If you’re thinking of challenging your guests to a wedding bake off, then you’ll need to do some prepwork to make sure it’s a sweet success! Here’s our handy guide…
The Great British Bake Off is nearly here, and we can’t wait! If you’ve caught the bake off bug and want to incorporate it into your wedding, then why not challenge your guests to bake a cake for your big day? It’s a great way to get the family involved, will add a fun element to your wedding catering, and means that there’ll be a huge range of desserts to choose from! Not to mention, it’s an ideal money-saver for brides on a tight budget.
However, it can take some time and careful organisation to plan a wedding bake off, so don’t leave it all to the last minute! Here’s how to do it right…
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Check with your venue
First things first – you need to check with your venue that they’re okay with guests bringing in homemade items for your wedding. Some venues will have strict health and safety rules that will prohibit any food not produced by a professional caterer. From a purely practical standpoint, your venue may not have storage space to hold cakes that need refridgerating, such as cheesecakes or cakes with fresh cream.
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Word it properly
Once you’ve cleared your bake off with your venue, the next step is giving your guests plenty of advance warning on the invitations. The key is to choose your words carefully, so as to make it clear to guests that they’re absolutely not required to contribute if they don’t want to! We suggest something along the following lines:
‘Instead of having a wedding cake, we’re challenging the bakers among you to make something delicious for a wedding bake off! Bring your best homemade treats with you on the day and we’ll pick a winner! If you’d like to take part, please let us know on your RSVP.’
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Have a cake drop-off point
Once you have an idea of how many guests will be bringing cakes with them on the day, you can co-ordinate with your venue to make sure that they have enough space to store them before your reception. Put a sign up so that your bakers know where to bring their cakes as they arrive to the ceremony (you don’t want your guests holding sponges on their laps in the church!), and have a member of staff on hand there to take them to the kitchen if necessary. We’d also advise that any cake plates be labelled on the bottom with their owner’s names.
Make tags in advance
So that people know whose cakes are whose, why not make pretty tags, signs or flags to prop near on in the cakes on the day? They’ll make your cake table look even more fabulous and match your theme, and will let the rest of your guests know who made their delicious desserts!
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Give prizes
There’s nothing wrong with introducing a little healthy competition into your wedding bake off! You can either get your guests to vote on their favourite cakes, or make all the decisions with your new husband. We suggest having a few different categories, such as Best Looking, Best Tasting, Bride’s Favourite, Groom’s Favourite and Most Creative.
Looking for more fun wedding inspiration? Take a look at our Details and Themes section!
