The Design Consultation  The Design consultation appointment is for individuals who are ready to commit to allowing The Magic Cupboard Inc. to create a unique cake design for their special event.  It is an opportunity to taste several of our wonderful cake flavors and book an order.  To get the most out of your time with the designer, we ask that you come prepared with some knowledge of the cake designs that appeal to you. For your convenience, we have included on our site a page of internet links to the bakery web sites of some of the top national and international cake decorators and designers currently in business.  In addition to our own photo galleries on this site, please take time to browse through the photo galleries on other sites for inspiration and ideas as well.  The more informed you are, and the more you know about the kinds of cake designs that you like, the better we will be able to collaborate throughout the creative design process. Orders are booked with a down payment at the time of the design consultation appointment.  There is a high demand for our gourmet designer cakes, and we accept only a limited number of orders for each date, on a first-come-first-served basis. Making an appointment or attending a consultation appointment does not guarantee an order or hold a date unless a nonrefundable deposit of 50% of the order total has been received.  We can accept personal checks as well as all major credit cards for payment. Wedding Cake Design   For weddings it is very important for us to work with the bride. We realize in some cases this may be difficult because the bride lives out of town, is in the military stationed out of town or overseas, or has a rigorous work schedule.  Our design service is extremely flexible, and much of the planning and design work can be communicated between our office and the bride via electronic means.  Since the design of the wedding celebration and cake is often an expression of the bride’s personal style, we want to ensure that we have fully captured that style and the sentiment the couple wants to convey on their special day.  If the bride and groom will not be in town until the wedding, our staff is very capable and can handle the entire process electronically. For those couples booking a year or more in advance to secure our services on their wedding date, the order is generally booked based upon the medium design difficulty price and the estimated number of servings needed.  The design consultation appointment  can then be scheduled for a later date, when the bride has the information necessary to commit to the design of the cake.  To become acquianted with modern trends in wedding cake design, go to the photo galleries on this site, as well as those offered on other linked bakery sites and print the cake photos that inspire you.  You can also browse though current wedding magazines, and mark or clip cake photos.  It is extremely important for you to have a good idea of the wedding and reception theme and decor you will be using, as well as the cake shapes, decorations, and colors that appeal to you prior to your appointment. At the time of your appointment you will be asked to describe or show us photos of your vision for the ceremony and reception to determine if your overall style is romantic; soft and feminine; elegant; whimsical; chic; or sleek, modern and contemporary. Whatever you envision for your event, we will design a cake for you that coordinates beautifully with the overall style, theme. and color scheme of your special day.  Once the style of the cake has been determined, we will determine the types of decorative details you would like to see incorporated into the final design.  If you intend to use flowers on the cake, we will need to know at the time the order is booked if you intend to use live florals, or will need us to create sugar flowers. During your design consultation, you will be asked to answer a lot of questions about your event. If possible, we will schedule your design consultation appointment after other important decisions have been made such as the venue, time of the event, number of invited guests, attire, colors, flowers, and any unifying theme and decorations being utilized for the wedding and reception site. We aske that you remember to bring brochures or pictures of the venue, table decorations and rental decor, bridal gown, tuxedo, bridesmaid dresses, and floral arrangements. If you would like to consider using colors or themes used in the invitations, please bring a copy of the invitation with you. Color swatches of bridesmaid dresses or table decorations will also be necessary if any of those colors will be used in the decoration of the cake. If you intend to use live florals on the cake or would like sugar flowers to reflect the other florals ordered for the event, bring a photo and/or list of the flowers ordered and the color of each. If you intend to use a commercial cake topper, we will need to see that item at the time of the design consultation appointment as well, since the design, size, and color of some cake toppers won't coordinate well, or may not fit on the top tier of the cake.  The decision to use a comercial cake topper will dictate to some degree the final design of the cake.   In addition to booking the date and designing the cake, we will also need to book and design any other items ordered for the event such as a grooms cake, and cookie or candy favors for your guests. Unfortunately, once an order has been booked, adding other cakes, cookies, or candies to that order is contingent upon our availability to do the additional work on that date of service, and we may not be able to accomodate a subsequent request. A highly decorated gourmet cake should be displayed on a table that thoughtfully reflects the event theme and embellishes the colors and design of your centerpieces. Venues and caterers generally provide a simple table and tablecloth. Our standard rental package includes the internal support system for the cake, and a simple cake stand.  Spot lights may be added to the rental agreement, if necessary to illuminate your cake in a darkened room.  If you prefer to display the wedding cake on a silver or brass cake plateau, we have several sizes, shapes, and designs to choose from.  If the budget is an important consideration, or if the cake is to be a gift from a third party, please share that information at the beginning of the process.  The individual signing the contract is the person responsible for payment.  Go to the ordering information page to get more information about flavors, serving sizes and base prices for each style of our wedding cakes.  To estimate the cost of one of our cakes, follow the per serving pricing guidelines, and multiply by the number of guests you intend to serve.   Rental and delivery fees, if applicable, are priced separately. Because we have a lot to discuss and a lot of materials to look at in a limited amount of time, we ask that a maximum of two people participate in the design consultation appointment. We have learned through experience that confusion is kept to a minimum when we are working with just the person or couple hosting the event. Ask your family and friends to give you any ideas and input they may have before you book and attend your appointment.  During your consultation, you will be able to look through portfolios, our extensive library of idea books and magazines, and taste several samples of our popular cake flavors.  Design consultation appointments are generally available on Fridays during normal business hours, which are 9 AM to 5 PM. Consultations are scheduled to allow up to two hours for us to work with you. If you will be late or are unable to keep your appointment, we ask that you contact us as soon as possible at (757) 826-2160. If you will be significantly late, we will reschedule your appointment. Special Occasion Cake Design If you are hosting an event in honor of a guest such as a birthday party, be prepared to talk about that person’s favorite colors, and hobbies or special interests during the design consultation appointment. For baby showers, information about the mother, decor of the nursery or a copy of the invitation and decorations being used for the party may be helpful. For bridal showers, the wedding colors, shower theme, or a copy of the invitation and decorations being used for the party may be helpful. For corporate events, bring an example of the corporate logo and documents that speak to the corporate identity as well as the purpose of the event and what the cake needs to convey. The budget for the cake should be determined by the purchasing authority for the business before the design consultation appointment, and the individual with purchasing authority for the business must be the person who signs the contract and makes payment.