FAQs and T&Cs


Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions!

Other than pricing and availability which you can check with us directly, almost everything else should be answered below! skim away :) 

How does ordering a cake work?

Wanting to order a cake and no idea how? It's easy! Fill in the enquiry form HERE as much as you can, and we’ll take it from there! The more notice the better – you can never enquire too early. And the more information the better - please include the following:

- Date
- Size (number of servings)
- Venue (for weddings only)
- Design/style theme (with reference pictures)
- Budget

How do we find you?

Because our (fully council registered!) studio is attached to our home, we do not allow walk-ins at any time. If you have a cake pick up scheduled, a class or tasting to attend, or a consultation booked - we will send you our address :) 

What can we expect when ordering?

Fun, we hope! And anticipation of a delicious cake. 

You make an enquiry, we'll send you some sizes and prices, you choose the one that suits you best - and we send you an invoice! Voila!

How does payment work?

A 20% non refundable deposit is due within 2 days and is required to secure your order; then remaining payment must be made no later than 17 days before your order is due. We accept bank transfers, credit card, or paypal - everything you need to know will be on your invoice. ***Please note we DO NOT ALLOW early or partial payments without prior consent - admin fees apply, and will be added to your final invoice.

What does it cost?

Because our cakes are all so different and unique (not to mention all different sizes!) we don’t have a standard pricing list. What we can tell you is that our online cakes start from $150 +GST, our custom cakes start from $190 +GST, and wedding cakes from $400 +GST. Just ask if you'd like a clearer quote (we don't bite!)

How do I know if you received my payment?
As soon as your pay reaches us, it updates automatically on your invoice - just click the invoice link you were sent, and you will be able to see it! If you have made a payment and it still isn't showing 48 hours later - that's when you need to get in touch. 

What are your flavours?
All our delicious flavours can be found on the "FLAVOURS" tab of our website HERE
    
Do you run wedding cake tastings?
Pre-covid we ran tasting evenings here at the studio most months of the year (except wedding season when we're too busy with weddings!) but as they kept being downsized and postponed, we now offer TASTING BOXES instead! These boxes are made to be shared between two, enjoyed at home - and can be booked directly from the "Tastings" tab on the website!
**Please note - tastings are not a requirement for booking your wedding cake with us! Over half our couples still choose their flavours directly from the flavours list (found HERE). Your confirmed flavours are not needed until 10 days before your big day, so you can book everything else for your cake - and leave flavour picking until later. 

 
Are cakes delivered or do we pick up?

We deliver most wedding cakes within the Wellington region and set them up for you on the day (leave it to the pros!) but understand sometimes budget restraints prevent this - if this is you, chat to us about what your responsibilities are if you choose to collect your wedding cake. All other cake orders can either be picked up from the Johnsonville studio at an agreed time, or delivered within Wellington for a fee. Make sure you let us know if you have a specific pick up or delivery time when ordering - and please note that because we are both the makers AND the deliverers our delivery spots are VERY limited. Our standard opening hours for collection on a Saturday are between 9am and 10am.

Do you cater for allergies?

We have a variety of Gluten free, dairy free, egg free and nut free cakes available for orders, but please note that we DO NOT work in an allergy free kitchen, so there is always a minor risk of contamination. We will take the utmost care with your particular order (and have separate equipment for GF cake preparation) but our kitchen does work with gluten, eggs, dairy and nuts on a daily basis, so please take this into account. Please let us know if your allergy needs are extreme. Have only a few allergy-conscious guests? We suggest allergy-free cupcakes on the side, separately boxed to the main cake.

Do you make adult themed cakes?

Yes we do! We just don’t share them on social media for the sake of our younger fans. But don’t be shy, we’ve heard your blush-worthy questions about chocolate hail and creamy buttercream before

What are the serving sizes? 

There are two main serving sizes we cater to with our cakes – SMALL (1” x 1” x 4"), finger portions or STANDARD (1” x 2” x 4"). It’s up to you which of these options works best for you. If serving wedding cake as your dessert we recommend the STANDARD portions, but with coffee with recommend the SMALL. For parties - it depends on your budget, and your sweet tooth! 

Fondant, Buttercream, Ganache?

The age old question! We are BIG ganache lovers, and finish our cakes with this by default. We do offer fondant and some designs require it, and we can do buttercream as a finish - but please note we don't offer this over the summer for weddings. What's the difference? Fondant is the rolled/chewy icing traditionally found on fruit/Christmas cakes, Ganache is a delicious mix of chocolate (white or dark) and cream, and buttercream is butter and icing sugar.

 

Round or square?

This one comes down to taste and preference! For weddings square cakes are easier for dessert size portions, as all your guests will receive the same size and shape piece. Also good if you have a family member or less experienced person doing the cutting! Otherwise it’s all in the look!

For weddings - Fruit cake, yes or no?

Yes we offer fruit cake! If you love fruit cake, go for it! Just note it’s our most expensive flavour. and our HEAVIEST! This means you can only have fruit cake as your bottom (largest) tier. Don’t like it yourself but know your Nana will expect it? Have a small fruit cake in the kitchen for serving.

Can we have a different flavour on each tier?

Heck yes, and why wouldn’t you! All our flavours cost the same (except fruit cake) so mix and match however you like! Just keep in mind some flavours have to be prioritized toward the top because they're softer (red velvet, banana, classic chocolate) and some are not suitable for particular designs. 

**If serving alternate plates of cake as the dessert at a wedding you may want to restrict your flavours so there aren’t any fights!

 

 

Terms and Conditions


***COVID-19 update

Now that we have had a few years experience working around the effects of Covid-19 on the events industry, some of our terms and conditions have been updated to reflect this. PLEASE NOTE - the standard terms and conditions still apply, but there may be alternative options if your wedding or event is directly affected by Covid.

- Deposits are non refundable, no exception. By the time you have been issued a deposit invoice, time has already been spent - and a space has been held for you in the calendar (Likely at the expense of other orders). 
HOWEVER - if you order has been directly impacted by Covid, (and you notify us with more than 10 days notice) we are allowing your deposit to be transferred to a new date within 6 months, for the same order at the same price.
If your new date is more than 6 months later, your deposit can still be transferred, but your pricing will need to be requoted. Sometimes it doesn't change - but a number of our suppliers have fluctuating costs in the current climate, and we need to allow for this
If you aren't able to give us 10 days notice, the situation will depend on which stage of your order we have reached before cancellation, and this is on a case by case basis. If you cancel within 4 days of your order, it is too late for us to postpone, and you would be best to collect your cake and enjoy it (otherwise it will be disposed of.) No refund of any kind is available with 4 days notice or less.
If your cakes have already been baked - we are able to keep them frozen for up to 8 weeks. If your new date is within those 8 weeks (and we have availability for it) your order resumes as normal. If your new date is LATER than 8 weeks, new cakes will need to be baked for your new date, and there will be a charge for this. The unused cakes will either be disposed of - or you're welcome to collect and enjoy them. 

To give you some understanding of how our business works, and why we've put these rules in place:

- Parts of your order are started after you pay your deposit (any stock we need to order in including toppers, floral orders, special tools, boards). The next stage is started when you make final payment 17 days before your order (our wholesale ingredients are ordered based on your cake requirements, icings, fillings, fresh ingredients). Our cakes are all frozen for a minimum period of 2 days because this vastly improves their texture (mud cakes), they then need a few days to rest and develop their full flavour before being enjoyed - that means at minimum, we require 5 days prep time before your cake is ready to go. Depending on your week (whether it's after a long weekend, a mid-week event, etc) your cakes will either have been baked at the end of the previous week to your order, or on the Monday in order to allow for this time frame. Tuesdays (at the latest) we make all your decorations, figurines, sugar flowers, Wednesday your cakes are levelled filled, iced and stacked, and Thursday Friday we put everything together. This means - if you cancel on a Monday, your cakes are already baked and safely tucked up in the freezer. If you cancel Tuesday - your decorations are all already made, and if you cancel Wednesday - everything for your order is already ready (and your cakes can now not be returned to the freezer.)

We know it's confusing, AND we know it's a frustrating time to be organising any kind of event!! please know that we do our absolute best to accommodate any changes, and help manage the stress. We are also a business - supporting three families - and these rules are in place to protect us as much as possible too. If you have any concerns before booking your order, don't hesitate to get in touch with me and discuss them.  

 

Invoicing and payment

By paying your deposit you are agreeing to the following Terms and Conditions.

A 20% non refundable deposit is due within 2 days and is required to confirm your order. The remaining 80% must be paid no later than 17 days prior to your order being ready. If you fail to make final payment your order will be cancelled, and/or a late fee may apply

• 20% deposits for all orders are non refundable, no exception. For weddings placing a standard $100 booking fee before confirming the cost of their order, this $100 fee is non refundable. If your order is postponed as a result of Covid-19 (and with plenty of notice) we may allow this deposit to be transferred to your new date, but this is entirely at our discretion, and fees may apply. 

• If we allow you to carry over your deposit to a new date, you will only be able to use that deposit towards an order of the same or greater value. If you choose to get a smaller order, you will still need to pay the full original quote.

 We DO NOT ALLOW early payments, or partial payments. If you choose to make full payment on your cake before you have been invoiced an admin fee will apply, and you waive your right to a) make any change to your invoice (including flavours - if you have not yet chosen, we will choose for you) and b) receive a full or partial refund or any kind - or for any reason. If you make partial payments or set up a payment plan without consent from us - any and all payment(s) made are non refundable, and an admin fee will be added to your final invoice.

If making a last minute order (within two weeks) full payment must be made immediately to confirm, either via Paypal or with proof of payment from bank transfer. Once you have given the go ahead (verbally, or via email) to book in the order, you are liable for the entire value if the order is cancelled.

All payment made on last minute cakes (within two weeks) is non refundable.

 As a standard rule, no orders are eligible for part or full refund. Full payment is due 17 days before your order - by which time money and time has already been spent on your order, and will need to be taken into account.

Any cancellation within 17 days of an order is non refundable.

 A standard $100 cancellation fee applies for orders that have been invoiced and held space in the calendar for longer than 3 days.

 A $100 late fee applies for final payments that are late. If you are unable to make your payment by the due date please get in touch with us early so we can make a plan, or late fee will be automatically applied.

• Orders can be UPSIZED after an invoice has been issued (provided we have the availability!) but they cannot be DOWNSIZED unless exceptional circumstances. If we do allow you to downsize your order, your new order must be no less than 80% the size/value of your original quote, and a fee of $50 will apply to process this. Once you have been invoiced and paid your deposit - you are agreeing to the size and value of the order detailed in your invoice - at which time we have also staffed your week according to the work load and hours available, AND have possibly turned down other orders to fit yours.
If you no longer need a cake the size in your invoice, you may be entitled to use the value of the invoice differently (ie - a smaller cake, but add on fresh flowers) but the value total will still apply. 

• Any private event bookings including Tastings are not eligible for a refund. If you are unable to make your tasting event you are entitled to change to an alternative date provided a minimum of one weeks notice is given.

Should the worst occur and your cake artist is too unwell or unavailable to make your cake at the last minute, you will be fully refunded and/or we will endeavour to find another cake artist to take over your order if need be.

 

Cakes

We take no responsibility for any damage that may occur to your order once it is in your possession. All our cakes have been constructed as soundly and securely as possible, and we will do our best to make you aware of how to make any minor fixes and/or how to transport and store it safely. Should an accident occur, we may be able to help for a fee, and depending on time availability.

Due to the nature of the Stiletto Studio kitchen we cannot guarantee that your cake will not come into contact with nuts, milk products, or any other allergens. If you have a specific allergy, please advise us in advance.

Whilst every care is taken to ensure your final product is exactly what you expected, sometimes due to weather, available product & time allowed, minor changes may be made. Should this happen, we will try our best to notify you in advance. By paying your deposit and agreeing to your cake, you are allowing us creative licence in creating the best looking cake we can provide for you under the circumstances. If you are unhappy with your cake please get in touch with us as soon as possible - please note that there are no refunds for change of mind, and no partial or full refunds will be issued unless the product is returned in its original state, and within 24 hours - and then at the full discretion of Stiletto Studio.

Classes

Classes can be cancelled if less than the minimum number of students are available. We will try to give as much notice as possible

If your class is cancelled, the value paid for the class can be transferred to an alternative date, or used towards an alternative class. If no alternative date or class can be provided by us, you are entitled to a refund.

If you cancel a class within 2 weeks of the date, you are not entitled to a refund.

All classes must be paid in full to confirm booking.

If you are no longer able to attend a class and can only notify us at the last minute, you are entitled to a refund only if you or we are able to find someone to take your place.