I've been going over my orders for the early part of next year and discovered something: I have no orders for topsy-turvy cakes (so far). Hallelujah! Could these finally be going out of style?

A few trends I'm seeing in my customers for 2007:
* white on white decoration or all white with a few, small pale accents
* conversely, outrageous color a la Margaret Braun is really popular
* flavor - nearly all my bookings are have chosen more adventuresome flavor combinations this year (yay!)
* made to match ... have several cakes that are the same design motif as their invitations and favors


Are you seeing anything new in your upcoming bookings?

I like this topic! Great idea. From my bookings in 2007, I am seeing:

*Swirls continuing to be popular for the sides of the cakes.
*More bold colors
*Fondant, fondant, fondant!
*Brides opting for more flavorful cakes...less vanilla...more raspberry mocha, chocolate chocolate chip, etc.
*NO topsy turvy cakes here, either!!! Well, other than tomorrow's wedding cake.

I'm interested to see what others are booking in '07. It's always nice to get ideas to share with brides on what others "in the profession" are seeing.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!
Amy

I only have a few, but this is what I have.

*White with bold accent colors
*fondant
*cupcakes
*and YES, FLAVOR!!!!

Square cakes almost all my orders are. Fondant ,fondant , and more fondant, white on white, twigs and simple designs. I'm booked every weekend in July and Aug already.

Are you seeing a decline in the # of servings you're being contracted for? I'm noticing the bulk of my current orders are less than 110 servings. Last year and the year before they were around 125 - 150 on average. I wonder if weddings getting smaller.

great topic!

I have most of the 2007 dates booked...so I notice people are coming earlier and earlier! I actually have six 2008 weddings booked already too, but I haven't gone further than Spring 2008.

I'm noticing a lot of chocolate-iced cakes this year...with a contrasting colour of pink, green or Tiffany blue. I'd say 25% of the orders are using a combination of chocolate brown and something. Hardly any white/ivory cakes at all...yahoo!!

My fondant orders are way down. I really prefer the smooth buttercream and definitely advise clients to go that route if possible.

Cupcake orders are steady as ever, but still on the fun side!

Flavours are a LOT more adventurous! I have a few cakes that are all tiers of Chocolate-Mint, Roasted Banana Buttermilk, Red Velvet....so happy!!!

The biggest thing is the cake toppers. I think I have only 10 or 20 orders that are using flowers, most are doing some really great toppers like sparkling crystal monograms, personalized figurines, etc. That's way up from past years!

Oh, please, tell me more! I have a project to do for a vendor for this Spring, and I would love to know what people are looking for, so the vendor can be up to date.

I read a previous post about most of the cakes in martha's Weddings magazine (Autumn issue) being mostly buttercream. Do you still see this for next year, or are the customers sticking with fondant?

Thanks!

Theresa

With the decline in servings, do you find you will have to raise your prices to continue your revenue base? If so, how much more do you think you will have to charge per serving in the coming year?

Thanks -

Theresa

Are a lot of you doing first or second weddings? That could make some difference as well. My first wedding (1997) was white/champagne, 250 servings. It also had pillars.

Now, ten years later, we are planning the cake at 60 servings, stacked, and reflecting our interests rather than just wedding-ish stlye.

From a bride's POV, pillars are out, stairways are out, and the cake needs to reflect the couple. Weddings are getting more intimate and personal. Hype is out. This also means we can dedicate more money to higher serving prices, because we don't have to pay for 300 servings.

GREAT idea!

I don't have much booked til after the bridal festival in Jan, but I do have -

--square cakes
--no fondant (yet)
--bold colored swirls
--white on white with quilting and bows
--lots of flavors, even cran-raspberry filling

I'm planning dummies for the festival, so I'm trying to stay current for '07 ideas. Wonderful! My dummies should be right on track, thanks to you guys.

I onlyl have 2 cakes booked for next year and they are both totally different. One is ugly, and one isn't..haha . No, one is white on white with a crystal monogram topper, and the other is ivory textured icing with fabric bows and silk flowers . Both are flavors other than vanilla....double chocolate, strawberry bannana, cheescake, and chocolate mint.

This is an AWESOME thread.

Thanks for that information, Whimsette.

What about the number of cakes done - do you or any of you others forsee the need to increase the number of cakes you will do on a weekly basis to retain your revenue base?

What percent, or price per serving, will your increase be (like 10% or 25 cents or more per serving)?

Thanks -

Theresa

I'm not planning on raising prices any time soon, but I'm just getting started too.

*I reserve the right to change my prices when and how I please, to suit my needs, at any time, without notice, for whatever reason, etc.etc." lol

I wonder are you guys seeing any trend towards more BC and heavy piping work like we heard about earlier this year for 07?? Like the Martha weddings mag with all the piping? Swags or string work?

I'm wondering if I should do an all-out, full-blown Edwardian piped 4-tier masterpiece for the bridal festival or save myself the time...

Homecook, No please do one. I'm sure it would be beautiful and I know we would love to see a photo.

Sounds lovely.

I'm loving the info--let's keep this post floating around through the next few months so we can refer back to it!

What a great idea to share

Very interessting to see what´s "In" Overseas - so the trends will be here in around 3-5 Years I´ll have enough time to get prepared .

Yes, people who place their deposits in 2006 for 2007/2008 weddings get the 2006 prices.

Once the contract & invoices are signed, you can't increase pricing based on gradual inflation or anything. The price would only change for factors like requesting more/less cupcakes/cake, greater detailing, etc.

Here's a question related to Tuggy's post. Europe is usually a couple years ahead of America for fashion. Is that the same for cakes? Or do their designs influence those here at all?

I think that, worldwide, everyone is trying so hard to catch up with each other that everyone's techniques are advancing rapidly. Between the Internet, with forums and online stores like this one, and eBay, where we can buy books and tools from abroad, I would say that within the next 15 years we will all be equal to each other. It's a slow uphill climb, but everyone here is willing to hike it together.

Theresa

this is a really interesting thread!

Just went through my orders - and no trend - every single one is different!
From an Off Kilter cake in March to a Medieval Castle to cupcakes to sugar flowers and 2 orders for cakes with pillars!!!

I wish people would be more bold with flavours, but vanilla vanilla or lemon/raspberry are still the most popular!

As for pricing, they are increasing Jan 1! People who book now will get 2006 pricing, but time is running out!

Most popular flavor, Sour Cream Almond, No fondant, No pillars, No fountains. Stacked and square. Different designs on each tier. Ribbons, fresh flowers. No Royal. 200 servings most popular. No bride and groom toppers. Monograms and fresh flowers.

I see mostly cake-on-cake. They may elevate the top tier to make it stand out. Toppers are leaning toward the aluminum monograms or flowers. I'm not sure if the traditional bride and groom toppers will make a come-back and I feel it's due to the outrageous pricing. A lot of them are over 50 bucks and not many brides are willing to pay that for a one-time use thing. The ribbon-around-the-base is popular. I predict the Tom Cruise cake will start to be requested frequently. It'll be interesting to see.

I dont' do fondant so all of my wedding cakes are buttercream. If a bride really really wants fondant, I will help her find a baker(y) who does that. Usually what I find is the bride likes the smooth look of fondant, which we can do in buttercream, so she's fine with that. I've really not met any do-or-die brides re: fondant.

I'm averaging 150-175, and that includes weddings as small as 60 and as large as 350. Since I also handle the food catering, I find that the smaller weddings are able to spend more on the food than the larger weddings, so the smaller weddings tend to be just as good to me bottom-line wise as the larger weddings.

Most of my wedding cakes are multiple flavors: bottom tier white cake with raspberry filling; next tier choc cake with choc fudge filling; next tier red velvet cake with white buttercream filling; top tier carrot cake with cream cheese filling.

I've had no brides ever request a topsy-turvy cake. Maybe we're just 'ole sticks in the mud here in the midwest but cakes I've had requested from brides are more traditional. I describe it as they ooh and ahhh over the odd looking cakes and think "..... that cake looks pretty cool ..... for another bride ..... but not for MY wedding!"

This is a great thread!