So, you plan to dazzle wedding guests with a highly stylized cake. Where do you start?

Here’s every crumb of advice from area wedding cake chefs:

•In searching for a baker, get recommendations from your caterer. You may also want to ask your florist, especially if you are planning to have a cake decorated with flowers. Caterers and florists work closely with the baker, and you want to make sure that they can get along.

Check out the baker’s portfolio. Ask for references. Find out if the pastry chef’s kitchen is licensed.

Ask how long he or she has been baking. Does he or she have a specialty that you can use to your advantage?

Ask about costs upfront. Is there a delivery fee? How close to the reception do they set up?

What is the cancellation policy?

•Know your cake budget and be clear about it. Most chefs said that they would work within a budget, and even shave some money off the price to get you what you want. Usually prices start at about $2.50 per person and some chefs have a minimum of 100 guests. Others didn’t have minimums.

One cost-saving idea is to order the cake for less than the number of guests attending and instruct the caterer to serve small pieces; you could order a sheet cake version to supplement the shortfall. Some brides even have a Styrofoam version of the cake at the wedding, then have the caterer wheel it away and serve pieces from a far less expensive sheet cake version.

•To determine how much to order, the accepted rule of thumb is four tiers per 150 guests. If you plan to save the top tier for a one-year anniversary celebration, subtract if from your count, and remind the caterer to box it up.

•At the first meeting with the baker, show up armed with pictures of cakes you pulled from magazines. Think about favorite flavors. Bakers can replicate any flavor so step out of your comfort zone and think mango, liqueurs, apricot, favorite cookies, candy, key lime, hazelnut, banana or mocha. Decide if you want sugar flowers, real ones or fruit. Today’s bakers can create cakes in any shape or any design. Consider cake tie-ins with hobbies, your work, how you met , or even the gown

•Want to bake your own cake? Check out The Wedding Cake Book by Dede Wilson. It brims with decorating ideas and instructions on how to successfully bake your own wedding cake.

•Do a taste test. The best part of

the process is taste-testing.

Bakers suggested couples come, taste, and have fun.

—FAYE B. ZUCKERMAN