Let them eat cake: Bakery orders 'amped up' with easing COVID rules

There arelayers ofplanning that go into a wedding but one of the most important the wedding cake has bakers on P.E.I. busy.

So busy, that some are no longer taking orders for 2021.

"It's definitely really picked up.You have people that are clients that are from 2020 and their wedding got postponed and it got moved to this year," saidKelsey Hannah, who runs KGJ Bakeshop.

"It really amped up the wedding year, andI think it will be for years to come. I think 2022 and 2023, because of this, will be big years for any type of wedding vendor."

Hannah said she works as a baker, but runs her bakeshop as a side hustle and because she is the only one baking for her business she is all booked up for the rest of 2021.

It's not just wedding cakes though birthday cakes are popular requests at the moment as well.

"People not only want to celebrate their birthdays, but the birthday they missed with their best friend or mom," she said.

Courtney Van Horne, who runs Whisk and Sugar in downtown Charlottetown, said she thinkseasingCOVID-19 restrictions and capacitylimits increasing for weddings and personal gatherings are the reason for the increase in demand.

"Wedding cakes, we are fully booked," she said. "We have been fully booked for the last month or so. We weren't expecting it at all. We do tend to book up fast but not this fast."

Van Horne said she is fully booked for the summer, but will be opening for more bookings in September.

"Typically we do require two to three weeks for booking, again wedding cakes are a little bit different. We only book one to two a weekend," she said.

"As of right now it is just cupcake orders and bars."

While she is busy, Bev Campbell, owner of In the Mix Bakeryin Mount Stewart,said she is still taking orders.

"We get cake orders daily. Wedding cakes, anniversary cakes, birthday cakes, baby cakes all kinds of cakes," she said.

Campbell said she doesn't book too far out and usually bakes the cakes fresh the day they are requested but said she would like 24 hours notice if anything is "too complicated."

Campbell said her bakery has done pretty well through the pandemic with people wanting to explore the province.

"I think with the COVID a lot of people did not travel off-Island so they travelled around the Island," she said.

A beluga whalehanging out in a nearby waterway also brought a bunch of business to the area, Campbell said.

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