Photo: Elizabeth Messina
Custom Wedding Cakes
Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to our celebration of Love! At Ana Parzych Cakes we specialize in crafting a beautiful custom wedding cake tailored to your unique vision. From consultation to delivery/setup, we’re here to guide you through every step of the process. Dive into our comprehensive guide where we answer all your questions about custom wedding cakes, ensuring your special day is filled with sweetness and joy. Let’s create your dream cake together!
Wedding Cake Ordering Process
- Schedule a Consultation & Tasting and Secure Your Date: This involves signing a contract and providing a retainer (applied towards your cake purchase).
- Provide Inspiration & Wedding Details: Share your ideas and wedding details to kickstart the cake design process.
- Receive a Full Proposal & Wedding Cake Design/Sketch: We provide a detailed proposal and a design or sketch of your wedding cake based on your preferences.
- Confirm Approval & Make a 50% Payment: Once you approve the proposal, a 50% payment is due.
- Finalize Payment: The remaining balance is due six weeks before your wedding or event.
Contact Us to Schedule your Personal Consultation
We provide personalized wedding cake consultations and tastings at our Cheshire Studio, featuring over 15 wedding cake displays showcasing various techniques and sugar flowers. Tastings are available upon request on specific dates, with all cake samples freshly baked. The Wedding Cake Consultation & Tasting fee is $60 for up to 2 guests, with an additional fee of $30 for up to two additional guests. We also offer to-go boxes priced at $60, containing 4 cake slices and 10 filling samples.
Contact Us to Schedule your Personal Tasting.
Our consultations typically last about 1 to 1.5 hours. During this time, you’ll have the opportunity to explore various design options and collaborate with Ana to create a preliminary design. We encourage you to bring photos, fabric swatches, and any other elements that convey your vision for your wedding and reception.
If distance prevents you from attending an in-person consultation, we provide virtual appointments via Zoom or Facetime, and we can also ship cake samples to you overnight via UPS or FEDEX. Please note that shipping fees will apply.
We recommend booking your cake at least 6 months to 1 year in advance to secure your event date. However, we strive to accommodate short-notice inquiries as best as we can. Feel free to inquire, as we may have availability.
Securing your date requires a signed contract and a $500 non-refundable retainer, which will be applied towards your cake purchase. A second payment of 50% will be due upon approval and finalization of the cake design and/or sketch & proposal, with the final balance payable at least 6 weeks before the event.
Photo: JAG Studios
Wedding Cake Design & Customization
We craft all our cakes and fillings from scratch, using only the finest natural ingredients, including pure butter, Tahitian vanilla, fine liquors & extracts, fresh fruit purees, nut pastes, preserves, specialty spices and reductions, and imported Swiss chocolate & fondant. Each cake tier consists of four layers of cake and three layers of filling.
Explore our Wedding Cakes Menu offerings.
All our cakes are finished with a generous layer of Vanilla Meringue Buttercream and a very thin layer of Swiss Rolled Fondant. Fondant is recommended during the warmer months and for cakes requiring specific techniques that can’t be accomplished on buttercream alone.
Yes, we can accommodate gluten-free, lactose-free, and nut-free cakes, although we cannot guarantee a 100% allergen-free product.
While each cake we make is unique and custom-designed to meet our clients’ vision and personal style, we can recreate almost any cake design provided. We strive to honor the original design while infusing it with our own artistic touch or the couples’ personal wedding details.
Yes, we can replicate flowers and match colors provided with a color swatch or printed image. However, please note that blue & purple color matching may be slightly affected by exposure to sunlight or lighting conditions at the venue.
The possibilities for inspiration are boundless. Consider elements such as colors, flowers, themes, venue aesthetics, details from the wedding gown like lace or embroidery, personalized monograms, seasonal influences, invitations, heirloom jewelry, settings (beach, farm, mansion, winery, garden, etc.), and even pieces of china, among others.
All our cakes are adorned with our signature hand-crafted sugar flowers and decorations, meticulously crafted weeks before your event. Although we don’t use fresh flowers on our cakes, you’re welcome to coordinate with your floral designer so they can apply fresh flowers on the cake after we have completed the delivery.
We determine the number of cake tiers and servings based on your guest count, whether other desserts will be offered, or your personal preference. As a general rule, if your wedding cake will be formally served at tables after dinner, plan for at least one slice per guest. However, if the cake will be served with other desserts after dinner, we recommend ordering approximately 65% to 75% of your final guest count. Please refer to our wedding cake sizing and serving chart.
We often receive inquiries about the height of the wedding cake. The answer: as tall as you desire! We offer various methods to add height, such as spacers (Styrofoam dummies covered in fondant) between tiers, ‘fake cake tiers’ or dummy tiers indistinguishable from real cake tiers, or by incorporating a cake stand or plateau. Additionally, you can enhance the height with tall toppers, such as a sugar vase filled with flowers or other custom-made sugar sculptures.
Please note that pricing for ‘fake’ or ‘dummy’ cake tiers can closely resemble that of real cake tiers. This is because the time required to decorate them, and the materials used to cover the dummy tiers are equivalent to those for real cake tiers.
Photo: Carla Ten Eyck
Wedding Cakes Logistics, Pricing & Services
All our cakes are baked & finished in our Cheshire Cake Design Studio. Our Cake Studio consists of a Commercial Bakery, Office, and Showroom. We are fully licensed and insured.
Traditionally, the top tier of the wedding cake is reserved for the married couple. Therefore, we do not include the top tier as part of the cake servings. Additionally, we provide a box along with detailed printed cutting instructions to the venue or caterer to assist with the process of cutting and plating. For more information, please refer to our Cake Cutting Guidelines.
Our wedding cakes come on a ½ inch cake base covered in fondant and finished with matching satin ribbon. While a cake stand is unnecessary, we offer an assortment of wedding cake stands and pedestals for rental to enhance the presentation. Custom made cake stand options are also available. A deposit will be required for all rentals, which should be returned to our studio by the following Tuesday after the wedding.
Absolutely! We work very closely with your wedding planner and floral designer to ensure that the cake seamlessly complements your wedding reception decor, and provide recommendations for cake table size, linens, lighting elements, fresh greenery & other enhancements surrounding the table.
Custom Wedding Cakes command a higher price due to several factors:
- Cake Design: Each cake is meticulously crafted to reflect the couple’s unique vision. This involves a skilled & prolonged process where the designer transforms inspiration materials into a cohesive bespoke design, often presented as a sketch.
- Cake Flavors/Extras: The customization options are extensive, accommodating various flavor requests for the different cake tiers. Our custom wedding cakes & fillings are crafted from scratch using premium natural ingredients like pure butter, fresh fruit purees, nut pastes, exotic spices, reductions, European-style preserves, Swiss chocolate & imported fondant. Cakes can further be customized with tinting, confetti infusion, and other enhancements.
- Sugar Flowers & Custom Decorations: Hand-crafted sugar flowers, intricate custom molded decorations like sugar pearls, fondant lace, painting, and brushed piping add a personalized touch to each cake. These elements are time-consuming and require a high level of craftsmanship.
In addition to our Custom Wedding Cakes, we offer a line of pre-designed, set-priced Signature Wedding Cakes that are available for online ordering: AP Signature Cakes.
Each project is priced individually based on complexity and the number of sugar decorations & flowers. Our custom wedding cakes start at $1,200 in Connecticut, with most designs ranging from $2,000 to $5,000+ for typical 4 to 6 tier cakes adorned with our signature hand-crafted sugar flowers & decorations. Out of State orders have a minimum order requirement of $2,500. Additional Undecorated Cake Servings starting at $8 per serving.
Yes, for our Custom Wedding Cakes meeting our minimum order requirements, we provide delivery to all locations in Connecticut, as well as to MA, RI, NYC, and beyond, with an associated set-up & delivery fee.
We accept commissions for destination weddings throughout the US and worldwide. Please note that a minimum order fee applies, along with some logistical requirements. Depending on the scope of the project, these requirements may include access to working space, refrigeration, overnight accommodations, and more. Please inquire.
Explore some of our Featured Destination Weddings.
Photo: Clary Pfeiffer
Wedding Cakes Policy & Payment
Given the intricate craftsmanship involved in our cakes, including the meticulous preparation of sugar flowers and other delicate decorations weeks ahead of your event, the retainers and payments are non-refundable, with all sales considered final.
We accept payments in the form of cash, checks, and all major credit cards. Cash & check payments are preferable and are subject to a discounted price.