simple wedding cake

How can I save money on my wedding cake?

Yes, the sweets. A beautiful and delectable dessert to mark the occasion is one of the traditional elements that most couples anticipate with great anticipation on their wedding day. That is, until they get a taste of the actual price of a wedding cake.

The cost of a classic wedding cake can add up quickly. A wedding cake with multiple tiers from a reputable bakery will set you back at least A$3,200. That's an absurdly high price to pay for a slice of cake.

So, future spouses, if you agree with me that A$3,200 is far too much to spend on a cake, it's time to get creative and discover those little-known ways to save money. Here are 12 great ways to cut costs on your wedding cake that we'll go over today. Are you prepared to learn more about saving money? On with the reading!

Wedding cakes can be expensive, but cutting costs doesn't have to mean cutting corners on presentation or flavour. Expert cake bakers can help you save money without sacrificing the quality of the cake they create for you.

There is an overwhelming variety of delicious cakes from which to select the perfect one for your wedding. Is it better to decorate it with fondant, buttercream, or nothing at all? Happily, there are so many options for wedding cakes that everyone may select one that works within their budget. Although modern variations on the wedding cake, such as cupcakes, cake pops, and macarons, are available, nothing beats the traditional fruit cake. Using these guidelines, you may choose an affordable wedding cake without losing flavour.

How can I get a stunning cake for my wedding without breaking the bank? The key is to choose a cake baker who, given your financial constraints, will work with you to come up with inventive cake options. We've got the insider tips to get you started on making a cake that won't break the bank, whether that means using cheaper ingredients or fewer design components.

Don’t Bother With Fancy Decoration

Wedding cake's priciest component, right? Unique creations are our speciality. The more labor-intensive a cake's decorations, the higher its price tag. A cake's final price tag may skyrocket if it features elaborate design elements like as numerous tiers, metallic details, fondant flowers, hand painting, or an unusual form.

In order to avoid disappointment and keep costs down, it's important to be realistic about what can be accomplished with your wedding cake's artistic design.

Embrace Simplicity

If you're trying to cut costs on your wedding cake, remember that less is more. You can do this by selecting a smaller cake decorated with buttercream icing, or by selecting a "naked cake," a dessert with no or very little frosting. Both choices offer substantial savings in comparison to the more expensive fondant frosting.

If you want to add a little something extra to your sweet and simple dessert, call up your local florist and place an order for some extra flowers. Elegant and on-trend is a buttercream-iced cake decorated with fresh flowers, which couples can order. Everyone deserves to have their cake and eat it, too!

Ditch the Groom’s Cake

A groom's cake is an extra wedding cake typically served and presented at receptions in the South. Typically designed to reflect the groom's favourite colours, hobbies, or even sports team, these unique cakes can get pricey due to the time and effort put into creating each individual design. While multiple cakes are a kind gesture, if you're on a limited budget, just get one big cake in the man of the hour's honour.

Be Savvy With a Sheet Cake

One of the easiest ways to cut costs on a wedding cake is to order a smaller tiered show cake and instead provide guests with individual servings of sheet cake. This ingenious solution permits newlyweds to enjoy the traditional cake-cutting ceremony at their celebration without spending a fortune. Stressed out about the quality of service provided to guests? Sheet cakes will be hidden away in the kitchen, so only the finished product presented on plates will be seen to guests.

Choose Slices That Aren’t as Thick

For obvious reasons, if you cut the cake into smaller pieces, your money will go further. Ask your baker to serve a regular slice of cake next to a half or three quarters slice so that you can compare the sizes. Thinner slices are a great method to cut costs for certain couples, especially if they are introducing a dessert bar.

You could ask your caterer about a round of desserts as an alternative to serving individual pieces of cake. Plan to have your cake slices served alongside the other desserts, and let the caterer know to cut taster amounts to around three-quarters of the customary quantity. Instead of putting a dish of cake at each guest's place, have the caterer put slices on a buffets or cake table, or have the staff bring little pieces to the dance floor for people to snack on.

Inquire About Extras

Ask potential cake bakers if they also provide accessories like stands, toppers, and servers during the consultation process. You should factor all of these extras into your cake budget. If your bakery doesn't provide these extras themselves, they should know where you can get them cheaply.

Reduce the Number of Flowers You Include (Or Put Real Ones)

If you must have flowers, go for real ones or go for simple designs like painted floral motifs instead of elaborate sugar blossoms. It can take anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours to shape and dust a single sugar flower copy into something beautiful. For a more frugal option, consider a single-tier cake with a single huge flower stem or a spray of flowers. Another approach is to choose sugar flower kinds that don't take as much time and care. For example, forgo the waterfall of peonies and go for hydrangeas or calla lilies. One of the finest low-cost options, though, is a bouquet of fresh flowers. Don't forget to tell your florist ahead of time so they can get you some flowers that haven't been treated with pesticides and are safe to eat.

If you ask the baker to do more work, expect to pay more. That leaves no room in the budget for intricate sugar flowers or other sugary embellishments for the cake. If you're willing to be more adaptable with your wedding cake design, actual flowers can be used instead of icing flowers made by your baker.

This not only makes the cake look better, but it also prevents guests from getting a strange taste of chalky frosting in their lips when they eat it. Just make sure you're adorning with in-season flowers!

Patisseries and cake decorators usually base their prices on the length of time it takes to make the cake. More expensive, but more dramatic, are elaborate patterns, such as ones piled high with sugar flowers. Keeping your wedding cake's design simple can help you save money without sacrificing aesthetics. If there's an ornate or challenging wedding cake style you're lusting for, consider asking your baker to tweak it to help cut the price. One enormous statement flower, for instance, might serve as a powerful focal point. Alternatively, you may ask for a handful of larger flowers like calla lilies or hydrangeas as a more cost-effective substitute for numerous smaller flowers. Less effort equals less pay.

Display That Cake in a Resourceful Way

Some couples will spend a lot of money on renting or purchasing beautiful cake stands for their wedding. Moreover, most bakeries will include a decked-out baseboard that may be set directly on the table. After you've set up your cake stand, decorate the rest of the table with anything else strikes your fancy: colourful linen from your closet, a potted plant, a framed photo from the wedding, a jar of candles, or a vase of fresh flowers.

Choose Buttercream

Buttercream and fondant are the two most popular types of icing, and each have their advantages and disadvantages, including price. Most of the time, buttercream will be the more affordable option. However, fondant is more costly because it is more time-consuming and finicky to deal with. But do your research before assuming that a buttercream cake will be cheaper: A flawless appliqué finishing on a buttercream cake takes practise and patience, despite its apparent ease. To keep the story short, you might not be able to cut costs as much as you had intended. Asking your baker in advance about any potential fondant upcharges is a good idea, especially if you're interested in a custom design like a lace appliqué or intricate pattern.

Go Naked

You can cut costs by skipping the frosting on the cake's outside. In addition to their aesthetic value, naked cakes have many functional applications. Simply said, they require much less time and buttercream, and hence cost much less to make. Increase the wow factor on the inside by trying out different flavours and fillings like lemon curd, champagne buttercream, or ganache with toasted almonds to make up for the absence of icing on the outside.

Slices of Cake as Wedding Favours

Instead of shelling out additional money on party favours, why not give your guests a piece of cake to take home with them as they leave? Your cake might be served first, and you could use individual servings as "escort cards" by labelling them with guests' names and seating assignments before passing them out.

Find a Local, Independent Bakery (Or Add a Cake to Your Catering Package)

If you have a special connection to a neighbourhood bakery and would like to have them produce your wedding cake, you should definitely ask them if they can! You may have fewer options for decoration if they are not a wedding-focused bakery, but you could save quite a bit of money. If not, you should enquire with the caterer about whether or not they offer cake service. In some cases, the price of the cake might be reduced if ordered through the caterer. Some caterers will even have you pay extra to bring in your own baker if you don't hire them. To get the greatest price, it's a good idea to do some research and comparison.

Think of a Substitute

Dessert options beyond the traditional wedding cake have become increasingly widespread in recent years. Such a cupcake cake from Aisle Society is popular now, but a dessert bar with a wide variety of baked goods is becoming increasingly popular. The visitors won't even notice the cake's absence because they'll be so distracted by the novelty of the event.

Forget About Having Any Kind of Cake at All

The cake might not be your thing. Or, after looking around for the best deal, you conclude that wedding cakes aren't worth it. Fortunately, there is no hard and fast law that states a wedding must have cake. Cake alternatives are becoming increasingly popular, and modern brides and grooms are being rather inventive in their search. Instead of a typical wedding cake, you may serve guests cupcakes, doughnuts, pies, and even less conventional desserts like pancakes.

Due to the fact that these aren't wedding specialty products, you can likely stock up on enough desserts to feed your guests for much less than the expense of a wedding cake. For instance, the cost of a dozen doughnuts may be around A$25; if you needed to buy enough for your full reception of 150 people, that would come to little under A$315. What a bargain!

Now you know how to avoid breaking the bank on your big day by cutting costs elsewhere, like the wedding cake. It's a blessing for some brides to have exceptionally helpful relatives who are willing to take on the task of baking the vast majority of the wedding cake and other desserts.

Conclusion

It's easy for the price of a traditional wedding cake to skyrocket. Professional cake bakers can help you cut costs without compromising the taste or appearance of the cake they create. In this article, we will discuss 12 fantastic ways to save money on your wedding cake. Keeping the wedding cake to a minimum can help you save money. One option is to order a smaller cake without frosting or a "naked cake," both of which will help you to avoid excess calories.

As an alternative to having each guest receive a single slice of cake, you could have the caterer set up a dessert buffet. The standard serving size can be reduced by about three quarters to make room for sampling. Real flowers or minimalist floral designs such as painted motifs are better alternatives. The cost of your wedding cake can be reduced without compromising on the cake's appearance by opting for a more straightforward design. Elaborate patterns, such as those piled high with sugar flowers, are more expensive, but more eye-catching.

You can save money by avoiding the cost of frosting, and there are many practical uses for naked cakes. Guests could be given individual portions as "escort cards" to take home with them following the event. If you want to bring your own baker, some caterers will charge you extra. It's not uncommon for people to prefer a dessert bar that offers a wide selection of baked goods. Desserts other than the traditional wedding cake are acceptable. These can include cupcakes, doughnuts, pies, and more. Doughnuts, for instance, might cost around A$25 for a dozen, so providing them for 150 people would cost just under A$315.

Content Summary

  • The cost of a classic wedding cake can add up quickly.
  • Here are 12 great ways to cut costs on your wedding cake that we'll go over today.
  • Are you prepared to learn more about saving money?
  • Expert cake bakers can help you save money without sacrificing the quality of the cake they create for you.
  • Embrace SimplicityIf you're trying to cut costs on your wedding cake, remember that less is more.
  • One of the easiest ways to cut costs on a wedding cake is to order a smaller tiered show cake and instead provide guests with individual servings of sheet cake.
  • You could ask your caterer about a round of desserts as an alternative to serving individual pieces of cake.
  • You should factor all of these extras into your cake budget.
  • That leaves no room in the budget for intricate sugar flowers or other sugary embellishments for the cake.
  • Keeping your wedding cake's design simple can help you save money without sacrificing aesthetics.
  • You can cut costs by skipping the frosting on the cake's outside.
  • Instead of shelling out additional money on party favours, why not give your guests a piece of cake to take home with them as they leave?
  • If you have a special connection to a neighbourhood bakery and would like to have them produce your wedding cake, you should definitely ask them if they can!
  • If not, you should enquire with the caterer about whether or not they offer cake service.
  • In some cases, the price of the cake might be reduced if ordered through the caterer.
  • Such a cupcake cake from Aisle Society is popular now, but a dessert bar with a wide variety of baked goods is becoming increasingly popular.
  • Fortunately, there is no hard and fast law that states a wedding must have cake.
  • Cake alternatives are becoming increasingly popular, and modern brides and grooms are being rather inventive in their search.
  • Instead of a typical wedding cake, you may serve guests cupcakes, doughnuts, pies, and even less conventional desserts like pancakes.
  • Due to the fact that these aren't wedding specialty products, you can likely stock up on enough desserts to feed your guests for much less than the expense of a wedding cake.
  • Now you know how to avoid breaking the bank on your big day by cutting costs elsewhere, like the wedding cake.

FAQs About Wedding Cakes

Approximately three days.

Cakes for weddings are notoriously time-consuming to prepare. Ideally, the cake should be served no more than three days after it has been cooked so that it remains fresh.

Act ethically and with good intentions. For the proper reasons only, prepare your own wedding cake. You can either do without a cake (no one will object, and many won't even notice!) or make your own to save money on a more expensive bakery's version.
You may bake a cake from scratch, or buy a simple cake from the shop and decorate it.

The number of cupcakes required to serve one hundred people. The recommended number of cupcakes for a wedding with 100 guests is 100–125. However, you'll also want to think about the size of the cupcakes and whether or not you'll be having a wedding cake.
If you are having a cake, you might get away with spending less on the main course.

The most common choice for a wedding cake in the United States is white, however a variety of fillings can be used to enhance flavour. A number of other well-liked flavours include chocolate, carrot, Italian Rum, and Italian Cream. Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry are the most popular flavours for wedding cakes.

It can take anywhere from 8-12 hours to bake a 3- to 4-tier wedding cake, depending on how many flavours you're making, the type of ingredients you're using, and the amount of extra preparation that needs to be done before you start baking.

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