Cheap Wedding Fridays: Save Money on Your Wedding Tip #11 - The Wedding Cake
Friday December 5, 2008
In the past I've given you many ways to save money on your wedding, including more in depth tips on saving money on your wedding invitations, wedding location, and your wedding flowers. But given the current state of the economy, I thought it best to ramp it up a bit, and bring you a new way to save money on your wedding each and every Friday. For today's tip (which I'm numbering #11, since the above list contains 10 great tips!), here's a way to save money on your wedding cake: Your "wedding cake" doesn't have to actually be a wedding cake. Let me explain. In the past, a wedding cake was a big white showstopping affair, requiring skill to properly construct the layers and talent to precisely decorate it. But it's not surprising that words like "talent" and "skill" mean your wedding cake will be expensive.
Instead, choose a few beautiful cakes from your favorite bakery, but don't tell them it's a for a wedding. Since wedding cakes aren't necessarily white anymore, no one need know that this was a cost saving measure. Arrange each layer on a matching tiered cake plate, or get one larger layered cake and supplement it with sheet cakes in the back. In my neck of the woods, I'd probably spend $100 to $150 doing it this way, rather than $400 and up for getting a wedding cake. Now that's $300 bucks for something really important, like shoes! Or um, something more practical. Right.
What are your best money saving tips! Don't keep them all to yourself! Help share them with other brides! Send them to me at weddings.guide@about.com and if I use it, I'll be sure to give you credit.
Instead, choose a few beautiful cakes from your favorite bakery, but don't tell them it's a for a wedding. Since wedding cakes aren't necessarily white anymore, no one need know that this was a cost saving measure. Arrange each layer on a matching tiered cake plate, or get one larger layered cake and supplement it with sheet cakes in the back. In my neck of the woods, I'd probably spend $100 to $150 doing it this way, rather than $400 and up for getting a wedding cake. Now that's $300 bucks for something really important, like shoes! Or um, something more practical. Right.
What are your best money saving tips! Don't keep them all to yourself! Help share them with other brides! Send them to me at weddings.guide@about.com and if I use it, I'll be sure to give you credit.
Comments
I have a question that maybe you can help with - since I can’t find etiquette on this in any books or websites (maybe I’m just looking at the wrong ones!). I am having a wedding and reception in California and then my fiance and I want to have a reception in Colorado as well - since most of his family is here. Can you let me know proper timing? If we didn’t want to do it right away, how long would we have before it is not “proper”? Any advice you have would be fabulous!
I don’t know what is “proper” but I have been to this type of reception that is held upon the couples’s return from the honeymoon (like on the couple’s way from the honeymoon to their new home, wherever that might be, they make a short visit to the “other” family location and the reception is held during that short visit.)
And don’t forget about wedding cupcakes! You can buy bakery cupcakes and add a wedding themed decor item to the tops yourself.
I don’t think “proper” is well defined in a case like this and you are free to schedule the follow-up reception at your convenience. I did a quick search and did not find anything particularly revealing as well.
This type of issue is very common nowadays and you’ll find that people are very receptive.
Congratulations!
Also- have a chocolate wedding cake instead of a desert- which will save money on your catering. No one needs both!
Jenna.
www.tiarasbyprincesspea.co.uk
my brother got married in georgia on january 1st in a super small wedding (about 25 people). they never took a honeymoon, but they did have a reception one month later in ohio so they could see all of his and her family together. it was vey nice.
We ordered our wedding invitations from Tiny Prints. We chose a fun design (not in the wedding selection) and only spent $98 for 100 invites! So, I recommend looking at invitations that are not specifically for weddings.
The Cake is what everyone looks forward to when they come to your reception. I would skimp on the dinner….not the cake. My wedding…I went all out on the dress and the cake. The TWO MOST important things your guests are going to take pictures of…the BRIDE and the CAKE. ALSO…when it comes to a wedding, the important things to a woman/bride is the way she looks and her sweets for the end of a stressful day.
The idea of “decorating a box” for the “show cake”, and then have a sheet cake or cupcakes in the kitchen for consumption by the guests is a great $$ saving idea. My sister is getting married February 14, 2009! And, my contribution is the wedding cake! Thanks for the tip. I’m working on putting it to use!
If you are considering skimping on the wedding cake, I would advise choosing a different method of skimping. When it comes to your wedding you don’t want to look back and wish you had done something different on one of the biggest days of your life. I am a full time corporate girl working for a local business who decorates cakes on the side and have been doing so since I was 14 years old. I do a three tier wedding cake for around $100 because I am doing it for the challenge and enjoyment, not to make a fortune off young ladies. If you look around and get references, I bet you can find someone in your area who will do a great job but not rip you off!