Decoration
Most brides opt for roses on their wedding
cake. In truth, roses can be time consuming to make, therefore more expensive. A rose usually consists of about
20 petals, each made seperately. A Calla lily, on the other hand, is only one "petal" and a centre which makes them quicker
and therefore cheaper to make.
Don't think that because a flower is expensive
in a florist it will be expensive in sugar, this is very often not the case.
You can reduce the number of flowers on your wedding
cake if you are having a very strong colour, red for instance. Foliage can also give the arrangement a "fuller" effect and
will be cheaper than lots of flowers. If you need to keep within budget, I can advise you on ways to make your wedding cake
look stunning without lots of sugarflowers.
More for
your money
I recently
made the wedding cake for my sisters wedding. Altogether she had 12 cakes, 3 tiered wedding cake and each table had a 10"
version. It was eaten as dessert with fresh cream. It saved her a fortune. Not only did she only need to have 2 courses for
her meal, the cake doubles as a centrepiece (they had candles which were lit).
There were 5 women on each table and I made 5 small
sprays of lilac roses which she used as favours (she had small boxes they could be put into). I made a different flavour cake
for each table, chocolate, coconut cream, butterscotch etc and everyone had great fun trying the different cakes.
Square versus Round
A square wedding cake is roughly 25% bigger
than a round cake so be prepared to pay more if that's what you want. They also take more decoration which will push the price
up. Even the boards are more expensive. Stick to a round design if you need to watch your budget.
Fruit or Sponge?
There will obviously be a difference
in the price. The marzipan alone on a large fruit cake is quite expensive so why not have a "milder" covering of half
marzipan and half icing? A lot of people don't like the marzipan anyway and this mix is not such a strong flavouring.
Fruit wedding cake can be more economical because
it gives about twice the serving as a sponge cake.
A bigger cake?
If your budget wont stretch to a large wedding cake, increase the gap
between the tiers to give the cake more height. A tall cake always looks more impressive.
Alternatively, choose a design where the wedding cake is "spread out" . Lay
ivy on the table to give a "fuller" look.
The Cake Table
I made a fairy castle wedding cake which was quite small. I placed a box
under the table cloth then covered the table with white netting (the type that is used to make petticoats) This gave the impression
that the wedding cake was sitting on a cloud. The whole display cost less than £10.
Spend time thinking about your table, a beautiful table will enhance the simplest
Wedding Cakes. I have made stunning wedding cakes only to arrive at the venue to find a rickety table with a cloth that is too small
and wobbly legs. Insist that your venue give you the best table they have (with a decent cloth) or ask Aunty Doris
if you can borrow her antique side table!!
Ask your florist to decorate the cake table but if your budget wont stretch to this,
look around you. I take my dogs to the local woods and am amazed at the fabulous greenery on offer. Ruscus, ivy, ferns,
all free (within reason) . I have actually been in the woods and seen a local florist picking ivy which she no doubt charged
for.
Beautiful, fresh ivy draped around the wedding cake table looks fabulous.
Ask your cake maker if she (or he) would dress the table for you. Most wedding cake
decorators should oblige. We all like to leave our cakes in the best possible setting. I don't want one of my wedding cakes
looking forlorn and desolate and will dress the table for no extra charge.
Shop around for cake toppers. There is a huge difference in price for a simple bride
and groom. Or be inventive. I saw a wedding cake once with 2 gold painted pears on the top! The effect was fantastc.
See my Cake Seperators page for ideas
