be used by other cake makers (private or professional) unless by prior agreement with Finesse Cakes. The consultation fee is non-refundable unless you go on to book, in which case, the fee will be deducted from your balance after the booking is confirmed and booking deposit is received.
Booking Deposit - A non-refundable deposit is required to book a celebration cake. This will be detailed on your booking schedule. Payment of the deposit secures your date in the diary. Availability for a date cannot be considered confirmed or guaranteed until the booking deposit has been paid. The booking deposit covers administrative costs such as quotes, emails, phone calls, design research/creation and any initial material purchases.
Balance Payment - Payment of the balance is due 2 weeks before the celebration date.
Cancellation or Change of Date
- If you cancel your booking or change your date to one I am unable to accommodate, your booking deposit is non-refundable. However consideration may be given to individual circumstances and any booking deposit refund offered will have a fee deducted of a minimum of 50% of the deposit. This fee covers administration/design/consultation time/materials/any other costs relating to processing & preparing the order and loss of other bookings/business.
- If you cancel or change your booking once your balance has been paid, or less than 2 weeks before your event date, your full payment will not be refunded. However consideration may be given to individual circumstances and any refund offered will have a fee deducted of a minimum of 50% of the total cost of the cake. This fee covers administration/design/consultation time/materials/any other costs relating to processing & preparing the order and loss of other bookings/business.
- If it is not possible for Finesse Cakes to fulfil your order due to illness or any other unexpected event, you will be informed as soon as possible and will receive a full refund. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for any indirect damages or additional costs resulting from your cake being cancelled.
General Terms, Conditions and Information - All Cakes
Food Allergies - Finesse Cakes does not operate from an allergy-free kitchen and cannot guarantee that products are free from allergen particles that may affect those with food allergies. Please inform Finesse Cakes of any food allergies that affect you or your party at time of ordering or prior to consultation if applicable. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for any adverse reactions as a result of allergies. Any agreement to make cakes that cater for mild food allergies or intolerances will be confirmed in writing and alternative replacements for allergens will be listed for the customer to approve. The agreement between Finesse Cakes and the customer will be on the understanding that whilst the allergens of concern will not be used in the cake ingredients, these allergens may still be present in the preparation areas and cannot be considered eliminated completely.
The following ingredients are regularly used in the kitchen:
- Milk and other dairy products
- Eggs
- Nuts: peanuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, coconut
- Wheat and gluten
- Soya
Non-edibles - Non-edible items are often used in cakes such as dowels and boards to support tiers; dowels and cocktail sticks to support and hold models; wires in sugar flowers; posy picks to protect cakes from fresh flower stem sap; ribbons; toppers; balloons etc. These will be identified on collection of celebration cakes or delivery of wedding cakes to venues. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for any injury caused by failure to remove non-edibles. Sugar flowers, whilst made from icing, should be considered as non-edible unless otherwise advised. Models made from icing must be dismantled before eating (do not give to children without checking for internal supports first). Any fresh flowers must be considered as non-edible and removed before serving.
Fresh Flowers - All fresh flowers displayed on cakes must be considered as non-edible and must be removed from the cake before serving. Any fresh flowers displayed on cakes will be inserted into the cake using sealed food safe plastic posy picks which protect the cake from stem sap. All posy picks must be removed from the cake before serving. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for any injury or illness caused by failure to remove flowers or posy picks.
Cake Smash/"Face in Cake" - Unless agreed in advance and in writing with Finesse Cakes, the cakes cannot be used for cake smash events, pushing someone's face into the cake, or any other activity that is not considered part of the normal activity of serving and eating cake, as there may be dowels and other support items hidden within the cake that can cause serious injury. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for any injury caused as a result of such actions.
Collection - Finesse Cakes will provide a suitable box for collection and transportation. All boxes must be held from the base and not the sides, kept level, and every effort should be made not to push on the sides of the box when carrying the cake. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for any damage to cakes during or after collection. Cakes should be handled and transported with care due to their delicate nature. It is the customer's responsibility to transport cakes in an appropriate and safe manor to limit risk of damage to the cake. Cakes must be transported on a level surface, such as the base of a car boot with a non-slip mat. Footwells, laps or car seats are not recommended ways of transporting cakes. Photos are always taken of the cakes prior to collection to show the condition they are presented in.
Delivery - When agreed, Finesse Cakes will deliver and set up cakes, for which there may be a fee. The cakes will be delivered at an appropriate time as agreed with the customer or venue. Failure to be available to receive delivery at the agreed time may result in additional fees being charged by Finesse Cakes at £20 per hour to cover waiting time or cost of additional journeys. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for payment of compensation, or any other indirect costs, if delivery is delayed due to adverse weather, road closures or transport delays. In such an event, the cake will be delivered at the earliest opportunity thereafter. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for any damage that may occur to cakes after delivery and set-up. Photos are always taken once the cake is set-up to show where and how the cake was left.
Cake Storage Guide - Generally sponge cakes with a butter icing or ganache filling have a best before shelf life of 5 days after collection, but external factors such as protective coverings, position or heat may affect this. It is the customer's responsibility to store the cake appropriately and to judge if the cake is still fit for eating beyond 5 days. Before presentation, fondant covered cakes must not be stored in a fridge, chiller area or cold conservatory as this may damage the icing and decoration. Fondant iced cakes must be kept at room temperature away from direct heat sources or sunlight (a warm room is fine, just not too warm). Before presentation, it is recommended that butter iced cakes are stored in the fridge to keep the icing hard (these cakes can be kept out of the fridge but are liable to soften which can make the icing bulge, bubble and generally spoil the decorative effect). Before presentation, cakes covered in just ganache (no fondant) can be stored at room temperature - please use judgement depending on temperature on the day and if particularly warm temperatures are expected, please consider storing in a cool area or fridge. Please always wrap any spare cake in clingfilm or foil to keep it fresh. Once cut, cakes can be stored in the fridge as this will extend the life of the cake. It is recommended to remove the cake from the fridge for about 10 minutes before serving for best enjoyment of flavours. All cakes are baked fresh before delivery and as such, spare cake can be frozen for use at a later date. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for any decorative damage or illness caused by inappropriate storage of a cake.
Sugar Flower Storage Guide - Sugar flowers are extremely delicate but can be kept for years after they are made. Please remember that sugar flowers should be considered as non-edible decoration unless otherwise specified as they may contain wires or polystyrene centres. Sugar flowers must not be stored in the fridge as they soften and "wilt". They will also be affected in a similar way by moisture and humidity. Ambient room temperature, away from direct sunlight is the best way to store your flowers and placing them in a protective display case will further extend their beauty.
Icing Models/Toppers and decorations - Icing models and decorations other than flowers are generally safe to eat. However please remember that character/figure models may contain dowels or other non-edible supports and should not be eaten unless checked first - please do not ever give models directly to children to eat without checking for hidden supports first. Icing models will keep for years, ideally at ambient room temperature, away from direct sunlight.
Cake Stands - Stands are available from Finesse Cakes for displaying the cakes. A hire fee may be charged and in all cases a cake stand deposit of £50 per item will be charged. Cake stands are used on the understanding that the stand is for display purposes only and that the cake should not be cut whilst on the stand as it may become unstable. It is recommended that any cake cutting photos are posed rather than actually cutting into the cake on the stand. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for any damage, injury or embarrassment caused by incorrect use of the stand, not following these guidelines, any issues with the table on which the cake and stand is displayed or actions as a result of guest/customer behaviour around the cake. The stand must be returned in an undamaged condition and within the specified timeframe (usually the Wednesday following the event) to receive the deposit refund. Failure to return a stand, late return for any reason or damage/loss will result in the deposit being retained regardless of fault.
Design/Quantity/Size/Flavour Changes - It may sometimes be necessary for the customer to make changes to their booking and where possible these will be accommodated. Any changes in quantity, size or decorative elements will be charged or refunded accordingly. Most design changes will be considered minor and will not require any additional charges, however Finesse Cakes reserves the right to charge an additional fee for design changes that are considered major or any re-designs. Any changes must be confirmed no later than the balance due date.
Photos - Photos are taken of all cakes and Finesse Cakes reserves the right to post photos of cakes on social media and the website. Social media posts may also contain details such as first names, venue and date. If you do not want this information to be used please contact Finesse Cakes. Any photos of people, such as couples cutting their cakes, have been placed on the website with the individuals' agreement.
Designs - Cake designs created/supplied by Finesse Cakes during the course of a booking remain the property of Finesse Cakes and cannot be used or copied by others unless prior agreement is given by Finesse Cakes.
Feedback/Testimonials - It is always lovely to receive feedback from customers as this helps ensure the highest standards of service are being maintained at all times and also allow future customers to see real and truthful reviews about the service provided by Finesse Cakes. If you would like to leave feedback, please email
Issues - in the very unlikely event you have problems with your cake or order, you must contact Finesse Cakes immediately so that the issue can be investigated further. The cake must be retained/uneaten and photos taken wherever possible so that further investigation can be carried out by Finesse Cakes. Failure to do this will result in complaints being considered invalid. Finesse Cakes cannot be held liable for reimbursement or compensation for any issues or complaints unless Finesse Cakes has been given adequate opportunity to investigate the issue and the complaint has been upheld. If by some unfortunate chance you or your venue damage your cake, feel free to contact Finesse Cakes as we may be able to offer advice, some solutions or help with repair. Finesse Cakes is under no obligation to offer assistance under these circumstances and reserves the right to charge for additional help.