It may seem like a shocker but if you’re looking to book a cake designer who’s fairly popular, you should look into booking them 8 months in advance. All cake designers will have a speciality so you should find one that specializes in the style of cake that you want. Most cake designers should also be able to work within any dietary restrictions.
Fake cakes don’t necessarily save you money especially if you want a heavily designed cake since most of the work will be done on the outside. You can expect to spend around $8/serving which may seem like a lot if you have a lot of guests, but if you think about going out to eat, a normal dessert usually costs $8 or more. One way to save money, especially if you have a buffet is to consider what kind of food you’ll be serving. If everyone stuffs themselves on the buffet, and/or your buffet comes with other desserts then you don’t necessarily need to get a slice for everyone.
As far as deliveries go, most cake designers will deliver your cake to your venue to ensure that it arrives safely. If you want your cake to be presented nicely, some cake designers will rent a stand to you, otherwise, it shouldn’t be an unusual request for a decor company to accommodate.