Selecting a Wedding Cake in DC, VA and MD

“The cake cutting is an anticipated reception moment. Guests love to look at the wedding cake, watch the ceremonial slicing and determine if the cake tastes as good as it looks.”

When planning your Wedding, selecting a wedding Cake can be an important and pleasurable task. Especially, the cake tasting part! When selecting a wedding cake, keep these elements in mind: icing, flavor, design and size.

ICING
“The outside of the cake, including the icing and related decorative touches, is more likely to dictate the price per slice than the inside. There are two types of icing: butter cream and fondant.  Butter cream is fluffy with a lightly sweet taste.  Fondant, on the other hand is very moldable allowing for intricate designs. Fondant is heavier, more versatile, has a smooth sheen and is considerably more expensive because it is labor intensive.  Even though fondant presents greater design opportunities and is less prone to disaster, a drawback of fondant is that in comparison to butter cream, it is very sweet and not always tasty.”

Alexandria Pastry Shop recommends “a layer of butter cream covered with a thin sheet of fondant that can be molded and decorated. This allows couples to have the taste of butter cream and the elegance of fondant.”

FLAVOR
“The taste of the cake is a significant selection consideration and couples enjoy the process of sampling the different flavors that pastry chefs offer prior to making a final decision. Serving a variety of flavors encourages guests to talk about the cake as they compare notes about the various flavors. It also aids in presentation once the cake is cut, as guests get to visually experience the diverse textures. However, multiple flavors can prove to be challenging if one flavor is particularly popular and runs out, potentially leaving some guests disappointed.”

DESIGN
“One bride may want her cake to reflect aspects of her wedding dress, while another may want the flowers she selects for her bouquet to be mimicked by sugar flowers on the cake.  The most difficult, and therefore most expensive, designs are those with intricate fondant on fondant patterns, often taking several days to create. When setting up vendor appointments, a suggestion is to schedule the meeting with the pastry chef after deciding on the theme, venues, attire, invitations and floral décor since these elements can inform the shape and look of the cake.”

Fancy Cakes by Leslie explains “that about 30 percent of her customers come in with an idea in mind but seldom leave wanting that exact design, as she likes to work with them to create their own, unique look.”

SIZE
“The size of the cake is related to design. This is not solely determined by the number of guests. Depending on the intricacy of the design, couples can realize enormous savings by downsizing the ceremonial cake. Size also influences transportation and set-up costs. Most wedding cakes are delivered already built and a representative from the bakery is there to unload and troubleshoot as necessary.”

Here’s our list of wedding cake artists, bakers and vendors in the Washington, DC metro area:

ALEXANDRIA PASTRY SHOP
3690 H King Street
Bradley Shopping Center
Alexandria, VA 22302
703.578.4144
[email protected]

AMPHORA BAKERY
Herndon, VA Location
294 Sunset Park Drive
Herndon, VA 20170
703.964.0500
[email protected]

AMPHORA BAKERY
Vienna, VA Location
405 Maple Ave W
Vienna, VA 22180
703.281.5631
[email protected]

BUZZ BAKESHOP
Alexandria, VA Location
901 Slaters Lane
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.600.2899
[email protected]
[email protected]

BUZZ BAKESHOP
Arlington, VA Location
818 N. Quincy Street / Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22203
703.650.9676
[email protected]
[email protected]

CAKELORE
5599 Rowena Drive
Centreville, VA 20120
703.830.8163
[email protected]

CAKES BY HAPPY EATERY
9685 Liberia Avenue, Unit 107
Manassas, VA 20110
703.530.8898

CHARLES STREET BAKERY
507 Charles Street
La Plata, MD 20646
301.392.6344
[email protected]

CHARM CITY CAKES
2936 Remington Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21211
410.235.9229
[email protected]

CLASSIC BAKERY
Gaithersburg, MD Location
18503 N. Fredrick Avenue
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
301.948.0449
[email protected]

CLASSIC BAKERY
Tyson’s, VA Location
8605 Westwood Center Drive, Suite 150
Tyson’s Corner, VA 22182
301.948.0449
[email protected]

CREATIVE CAKES
8814 Brookville Road
Silver Spring, MD  20910
301.587.1599
[email protected]

EDIBLES INCREDIBLE DESSERTS
11917 Freedom Drive
Reston, VA 20190
703.709.8200
[email protected]

FANCY CAKES BY LESLIE
4939 Elm Street
Bethesda, MD 20814
301.652.9390
[email protected]

FLUFFY THOUGHTS CAKES
1320 Old Chain Bridge Road
McLean, VA 22101
703.942.5538
[email protected]

FRESH BAKES
42659 Redeemer Terrace
Ashburn, VA 20148
240.899.1757
[email protected]

GATEAU
7498 Edington Drive
Warrenton, VA 20187
540.347.9188
[email protected]

HEIDELBERG PASTRY SHOPPE
2150 N. Culpeper Street
Arlington, VA 22207
703.527.8394
[email protected]

KENDALL’S CAKES
201 W. Greenway Boulevard
Falls Church, VA 22046
703.536.2200
[email protected]

K. ROSE CAKES
Washington, DC 20010
202.255.8709

MICHELLE’S CAKES
4336 Indian Head Highway
Indian Head, MD 20460
301.246.9007
[email protected]

SIMPLY DESSERTS
14035 Promenade Commons Street
Gainesville, VA 20155
703.754.2257
[email protected]

SUGARBAKERS CAKES
752 Frederick Road
Catonsville, MD 21228
410.788.9478
[email protected]

SWEET LADIES BAKERY
Springfield, VA 22150
703.627.9338
[email protected]
[email protected]

TAYLOR MADE CAKES
P.O. Box 523
Hamilton, VA 20159
540.338.2324
[email protected]

TERI’S “CAKE CREATIONS”
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
301.646.2252
[email protected]

THE CAKE COURTESAN
Union Kitchen
1110 Congress Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
301.464.1080
[email protected]

And don’t forget about all the wedding venues and caterers in the Washington DC metro area that create beautiful wedding cakes.

Upscale cupcakes, designer doughnuts, cookies and other tasty pastries are a popular addition at wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners. Check out: District Doughnut, District Desserts, Georgetown Cupcake, Naughty Girls Donut Shop and Sprinkles.

And theme-based grooms’ cakes designed to entertain…

Wedding Planning and Management: consultancy for diverse clients is available at www.amazon.com/Wedding-Planning-Management-Consultancy-Diverse/dp/0415644453.

Credit:  Daniels, Maggie, & Loveless, Carrie (2014). Wedding Planning and Management: Consultancy for Diverse Clients (Second edition). New York, NY: Routledge. Illustrated by Rodney Bailey.

The Washington DC metro area makes an amazing backdrop for wedding photography.

Wedding Photography in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland by Rodney Bailey.

Selecting a Wedding Cake in DC, VA and MD
Wedding Cakes in Northern Virginia
Selecting a Wedding Cake in DC, VA and MD
Wedding Cakes in Washington DC
Selecting a Wedding Cake in DC, VA and MD
Wedding Cakes in Maryland

Selecting a Wedding Cake in DC, VA and MD
Selecting a Wedding Cake in DC, VA and MD

The post Selecting a Wedding Cake in DC, VA and MD appeared first on Wedding Photojournalism by Rodney Bailey.