What to ask at your wedding cake tasting

Cake tastings are fun, and it's easy to spend the whole appointment on flavor combinations without asking the practical questions that actually determine how the cake fits into your day.

Questions worth asking

• How far in advance is the cake made, and how is it stored until delivery?
• Does the display cake need to match the serving cake exactly, or can a smaller display cake be paired with sheet cake in back for serving (a common cost-saver)?
• What's the cutting fee if the venue charges one, and is it built into the caterer's price already?
• Can the design be finalized closer to the date, in case your color palette shifts?
• What happens if the guest count changes significantly after the order is placed?

On flavor, ask for contrast

Rather than tasting three variations on vanilla, ask for genuinely different options, a dense chocolate, a lighter citrus, a spiced flavor, so you're comparing real alternatives rather than subtle differences that are hard to distinguish after the first bite.