Brides who prefer to have a professional decorator create the cake should ask these questions before signing the designer's contract:

• Do you have a portfolio of previous wedding cakes you've made?

• Will you be having a tasting so we can try various kinds of wedding cake and cake fillings?

• Can you supply references?

• Will you do a custom wedding cake, or are there a set number of designs for us to choose from?

• How adaptable are wedding cake designs, especially if there are budget concerns?

• If I want to use fresh flowers on my cake, will you coordinate with my florist, or will I have to get the flowers to you?

• What ingredients do you typically use? What kind of icing do you use? (Better ingredients will cost more but will make the cake taste better.)

• How long before our wedding are the cakes prepared? How long does it take to make a cake? (Because wedding cakes are complicated, they usually take three to five days.

• Are your cakes priced by the slice? Is there an extra cost for special fillings or details? Will you charge extra for my design? Is there a price list I can take home with me to study?

• Can you give me a written proposal I can take home?

• Do you deliver? How much does it cost? Will the delivery person be able to make emergency frosting or decoration repairs and arrange the cake table?

Source: About.com