Can a Wedding Cake Be Shipped?
One of the key aspects of your wedding reception is the cutting of the cake. It’s a special and key photography moment of the reception for traditional weddings and something that you might want to be a little extra special. But what if you can’t find a bakery or cake decorator in your area that has just what you are looking for? This is a common question for people having a destination wedding. In this case, you might be wondering, can a wedding cake be shipped?
So, can a wedding cake be shipped? You can ship just able any food and many bakeries will ship within the United States. It’s simply a matter of finding a trustworthy bakery that is trustworthy and has experience shipping wedding cakes.
Questions to Ask the Bakery Before They Ship Your Cake
With the cake be shipped frozen or refrigerated? Cakes will go stale within a few hours if they are not kept cool. It will be most beneficial if the cake is shipped on dry ice and overnighted.
Do they have experience with shipping cakes? It will take care and skill to make sure that your cake arrives intact and safely. I wouldn’t be afraid to ask for references that you could check with to see if there were any problems.
How is the cake packed and shipped to prevent damage in transit? The last thing you want is to open the box and find a ruined cake for your big day! You need to feel confident the in answer that the bakery gives you on how the cake is shipped. You can also ask which carrier they use. Perhaps a carrier that is a bit more expensive to use will take better care the some of the more bix box companies.
Will they ship tiered cakes or only slab/sheet cakes? There may be limitations to what the bakery is willing to ship. If they only ship sheet cakes, you could ask if they will send the tiers and then you can hire a local bakery just to assemble the tiers on site.
Is there insurance or a money-back guarantee? Whether or not the bakery offers this will help you determine their confidence in the safety of your wedding cake shipment. If there is no insurance and no money-back guarantee if anything happens, then it might be a red flag that they are not confident your cake will arrive intact.
Shipping Your Wedding Cake Might Be Risky so Here are Some Alternative Ideas
See if your resort/venue has a pastry chef on staff. Many wedding venues might have already thought of this limitation and decided to have a chef on staff for just this reason. It never hurts to ask!
Instead of a full-size cake, consider mini cakes or cupcakes instead. It is much easier to pack and ship smaller cakes than one large one. In fact, if you’re worried about some of them arriving damaged, you could always order a few extra just in case.
If you’re flying, bring them with you as your carry-on. The TSA website shows that it is okay to bring pies and cakes as your carry-on. Instead of carrying a back, you could have several in your travel party carry on the cake or mini cakes. This way you can help ensure their safe travel.
