Today, weddings are becoming more expensive and wedding cakes are no exception. Keeping the budget as low as possible is an important part of baking a cake.
Looking for ways to save money on your wedding cake? Consider a kitchen cake. This is a slab cake with icing matching the wedding cake but with no detail, or additional illustration. When the cake is cut and served, guests are unable to tell the difference between slices of the wedding cake and kitchen cake.
You may also have a “dummy” cake as a centerpiece on the cake table. Instead of purchasing an expensive Styrofoam cake, consider renting one from your local bakery and having the caterer serve sheet cakes or kitchen-made desserts off a platter in the back. Either have one cake that is large or have a number of smaller cakes. Baking a cake is effortless for an amateur baker when using the right tools. This cake baking utensils will help you to make cake easy.
If you want to save money on your wedding cake, choose a simple design with minimal decoration. The more labor-intensive the decorations, the more expensive it typically is. Try also to avoid having many layers, with fancy pillars. Rather than stacking a cake or using expensive crystal pillars, have your baker use disposable ones. If your rental company doesn’t have any available, check with your local establishments to see if they carry what you need.
One way to save on costs is to have the cake decorator make and ice the cake, while you put in your own fresh flowers as decoration for the cake. Florists often keep additional flowers in store for weddings so that they have all the necessary bells and whistles to dress up your cake. If the flowers can’t be carried in a travel-ready container, put the flowers on a plate with some water and store in your fridge. Sprinkling petals around the cake, cascading them down tiers or bunching with flowers is a simple decoration that provides elegance.
As an alternative, bake your own cake or ask a friend or family member to do this for you as their wedding gift to you. With their gorgeous colors and shapes, the wedding cake design can be made from fruit, candy, ribbons, and marzipan.
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When reserving a venue for your reception, find out if they offer wedding cakes on the menu. Some places give you the whole cake for your wedding while others will just give you the first layer.
For those who can’t afford traditional wedding cakes, a cheap option is to have cupcakes instead. This is both a great way to save money and is also very popular. It can uniquely and distinctly embellish the ornate beauty of a wedding. Cupcakes are often arranged in matching tiers, similar to wedding cakes. Each guest will get their own personal cupcake. This both saves on paying the extra fee for cake cutting, and not having to pay an expensive price for a large cake. The fee for cutting and serving a cake at many reception venues or catered events can be costly. The “cakeage” charge is often in the range of $4 to $5 for each person attending.
Finally, you need to figure out when and how the cake will be served.
Depending on the size, you will need a large slice of cake or multiple slices for each person in attendance and giving guests a generous slice of cake before they leave also operates as a sign of hospitality. If you serve a cake for dessert, you’ll need three times as much cake as if it were served in small slices at the start of your meal.
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A finger-sized slice of coffee cake is typically served towards the end of an evening meal. According to the general rule of thumb, you can plan for about 70% of your guests.
Planning your wedding cake requires attention to the following factors: size, flavor, design and selecting a bakery. Since the couple is on a tight budget, they should research different ideas at first before deciding which one to go with. Visiting multiple bakeries and receive quotes is a great way to taste wedding cakes as well as browsing bridal magazines for inspiration.
Rather than including a cake in your budget, by coming up with other ways to mark the occasion and serve a nontraditional appetizer, salad or dessert, like a tart let, cheesecake or dessert buffet. Mmm… yum!.
