A cake is one of the wedding essentials, but it can also be a hefty addition to your budget, especially if you have a large number of guests. As with many aspects of your wedding, there are simple ways of sticking to your budget without scrimping on style.
- Serve your wedding cake for pudding. That way you don't need to pay for pudding AND a cake. Chocolate cake works perfectly, especially when served with fruit coulis, ice cream or hot toffee sauce.
- Much of the cost of a cake is in the decoration. Have a small, decorated cake, and buy plain, iced cutting cakes. Guests can be served the cutting cake and they'll never know the difference!
- People generally eat a smaller piece of fruit cake than they would sponge as it's more filling. So generally speaking, fruit cake will feed more guests and is a less expensive option.
- Square cakes cut perfectly in to portions, unlike round cakes where there is always some waste. This makes square cakes more economical as well as being super stylish.
- Take a ‘less is more' approach to cake decoration. Simple fresh flowers can look great and are also likely to be a lot less expensive than ornate, time-consuming sugarcraft.
- Create your own. Making your own cake is an option, although it's not for everybody. As an alternative, buy iced celebration cakes from a major supermarket and have a go at decorating them yourself but be sure to have a couple of practice runs.
Photo Martin Brigdale
