Planning Tips :: Cost Cutting on the Cake

Keep it Simple
Time is money – but it works both ways! One of the main costs for your wedding cake comes from the amount of time required to create your confection.  The more intricate and detailed the design, the longer it will take for your designer, and the more dough your designer will take from you.  The icing on the cake?  The simpler the design, the less cash you’ll be forking over for it.  Work with your baker to come up with a beautiful design for your wedding cake that still expresses you and your wedding, but that will cost less of the designer’s time and your money.

Photo by Danielle Luc Photography

Fake It
If towering tiers of frosted chocolatey goodness are what you had in mind for your wedding day, it’ll cost you.  But hey, brides are donning fake eyelashes and nails, so why not fake the cake?  You can still have your larger than life wedding cake by only having a few tiers of real cake.  Then, your designer can add on Styrofoam layers decorated just like the rest of the cake for those extra tiers and height.  Your cake will still elicit oohs and ahhs from all the wedding guests, and they will be none the wiser!

Photo by Mara Robinson

Keep It Real
Fake tiers may be a game changer in wedding cake costs, but fake flowers can be another ballgame.  Sugar flowers that look impressively real can look gorgeous on your wedding cake – and they’re edible too! – but, they require extra time and effort on the part of your cake designer, which means more moolah!   A cake blossoming in real blooms will still look amazing and will keep your costs down. Locally grown flowers that are in season during your wedding are your budget-friendly best bet.

Photo by Trejo Photography
Cake by Wendy Kromer Confections

Kitchen Aid
If you’ve got a big guest list but an itty-bitty budget, figuring out how to feed everyone may be a bit daunting.  Let them eat cake!  A great money-saving tip is to have a smaller wedding cake at the reception for the cake-cutting (tradition is free!), and then sheet cakes in the kitchen that will be served to your guests. Once the cake is taken to the back to be cut for dessert, your guests will never know the difference – but your wallet will.

Photo by Michéll Events
Cake by I Do Cakes