silverorca40 said:Time to talk cakes and desserts! 🙂
For our wedding, we went with a massive three-tier cake featuring three distinct flavor profiles—Snickers, dark and white chocolate, and hazelnut Nutella—all wrapped in fondant. The total came out to $583. Honestly, I was leaning toward a whipped cream frosting instead—it would have been much more budget-friendly, and if I'm being totally honest, I'm not even the biggest fan of fondant—but our baker gave me some really solid advice. She pointed out that since we were getting married during the summer, fondant is a much safer bet; whipped cream can start to melt or lose its structure pretty quickly if things get even slightly warm during transport.
As for the dessert spread—we had 18 tables with 12 guests at each, and we placed one large platter of assorted treats on every table (roughly 3.3 pounds per tray). We brought the sweets out right after the main course was finished. There was actually plenty of dessert—we even had a little left over—so, in my opinion, if you plan for about 0.25 to 0.3 pounds per person, you really can't go wrong.
I agree. We did 10 ounces per person, plus an extra 6 pounds just in case we needed to refill platters throughout the night; we had 130 guests total. We also opted for the fondant cake. In this heat, it's definitely better than relying on whipped cream...
I’m not interested in sharing cookies either. Honestly, I’d much rather just let everyone eat them all at once so I don't have to deal with any more of this nonsense tomorrow...
Nathan Gomez8 said:I had originally planned to visit some local bakeries this coming May while visiting Washington, D.C., but my partner isn't particularly keen on the idea of me testing out sweets all by myself. Is it too late to schedule a tasting for mid-September if the wedding is set for October 23rd? :/ It’s going to be an intimate wedding, so we will likely only need about 4–5 kg of assorted desserts plus the cake.
Honestly, for an order that small, you shouldn't have any issues at all...
Personally, I’d go with something super simple. Maybe just order those 3D butterflies from eBay... http://www.truebluebridal.com/store/...--pr-3728.html
I just sent over an inquiry for some cakes and pastries from Crystal in Milwaukee. For the cake, I was actually thinking about keeping the decoration pretty simple—honestly, I find fondant a bit tacky, if not downright inedible, but I still want to go that route because it just makes the cake look cleaner and more elegant. My vision is a totally minimal, all-white cake adorned with orange butterflies.
Angela Smith2 said:I have a question about something. What’s actually considered the standard amount of food per person at a banquet table? I was chatting with the owner of Kašnar's pastry shop—they partner with my venue—at a wedding expo held near the Gateway Arch, and she mentioned they usually budget for about 10 ounces per person. Isn't that a bit low?
I'm aiming for 10 ounces per person. I might grab an extra 2 or 3 pounds just to top off the platters on the tables if needed. Since we're doing a cold buffet outside the restaurant in the afternoon that includes sweets, I think 10 ounces plus the cake should be plenty for the indoor portion. Besides, I'm the type who'd rather run out than have food going to waste...
silentnomad8 said:I was told you can't pair ice wind flavors or softer cakes with a cake decorated using that specific frosting—I can't be bothered to Google it right now, but I think it's called ganache. If we want ice wind, it really needs to be topped with whipped cream. She suggested we just make two cakes instead: one beautiful one for the photos, and then a separate one made with whipped cream on the side.
Fondant is that outer layer, and since it reacts poorly with whipped cream, you need a much denser frosting to make it work. If you're set on using Chantilly, you’d probably need a wafer layer underneath before applying the fondant. Honestly, though, I don't get the hype surrounding Chantilly cream. To me, it's usually mediocre. It's decent when you get it from places like Magnolia Bakery or Sugarman, but most of the time it's a mess. The layers are often too thick, and they don't set right, so you end up with all this extra moisture leaking out instead of just fruit juice. Most bakers just pile on thick layers, and frankly, it looks sloppy.
Sophia Morris3 said:It’s entirely possible, likely because Opatija Confectionery is... While I’ll concede they produce fine sweets, yes. 🙂
Take this one here, decorated with those currants. Personally, if I were selecting a cake, I’d opt for something far more straightforward without all that unnecessary fussing over the presentation—not simply to save a few bucks (though that $6.75 be a factor), but because nobody actually eats the garnish, and quite frankly, you want the actual cake to be the star of the show.
Isn't that a bit much? I got a quote from Catering Lido 15 for $5.00 per person including mascarpone filling, and their pastries and cakes are actually top-tier. With whipped cream, it's $4.00. The price is 10-$5.00 per person + $0.83 for the mascarpone.
bluecanyon16 said:I just shot an email to the address on their site and the owner hit me back with a quote. We swung by that same day and hammered out all the details. We'd actually tried their pastries at a local fair, so we didn't need a tasting for those, but the cake situation was the worst part. We asked if we could just get a tiny sample to try, but the lady brought out four full slices and charged us for the whole thing (plus the coffee we ordered while waiting around for 40 minutes). Felt pretty shady to me... but honestly, their sweets are so good we couldn't say no. Our package includes delivery and plates, though. s
That’s just bad business. In my opinion, if you’ve already committed to buying their cakes and pastries, a tasting should be on the house... otherwise, what's the point? You might as well just order based on how they look. :/
Do they offer any kind of fair or seasonal discounts? There's a wedding expo happening at Madison Square Garden this weekend...
bluecanyon16 said:We already locked in the cakes and dessert spread from Lida (doing Grand Marnier style now)... our only issue is figuring out the math on quantity. The pastry chef told us those 10-15 oz slices usually work out to about 3 or 4 per person. Honestly, their stuff is killer—we’ll probably end up inhaling at least 5 pieces ourselves if we're being real. So now we're stuck staring at the numbers, totally lost on how much to order. Lida doesn't just do that basic wedding filler either; they have these specialty treats that aren't like the usual creamy or fruit basket junk you see everywhere. They're legit. Now we're low-key panicking because we aren't sure if 65 lbs is going to cut it for 160 people.😢
What’s the actual protocol for scheduling a tasting? Do they plate everything themselves and deliver it straight to the venue? I’m asking because I had Lida pastries at a wedding once and they were phenomenal, so I’m thinking about booking them for my own wedding... My gut says 3-5 ounces per person should be plenty, especially since there's so much other food, so people don't overindulge. Some take less, some take more, but on average, it balances out. I’m not looking to pack leftovers to go; I just want enough for the reception itself.
I’m debating whether to go with 10 or 15 ounces of cake per person—not counting the wedding cake, obviously. Personally, I think that’s plenty. I really don't want to be stuck lugging leftovers around the next day... Besides, we've got a cold buffet set up right outside the restaurant before dinner, featuring mini pastries, those little cream cups, strudels, and the like.
bluecanyon16 said:Has anyone ever ordered desserts from Lydia for a wedding? At the trade show, they quoted us $32/kg, but honestly, they look incredible... not like those basic, cookie-cutter wedding sweets you always see at receptions. Everything is creamy, fruity, chocolatey... So, here’s my dilemma: I’m worried guests might go overboard and eat way more than I planned, leaving me short at the end. We calculated roughly 30 kg for 180 guests... is that enough? Or am I dreaming?
I attended a wedding catered by Lydia once and was blown away by their desserts!!! I just saw them again at the West Gate expo and requested a quote for cakes and pastries. I'm seriously considering them, though I'm still weighing the delivery costs since the wedding is in Kansas City. But honestly, the sweets are top-tier. Truly delicious.🙂 My math is based on about 10 ounces per person, which means 15 kg for 150 guests. I'm keeping it lean because I have no intention of handing out leftovers or carrying boxes home the next day. Plus, we'll have catering right outside the venue serving little bite-sized treats before people even walk in...
Does anyone know how the logistics work when ordering pastries from out of town? Specifically, what kind of delivery fees are we talking about? For instance, if you're hosting a wedding in Kansas City, but the cakes and desserts are coming in from Chicago?
Of course it works!!! I’m a big fan of whey because it’s just the most convenient thing to grab after a workout. I don't feel the need to mess around with a bunch of heavy chemicals...
silentpanther15 said:It’s basically just a high-tech way of chopping wood, digging ditches around a fortress, or—if you really want to get old school—playing a game of shoulder-carry stones. 😁