Best Saving Money on a Wedding Cake
One of the biggest focal points of a wedding reception is the beautiful wedding cake. That towering, flowering, blinding beautiful wedding cake with the two people standing on top, that the bride and groom cut and then feed to one another.
Although a lot of brides and grooms go with the traditional pound cake taste, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Flavor –
If you don’t go with the traditional pound cake taste for all of your layers, keep in mind that not everyone is going to like lemon or raspberry, or any other exotic flavors.
One popular alternative is chocolate chip cake. Another idea is to go with alternating chocolate and vanilla.
The top of your cake is traditionally saved and eaten on your first wedding anniversary. So choose the flavor that both of you will enjoy and make that your wedding topper.
Although a lot of cakes are purchased in a traditional bakery, there are a lot of supermarkets that make delicious cakes that aren’t as expensive.
If you are working on a budget, shop around for prices on wedding cakes and be sure to sample them. You may be surprised at what supermarkets can do.
If you have someone that has taken a cake decorating class and makes great cakes, you may find that they will do it as a wedding present and it will save you some money.
A wedding cake doesn’t have to be expensive to be delicious, and you can find plenty of money saving ideas when looking for your wedding cake.
Wedding Cake: How To Pick The Best One
Wedding cakes have become an essential decoration in the wedding venue. The first thing guests would buzz about is how magnificent your wedding cake is.
Choosing the right cake should be meticulously done. With a little patience and the quick tips below, picking the best cake should as easy as walking down the aisle.
Choose the right bakeshop
If you have an idea on where the best bakery is in your city, then head to that place immediately. You can ask suggestions from your friends or family members also.
Get a reservation at once. Do not procrastinate. The availability of cake decorators might be restricted. Be sure to drop by the bakeshop to talk about the designs, flavors and other things you wanted to add to your cake.
Be sure to give a detailed description of exactly what you want your cake to be. Give the vendor ample time to prepare, approximately six months ahead of your big day would do. You may need to pay a deposit fee for reservation.
The right taste
Aside from the look of the cake, keep in mind that cakes are made primarily for eating. They should taste good as well as they look good.
The texture and flavor of the cake itself is important. When scouting for a bakeshop, don’t hesitate to ask for cake samples of the flavors you want. If they do not allow this, jump to the next store.
Check on your budget
Wedding cakes ranges from $300 to $1000 or so. Cost primarily depends on the cake design you want. You have to pay for the cake decorator’s fee on top of the cost of the cake itself.
Know what your budget is ahead of time. Some shops may give you free delivery too. Most bakeshop has a standard number of servings for each cake type.
Know how many guests would attend your wedding so you would know more or less how much money you would allocate for the cake.
Flowers as decorations
Flowers have been a traditional thing on weddings. You can well put them in cakes too. You can either choose from fresh flowers or artificial ones.
Fresh flowers are beautiful addition to your cakes. But it is very important that you choose fresh flowers wisely. Be sure that they are free from chemicals.
Just to be on the safe side, sugar flowers are safer. These are edible gum paste decorations that have wire or toothpicks on them.
Where to place the cake
Most cakes, especially on summer, might end up melted under the heat of the sun. They can also cause flowers and flavored curls to dry up.
Not to mention the possibility of flies gathering on your priced cake. Just be sure, always have a back up site where you can store your cakes to preserve its look and taste.
Never place your wedding cake near the dance floor or where there is a heavy flow of traffic. You might just see your cake fall down. That’s not a good sight at all! Be sure to check the sturdiness of the table you would place your cake.
Buying wedding cakes can be fun and hassle-free. Remember that your wedding cakes needs to be presentable, most of the photo opts are done beside the cake.
It’s always nice to give out that bright smile beside you’re well decorated cake that brings out your personal statement.
The Wedding Cake
When my son and daughter-in-law held a knife and cut the first slice out of their all traditional, butter-cream frosted, lavish, and very expensive wedding cake, I couldn’t help smiling.
If we had been in the early Roman times, the wedding cake would not be one huge, tasty, decorative creation, but many small, possibly cupcake-sized, salty wheat cakes.
In addition, the guests wouldn’t be eating the cakes but throwing them at the bride or crumbling it over her head for fertility and single women would try to catch the crumbs for the same reason they catch the bridal bouquet today.
In the olden times when children didn’t make it to adulthood due to childhood illnesses, fertility was important, and that is probably the reason the wedding cake tradition was born.
Later on during their empire, Romans turned their salty cakes into sweet cakes. This time, they made a slightly larger bridal cake with many smaller cakes surrounding it.
The smaller cakes were brought as gifts by the guests. These cakes everyone ate, but still crumbled some of those over the bride.
After the Roman conquest of the British Isles, Roman customs influenced the natives who baked dry cakes for their weddings and drank their ale with them.
In old England and Ireland, there also was, and still is, the custom of a groom’s cake, dark in color and made of dried fruit.
When the English sent their pioneers into the new world, they also sent their customs with them. First European settlers in the Americas made fruitcakes for their weddings because their preservation was easier.
The fancy wedding cake with several tiers was created through the initiative of the French, and although scorned by the English at first, it was later adopted and became the norm through all Europe.
The wedding cake, owing to its long history, became an individual affair for a modern wedding party, with different shapes and styles and with a rich variety of flavors, fillings, and icings.
A wedding cake, after the vows, has become a vital part of wedding ceremony in our day. It is assumed that a wedding cake reflects the style, elegance, and delicacy of the couple’s upbringing, in addition to their enthusiasm for their marriage.
Not only the ingredients and the making of the cake, but the ceremony of its cutting has become another reception by itself.
Traditionally, the bride and the groom cut the cake together, with groom placing his right hand over the bride’s right hand to cut the first slice.
Then, they feed each other that first slice while everyone applauds. Sometimes, the top tier is saved for the first anniversary or the birth of the couple’s first child, whichever comes first.
In some new world weddings nowadays, smearing each other with the icing has been taking hold as a custom, adding hilarity to the reception.
My favorite wedding cake anecdote is a real one that may have seemed like a disaster at the time; however in hindsight, it has become an amusing joke. Yet, since the marriage has lasted, the incident might have been a good omen.
Several years ago, we attended a large wedding reception. Over the several steep stairs to the main reception hall, the wedding cake had to be carried rather than wheeled. I don’t know why nobody thought of a ramp but two waiters, one on each side, took the cake up the steps.
Suddenly, a waiter tripped and the cake fell on the floor, but with luck or heavenly intervention, the top two tiers stayed intact.
A pandemonium broke out with the bride’s mother fainting and maintenance people scurrying about. Since the reception hall was part of a big hotel, the management came up with their version of a wedding cake.
Several small cakes were arranged as the bottom layer with the two top layers of the original cake placed over them.
Judging from that experience, I think it might be a good idea to have a just-in-case second cake. After all, cakes are loved by most anyone and they don’t go to waste.
Don’t Be Surprised To See Cupcake-Like Wedding Favors At The Next Reception You Attend
The wedding cake has sometimes been referred to as the most important purchase when planning a wedding or a wedding reception.
Many couples are willing to spend big bucks on the cake because every guest at the reception will undoubtedly stop by the cake table to admire the details and creativity of the cake chosen.
But for some guests, who may not be able to attend the reception or who may need to leave before the cake cutting, there are new options available.
One such option offered by some bakeries is the availability of miniature cakes or cupcakes decorated to match or coordinate with a full sized cake.
Depending on the extravagance of the wedding or the size of the guest list, the bride and groom-to-be may choose to purchase a full size multi-tiered cake decorated to their liking,
and provide a handful of the take home sizes to be packaged for those leaving early; or decorate each table with several of the miniature cakes of different flavors or decoration patterns.
Another option for those without a constricting budget is to purchase the miniature cakes for each and every guest scheduled to be at the wedding reception.
For this option the official wedding cake would not need to be full-sized. It only needs a layer for cake-cutting pictures and if desired, a layer to be frozen for the one year anniversary.
Cake decorating has come a long way with trends like this one and with decoration ideas available. The sky is the limit for creative ideas available and flavors or colors used for the feature cake and now for its miniature counterparts.
Best Wedding Cakes
When planning a wedding reception, be sure to give special attention to the wedding cake. There is, of course, a certain chain of events and best practices that are good to follow.
When you are ready to select a wedding cake, you should arrange to meet with three bakers and taste their products.
If you have attended or are planning on attending a bridal show, you can easily and quickly take care of this task at the show.
If you have a certain look you are going for with your wedding cake, be sure to bring a picture of what you would like when meeting with bakers.
It is also a good idea to bring along your cake topper if you already have it as well as fabric swatches of the bridesmaid’s dresses. Also, be prepared to give the baker an estimated number of guests that you are expecting.
When you meet with the baker, be sure to ask to see a portfolio of pictures that have been taken of the baker’s previous work. In addition, always check references before making a final decision.
When you are interviewing the bakers, ask each one the same questions so that you do not forget anything and so that you can make an accurate comparison.
Some things to inquire about are the set-up and take-down of the table where the cake will be, who will put the cake topper on the cake, who will place napkins, plates, flowers, etc. on the table, and who will direct the cutting of the cake.
Also, find out where the cake will be stored (it must be out of direct sunlight), who will be in charge of boxing up the cake top and giving to a previously designated person,
what arrangements will be made for the left-over cake, and who will cut the cake and distribute it. Cutting a wedding cake is much trickier than it looks and must be done by someone who is familiar with the process.
When you are reviewing a baker’s contract, be sure to note several things. For instance, you should immediately see the name, contact person, location, and phone numbers for the bakery.
The cake size, shape, and number of tiers must be on the contract. Be sure that the cake flavor(s), fillings, and icing are noted and that returnable items are clearly stated.
Be sure that the number of guests the cake is to serve is on the contract as we;; as when the cake was ordered, when the cake will be delivered and assembled,
what the set-up fee is if applicable, and the due dates for deposits and balances. For more information on wedding cakes and other wedding ideas, be sure to go to www.bridalblog.info.
In closing, choosing a cake can really be a lot of fun. You have the chance to sample some goodies and make some light-hearted decisions about fillings, flavors, and decorations.
However, in the process, make sure you are noting all of the details that need to be covered so that you are confident in your baker’s ability to deliver the product that you are expecting.
Include The Cake Topper In Your Bridal Accessories Package
When you are planning a wedding, you want to have a beautiful ceremony with a fantastic reception. One thing that most brides- to-be forgets about until they look for the perfect cake is the cake topper.
The cake topper is part of your bridal accessories package as it symbolizes the reunion of the two of you. There are so many different cake topers to choose from for the top of the cake.
Whether you have a sheet cake or a towering cake, you want to have cake topper that accents the cake and represents the union. You can have a custom-made cake topper or a topper that is supplied by the company making the cake.
If you are having a themed wedding, you might want to have a custom-made topper with a Hawaiian couple in hoola skirts or a couple in tropical attire.
Many people today are fore going the traditional cake toppers representing a couple and decide to choose animals that represent love and purity.
You might choose a dolphin or a unicorn. Other toppers that have become popular are gothic cake toppers and palm trees.
You cake can be as special as you want it and top it with anything that represents your taste and express your thoughts.
Cake toppers are a part of the bridal accessories and many brides have become a little daring when it comes to topping the wedding cake. Some have chosen Precious Moments cake toppers while others have chosen funny or humorous cake toppers.
The bride is the queen for the day and it is her decision on what topper she would like for the wedding cake. One bride might have a hobby that she really enjoys and may choose a topper to represent the hobby.
Another bride might think of the cake topper as a way to thank the guests for sharing the special day with a candle topper. There are so many different cake toppers to choose from when you decide on the cake.
A unique and different type of cake topper is the couple in a car, leaving the reception on their way to the honeymoon.
This topper is on a wood deck with a plate that has your names and date. This has become a popular cake topper for brides everywhere. The bridal accessories are not just limited to traditional toppers anymore.
People have become more open to themed weddings, plain casual weddings and just a simple I do and party type of wedding.
When you are thinking about the bridal accessories, you want to remember the cake topper and find one that reflects on you and your intended.
When you do, you will find that you have a unique and original topper that makes a statement as to who you are and what this day means to you.
The fun of picking just the right topper is what makes the cake so special, you put many hours into finding just the right cake topper to express yourself on your wedding day.
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