Having your cake, and eating it, too

It’s not every day couples allot hundreds of dollars to a cake fund, but they likely don’t tie the knot too often either.

Since the explosion of cake-based reality shows, Nadia Costanzo, a wedding cake baker at Regency Bakery, said many couples are asking for creations similar to the ones seen on TV for their special day.

“We get it a lot,” she said. “A lot of them are doable, but the only problem is, on those shows, they don’t tell you the prices of a lot of the cakes.”


Costanzo said some “as seen on TV” cakes can run upwards of $700. Since Regency Bakery doesn’t deal solely with cakes, it doesn’t have the same tools TV bakers have either. Costanzo said the bakery will happily accommodate couples though, using different techniques to achieve the same results.

Some customers have wanted air brushed designs, but the bakery doesn’t have the equipment to do them. Costanzo said stencils can often create the same effect. “We can accommodate the customer. If it’s not doable, we can pretty much tell, and we can work with whatever they’re bringing us to look at.”

For brides and grooms who don’t have their hearts set on something from an episode of Cake Boss, Costanzo said there are lots of other options.

Right now, “simple, elegant cakes,” are in high demand. Intricate lacing and ribboning that was once popular is no longer what couples want.

For Tina and Adam Leveiller’s summer wedding, they chose an uncomplicated design in shades that matched their décor.

Costanzo said many couples, like the Leveillers, picked colours based on their theme and the season.

This summer, lime green and bright orange were popular, and rich natural shades like red and orange are making their way back in for fall.

Winter wedding cakes tend to be white and shimmery, “most of the time,” the baker explained.

Costanzo said Regency Bakery recently made a cake that looked like Revelstoke Mountain Resort in British Columbia for a couple. “We made it look like a big huge ski hill. We made the signs along the ski hill and we made the village at the bottom. They brought us a picture they found on the Internet. It was all cake, all icing — a lot of icing.”

The mountain of a cake weighed close to 120 lbs and stood about a foot-and-a-half tall.
Costanzo said it was the “coolest” cake she’s seen while working at the shop.

With so many ideas out there, Costanzo said couples should take the time to flip through magazines or look for cake ideas online before they go shopping.

“When you come in with an idea, try to come in with an idea of what you like,” she said. “It’s a lot easier for the person helping you to better assist you.”