Meet April Dixon! April owns and operates a wedding cake company on the Emerald Coast. She has some pretty great wisdom when it comes to working with wedding planners. Learn from April and ask your wedding baker how you can be a better vendor to them at the next wedding you have.
Bakers Role When Planning
Website: www.bonneviespecialtyfoods.com
Favorite inspirational quote?
Life is Short… Take the trip, Buy the shoes, Eat the cake!
What brides think you do:
Simple. Easy. Affordable. Free supplies. Endless time. My aunt can do that or I can buy it at the grocery store.
What wedding vendors think you do:
The same work as everyone else. Cake is cake. Publix will be fine. It’s ok if the table has a lean. Its 105 degrees, the cake table is outside. Can you deliver the cake at noon for it to be served at 8pm? This wedding is happening on the sand. We have to take a boat to the location. Can we get “things that came doesn’t do well” for $500 Alex? Lol
What you actually do:
Art. Premium ingredients, expensive tools and materials. So much time… Fresh, not frozen made from scratch delicousness! I take time to plan, design, execute and deliver a boutique quality product
How do you feel about working with a planner?
I appreciate my planner partners. I enjoy being part of the wedding “team”. It takes a village, lol.
How do you know you’re working with a Newbie wedding planner? Any tells?
Its isn’t so much newbie as it is quality. There is definitely a difference in someone who knows all the details. How to dot i’s and cross t’s.
What do you want a planner to know about your industry?
Quality and craft matter. It isn’t just a cake.
How can a planner assist you more in preparing for a wedding and at a wedding?
Knowing budget info or educating couples on a realistic custom cake budget. Are gratuities a thing anymore? Having the table set with florals and materials for the cake. Allowing the vendor to speak to the client even if they are handling payments and contracts. We really need to connect with the couple as well. Cake tables really need to be level… just sayin’ Cakes on the beach are frowned upon, that crunch is not sugar! Lol
Regarding wedding day timelines, what do you want them to know or keep in mind?
Cake delivery times and temperature consideration. Please know that cake delivered at noon is cut at like 9pm. Closer to go time. Then there’s direct sun+cake=not good. Haha. If the event is outside, it would be preferable to deliver during photos or cocktail hour. Cakes on the beach, even though we said we no like, should be delivered as close to sunset as possible.
