What are your prices? 

Please see our Pricing tab for more information.


How do I book you for my wedding or other high end event?
 
The first step is to fill out an Inquiry Form on our website. After receiving it, we will respond via email and get the cake talk going. A Tasting Consultation will then be scheduled to further the ordering process, at which time you can decide if you would like to move forward with officially booking us for your event. Once booked, if applicable, there will be several emails regarding cake sketches, details, quotes, invoices, and payments. Our entire ordering process is handled online via email as this is the best form of communication for us to keep all of our lovely orders organized! 


How far in advance should I inquire about my cake order?
 
We always say "the earlier the better", but priority is given to wedding cakes. Wedding inquiries can secure their date with a $150 wedding retainer up to 2 years in advance. The retainer does go towards the order total. At least 6 months notice for weddings is preferred, but not required. Please still inquire if your wedding date is sooner than 6 months as we may be able to accommodate.

Non wedding cakes can secure their date up to 6 months in advance with a $50 order retainer. The retainer does go towards the order total.


Do you have a storefront shop I can visit?
 
We do not currently have a storefront, although we are planning to open our very own in the near future. Plans were in motion pre-pandemic but things have slowed down for the moment. For now we are operating out of a domestic kitchen in Salem, OR and we have a private, by appointment only, consultation and tasting room. We hope to open our storefront in Downtown Salem, OR. 


Do you offer a plain, white, "traditional" wedding cake?
 
We definitely do not. Our motto is, "We don't believe in plain white wedding cakes!" and we plan on sticking to it. There are so many talented bakeries that could service you wonderfully if this is what you are hoping for, and we'd even be happy to recommend our favorites to you!


Do you only make wedding cakes?
 
No we do not. We make any cake for any occasion so long as it fits in with our aesthetic. You can view our most recent work in our Gallery. We find that our style tends to lend itself best to weddings, but we are more than happy to create a sugar art piece for your birthday, baby/bridal/wedding shower, anniversary, corporate event, or any other day worth celebrating (which to us, is every day!!). Please fill out a Wedding Inquiry or an Event Inquiry depending on your specific needs. 


Do you offer any alternative diet friendly cakes?
 
At this time, we are currently not offering any alternative diet friendly cakes.


Can I have a buttercream frosted cake and no fondant?
 
We do not offer buttercream only cakes at this time. All of our cakes consist of multiple layers of yummy cake separated by fruity, creamy, or rich fillings, all wrapped up in ganache-based frostings, then covered in a thin layer of our scratch made sugar paste. Is your mouth watering yet? Hop on over to our Menu!
 
We live in such a beautiful state, but as I'm sure you know, our weather here is so unpredictable, often experiencing more than one "season" in a day. Seeing as sugar is so temperamental, we feel most secure providing cakes with a bit more temperature stability, which comes in the sugar form of ganache frosting and sugar paste. We do use our delicious fluffy Italian based buttercreams in all of our cream based fillings though, so don't worry, you're not missing out! Ganache frostings are so smooth, flavorful, and creamy, your taste buds are in for a treat! As far as the sugar paste goes, we make our own from scratch and pride ourselves in getting it as thin as we can to be more palette-pleasing. Our sugar paste may look the same as traditional, better known, "fondant" but we promise it tastes better! Traditional store-bought fondant has to be full of preservatives and chemicals in order to last on the shelves and be easily used by the consumer. It is not made for taste, but for function. Our sugar paste is made with both in mind and acts as the canvas for our edible artwork to make your cake that much more eye pleasing. Each cake slice (with exception to edge pieces if you choose to serve those) will only have a small rectangle of sugar paste on the top, underneath which will be a fully ganache frosted cake. Sugar paste is just an addition to your cake, it is not taking anything away from it, we promise! 


I have a picture of the exact cake I want, can you please copy it?
 
No we can not. We strive to only create original designs in order to let our own creativity shine in each cake, as well as to respect our fellow cake artists and their work. We can pull inspiration from the pictures that you like, whether they are cake pictures or anything from a tile back splash pattern to your wedding shoes! Anything that inspires you, will inspire us!
 

Do you do cake tastings?
 
Most certainly! We love our Tasting Consultations as they are the perfect time to get a feeling for each couple/client, which we've come to find has a huge impact on the overall cake design. Unless you are scheduling a destination wedding to Oregon and your physical presence can not be scheduled, we actually require a tasting for all of our wedding cake orders. Tasting Consultations are $50 and include 4 wedding cake flavors, of your choice, from our menu. Additional flavors can be purchased at $10 each, with a maximum of 6 flavors total. At the end of your tasting, if you would like to move forward with booking Sewell Sweets for your wedding, simply add an additional $100 and combined, you would have placed your $150 Retainer for your date. Please understand that the cost of any additions you choose to purchase for your tasting, such as additional flavors, will not go towards your retainer or your total order cost as those are extra items. Tastings are offered both in person in our private tasting room and to-go style if preferred.
 

Do I need to pay in advance and how do you accept payments?

Yes. For wedding cake orders, a $150 nonrefundable retainer is required at time of booking. The remainder of the cake order total can be paid in two lump sums, or paid monthly, with the balance being paid in full no later than 1 (one) month prior to your wedding/event date. For occasion cake orders, a $50 nonrefundable retainer is required at time of booking. Absolutely no orders will be completed unless fully paid for one month in advance. If you are ordering with less than 1 month notice, the total amount is due at booking. If you have not completed paying your balance one month prior to your wedding/event date, you risk your order being cancelled without refund. All payments made to Sewell Sweets are final and nonrefundable due to the custom nature of our business. Payments are accepted online via credit/debit/or bank transfer. We do not accept cash or personal checks from clients, unless paying in one lump sum of your total order amount at time of ordering. All rejected and/or cancelled check fees will be the financial responsibility of the paying party.


Do you have a minimum cost order amount?
 
Yes. Wedding cake orders have a minimum of $800 and occasion cake orders have a minimum of $200, which does not include any supplemental servings should you need any (cutting cakes/cupcakes), or delivery charges. You can find further details on our Pricing page.


Can I supplement my cake order with "sheet cakes" and/or cupcakes and do you provide those?
 
You most certainly can! We are happy to work with your budget and serving size needs to find the right balance between the main cake and additional servings that works for you. We kindly ask (and it is in our contract) that you do not purchase sheet cakes or cupcakes from anywhere else (dietary exceptions for those requiring) as we want all of your guests to experience the flavors of Sewell Sweets and we would hate to take the credit for another bakery's work if your guests confused your wedding or event cake baker with your sheet cake/cupcake baker. Please see our Pricing page for more details.


Do you have cake stands I can use?

Yes we do. We have many high quality cake stands ranging from traditional white, to masculine marble and slate, as well as a variety in colors, sizes, shapes, and heights. We are always adding new stands to our inventory, too...you could call it an obsession! Cake stands are available for rent for just $25 but do require an additional deposit that will be returned to you in full upon the safe and timely return of the cake stand. Please let us know if you are interested in adding a cake stand to your order, and we will send you additional information and pictures of our available stands. Please be mindful that a stand's availability for your date is not guaranteed until it has been paid for. If a stand is not returned in the agreed upon time frame listed in our contract, or if it is returned damaged, the deposit will not be returned. 


Can I use my own cake topper?

Of course! Please keep us in the loop when ordering your cake topper so that we can be sure that the top tier of your cake and your cake topper are sized appropriately for each other. We also would need to know the approximate weight of your topper so that we can be sure to provide adequate structure underneath where it will stand to avoid any cake mishaps! We would also be happy to make you a sugar cake topper as part of your cake order, just let us know! 


Can I have fresh flowers on my cake? What about real fabric ribbon?

Although we can not tell you not to do this, we highly advise against it! Sewell Sweets will also not be responsible in any way for handling/placing/or attaching either of these items to your cake. If you choose to do so, you void any visual or taste complaint right with Sewell Sweets. Although there are plenty of absolutely amazing florists in our area, their gorgeous blooms are likely not designed to come in contact with food and there can be serious consequences from a mishap of this nature. Many flowers, and the soil and pesticides used to grow them, are extremely unsafe for food contact! Please do your research before making this decision. The food safe alternative would be to fancy up your cake with our very own in-house made sugar flowers! Sugar flowers have become a specialty of ours and we would adore making some for your cake, plus you can keep them long after for a memorable keepsake when stored properly. As far as ribbon goes, we have the same concerns with fabric dies and food contact.


Do you offer delivery?

Yes we do, we actually require it for all tiered (stacked) cake orders. All applicable cakes are required to have paid delivery to ensure the safe transportation and arrival of such an important piece of your wedding/event. Delivery is charged at $1.25 per mile, round trip, with a $25 minimum. In some instances, additional delivery costs may also be added, but those will be discussed ahead of time. Road conditions are one of the factors we take into account when pricing out delivery as unstable roads (think long and winding, all uphill, or gravel roads) can greatly impact the time a delivery takes. Delivery costs will be added to your order quote total. More details are found on our Pricing page.


Do you make "Naked Cakes"? What about cupcake-only orders, or a small couple's cake with cupcakes?

No, we do not offer any of those current cake trends. For us, our passion lies in melding yummy cake flavors with edible art, something that we can't adequately do on naked cakes, cupcakes, or small couple's cakes. 


What is your cancellation policy? 

The client can cancel their order at any time, although all payments are final. There will not be any returned charges unless Sewell Sweets is the cancelling party, something that we hope will never happen. The only reason Sewell Sweets would ever cancel an order would be for extreme family emergencies or unforeseen serious health circumstances. Any Natural Acts of God (earthquake, flooding, etc.), car accidents, or unfortunate order mishaps while the order is still in the care of Sewell Sweets, will all be handled on an individual basis with a compromise of the best outcome for both parties (client and business of Sewell Sweets) in mind.