Joshua John Russell's Top 5 Wedding Cake Tips

Joshua John Russell is known throughout the cake industry for his utterly unique fashion-inspired wedding cake designs. Russell has found the perfect balance of expressing his artistic vision, all while making his brides the happiest in town.  We asked him to share his top 5 tips for being a pro wedding cake designer.

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1.  Stay true to your own design aesthetic-  Don’t forget that it’s YOU who are designing the wedding cake for a client. Obviously, you want to give the bride what she wants, but you also need to put your stamp on the project. This is how you develop your own signature style.

2.  Use dummy tiers to create drama- This could be a great way to upsell without wasting cake. If a bride has a smaller guest count and a larger idea for a cake, you can create fake tiers to lift the cake to a more dramatic design. Don’t forget to tell the caterer which ones are fake!

3. Take pictures of everything! Even if you don’t love the design, you never know if a picture may be useful later!

4.  Stage an area for photos- It always looks nice to see a photo book with consistent backdrops.

5.  Don’t sell yourself short!- I always hear people say, “Well, my customers won’t pay that much.”  This may be true, but they have to realize you are a cake “designer” not just a decorator…. Your prices should be higher than the closest supermarket.

Comments (7)

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thanks joshua thank you for this tips, that is so true we are not just sellers i just love your work! hugs from a mexican artist.

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Thanks for the advice. It is very helpful. I was doubting myself, but your tips gave me the boost I needed. 

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Your words are inspiring  I always thought this is the bride's cake, the way she wants it so it's her vision & so it is but after reading  tip #1 I realized I am the one putting this all together, I am the one who is configuring this cake in order to make the bride's vision a reality, I make it come alive. It's the bride's colors, theme & tastes but it's all me who brings it together to make her dreams come true.   I also add a little tiny tid bit design on the very bottom back of every cake, something very dear to me which is a tiny pair of angel wings with a pink heart & it's for all my furry angel babies no longer with me (Angels of the Heart). Sylvia Weinstock has a pair of her glasses to stamp her cake & these angel wings are mine so that whenever a cake is shown & you see a pair of my wings you know that cake was designed by me,

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THank you for the amazing tips.  I watched your Naked Cake tutorial, which was amazing.  May I ask what frosting is best for a naked cake?