Like many, committing to anything right now seems like an incredibly daunting idea. Planning a wedding during a time when our disposable income is at an all time low is certainly not ideal. But all is not lost!
I want to give you some food for thought on ways to still have the most beautiful showstopper that won’t break the bank and that won’t leave you feeling doubt you should be ordering one.
But firstly ….
How important is a wedding cake to your day?
Now I wrote about this in much more depth in my January post about pricing, so I’m not going to go into great detail, you can find it here - Pricing guide - but I will reiterate this.
We all have different price brackets right now and we all will have things that are must haves or could live withouts for our weddings.
If having a fancy car to take you to your wedding, or having canapés or a three tiered wedding cake just isn’t high up your priority list, please please don’t let bridal magazines and blogs and social media bully you into thinking you need it.
It’s your day, your budget and you should spend it however you would like! Forget that it’s not the done deal and great Aunt Beth would disapprove. She isn’t paying for it!
You do whatever as a couple you want to do!
Ok, rant over! Onto the more helpful stuff!
Thinking outside the box
Dessert inspired wedding cake goals!
Now, some of these are really un-traditional! The timings will be all off on the ‘traditional’ wedding timescale and some will hate the idea!
Really selling it there Tash!
How about making your wedding cake your wedding favours!
Hear me out! Instead of having separate wedding favours, why not gift your guests a slice of cake to have with their coffee the day after your spectacular day when they are nursing a hangover. Or in mine and my husbands case nursing another broken sleep night with our nocturnal toddler.
Or how about opting to ditch the dessert after your meal (if your venue allow it) and have a slice of cake instead! Why not base the flavours around your favourite puddings!
Cut your cake after your ceremony and have it as canapés with a drink before your reception!
People will likely not forget that as an alternative order of the day for a while.
What do you think? Food for thought?
Beautiful yet cost effect design ideas!
In my January post I wrote a pricing wrote about what goes into making a wedding cake and about why cakes cost a fair bit, so this is by no means going to give you ideas how to have an incredibly cheap cake.
It will however give you some ideas for finishes, decoration and options which still give you a wonderfully show stopping cake.
Pressed flower wedding cake
Up first -
Using spacers and cake stands for height - If you love the drama of a large cake, opt for a tier spacer, acrylic spacers or simply a beautiful cake stand. Most cake designers have a selection to choose from to rent.
Buttercream and ganache finishes tend to be more cost effective than fondant.
Seasonal fresh flowers will very likely cost less than made, piped or painted. More on Sustainable options here
Opt for a simple but elegant design - Its amazing how beautiful a cake can look with a simple, beautifully draped silk ribbon around one of the tiers.
Don’t have a massive cake - If the cake is important to you, but you don't have a huge budget, why not cater for some, not all of your guests.
It’s worth noting that with the last tip, some cake designers, including myself, have a minimum order value for certain months, especially if they only take on 1 or 2 cakes a week. It’s always worth an ask!
Myth busters
Whilst we are coming up with some perfect options for design which will help the overall cost of your cake, it's worth also noting some common misconceptions.
Just because your cake is all the same flavour, doesn’t always mean it will be cheaper - It can be the case, if say you opted for all vanilla, but if a more luxury flavour is chosen it could well make no difference.
Dummy tiers - not only crappy for the environment but they don’t end up making cakes cheaper - Sustainability post
Having a small cake and lots of treats - afraid not, especially things like mini cakes and cake pops. They take blooming ages and will almost certainly cost more!
Traditions and alternatives.
In recent years, having a fruitcake isn’t the most popular choice when it comes to cake flavour. Spoiler alert, I’m not a massive fan! I’m the odd one who prefers the marzipan and icing! Most opt for fluffy sponge cakes and unusual flavours - Our delicious flavours
Did you know that you can freeze some of your wedding cake?
The idea behind the top tier being a fruitcake was so it could be kept for the Christening of your first born.
A modern alternative would be to freeze your top tier and enjoy it on your first wedding anniversary.
Properly wrapped up snug in the freezer for a year it will still be delicious and will make you feel like you are getting an added bonus of a cake the following year.
Top tip! If you happened to have rich chocolate cake with ganache and caramel, when a slice is popped in the microwave, you get a self saucing dessert! Delicious!
Including a keepsake
Unpopular opinion alert - I’m not a fan of wedding cake toppers. Eeek! May have lost some readers there!
I just can’t see a place for them in most cases on modern cake design, especially when I have designed something to fit in perfectly with a couples day and it simply doesn’t fit the brief.
I think traditionally, it was something that could be kept after the big day had passed, but how about this as an alternative.
Most of you will realise by now I have a bit of a passion/obsession with flowers.
How about including some everlasting ones in to your design.
Handcrafted paper flowers
These are lovingly hand crafted and as long as they are not stored in direct sunlight, will last for years to come!
Why not invest in some for your cake so they can then be used as a pretty addition to your family home, or your little ones bedroom or reused on a future cake. Marvellous!
I hope these have give you some ideas about how to either keep costs down when it comes to your cake, use it as more prominent part of the food for your day or how to be able to spread the joy of purchasing one with beautiful and delicious keepsakes.
Much love
Tash x