Engaged couples. When it comes to the tasting and design consultation with your cake designer, you may need to give yourself a talking to if the mere word ‘zoom’ now brings you out in a cold sweat. Pre-2020, I conducted only a handful of consultations online – (by Skype! Imagine?! SO twentyteens) – and these were most often with couples living abroad. Fast forward two years and 95% are on Zoom.

A good change

I would argue that online consultations have revolutionised Wedding Cake Consultations. I have always found a strange, dramatic pressure in sitting watching two virtual strangers eat my cakes in front of me, obliged to make favourable comments – possibly whether they were enjoying them or not. The tasting is supposed to be a chance to see what you like, explore some flavours that are new to you, to see if your cake designer really can deliver on your old favourites. I just don’t think you can be that honest with me sitting across the table from you like a nervous Bake Off contestant.

Taking away the pressure

Of course the best outcome for us bakers it that you can’t choose between the flavours because they are all so irresistibly delicious, but in reality, chocolate cake is not everyone’s favourite and fruitcake – controversial….. – most certainly isn’t. Trying the cakes in the privacy of your own home takes away ALL. THAT. PRESSURE.

Positive feedback

Since changing my consultation process to one which is almost exclusively online, I have received so much positive feedback. You can totally personalise your cake tasting. There is no restriction on when the cakes are tried, with what or with whom. Cake for breakfast, cake with family and friends, cake in the car when you’re rushing between meetings, there are no rules anymore. Add a pot of tea or champagne if you’re feeling in the mood for a party!

Cake by post!

Cake posts brilliantly. All my sample boxes arrive by Next Day Delivery and each piece of cake is individually wrapped. They are super fresh and are gorgeously packaged. Who doesn’t like receiving treats in the post?

The Zoom consultation is then a chance to feedback on what you liked and to talk about your design ideas. We can look at your Pinterest Boards, my online cake gallery and my Insta feed. (If I can learn how to share a screen in Zoom, then trust me, you most definitely can). I usually sketch whilst we chat and can show you my drawings in process. I’ll be back to you within a week with a watercolour drawing in colour and a quote.

Don’t get me wrong, I won’t be saying goodbye to in-person consultations entirely. I still love a chance to lay out some beautiful crockery, my favourite cake forks and actually meet some of my couples in real life. But Zoom has been a game-changer for my business. It is brilliantly efficient, certainly no less personal and offers a flexibility that couples planning a wedding want and need. I am going to be encouraging all my wedding couples going forward to embrace it!

You can find more about my wedding cake experience and my online zoom cake consultations here.