Lori

Yesterday, Saturday the 12th, I had the pleasure of doing a cake for Lori in Deweyville, Utah.  The cake was a three-tier round with lavender fondant accented by a quilting pattern.  Then I topped it off with an edible fondant bow.  The cake was red velvet with vanilla bean buttercream filling and fed about 75 people.

Unfortunately I had to assemble the cake and leave it in the kitchen area for the couple to move later since they were setting up for the ceremony first.  Therefore I did not get the best photos.

Getting a Wedding Cake on a Budget

Wedding cakes are expensive. Most of us have never realized this until we start to shop for one. Many range anywhere from $50.00 - $1,000.00+! Of course, pricing depends on where you live as well. If  you live in a busy area such as Los Angeles or New York City you will pay more than someone who lives in Utah.  Economy is everything. However, that doesn't mean you can't find a great tasting and amazing looking cake within your budget.

1. Know Your Budget - This is, after all, the bottom line. If you do not want to spend more than $200.00 for a cake, it doesn't matter how big, how many servings, etc. $200.00 is the bottom line. Your decorator needs to know this. This helps them not design you a cake for $500.00 when you cannot afford it. It also helps them actually design you a cake within that budget. 

With knowing your budget, you have to realize you can only go so far with so much. Wedding cakes are EXTREMELY difficult to make. They take talent, expertise, and a lot of time. They cost a lot of money for a reason and you have to respect what a baker charges. I would be weary of bakers that are willing to low ball. If it's a valued product, great tasting, and good looking, no one should low ball their product.

2. Know Your Style - Look through Bridal magazines, internet searches, blogs, etc. Find samples of cakes and styles you like. Know your colors and theme. If you are doing a fun party wedding, then look for a more modern and fun cake. If you are doing a very elegant wedding, you want a sophisticated cake. Realize, also, that your budget will limit you on designs. Do not pick an extremely elaborate design with a very small budget. Also realize that the more detail work, the more money.

3. Know Your Guest Count - Not everyone you invite will show, not everyone that shows will stay late for the cake cutting, and not everyone will even eat cake that actually stays. I say only plan on 65-75% of your guests eating the cake. If you plan on saving your top tier, the decorator needs to know this. This will affect the size of your cake when it comes to servings. 

4. Sheet Cakes and Cupcakes - If you are on a limited budget, cupcakes and sheet cakes are life savers...or should I say wallet savers. You can get a smaller wedding cake and serve sheet cakes or serve regular and mini cupcakes.  Many people will just have all cupcakes on a cupcake tower with the top tier being the real cake for the Bride and Groom to cut. Cupcakes are young and fun, but can be very elegant when decorated right. You can also have a dummy cake. Where the tiers of your wedding cake are fake and give you the look of an elegant cake, but you actually serve sheet cakes and cupcakes to your guests.

5. Choosing Flavors - When choosing flavors of your cake, cupcakes, and sheet cakes, be sure you choose flavors that the majority will eat. Just remember if you pick something like Key Lime, you may not get a lot of people eating that cake. The worst thing if you are on a tight budget is to spend a lot of money on a cake that does not get eaten. Stick to the classic flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Raspberry, Lemon, etc. Ask your cake decorator for popular flavors and fillings. Some cake decorators will give you a discount if the entire cake is the same flavor. Also be aware that some decorators will actually charge you more for certain flavors. So always be sure to ask what costs what in the end.

6. Buttercream or Fondant - Without a doubt, buttercream cakes are much cheaper in cost. Fondant cakes usually cost 25-50% more than a buttercream cake. Though this is a tempting route, you must also think of venue. If your cake is going to be outdoors or if the room in which your reception is held will be warmer than 75F, you may want to stick to fondant. Though buttercream is cheaper and tastes better, a cake that sinks and melts at your reception defeats the purpose of paying all that money and saving a buck.

7. Delivery Fees - Many cake decorators can charge a range of $25.00 - $100.00+ to actually deliver your wedding cake. If you are on a tight budget you can always pick up your cake yourself. If delivery is free, then take advantage. Ask your decorator how much they charge for delivery. Just remember that transporting a cake and putting it together is not easy. So ask yourself if it is worth saving the delivery fee.

8. Shop Around - You should always shop around for a cake decorator. Never go with the first one and do not always just go with the cheaper one. Sometimes there are decorators that are cheap for a reason. Not all cheaper decorators are horrible, but just something to watch out for. Many decorators will offer to beat another competitors pricing as well. Go visit Bridal Expos and Shows. Many will have discounts just for visiting their booth and some even have drawings for free wedding cakes.

9. Making Your Own Wedding Cake - Though this is tempting, wedding cakes are extremely difficult to make. If you absolutely wish to make your own cake, realize that many take up to three days to bake, fill, frost and design.  They are very extensive and require a lot of hours in order to complete.  Instead of making the cake yourself, you can always order a cake that is baked, tiered, and frosted and then you do the decorations yourself. There are a lot of companies that sell gumpaste flowers and decorations that you can buy to place on your cake and have the professional look without the cost while you do all the baking and frosting.

10. It's Just a Cake - The wedding cake is important, but just a cake. If you are on a limited budget you can always scrap the cake and serve sheet cakes or do cupcakes. When you are looking at 350+ people, it is usually cheaper to serve sheet cakes with a smaller tiered cake than try to get a wedding cake that will actually feed 350 people.

Always ask your cake decorator for ways to save costs. There are a lot of bakeries and cake decorators that offer "Budget Cakes". Usually they are a generic flavor and very basic decorations. However if you are on a tight budget, it is the way to go. Just remember that if you are on a super tight budget, you may not be able to get the bells and whistles of a grand cake without being willing to increase the budget. In the end, there are so many things to worry about for your wedding that you should never spend all the money on just a wedding cake. Know your budget and just stick within it. No one is going to think any different of a smaller wedding cake out there on that table.

Summer Wedding Cake FAQs Every Bride Should Know

Summer is a popular time for weddings.  The weather is more predictable, the sun is shining and people do not have to worry about interferences of school or holidays.  Though the summer season is a great time for a wedding, when ordering a wedding cake for a summer wedding there are different rules that need to apply.  Though most experienced wedding cake decorators will point these out to you, there are some that simply agree to what the bride wants, without considering the severity of heat, humidity and even the strong sunlight.

Cakes and Outdoor Environments
An outdoor wedding is something many brides dream of.  These can be hosted in romantic gardens, parks or even a backyard.  When considering an outdoor wedding, you need to think of the location of your cake.  Cakes should never be placed in the direct sunlight.  Not only does sunlight fade the colors of your cake, but the heat from direct sunlight can actually raise the internal temperature of your cake to the point it begins to soften and shift.  This is what causes many cakes to sink, crack or even fall over during summer weather.  To avoid this, keep your cake in a shaded area and out of direct sunlight.  If the temperature outside is over 75F, try to not let your cake sit outside longer than three hours with a fondant covering.

Keep your cake in a shaded area when hosting an outdoor wedding.

Buttercream vs. Fondant
Though some wedding cake designers will do buttercream cakes in the summer for outdoor weddings, I highly recommend you avoid buttercream cakes.  Buttercream stays soft at 75F and decorations can fall from the cake and fillings may begin to ooze from the center.   With a fondant cake you will have a little more stability with your cake in the heat.  Fondant does not break down as easily in high temperatures, but the buttercream that adheres the fondant can still begin to shift from underneath.  If your cake will be outdoors, have your wedding cake decorator use a coating of piping gel to adhere the fondant versus buttercream.  This will keep your fondant stuck to your cake.

Buttercream cakes should not be left out in the heat or direct sunlight for more than two hours when the temperature is above 75F.

Perishable Fillings
Fillings become an important factor with summer wedding cakes.  A cake should never be filled with custards, creams, or cream cheese fillings.  When a cake will be in high temperatures for over two hours these fillings can easily spoil and cause food poisoning.  A cake can, however, be filled with fresh fruits, fruit preserves and buttercreams that have been stabilized.

Selecting the Right Cake for the Season: Winter

Winter time is the perfect time to get married!  The air is crisp, the snow is on the ground, and the aura of holidays and love seem to be all over.  What better time than to add a blessed anniversary into it all?  If you are adding your anniversary date between the months of December to end of February, then you need to pick a cake that matches the season -- the winter season.

The Cake Flavor

When it comes to your winter wedding cake, you want to have flavors flavors that speak to the season.  You want people to eat it and just think of winter.  So what cakes taste like winter?  Well besides the obvious of peppermint or gingerbread, flavors such as rich spice cakes paired with caramel buttercreams, orange chocolate cakes with dark chocolate filling and white cake with cranberry buttercream are also perfect reflections of the winter season.

The Cake Color

Nothing says "winter" better than soothing palettes of whites, icy blues, deep reds, rich golds, shining silvers or even rustic greens with brown accents.  Try an ivory cake with red accents or a simple icy blue cake with white snowflakes.  Go even further with a white cake accented by gold or silver and draped in red berries and green holly leaves.  Be bold with the winter colors and use whites and ivories to accent.

The Cake Flowers

Often brides like to see the look of fresh flowers on their wedding cakes.  For winter you want to use a mixture of non-floral and floral items to get the right effect.  When it comes to actual floral items try deep red roses, poinsettias, and even holly berries and leaves.  When it comes to non-floral items try using things like pine cones or snowflakes (real or fake).  Try ordering sugar flowers sugar flowers for your cake rather than real ones to prevent anything from spoiling.

The Cake Decor

The way you decorate your cake will determine everything.  Though it can be easy to go overboard with the "winter" theme, try to keep it simple and elegant and refrain from carving your wedding cake into a snowman.  Here are a few examples:

A classic ivory color with fondant draping and sugar flowers is the perfect winter wedding cake

A very simple white cake with subtle bling snowflakes is also a good winter pairing

A very simple combination of icy blue and pine cones brings this cake into the winter season, but still keeping it elegant.

The Cake Table

Often wedding cakes are placed under the wrong lighting and on the wrong table; which can break the overall feel of your wedding cake.  Ask your designer how to set up your cake properly so that the lighting and table are the right fit.  Try using an elevated cake table and place your cake on a taller gold or silver cake stand as well.  Be sure that the table is no more than 6-10 inches in diameter larger than your cake as well.

Remember that winter is whimsical, icy and almost magical in feel.  Remember how you feel during the winter season and use that to design your overall wedding.  Ask your wedding cake designer for their advice on how to create the best winter wedding cake.