Patty Cake...Patty Cake...Baker's Men...

Another unnecessary reception budget-breaker can be the overloading on sweets!!! Candy bars, dessert tables, ice cream sundae bars, 9 tier cake, groom’s cake….all too lavish (but really NICE if you can afford it lol)! People really overspend on desserts; starting with all those shower cakes, then they'll get a three-tiered bridal cake, plus a chocolate one for the groom, and then have a full tray of desserts at the reception and a candy bar as you depart! If you can’t afford it comfortably-don’t attempt! Incorporating all these things into a small budget wedding can be a FAIL of epic proportions leavings your guests saying, “but she tried it”.  After a long evening of eating, drinking, and dancing, many guests will actually pass on dessert altogether anway. Besides, if the cake is absolutely BREAKING you, there are cheaper options! These options may not be for EVERYBODY, but may be just right for a bride on a budget….use a faux bottom for the lower two tiers of the bridal cake! This option will look good for pictures and we all know that’s the second most IMPORTANT thing. The first thing, hands down, would be the taste!

For bigger weddings, here's another trick…choose a smaller version of your dream wedding cake and then get sheet cakes (in the same flavor as the wedding cake) that can be cut in the back and served to guests. They'll never notice if you do it RIGHT! I’ve seen people bring out the sheet cake that is a square corn bread looking piece of something with different icing and everything…Umm that’s just not the answer! At the very least do a double sheet cake (icing in between layers) and have the SAME baker make it…not Aunt Judy! Aunt Judy can make a mean cake but Aunt Judy’s icing is Betty Crocker and looks like a butter knife was the instrument (probably because it was)…not like the real baker’s wedding cake with the whips and the fluffs. I’ve had to suggest this in the past for events and believe it or not…the hardest part once, was getting the baker to agree to the faux tiers! He didn’t want his name on anything….understandable! But when it’s done right and the choice of your couple...BAKERMAN you make it happen! Or Bakerman, you compromise and cut cost…thereby discounting the original price! lol

I find cakes to be a hot topic at weddings! After it’s been sitting there-starring at you-begging you to taste it-of course you expect it to live up to the hype. LOL funny story! One of my line sisters went to a wedding of a vegan couple and never for once thought this may cause a cake fiasco. They had meat for dinner….she’s a true cake connoisseur so she was super EXCITED for cake cutting. That cake was made true vegan style…no eggs, no butter, just tofu organic stuff. She was so ready for the cake to see styrofoam now sitting before her…you know that made it even worse! How disappointing! The lesson here is WARN your guests… they may not be aware of your lifestyle changes or sacrifices.

~Tata

See the latest options for faux cakes….