Bridal Sweet FAQs

How can we sweeten your day

I would like to set up a tasting and design session. How do I do that? Appointments can be made by emailing our wedding sales consultant at [email protected] or by calling 224-788-9558.

How soon do I need to order my ? We prefer to hold the appointment about 2-3 months before the event so the cake order is fresh on our minds when we make it, but we recommend you book your appointment as soon as possible. Appointments fill up the fastest on Saturdays, especially during the months of May through September. Orders must be placed and finalized no later than 2 weeks before your event.

When and where are appointments held? Appointments are held 9am to 4pm Tuesday through Saturday at our Antioch location: 455 Lake St. Antioch, IL 60002.

Do I need an appointment or can I just email you what I want? We strongly recommend that you come in for a face-to-face consultation to cover all the questions that we will have for you while designing your cake, and to also give you the opportunity to sample different flavors of cake and filling. We understand that there are circumstances where this may not be possible, so we can do a live video chat in lieu of a live in person appointment.

I live far away from Lovin Oven Cakery in Antioch. Do you offer cake tasting appointments anywhere closer to me? At this time, we only offer appointments in our Antioch location. The good news is, we are pretty easy to find and we are in the heart of a cute downtown area with plenty of shops and restaurants. Many couples make an afternoon of it by grabbing lunch in our café and shopping local while they are in town.

How long are appointments? We set aside one hour for your appointment. If you arrive late, we may only be able to give you the remaining time left in the hour for your appointment if there is another appointment scheduled right after yours.

What can I expect at my appointment? At your wedding appointment, you will sample cake and filling options. We will also work with you to design your wedding cake and answer any questions you have.

Will I be able to try all the cake and filling options? You will be selecting 4 cake flavors and 6 filling flavors to taste during your appointment.

How many people can I invite to my cake tasting? The maximum number of people our large tasting room can hold is 6 people. However, we find that appointments tend to go smoother with a smaller group of people.

Lovin Oven Cakery | Antioch 455 Lake St. Antioch, IL 224-788-9558 | Round Lake 2207 N. Route 83 Round Lake Beach, IL 847-231-4700 | www.lovinovencakery.com What should I do if my venue includes a Lovin Oven Cakery cake in our package? While some venues prefer to work with you directly to place your cake order, most venues send their couples to us. If that’s the case, then please set up an appointment with us as soon as possible for an appointment that falls about 2-3 months before your wedding.

How much does a wedding cake cost? Lovin Oven Cakery prices wedding per serving. Our retail cost is $4.25 per serving. For venues that include the cake in the package, this cost is waived. Only additional upcharges will be applied if selected by the couple. Typically those upcharges are passed along to the reception venue and not paid directly to Lovin Oven Cakery. Some common upcharges might be fondant, which is an additional $1.50/serving, or metallic finishes, which is $20/tier of cake that the finish is applied to. Upcharges will be reviewed during the cake design consultation and are only charged for the tier they are applied to. (For example, if you want fondant on only one tier of the cake, $1.50 would be multiplied by the number of servings on that tier only, not for the whole cake.)

What is included in the cost of the cake? A round shaped cake with buttercream texture or details. This also includes 10 cake flavor options and 13 fillings to choose from for each of your tiers.

I am looking for a more economical way to serve my guests dessert. Can I just order a small wedding cake and a sheet cake to serve my guests? Yes, because we are a full line , we offer 2-layer (6” size) and 3-layer (8”+ size) 2-tiered cakes and sheet cakes (with or without filling) that can be ordered through the front of our store. These can be ordered at any store location or over the phone, and can be delivered or picked up. (Please note that if you are ordering a small wedding cake through the Bridal Sweet and plan to serve your guests a combination of the wedding cake and a sheet cake, your guests will be served different styles of cake. The wedding cake will be a long 4-layer cake with gourmet flavors, and the sheet cake is a short 2-layer cake with more simple flavors.)

Can I save money by swapping out one of the cake tiers for styrofoam? Unfortunately the cost is the same.

Is there a minimum order? Yes, when placing an order through our Bridal Sweet, the minimum order is at least 40 servings.

We want to order a Quinceañera cake. How do we do that? At Lovin Oven Cakery, we use the same design and pricing for a Quinceañera cake that we do for a wedding cake. Please make your quinceañera cake appointment by emailing our wedding sales consultant at [email protected] or by calling 224-788-9558.

When do I have to pay for my cake? Retail cakes require a $50 deposit at the time of ordering, and must be paid in full no later than 10 days before the wedding. Payments can also be made in between those dates to pay down the cost of the cake.

What forms of payment do you accept? We accept cash or Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. We do not accept checks at this time.

What flavor and filling options do you offer? Please see our Wedding Cake and Filling Options for a full list.

Lovin Oven Cakery | Antioch 455 Lake St. Antioch, IL 224-788-9558 | Round Lake 2207 N. Route 83 Round Lake Beach, IL 847-231-4700 | www.lovinovencakery.com Does Lovin Oven Cakery offer gluten free options? Yes, we can make one or more tiers of your wedding cake with gluten free yellow, chocolate, or lemon cake. We can also make gluten free or a flourless chocolate cake (slice, 6” or 8”) on the side for gluten free guests. Please keep in mind that Lovin Oven Cakery is not a gluten free facility, so gluten may be airborne and still reside in our gluten free options. These are not recommended for people with a severe gluten allergy.

Does Lovin Oven Cakery offer sugar free options? Yes, we can make one or more tiers of your wedding cake with sugar free chocolate or yellow cake. However, the buttercream we use to frost the wedding cake is not sugar free. We can also deliver a sugar free cake or cupcakes on the side frosted with sugar free whip cream.

Does Lovin Oven Cakery offer eggless cake options? Yes, we can make one or more tiers of your wedding cake with eggless yellow cake. We can also make eggless yellow cupcakes.

Does Lovin Oven Cakery offer any vegan dessert or cake options? Not at this time.

What does a slice of wedding cake look like? Please see the Wedding Slice Photo. This slice of cake is featured on a dinner plate. Each tier/slice of cake has 4 layers of cake separated by 3 fillings.

Can I choose more than one cake flavor for my cake? Yes, Lovin Oven Cakery offers up to 2 flavors of cake in each tier/slice (2 layers of each flavor side by side as shown in the photo), and up to three different flavors of filling for every tier/slice. For example, on a 3-tiered cake, you can select up to 6 flavors of cake and 9 filling flavors.

Are the cake designs on your website the only designs I can choose from? Absolutely not. These are just a few examples of what we have done. We are a custom cakery so we work with you to design the cake of your dreams. We have recreated countless designs from Pinterest and Google, so if you see something you love, bring it with you to your design session. We also have a great wedding cake photo book to get you started if you haven’t yet thought about your cake design. Your cake will be completely customized to your preference.

How many tiers will my cake be? Cakes are sized by the number of servings. Please refer to the Round Wedding Cake Tiers by Servings or Square Wedding Cake Tiers by Servings sheet to get an idea of how many tiers your cake might be.

Can I get my cake to match my wedding colors? Yes, we recommend bringing in a color swatch that you can leave with us so we can try to match the buttercream to your wedding color as close as possible. The only color that we cannot commit to is burgundy/maroon as it tends to turn brown within an hour of mixing. Something else to consider is that the darker the color, the heavier the food dye which may result in a bitter flavor and stained mouths. We recommend sticking with lighter to medium colors. Darker colors should be used sparingly.

Can we get cupcakes instead of cake? Yes, please see our Wedding and Filling Options and our Wedding Cupcake Guide. You can trade out however many servings of cake you want for the same number of cupcakes. The price stays the same for cupcakes or wedding cake servings. Some couples choose to only get a top tier to cut into and offer their guests cupcakes, while other couples choose to do some wedding cake slices (to still get a tiered wedding cake), and some cupcakes. Just keep in mind that wedding cake is most often formally served to the guest

Lovin Oven Cakery | Antioch 455 Lake St. Antioch, IL 224-788-9558 | Round Lake 2207 N. Route 83 Round Lake Beach, IL 847-231-4700 | www.lovinovencakery.com at their table while cupcakes tend to be more buffet style where guests go up to the dessert table and choose their own. Be sure to communicate your decision to the reception venue so they have the right plan and set up for your dessert.

What other desserts do you offer for weddings or special events? We are a full line bakery, so we also offer cupcakes, mini cupcakes, Mini , cookies, brownies, donuts, cake pops, cheesecake, chocolate covered strawberries, macaroons, petit fours, pie and more. Email us at [email protected] for price quotes and/or photos. And if you don’t see what you are looking for, please ask. We’d love to hear your ideas and see how we can help.

Can Lovin Oven Cakery help me create a donut wall for my wedding? Lovin Oven Cakery would be happy to provide you with donuts that come in many different flavors and styles for your donut wall. However, at this time, we do not offer a donut wall unit where they can be displayed.

Do prices include fresh flowers? No, we do not add any fresh flowers to our cakes. We ask that you work with your florist to add fresh flowers at the venue after we deliver the cake. We are happy to add buttercream flowers to your cake at no additional cost. We can also add faux flowers to your cake at no cost. These would be purchased by you and dropped off at one of our locations. (We recommend including an image or diagram of how you’d like the flowers arranged on your cake.) Gum paste flowers can be added for an additional charge. We price gum paste flowers by the each, or by tier for a complete gum paste flower covering. The dummy cakes in our Bridal Sweet feature gum paste flowers, and we also have a menu for you to look through of several different gum paste options. Gum paste flowers are either matte white or matte ivory as the base color, but can be sprayed with a shimmery color.

Can Lovin Oven Cakery put ribbon on my cake? Yes, we can add satin or grosgrain ribbon to your cake for no cost. Ribbon must be purchased by you and dropped off at one of our locations. Please see theRibbon Information sheet for more information.

Do you deliver the wedding cake? Yes, we actually prefer to deliver your wedding cake. We deliver wedding cakes in a refrigerated truck which helps keep the structure of the cake intact during delivery. We can quote the delivery fee during your appointment based on the venue location and time of year. If you are working with a venue where your cake is included in the package, then delivery is already included.

Can I pick up my cake? Yes, you are able to pick up your wedding cake from any of our locations. Cakes must be transported on a completely flat surface in a cold vehicle (i.e. blast the air!) and should be placed on a non-slip mat. Lovin Oven Cakery will not be responsible for anything that happens to the cake once it leaves our building and/or hands of our employees. We highly recommend delivery on cakes that are 3 tiers or higher.

Should my cake be refrigerated? Yes, we highly recommend that the cake be stored in a cooler or refrigerator until as close to the time of cutting/serving as possible.

Lovin Oven Cakery | Antioch 455 Lake St. Antioch, IL 224-788-9558 | Round Lake 2207 N. Route 83 Round Lake Beach, IL 847-231-4700 | www.lovinovencakery.com Will my cake be ok at my outdoor wedding? Wedding cakes are made with buttercream, which is made with butter. Butter melts when temperatures get close to 90 degrees, and it gets really soft as temperatures near 80 degrees. If you are getting married on a warm day, please keep your wedding cake in a cooler or refrigerator until you are ready to cut and serve the cake. The structure of a tiered cake is extremely dependent on cool temperatures. Lovin Oven Cakery will not be held responsible for a collapsing cake when it is outside on a warm day.

How should I cut the cake? Lovin Oven Cakery uses traditional Wilton cake cutting recommendations. Please see the Round Cake Cutting Instructions or Square Cake Cutting Instructions sheet to see how to cut your cake.

Do you ship? No, we do not ship at this time.

Does Lovin Oven Cakery provide toppers for my wedding cake? Lovin Oven Cakery offers a few topper options designed and etched locally here in Lake County. These can be customized and range in price up to $25.00. There are also some great topper options on Etsy, Amazon, and eBay. We recommend bringing your topper to your venue so they can put it on the cake after delivery. This is to avoid the topper from shifting or falling off during the delivery process.

Do you need to see my topper? No, but we do need to know if you have a heavy topper. If it is heavy, please let us know so we can build extra support into the top tier of the cake so the topper doesn’t sink.

Do you rent out cake or cupcake stands? Yes, please see our Cake Stand Rentals Brochure and Cupcake Stand Rentals Brochure. Please complete the Cake Stand Rental Form to rent a cake stand, or the Cupcake Stand Rental Form to rent a cupcake stand. Email the form to [email protected]. We will reach out to you for payment information. We collect a deposit to lock in the rental, and then we reimburse most of the deposit 2 days after the rental is returned. We are happy to deliver our rented stands with your wedding cake/desserts at no additional delivery cost.

I want to buy a cake stand. What kind of cake stand should I buy? If you are planning on putting your cake on a stand, we recommend an even-weighted structure that will not fall over. Pedestal stands are beautiful, but are easily knocked over, especially during cake cuttings. If you opt for a pedestal stand, we recommend only using them on lighter 1- or 2-tiered cakes, and moving the cake to a flat even surface before cutting. Also, wood slices are a great option, but please make sure they are level before placing your cake on top. Most cake stands should be 20” or wider depending on the size of the bottom tier of your cake. Be sure to ask during your appointment, or email us at [email protected] to find out the size of the bottom tier of your cake and cake board. Cake stands should at least match the size of the cake board, but look even better when they are 2-4” wider than the board. Our 1st Anniversary is coming up. How and when do I request a top tier replica? Lovin Oven Cakery offers a wonderfulTop Tier Replica program. We can recreate the flavors and buttercream details of the top tier of your wedding cake for free in exchange for a high resolution photo image of your Lovin Oven Cakery wedding cake. We suggest completing our online form about two weeks before your one year wedding anniversary. We require that forms be submitted no later than 7 days before your requested pick up date. Please refer to our Top Tier Replica page for more information.

Lovin Oven Cakery | Antioch 455 Lake St. Antioch, IL 224-788-9558 | Round Lake 2207 N. Route 83 Round Lake Beach, IL 847-231-4700 | www.lovinovencakery.com