It’s no secret that wedding cake can come with a pretty hefty price tag. For some couples, the wedding cake might be the budget splurge. For others, saving money on a wedding cake would be ideal. Going budget-friendly on the wedding cake does not mean you have to skip out on the decorated cake of your dreams, or even the traditional cake cutting ceremony. When it comes to saving money, you can have your cake and eat it too!
What happens after you cut the cake? Typically your venue staff, wait staff or whoever is designated to help guests throughout the reception, take the cake away to the kitchen or prep area and cut the rest of it into pieces for guests. Once it’s served, depending on how you decorated your cake, guests will have no idea where their piece came from on the actualy cake. So whoever said it had to come from the cake you physically cut?
Serving sheet cake at weddings is not unheard of, and definitely not uncommon. If a four tier cake would be required to feed all of your guests, but a two tier cake is more in line with your budget, go for the two tier cake, decorated the way you want, and serve sheet cake to cover the difference. It’s all the same once it’s cut up into pieces, and guests are more focused on eating something delicious than on what it actually looks like. Have the same bakery or cake artist that is making your cutting cake make your sheet cake as well, that way everyone is getting the same taste and consistency.
It’s totally okay if people know you have two cakes, there’s no shame in saving. In fact, if you are looking to lower your cost even further, supplement your cutting cake with a grocery store or big box store sheet cake for an even better deal. There is more importance on there being enough cake for everyone than there is on everyone getting a piece of the same cake.
Cutting your cake not a priority? Opt for a fake cake. Rent an entirely fake cake (ask your venue if they have one on hand) and use that as a display or for photos, then serve serve sheet cake, cupcakes or another dessert to everyone. If you look hard enough on the internet, there are places that create fake cakes with one cuttable piece for the sake of tradition. Be careful though, these require a lot of work and therefore can come with a higher price tag.
Remember, no one ever said that a you had to serve cake, or even dessert. It’s your wedding, and while cake is delicious, no cake is worth going over your wedding budget for.
Want to cut cake costs altogether? Offer these alternative desserts. What will you be serving at your wedding?
