Frequently Asked Questions

There are a few considerations when ordering a custom cake or wedding cake. I aim to make the ordering process as easy as possible so I have listed some of my frequently asked questions below to help you with your order.

You will find information on ordering, cake care, transporting your cake safely, cake portions and cutting guides and delivery. For wedding cakes, there are frequently asked questions about pricing, portion guides and sizing considerations, payment, deposit and cancellation policy, cake sample and flavour menus, dietary requirements, cake stand hire and payment information.

Ordering & Enquiries:

How do I order a cake from you?

You can make an enquiry for a date and get a rough quote by filling out the enquiry form on the website. I will aim to get back to you within 24-48 hours, however, in the busy wedding season this may take a little longer. My official admin day is Tuesday when I will reply to all unanswered emails in my inbox. Please check your spam folder if you are waiting for a reply from me as I usually attach my price list to emails and this can cause them to be filtered into your spam folder.

Cake Care – Looking after your cake:

How do I look after a cake once it is delivered or collected from the kitchen?

You can collect your cake or have it delivered on the day of your event or up to 2 days before. Cakes require special care and storage to keep them at their best.

All of my cakes are freshly baked for each order. My cakes are best eaten on the day of delivery/collection but remain good for up to 3/4 days after if they are stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place. If you think that you will have leftover cake, you can follow this handy cake-cutting guide for a great way to cut your cake. You can then wrap the pieces in cling film and freeze them for up to 3 months.

Cakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. I would recommend cutting the cake into portions before freezing so that you can defrost just the right amount each time you need a slice.

Transport:

When picking up a cake box, be mindful that the decorations can be damaged if care is not taken. Always hold the box from the bottom and avoid allowing the sides to touch the cake or decorations.

If collecting a cake from our kitchen, I recommend that you find a flat area in the boot of your car to put the cake on, ideally on a non-slip mat. Ensure that there is nothing to roll onto or damage the cake in transit. You can pad around the cake to stop it from moving. Drive very carefully, taking corners slowly and avoiding sharp braking.

Storage:

Cakes should be stored in the fridge or a cool, air-conditioned room between 2-5 degrees Celsius, unless otherwise stated in the specific cake care instructions given.

Always remove from the fridge around one hour before cutting so that the cake can come to room temperature before serving. This ensures that the flavours and textures of the cake will be at the optimum temperature for eating.

Display:

On cooler days or in a venue with air conditioning, your cake can be set up and displayed up to four hours before serving. However, your cake should always be displayed away from direct sunlight.

On hot days, in venues without ventilation or at open-air venues, your cake should remain refrigerated or in a cool area, around 5 degrees Celsius, until an hour before serving. This is to ensure that the decorations stay perfect. In all conditions, the cake should be displayed away from direct sunlight or any direct heat such as open flames or fires.

Cake Size & Portion guide

How many servings/portions do I need for my cake?

The industry standard is dessert (or party) served at 1″ x 2″ slices or wedding (or coffee) serves at 1″ x 1″ slices. The size of your servings depends on a few variables and is a matter of choice.

As a general rule, weddings usually serve party portions at 1″ x 1″ whilst birthdays and other celebrations usually serve dessert portions at 1″ x 2″, but there are a few things to consider before deciding on dessert or party portions:

1. Is your cake required as a presentation for a ceremonial aspect, such as a cake cutting at a wedding, the focal point on a dessert table or to eat as part of a dessert course?
2. Are there other desserts or small treats being served at your event? Do you want to serve your wedding cake as dessert for all of your guests instead of a coffee course?
3. What is the adult/child ratio? Children will usually eat more cake and require larger party portions, whereas adults usually have less of a sweet tooth and may go for smaller coffee serves.
4. Who will be cutting the cake? If you have professional caterers cutting your cake, you will get the perfect number of serves from each tier, however, if a friend or family member is cutting the cake, they may not know the correct cutting technique and may not get the exact amount of serves from your cake. A helpful cake-cutting guide is supplied with each cake order.
5. Do you want leftovers after your event?

You can find out more on how to choose the perfect cake size for your event in our sizes and serving guide or by booking in a free consultation with Luisa via the enquiry form:

I am cutting my own cake. What do I need to know?

Before cutting a cake, you need to remove all flowers, dowels and non-edible decorations, including sugar paste/rice paper flowers.

Be aware that all tiered cakes and tall vegan cakes are supported with wooden dowels including a central dowel for structural support and each tier is supported by a cake board. For more tips on cutting a tiered cake, you can see this video.

Prices: Delivery

Do you offer delivery?

All tiered wedding cakes are personally delivered due to their delicate nature. Cakes over two tiers require on-site assembly, so personal delivery ensures your cake arrives safely and is set up professionally.

Cost of delivery:

Delivery within 10 miles of my cake studio is included in wedding cake quotes. Delivery for celebration cakes, and for locations outside this complimentary delivery area, is calculated separately and itemised on your quote.

What does my cake delivery quote include?

For wedding cakes, the delivery fee includes professional delivery and, where required, on-site setup at your venue. This also covers liaison with your venue team or wedding planner to coordinate all delivery and setup details, including timings and the running order for the day, so you have one less thing to worry about in the lead-up to your wedding.

Celebration cake delivery typically involves delivering your cake to a home address and is available from £15, subject to availability.

Collection from BN1 is always free, with a confirmed collection time provided a few days in advance. For larger events where on-site setup is required, delivery and setup can be quoted separately once the logistics of your event have been discussed.

Below are rough costings for delivery from Brighton (BN1). A full, exact quote will be given upon enquiry if requested.

Central Brighton	~ £20	(cakes with 2 + tiers) + £15	£35
Brighton + 10 miles	~ £30	(cakes with 2 + tiers) + £10	£40
Brighton + 20 miles	~ £50	(cakes with 2 + tiers) + £20	£70
Brighton + 30 miles	~ £70	(cakes with 2 + tiers) + £20	£90
Brighton + 50 miles	~ £90	(cakes with 2 + tiers) + £20	£110
Brighton + 70 miles	~ £120	(cakes with 2 + tiers) + £20	£140*

I recommend my personal delivery service for all cakes above two tiers. Once an order is collected from my kitchen, I cannot accept responsibility for the transportation or storage of the cake, provided it has been properly assembled and doweled. I will give you a clear delivery cost on an enquiry so that you can decide on delivery or collection.

Our Terms and Conditions for ordering can be found here:

Ordering a Wedding Cake

Wedding Cake FAQs

Prices: Wedding Cakes

How much does a cake cost?

The cost of your wedding cake or custom celebration cake depends on the final design and the time and skill required to bring it to life. I offer a base pricing structure for all wedding cakes to give you a clear starting point and a realistic idea of costs.

Your final quote will be confirmed once all design details and any additional extras have been agreed. cake and will be broken down in your quote.

How is a wedding cake priced?

Each wedding cake is individually quoted based on the final design, with pricing reflecting the level of detail, time, and craftsmanship involved. All quotes include delivery and setup within a 30-mile radius of Brighton.

Pricing also takes into account the planning and coordination required to deliver your cake seamlessly on the day, including liaising with your venue, wedding planner, florist, and other suppliers to ensure everything is perfectly in place.

Do wedding cakes cost more than celebration cakes?

While wedding cakes are typically more expensive than celebration cakes, the pricing difference is not arbitrary. It reflects the additional time, complexity, and level of service required.

A wedding cake usually has more servings and multiple tiers. The process typically requires in-depth consultations, bespoke design work, and months of planning, as well as coordination with venues and multiple suppliers. This level of administration, skill, and craftsmanship is all built into the final price.

Celebration cakes generally involve simpler designs and logistics, making them more affordable. However, when celebration cakes are created for large-scale events or feature intricate designs and multiple tiers, they often require a similar level of time and expertise—and are therefore priced comparably to wedding cakes.

* These prices are correct as of the last update, but I retain the right to change and adjust pricing where necessary without notice.

What affects the price of a wedding cake?

Size and number of servings:

Wedding cakes are usually larger, serving more guests, and they require more costly ingredients, skill to construct, planning and detail. Then there’s also design time, research, and many emails exchanged to ensure your cake is exactly what you imagined.

Planning, design and consultations:

From initial consultations and personalised design work to logistics and coordination with your venue, planner, or florist, a wedding cake involves many more hours behind the scenes than a typical celebration cake.

Professional delivery and cake display setup

My tiered wedding cakes also include delivery and set-up of the cake at the venue. This includes liaison with other suppliers and wedding coordinators where necessary.

Business costs:

Pricing also reflects the time, skill, and resources required to run a sustainable small business. This includes maintaining food safety training and compliance, Public Liability Insurance, and essential business costs such as accounting and website maintenance. These considerations allow me to continue creating high-quality, thoughtfully designed cakes for couples across East Sussex for years to come.

You can learn more about my pricing process on my blog posts. I’m always happy to offer guidance on how to keep costs down—see some of my tips below!

Sizing Considerations & portion guides

How can I keep the cost of my wedding cake down?

Do I have to cater for all of my guests?

This really depends on your preference. As a general rule of thumb, if you are looking to reduce the cost of your cake, you can choose to cater for around 90% of your guests, assuming that some people will want a smaller portion or to share. Find out more on my size and serving guide page.

Can I choose a smaller cake just for the cutting ceremony/display?

If you think that fewer people will want cake and you want it more as a display or for the cutting ceremony, you can choose to cater for as few as 70% of your guests. So if you have a guest list of 100, you can choose a large two-tier or medium three-tier cake that has 70 coffee serves and save 30%, for example. You can learn more about how many guests to cater for using my cake size and serving guide.

Can I serve my wedding cake as dessert after the meal?

If you decide to serve your wedding cake as dessert, you will need a full dessert serving for each guest at the wedding meal. This will increase the size of your cake significantly and therefore the price. However, serving your wedding cake as dessert will save catering fees and will most likely work out cheaper overall.

Before choosing this option, it is important that you speak to your venue and/or caterer to check that they are willing to portion and serve your cake as dessert and possibly add a side such as berries and ice cream. For example, a medium three-tier cake with 80 coffee serves would serve 46 as dessert. This will most likely increase the cost of your wedding cake but reduce your catering budget overall.

Please note:

We do recommend speaking to your venue and/or caterers before choosing this option as they will have serve your wedding cake as dessert and may have additional charges or considerations.

Payment, Deposit & cancellation policy

What payment methods do you accept?

I currently accept BACS transfers for all wedding cake orders.

Orders made from abroad can be paid with an IBAN number upon request.

Do you require a deposit to reserve a date?

Yes. A £200 non-refundable deposit is payable to secure your event date. Final payment (in full) is due no later than six weeks before delivery. As weddings are seasonal, we get booked out well in advance and your deposit is required to block out that date for your order.

Once a quote is generated and agreed upon, it is valid from 7 days of receipt of this order confirmation. After this time prices may be subject to change. The date is not 100% guaranteed until the security deposit is paid, however, you will have first refusal for 7 days.

Late payments or chargebacks may result in a fee of £25 and/or a delay in delivery times. Please see the full terms for the cancellation policy.

Can I make changes to my order?

Yes. However, final changes must be put to Luisa at hello@lovefromluisa.co.uk no later than six weeks prior to delivery. Any changes made after this date cannot be guaranteed. Please ask for our full terms which will be emailed to you as standard when completing an order.

Cancellations

90 days before delivery = booking fee (deposit only)

Between six weeks and 90 days before delivery = 50% of the final invoice cost.

Less than 6 weeks before delivery = Full invoice cost.

Why do you charge for cancellations?

Weddings are booked well in advance, and due to the intricate and labour-intensive work involved, I can usually take only one, possibly two bookings per week. My busy period is often booked out well in advance. If I block out a wedding date, then it is likely that I will have to turn other orders away. As wedding cakes are usually booked well in advance, the chance of filling a last-minute booking is slim. Cancellation fees are taken for work completed in design and generating invoices etc and loss of profit if a date is not filled because of a cancellation.

As a goodwill gesture, I always offer a refund for any cancellations if the date is filled with another comparable order at the last minute.

Consultations & Cake Flavours

Do you do wedding cake consultations and tasters?

Yes. Free wedding cake consultations are available via phone or Zoom.

Can I book an in-person consultation?

I offer complimentary virtual consultations via Zoom or phone. If you would prefer to meet in person, you can book a 45-minute consultation over tea and cake on selected dates. In-person consultations are available by appointment and cost £90.

How many cake flavours can I choose for my wedding cake?

You can have as many cake flavours as you have tiers for your cake. However, I usually recommend that if, for example, you have a three-tier cake, then you choose two flavours. One for the larger, bottom tier and one for the smaller, top two tiers. This way you have roughly a 50/50 distribution, making it easier for your guests to choose equally between flavours. But this is, of course, totally up to you. I do not charge more for having more than one (or two) flavours.

Do you do off-menu cake flavour requests?

I aim to add both incredible flavour and texture to each item on my wedding cake menu and each recipe is tried and tested; therefore, I only accommodate changes subject to enquiry.

I do not make cakes without a tried and tested recipe, so custom flavour choices tend to come with an extra cost if I need to test a recipe for your cake. You would be more than welcome to order a cake in the test sample flavour, for collection, at my standard price so that you can try the flavour and see the results.

Cake Sample Boxes:

I offer cake samples once a month in the low season; November – March, and have fewer regular tastings in the peak season April – October. I will let you know the next available dates for collecting the cake sample boxes upon enquiry.

Availability:

Cake tastings may not be available for last-minute bookings. For our service, “last-minute bookings” are defined as enquiries or bookings made from mid-April for weddings taking place in the same year during peak season (May–October).

This is due to the preparation time required for our wedding cake sample boxes, which include our full range of signature flavours along with syrups, pralines, buttercreams, ganaches, jams, and compotes. These samples take over three days to prepare, and during the peak wedding season, there is insufficient capacity to accommodate them.

How do cake sample boxes work?

Cake sample boxes are posted to your home address via 24-hour delivery on specific dates of the year. They are beautifully presented in eco-friendly packaging and include a tasting card for you to note your preferences. This allows you to enjoy the samples at your leisure before selecting the flavour(s) for your wedding cake.

Can I book a wedding cake without a tasting box and consultation?

Yes of course. If you prefer to book your cake directly, without a sample box, we can complete the whole order via email or phone calls.

Do you do cake-tasting samples for smaller orders?

Yes, sample boxes are available to purchase for all wedding cake clients.

Do you charge for cake samples?

Cake sample boxes are £35 with postage and packaging.

What flavours are in your cake sample boxes?

Cake sample boxes include six of my most popular signature cake flavours for you to try. My menus are tried and tested using local, sustainably sourced produce.

Do you allow substitutions in the cake tasting box?

My sample boxes contain six of my most popular wedding cake flavours.

Can you change the cake flavour after receiving the sample box?

Some adaptations can be accommodated on personaul request; however, these should be confirmed with plenty of notice and are not guaranteed if there is not enough time for me to test the combinations before making your cake.

Can I order a cake sample box for dietary requirements?

Yes. Vegan wedding cake sample boxes and sample boxes for dietary requirements (such as gluten- or nut-free) can be made, subject to the same availability and considerations as standard sample boxes.

Vegan tasting boxes are packaged slightly differently from standard samples, as they are prepared individually. For this reason, the cakes are presented in small individual pots rather than shared portions.

Before ordering a sample box, please review the considerations for vegan cakes and note the limitations of my gluten- and nut-free offerings due to my kitchen environment.

Allergen & dietary requirements

Do you offer vegan and gluten-free cakes?

Yes! I love to make vegan cakes and cakes without gluten. I can also accommodate allergen requirements; however, I operate in a kitchen that uses dairy, gluten, soy and nuts as well as other less common allergens so cannot fully guarantee that all my recipes are 100% allergen-free.

How do I order a vegan wedding cake?

Vegan cakes require additional care and planning. When completing the enquiry form, select or note the vegan option, and I’ll be in touch to discuss your design and discuss logistics.

How do I order a gluten-free or nut-free wedding cake?

Please complete the enquiry form and specify gluten-free or nut-free in the notes. While my cakes can be made without gluten or nuts and every effort is taken to avoid cross-contamination, UK regulations state that products made in kitchens where gluten is used cannot be labelled as 100% gluten-free and there is always some risk of cross-contamination for nuts. For this reason, clients with coeliac disease or severe nut allergies should seek a fully gluten-free or nut-free bakery.

Cake Stand hire

Do you offer cake stand hire?

Yes. I offer a small selection of cake stands for hire and can send options upon request. Cake stands are hired at £35 with a £69 refundable deposit upon their safe and timely return within one week of your delivery/collection date. Stands can be returned by courier or personally delivered to my kitchen. Your deposit will be refunded within 10 days of receiving the stand back, provided all of the terms sent via email are followed.

Confirmation & Payments

What payments do you accept?

All payments above £100 are made with BACS. Payments from abroad can be made with an international transfer or IBAN. Please enquire if you require more payment options, such as PayPal.

Once we have agreed on the design and the final quote, I will send you a detailed order form, my payment instructions and terms and conditions. I require a £200 deposit to secure a date, and by making this payment, you are confirming the details of your order and consenting to the terms and conditions.

For any questions, please get in touch with Luisa. x