I often get asked by friends and my couples what wedding cake designers do outside of the busy wedding season (which is typically April-September). Some assume that I simply take this time off – I can assure you that as nice as this sounds, it’s simply not the case! I also think it’s really important to educate people on this topic, as it also plays a vital role in understanding a cake makers pricing. Let’s take the purchase of a new car as an example – when you buy that new car, it’s not just the physical parts that make up the price; its paying the technicians to build it, the cost of the premises where it’s made, the salaries of all of the front and back office staff of the manufacturer and of course, a profit for the company, to mention just a few. The same can be said for my small business – it’s not just the cost of ingredients and my time for making it that make up the price of a cake; it’s the consultations, the tasting boxes, spending time on my website and marketing, buying new equipment etc.
I got into wedding cake design because of a love of creating beautiful things and a passion for baking but running a successful wedding business requires many other skills. So, I have attempted in this blog, to give a very high level insight into a typical year in my business:
January: A little bit of downtime to recover from a busy December and getting the kids back to school but also planning for the year ahead, responding to new enquiries, making sure all of my processes are efficient and working well for me.
February-March: This is when I typically send out my tasting boxes to my booked couples and new enquiries as well as holding my online design consultations to agree the cake designs for my couples getting married that year. This period is also an opportunity to network with other suppliers and collaborate on some creative projects.
April – I typically have a couple of orders in April as the start of the wedding season begins. I also take the opportunity here to have some time away with my family during the Easter holidays to recharge my batteries before wedding season hits full speed!
May – September: It’s the busy wedding season with multiple wedding cake orders going out each month. There’s not a lot of time for working on my business during this time, which makes being super organised at the start of the year so important.
October/November: Like April, I typically still have a couple of orders going out as wedding season starts to quieten down and I also have some time to catch up on admin tasks that I don’t have time to do during the summer months.
December: This is typically a busy month for wedding cake orders as well as family life (Christmas!).
In addition, as a wedding business I undertake the following tasks each month (to name but a few!):
- Writing blogs for my website
- Planning content for my social media channels
- Responding to enquiries and emails
- Updating my website with any changes and new cake designs
- Admin tasks such as confirming design details and balances with my couples, organising consultation dates etc
- Monthly accounting
I hope this goes some way into shedding some light on my small wedding business and what goes on behind the scenes when I’m not baking!
Image Credits:
Image 1: Hannah Argyle Photography
Image 2: Hannah Argyle Photography
Image 3: Aga Hosking Photography
Image 4: Meghan Claire Photography
Image 5: Melissa Megan Photography
Image 6: Laura Vieceli Photography
Image 7: Pippa Mackenzie Photography
Image 8: John Barwood Photography
Image 9: Melissa Megan Photography
Image 10: Aga Hosking Photography
Image 11: Gaetano Di Giacomo Photography
Image 12: Charlotte Wise Photography
Image 13: Meghan Claire Photography