How to Book Wedding Cakes at Bridal Shows
How to Successfully Sell Your Cakes at Wedding Shows: 5 Essential Strategies
I remember the first time I did a wedding show for my business. It was in the BIG (I mean BIG!) convention center in Downtown Denver, and honestly, I had no idea what I was truly getting into when I signed up.
I thought I was prepared—I had my cakes, my samples, my business cards, and a big smile ready to greet the excited brides-to-be.
But let me tell you, the day was CRAZY!
Swarms of brides kept coming to my booth. I was constantly talking, answering questions, and trying to keep up with the flow of people.
The day went by in an absolute blur.
By the time the show was over, I was exhausted, exhilarated, and... disappointed. I had spent a lot of money to be there, but at the end of the day, I didn’t get much in return.
That first show was a learning experience. While I didn’t book any immediate orders, I walked away with something even more valuable—knowledge. I learned the ins and outs of wedding shows, what worked, what didn’t, and how to maximize the return on my investment for the next wedding show I would participate in.
Now, I want to share those hard-earned lessons with you so that your wedding show experience can be easier, more successful, and truly profitable for your cake business.
Whether it’s your first wedding show or your tenth, these five essential strategies will help you sell your cakes more effectively and book more clients with ease.
1. Have a System to Book Consultations at the Show
The #1 purpose of attending a wedding show is to book cake consultations.
It is NOT to book actual customers.
Most couples at these shows are browsing, collecting information, and exploring their options. They aren’t necessarily ready to make an immediate decision.
Yes, the wedding show will provide you a list of the contacts of who signed up for the wedding show. But, trust me, you want to capture your own leads because the people who came to your booth are the ones who are very interested in your services.
Those leads are hot and you want to make sure you capture those potential clients into customers who will book a full consultation with you.
Your job isn’t just to hand out samples and chat—it’s to book cake consultations at the Wedding Show. Why? Because once a couple leaves your booth, there’s no guarantee they’ll remember to contact you later.
And, if you do not book a cake consultation, you have a system to follow up with the potential customers so they will book with you in the near future.
Here’s how to make this process easy:
Use a Sign-Up Sheet or Digital Booking System: Have an easy way for potential clients to schedule a tasting on the spot. A simple online booking form (using tools like Calendly) or an iPad with a scheduling app will streamline the process.
Offer an Incentive: Give couples a reason to book at the show—maybe a free additional cake flavor at their tasting or a discount on their order if they book within 48 hours.
Set a Limited Number of Spots: Urgency works, it’s the best sales strategy to use consistently in your business. Let brides know you only have a certain number of tasting appointments available and they’re filling up fast.
When a couple walks into their cake consultation, they’ll already feel a sense of familiarity with you, making the tasting much smoother and increasing the likelihood of them booking with you. You will already have something to connect with during your conversation and that will make your cake consultation go much smoother.
If you are still struggling to book more cake orders in your cake business, I’m here to help! I have a FREE eBook, My Top 4 Strategies to Double your Cake Orders in your Cake Biz. Click here to download, it’s located inside the Cake Business Library.
2. Have a Helper (or Two!)
A wedding show can be overwhelming, and if you try to do everything yourself, you’ll miss out on valuable opportunities to connect with potential clients. Having a team makes all the difference!
Your role at the booth should be simple: talking to potential brides, building a rapport, and booking cake consultations. Everything else? Delegate it to someone who is there to help support your cake business success at the Wedding Show.
Here’s how a great support team can help:
A Booking Assistant: Someone who helps schedule consultations so you can focus on conversations with the brides. The Booking Assistant will also capture general information for does not book a cake consultation at the wedding show.
A Sample Distributor: If you choose to offer cake samples, have someone handing them out and answering basic questions. This person should love to chat with customers and help monitor your cake samples because if not, they will run out as fast as you can put them out.
A General Assistant: Someone to help with the flow of your booth, refill supplies, and ensure you aren’t overwhelmed. The assistant can help fill in for the rest of your team when someone needs to take a break as well.
When you have a strong support system, your booth runs smoothly, you have more meaningful interactions with brides, and you maximize your time at the event.
3. Don’t Worry About Samples Too Much
It might sound surprising, but cake samples aren’t the most important part of your wedding show strategy. Brides and grooms will be tasting dozens of tiny cake bites from multiple vendors throughout the event. Your small sample likely won’t be the deciding factor in booking their wedding cake.
Instead, shift your focus. The goal isn’t just to impress with a quick taste—it’s to get them to a full cake tasting appointment.
Consider:
Limiting Samples: Instead of handing them out freely, provide them selectively to those who show genuine interest.
Skipping Samples Altogether: If you’d rather not deal with the hassle, focus on your display and consultations instead. Invite potential clients to a scheduled tasting instead of giving them a quick bite at the show. People who will have no interest in booking with you will gladly eat up your cake samples. Free Cake will help bring everyone to your booth but it can also not lead to customers booking cake consultations with you.
You don’t want to be remembered as “the vendor with good cake samples.” You want to be remembered as the cake designer they would love to book their wedding cake with for their big event.
4. Showcase the Work You Want to Book
Your booth is your portfolio, manifested in physical reality. This is your opportunity to showcase your best work, but more importantly, the type of work you want to keep booking. Not the cakes you hate making.
Here’s how to make sure your booth represents your brand:
Only Display Cakes You Love to Make: If you don’t enjoy making certain styles, don’t put them in your booth. You’ll attract the customers you want to work with based on the cakes you showcase.
Use Dummy Cakes: This allows you to display intricate designs without worrying about cake freshness or structural stability.
Curate Your Portfolio: Have a beautifully designed album or digital slideshow featuring your top-tier work you’ve made for customers in the past.
If a bride falls in love with a cake at your booth, chances are she’ll want something similar. Make sure every cake on display is something you’d be thrilled to recreate.
If you keep hearing “Your Cakes are Too Expensive” I have a guide that will help. Download my free ebook that has why customers keep saying this and what you can do about it. It’s free and located inside the Cake Business Resource Library.
5. Invest in Your Booth Design
Your booth should stand out in the sea of wedding vendors. It needs to visually represent your brand and attract the type of brides you want to work with. When your booth is curated to perfectly represent you and your cake business brand, you will attract brides who will be in love with your brand who will feel and see the authenticity of your artistry shine through.
Ask yourself:
What’s the overall vibe of my brand?
What type of bride am I trying to attract?
What colors, decor, and elements can I use to reflect my brand?
How do I want my potential customers to feel when they come to my booth?
How are you serving your cake samples?
What branding materials do I need to provide for customer to take home?
Your booth should feel intentional, polished, and unique. Don’t just set up a table and a banner—create an experience. Consider adding:
Elegant backdrops or a floral arrangement
A well-lit, styled display for your cakes
A seating area for consultations
A digital screen displaying your cake designs
A place to put your cake samples
Your digital set up to capture your cake consultations, first and last names plus emails. (Don’t forget to bring plenty of charging units to stay powered up!)
Your Logo is well showcased
A visually appealing booth doesn’t just attract more attention—it positions you as a high-end cake designer that couples will be excited to book. Take some time to really think about your booth design and consider this investment as your booth design for future wedding shows. Once you nail your booth design, you may not need to think about it for a while until you are ready to swtich up your booth in some years.
Do I Recommend Wedding Shows to Become Booked Solid?
Wedding shows can be a game-changer for your cake business, but success doesn’t happen by accident. By focusing on booking consultations, having a support team, minimizing the emphasis on samples, showcasing your best work, and investing in your booth design, you’ll set yourself up for success.
Preparation is key. The more effort you put into strategizing before the event, the more results you’ll see after. Take time to fine-tune your approach, learn from each show you attend, and continue to refine your strategy. With patience and persistence, wedding shows can become one of your most powerful marketing tools.
There are countless other ways to make wedding shows work for you, but these five strategies will give you a solid foundation.
Comment down below.
Have you ever participated in a wedding show? What was your experience like? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
