Cheap wedding Cakes.

The cake is one of the more important things to get right on your big day as it is (apparently) the second most photographed subject (no prizes for guessing what’s first!). It also acts as a focal point during the reception and everyone will have a good view of it during the meal, so you will want to get it right.

1. Make it yourself - Are you or a family member or friend a good cook? This is a viable option, but not one to be entered lightly as simply making the cake can be difficult enough, not to mention icing and decorating it (which is more difficult than it looks).

2. Use a fake cake - many brides go down this route as a means of saving money. If for example you are having a three tier cake, you could create a polystyrene “cake” and ice it for one or more of the layers. Then when the cake is taken away for cutting it is substituted with a simple square cake with plain icing. When cut no-one will know.

3. Buy a simple cake on the high street – then decorate it simply at home with ribbon, fresh or sugar flowers and/or a cake topper or have it decorated by a professional (this will obviously be more expensive). If you decide you want to get a professional to decorate it, get prices before committing to this option.

4. Use a local commercial bakery - these are often cheaper than the specialist cake decorators.

5. Choose an alternative cake type - sponge cake, chocolate cake or carrot cake can be cheaper than traditional fruit cake.

6. Use individual cup cakes- more and more brides are going for a contemporary solution, using individual cup cakes, carrot cakes or profiteroles on a tiered cake stand. That way everyone gets an individual cake and this can also double as a dessert (which will save you money on the catering bill).

You will need to order your cake early (around 6 months before the wedding day), even a cheap wedding cake has to mature (which can take up to 3 months). Sponge cakes can however be prepared much closer to the date of the wedding. So consider your timeline.

You should know how many guests you are inviting before ordering the cake as the more guests, the more cake you will need, and so the more expensive if will become.

Also consider whether or not you want to keep cake for the guests who can't attend and if you want to keep the top tier of cake for your first anniversary or your first child’s christening. If so, you will need to allow extra.

Once you know the size of cake you need, you will have to look for a cake maker or as mentioned above, a commercial baker (often a cheaper option). As with everything else, get three quotes and make sure they are quoting for the same things.

Traditionally the colour would have been white but nowadays anything goes and you will likely want to match the cake icing to the bridesmaids or the overall theme. You will also need to decide on how you are going to decorate the cake e.g. sugar flowers, real flowers, jewels, ribbons or just plain. (Top tip, if your dress is ivory don’t choose a white cake, it will make your dress look as if it’s dirty when you stand next to it).

The options are endless and over the next few articles, I will show you how to design and make your own cheap wedding cakes, and I’ll give you some tried and tested recipes and cheap wedding cake ideas, along with a few tips on choosing the cake topper.

Related Articles:
Wedding Cake Designs.
Make Your Own Wedding Cake.
Wedding Cake Toppers.
Wedding Cake Recipes

Tell us about your tips for saving money on the cake!

If you have a great wedding cake story, Share it!

Return from Cheap Wedding Cakes to My-Cheap-Wedding home page.