Should I go to bridal shows to look for a baker?

The overwhelming answer according to our brides is YES!

 

With that said, when we asked bakers whether they were did at least one bridal show per year in Omaha around 85% said no!

This means you won’t see or meet 85% of the bakers in Omaha at any shows.

Let me tell you something about bridal shows. The smallest wedding cake bakers or the ones whose sales are slacking the most are usually the ones you’ll find at smaller bridal shows.

This is true for two reasons. First, they don’t have a way for most brides to find them. Many of them work out of their homes, or small a boutique.

At a bridal show, they want you to judge them on their talent and form an opinion before you actually visit them.

A bridal show brings the brides to them. They cannot afford to pay $1000 or more a month for pay for click Internet advertising, yellow page ads, or advertising in local bridal magazines. A bridal show gives them an opportunity to shine.

Larger bakers typically represent themselves at major bridal shows. They want to “brand” themselves into your mind.

They don’t get that kind of return on investment at smaller bridal shows. They know it is more difficult to sell you at a bridal show, so they attempt to lure you in and visit with a wedding cake consultant at your leisure.

ADVICE: If most wedding cake bakers don't use bridal fairs to  show their skills and talents, you'll have to use other search methods to locate additional bakers.

Please share your experience with bridal shows. 

Omaha bridal shows for wedding cakes?

I bring this up because there are a couple of bridal shows on September 8th at the CenturyLink center presented by the Omaha Bridal Showcase and Wedding Essential on October 21st at the MidAmerica Center. 

So, why do I pose the question? I don't want you to be disappointed. Here's why.

When we surveyed wedding cake designers across the USA (through WeddingCake.org) to see if they were involved with at least one bridal show per year in their trade area, 80% said no!

 

This means you won’t see or meet 80% of the Omaha wedding cake designers at any shows.

Let me give you a little inside scoop about bridal shows. The smallest Omaha wedding cake bakers or the ones whose sales are slacking the most are usually the ones you’ll find at smaller bridal shows.

 

Why? For two reasons; first, they don’t have a way for most brides to find them. Many of them work out of their homes, a shared catering facility, or small shop.

A bridal show brings you to them. They cannot afford to pay $1000 or more a month for yellow page advertising, advertising in local bridal magazines, local Internet sites or PPC with Google, Yahoo or Bing.

 

Larger Omaha wedding cake bakeries typically represent themselves at larger or major bridal shows.

 

Their strategy for being in larger shows is to “brand” themselves.They don’t get that kind of “bang-for-their-buck” at smaller intimate shows.

 

They want you to remember them when it is time to start shopping for your wedding cake. They know it is hard to sell you at a bridal show, so they try to entice you to come in and visit with a wedding cake consultant at your leisure.

 

As I stated at the beginning, I don't want you to be disappointed over the amount of wedding cake designers you'll meet at the bridal shows. So, now you know, you’ll have to combine this method with other search methods to seek for a more diverse selection of Omaha wedding cake designers.

 

Please share your experiences with any wedding cake designers you met at one of the bridal shows.

 

If I cancel my wedding cake, will I lose my deposit?

Yes, you will! As soon as a baker takes your deposit (many bakers are now calling it; nonrefundable retainer fee) they have committed to making your wedding cake in return for your commitment to receive a cake on a particular date. Your deposit (retainer fee) represents an earnest payment toward an outstanding balance.

Your wedding cake bakery will now turn away other orders if they are completely booked for that particular date. After accepting your order it can be difficult to replace your order if you cancel. In addition, they already have a time commitment and possibly a materials commitment in arranging your order.

For these reasons, most wedding cake designers will not refund your deposit (retainer fee) or “initial payment.”

According to our last 112 surveyed bakers (WeddingCake.org), 86 said if you cancel your cake under any conditions, you would not receive any of your deposit back. The 26 exceptions were from wedding cake bakers in smaller communities.

We found some bakers who had “minimum fixed deposits” as low as $25. Most of them had “minimum deposits” between $50-$100.

Also, there are bakers who make you pay a deposit based upon the total price of the order. These designers typically charge you a percentage between 10%-50% of the total amount due.

To put this into context, if you place an order for a wedding cake with a baker who has a deposit of 50% and the wedding cake costs $1,000, you will need to put down $500. The $500 represents your nonrefundable deposit. If you cancel for any reason, be prepared to forfeit the entire $500.

If paying a large up-front deposit is a concern for you, put this question on your list to ask in your preappointment planning.

The #1 Myth About Ordering Your Wedding Cake

You've probably been told or have read that you should order your wedding cake 3-6 months in advance.

Can you say, "Sure I'm fine with my 3rd or 4th choice of wedding cake bakers."

It could happen if you follow that out-dated piece of philosophy.

You should look at booking the date of your wedding cake like choosing a nice reception site. Would you wait 3-6 months before your wedding and expect to reserve your first choice?

Let me elaborate on this a little further.

Prior to 2000-2005, the majority of wedding cakes in Omaha were sold by family operated bakeries or grocery store bakeries that had really good cake decorators. There were a few home bakers and small cake boutiques, but they were in the minority.

Contrast that with many of today's professional Omaha wedding cake bakers; they work from a one or two person boutique or from a state licensed home bakery, usually by themselves.

Sure, there are still your old fashion family run bakeries and select grocery stores that employ very talented wedding cake designers, but now they are in the minority.

Understanding this new dynamic explains why the 3-6 month rule is outdated. The home baker and cake boutiques typically don't have large walk-in coolers to store 10 wedding cakes or 8 people to help them.

Therefore, just like most reception sites, many wedding cake designers only have availability for a single wedding cake or between 1-3 wedding cakes per weekend.

If the best bakers according to your price range only create one magical wedding cake per weekend, you could wind up ordering your wedding cake from your 3rd or 4th choice if you choose to follow the 3-6 month rule.

My suggestion: Do some early wedding cake shopping and reserve your #1 baker as soon as possible.