Posts Tagged ‘wedding cake pricing’

Funny Wedding Cake Toppers

October 10, 2009

You’ve done it! You’re married and it’s time to let your hair down and for you, your family and friends to really enjoy your special moment at the reception. As your guests come into the reception room one of the first things that they will see will be your fabulous wedding cake and what better way can there be to kick things off than to have one of the numerous funny wedding cake toppers available to raise a laugh and get your guests talking.whitebeautycake

For many years the traditional wedding cake has been a round three tiered white cake decorated with white or pastel colored flowers and often topped with a model representing the bride and groom, or perhaps with a pair of doves or horseshoes. But things are changing.

Nowadays it’s perfectly acceptable to depart from the customary wedding cake and to choose just about anything you like, so let your imagination go and create the cake that you want – after all it is your special day.

If you fancy a chocolate cake then why not have a chocolate cake? Similarly if your real passion is a pecan cake then that’s fine too. The only thing you really have to remember is that you will be serving your cake to your guests and so you will need to be keep it to something that everybody is going to like and need to aware of some of the more common dietary problems that we see today. A pecan cake, for example, might not be quite such a good idea bearing in mind the number of people who suffer from nut allergies these days!

How about a triangular cake, a square cake or even an octagonal cake? Wedding cakes nowadays do not have to be round and they don’t have to have three tiers either so you can pick any shape that takes your fancy. You should remember though that the cake will be a focal point of the reception and you will almost certainly want to retain the tradition of cutting the cake in front of your guests, so giving the cake some height so that it can be seen easily from all corners of the reception room is a good idea.

And what about color? Here again you can let your imagination run riot and choose just about any color under the rainbow. Granted a black cake is probably not going to look too attractive, but stunning effects can be produced in a wide range of colors. I’ve even seen one magnificent cake in purple which is a color that I would never have thought of for a cake!

Whatever you choose by way of flavor, color and shape for your cake one central feature of the cake will be its decoration and, in particular, the decoration on the top of the cake on which all eyes will focus.

Nowadays a whole industry has grown up producing nothing but wedding cake toppers and they come in all shapes and sizes and range from cheap plastic models to quite exquisite works of art often created in crystal or using semi-precious and precious stones. Toppers can also be purchased, or made, to fit with any theme you can imagine and one great idea is to look at your own personality and lifestyle and then to depict yourselves in a hilarious pose. Funny wedding cake toppers will certainly get your guests talking and can easily be chosen to make your cake not simply a work of art but a very personal statement.

9 Tips For Buying Your Dream Wedding Cake!

October 7, 2009

Some Tips When Buying Wedding Cakes

When you want to knock their socks off; when you want them to stand up and cheer; when nothing but the best will do because it is your wedding day; that is when you serve a spectacular wedding cake.ttwc2

Do not let the vision of confetti, the crash of cymbals, or the fanfare of trumpets deter you from attempting to come up with such remarkable wedding cakes.

Generally, wedding cakes are is the conventional cake being dished up to the guests at the breakfast after the wedding. It is characterized as a huge cake, different from the usual cakes we have on ordinary occasions. In most cases, wedding cakes are layered or multi-layered and are heftily decorated with icing, beads, and other embellishments that would reflect the grandiose of the event. On the top is a small image of a bride and groom.

Wedding cakes can go from the simplest to the most complex decorations; each has its own artistic distinctions depending on the creative juices of the baker. They should conform to the main purpose of the cake, that whatever embellishments it possess, it can still be edible and can be eaten.

Because the wedding cake is such an important part in the wedding celebration, here are some tips you need to know in case you will be buying a wedding cake in the future.

1. Check on the length of time required for you in ordering your wedding cake.

Time is such an important factor when making wedding plans. Of course, you would not want your wedding be hurriedly done or rushed. Because the wedding cake is a part of the wedding plan, it is important to devote an appropriate time in ordering wedding cakes.

It is best to ask your favorite bakeshop on the time frame that they usually give with regards to wedding cake so that you can make early orders if it will take such a long time to create your wedding cake. In this way, you will not be in a hurry coming up with a wedding cake to be served on your wedding day.

2. Verify the details of the cake and its cost.

A lot of couples are so fascinated with the luscious treats that go with their wedding cake. What they do not know is that each embellishment and every twists and turns embedded in the cake has a price.

Therefore, it would be better to clear it out with your baker how much will be the cost of every decoration are added features you wish to add on your wedding cake.

3. Tell your baker about the details of your wedding.

In today’s modern world, weddings are not just done in the church. A lot of ideas had come up in terms of wedding venues. Therefore, if ever you have any plans of having your wedding by the beach or anywhere else where it is open, it would be better to inform your baker about this.

In most cases, icings are vulnerable to environmental hazards. So, if the baker knows that your wedding will be a garden wedding or a wedding by the beach, he could make such arrangements with your cake in order to endure the environmental conditions where it will be placed.

4. In a budget? Why not decorate your own wedding cake.

It is not so uncommon nowadays to find somebody decorating his or her own wedding cake. In fact, it is a feasible idea especially to those who have a very tight budget.

All you have to do is to order a plain wedding cake and buy the decorations from the retail stores.

5. Choose the right bakeshop

If you have an idea on where the best bakery is in your city, then head to that place immediately. You can ask suggestions from your friends or family members also. Get a reservation at once. Do not procrastinate. The availability of cake decorators might be restricted. Be sure to drop by the bakeshop to talk about the designs, flavors and other things you wanted to add to your cake. Be sure to give a detailed description of exactly what you want your cake to be. Give the vendor ample time to prepare, approximately six months ahead of your big day would do. You may need to pay a deposit fee for reservation.

6. The right taste

Aside from the look of the cake, keep in mind that cakes are made primarily for eating. They should taste good as well as they look good. The texture and flavor of the cake itself is important. When scouting for a bakeshop, don’t hesitate to ask for cake samples of the flavors you want. If they do not allow this, jump to the next store.

7. Check on your budget

Wedding cakes ranges from $300 to $1000 or so. Cost primarily depends on the cake design you want. You have to pay for the cake decorator’s fee on top of the cost of the cake itself. Know what your budget is ahead of time. Some shops may give you free delivery too. Most bakeshop has a standard number of servings for each cake type. Know how many guests would attend your wedding so you would know more or less how much money you would allocate for the cake.

8. Flowers as decorations

Flowers have been a traditional thing on weddings. You can well put them in cakes too. You can either choose from fresh flowers or artificial ones. Fresh flowers are beautiful addition to your cakes. But it is very important that you choose fresh flowers wisely. Be sure that they are free from chemicals. Just to be on the safe side, sugar flowers are safer. These are edible gum paste decorations that have wire or toothpicks on them.

9. Where to place the cake

Most cakes, especially on summer, might end up melted under the heat of the sun. They can also cause flowers and flavored curls to dry up. Not to mention the possibility of flies gathering on your priced cake. Just be sure, always have a back up site where you can store your cakes to preserve its look and taste. Never place your wedding cake near the dance floor or where there is a heavy flow of traffic. You might just see your cake fall down. That’s not a good sight at all! Be sure to check the sturdiness of the table you would place your cake.

Buying wedding cakes can be fun and hassle-free. Remember that your wedding cakes needs to be presentable, most of the photo opts are done beside the cake. It’s always nice to give out that bright smile beside you’re well decorated cake that brings out your personal statement.

So, set aside some special decisive moment when it comes to your wedding cake because there would be no better way to glamorize your wedding than to have a perfectly made wedding cake.

Wedding Cake Prices

October 6, 2009

The wedding cake is a big part of the reception, let alone the wedding itself. That said, it’s always a good idea to know where you stand by finding out the average wedding cake prices and what you’ll be expected to pay.cake007

First and foremost, you should realize that most bakeries charge per “slice” rather than per “cake. This system will allow you to easily determine how much the whole cake is going to cost, not to mention how much money you can spare for custom designs and cake icing.

Here is a Rundown of Wedding Cake Prices:

Simple Cake: A simply made cake with just a few decorations, cheap icing, and a basic design will cost about 1 to 2 dollars per slice. If it’s a small wedding with only about 100 or so people, you can spend about $250 to $300 and get a elegant cake that’ll please everyone.

Not-So-Simple Cake: A wedding cake that has multiple tiers, better icing, a nice design, and beautiful decorations will run about $4-7 per slice. If the guest list is long, the total cost will climb quite quickly: $5 per slice multiplied by 500 equals a massive $2500.

Complicated Cake: A 3 or 4 tier cake with the works — tasty icing which won’t bleed, elegant designs, fabulous decorations, etc. — can cost anywhere from $8-12 PER slice. If you’re on a budget, then this is pretty much out of the question. Then again, if it’s a wedding of only about 50 people, you can spend $10 per slice ($500 total) and really dazzle your guests.

3 Easy Ways to Get Lower Wedding Cake Prices

1. Sacrifice some of the fancy-schmancy designs & decorations to get a lower cost per slice.

2. Choose a cheap, easy-to-manage icing like butter cream rather than fondant.

3. Use an online step-by-step guide to bake & design the cake yourself. Rather than paying dollars per slice with a private bakery, you’ll pay just PENNIES!

Now you know exactly what to expect, as well as how to save, when it comes to wedding cakes & wedding cake prices.

Guide to Wedding Cake Frosting

October 5, 2009

Next to the bridal gown, the wedding cake is perhaps the most detail intensive element of planning your event. It will take days if not weeks before the future bride can choose the exact design and color of her cake. On top of this, it may take her forever to decide the cake frosting to be used by her baker.tiered18

This is the reason why you need to get a reputable baker so they can make intelligent suggestions as to which frosting would be best for the chosen cake design. You may know a thing or two about cakes but only those who have experienced in decorating them can tell you the pros and cons of using a specific frosting. Here are some of the types of cake frosting commonly used today.

Butter cream

Butter cream is a very versatile ingredient because it can be used both as a filling and a frosting. Bakers prefer this frosting because it is easy to color depending on the motif of the wedding. It is also easy to come up with various designs using this frosting. The only problem is that it can easily melt especially if the temperature is not controlled so watch out for butter cream if you are holding an outdoor reception.

Fondant

If you have seen satin smooth cakes that look perfect even if shaped like a gift, flower or anything at all then most probably it has been designed using fondant. Fondant icing is picture perfect and no one can argue with that. However, it does not taste as delicious as the other icing and some would even say it tastes bad. Some bakers however have a trick of using butter cream beneath the fondant to give it a really nice flavor.

Marzipan

This is a favorite among bakers as it tastes good and can be made to look like fondant icing. Marzipan contains sugar, eggs and crushed almonds making it a very tasty topping. However, using marzipan can be very expensive so be prepared for your wallet to take a hit.

Royal icing

This is perhaps the cheapest frosting anyone can use for a wedding cake. It can also produce picture perfect cakes with very intricate designs. Royal icing is actually a very hard frosting so there is seldom need to refrigerate it. You can have your baker create miniature cakes for you using some of the frosting you are interested in and then you can taste them and decide which one will look and taste the best.

Scrumptious Seaside Wedding Cakes

October 2, 2009

Whether you are having a wedding by the ocean or just love the water, there are all sorts of fantastic ideas for seaside themed wedding cakes. From classic to whimsical to nautical, there is a cake available to suit any style of wedding. These are some ideas for scrumptious seaside cakes for your wedding.1008-beth-alt-wedding-cake

One of the best motifs to use on a seaside cake is a seashell. Shells can be done in all sorts of ways. If you want an understated hint of oceana for your cake, think about a white on white seashell design. An elegant variation on this is blush pink shells tinged with gold edges. The most formal arrangement is to have the shells evenly spaced on each tier of the cake; if your style is a bit more modern, opt to have a variety of sugar shells cascading down the side of your cake.

An accent that works really well with shells is pearls. Especially if the bride is wearing a set of pearl bridal jewelry, it would be a fun touch to have a frosting oyster open to reveal a “pearl” as part of the cake design. You can also run with the theme by having strands of sugar pearl bridal jewelry wrapped around the base of each cake tier.

There are many other wonderful motifs for a Seaside Wedding Cake. Fish and coral are great design elements that can easily add lots of beautiful colors to your cake. Imagine a cake iced with fondant “waves” in a watercolor effect with a school of bright red fish swimming around the circumference. Top it off with red faux coral sculpted into your initial. Or you can use line drawings in the shape of a fish in multiple colors across a smooth white fondant cake for a fresh and whimsical take on a tropical cake.

Consider other seafaring creatures to use as part of your cake design. I personally have always loved a seahorse motif, which would be enchanting dancing around a wedding cake. You can also think about a pattern of frolicking dolphins for a seaside cake; a preppy bride could even go with the classic green whale silhouette on a bright pink cake for a touch of the 1980s at her reception.

Any shade of blue looks great for a seaside inspired cake. Turquoise and aqua are great for painting ocean waves. Navy blue looks crisp and formal with white anchor or shell decorations. The pretty blue of the sky on a summer’s day is another wonderful option. For a soothing palette, mix in medium greens, or go high contrast with pops of red or orange.

Don’t forget about the groom’s cake; this can be the perfect place to carry out a seaside theme. If the groom is a passionate sailor, ask the baker to create a cake that replicates his sailboat. Another fun groom’s cake would be a large sea turtle in beautiful shades of green. A cute idea for an intricate groom’s cake is a scene with a sailor (the groom) and a mermaid (the bride).

The ocean offers so many great ideas for your cake design that you may find it hard to narrow it down to just one. Whether you want a wedding cake that is timeless or outrageous, there is a seaside motif that will be perfect for you.

Your Wedding Cake Topper Should Be a Reflection of You

September 29, 2009

Your wedding should be uniquely you. You will choose your wedding dress, the time of year and the theme of your wedding. There is absolutely no need to have a “Traditional” wedding if that is not what you want. Your wedding can take place on the beach in your bathing suit if that’s what you choose. Likewise, the Wedding Cake Topper can be a very “Personal” addition to your wedding cake. It can be a reflection of your life in either a serious or comical way. It’s entirely up to you what you choose, after all, it is Your Wedding.intro

You have certainly seen the traditional wedding cakes with the stern and solemn husband-and-wife-to-be standing on the top layer. The bride always wore white and the groom was dressed in a black tuxedo. Surely, unless you really look like “Barbie and Ken”, this traditional wedding cake topper is not a reflection of you and your partner to be. You are no longer forced to conform to this stereotypical wedding couple.

The Wedding Cake Topper of today is a welcome break from tradition and if you wish, you can have your life or passion truly reflected for your reception guests to see.

Probably the most significant modern change that has occurred in wedding cake toppers is the wide variety of options available to reflect the culture and ethnicity of the couple. You no longer have to have a Caucasian Wedding Cake Top if you are Asian. There are Hispanic, African-American, Jewish and even Interracial wedding cake toppers. Yes, you can choose two girls or two guys if that’s what you’re looking for. Pretty much the sky’s the limit.

Do you have a special interest or hobby that you are passionate about? Then if you choose, you can have that reflected as the center piece of your reception. I have seen Golfer Bride and Groom Wedding Cake toppers, Hunting Couples, Scuba Bride and Groom, Snowboarder, Motorcycle, Hockey and so many more unique wedding cake tops, that only your imagination is needed. Many suppliers will take special requests.

You can also elect to go with a comical wedding cake topper. There are selections such as the Runaway Bride, Ball and Chain, Cold Feet Groom and even a Frankenstein Bride and Groom cake top. Pretty much anything and everything is possible if you search for it. Maybe something along the Beauty and the Geek motif would be appropriate? These types of wedding cake toppers are great conversation pieces at the reception and tend to show that the couple can laugh at themselves and not take life so seriously.

Are you an animal lover? Have you always pictured yourself as a bunny? Does your significant other refer to you as his little Panda Bear? Well if that’s the sentiment you want to project, then you are in luck. There are many animal related wedding cake toppers available. There are kittens and puppies, love birds and lady bug cake toppers. There are also others available, that I wouldn’t have as my wedding cake topper like pigs, elephants and even skunks, but to each his own.

Anyway, the point is that today, wedding cake toppers can be as elegant as a monogram in crystal, if you are trying for an elegant formal wedding, or as personal, special and unique as your creativity and imagination can take you. Spend a little extra time choosing your wedding cake top and show your guests the true you!

Selecting and Buying Your Wedding Cake

September 29, 2009

One of the most crucial and important parts of planning one’s wedding is finding the best wedding cake. If your idea of a wedding is pleasing your guests, as well as cakeyourselves, then a wonderful cake is one of the aspects of a wedding that guests remember.

Finding the perfect wedding cake is a task that should be given adequate time and attention. There are many cake decorators available in the industry which offer a variety of offerings that anyone can choose from. Buyers can go directly to their shops and browse through their catalogs to find the one that they want. If the catalog does not contain a preferred choice, you can even ask for a personalized one with their own design and preferences.

In order to get the best value though, you must first know your budget limitation or how much of the wedding expenses are allotted to the cake itself. The budget would determine what kind can be available for you to choose from. Prices vary depending on their ingredients particularly what kind of base it would be decided upon. The icing also varies from one to another.

Knowing this information before consulting providers would save an individual a good amount of time and money as well. With these preferences ready, wedding cake decorators would already have an idea which to offer an individual client. However, this does not mean that what a buyer wants would always be the final product. Buyers should be open with suggestions from the makers and decorators since they know the issues better than anyone else! They would be in the right position to determine whether what a buyer wants is feasible, practical and pleasing.

How To Choose the Perfect Wedding Cake

September 29, 2009

With that in mind there is enormous pressure on the couple to have the perfect cake. No one will remember anything about the food served at the reception after five years, but chances are if the cake was not picture perfect or it did not taste fantastic, it will still be talked about at your twenty fifth wedding celebration!

Factors to Consider

home_photo_bridegroomTaste

The taste of your wedding cake is to a certain extent a matter of personal choice, in the sense you may take into account the groom loves chocolate and the bride is allergic to strawberries. It is not rocket science to come to the conclusion that a strawberry topped cake is not the best choice. However other practicalities must enter the equation.

Weather and time is an important factor. How long before the wedding will be the cake be completed, strawberries go soft and mushy looking very quickly, they will look pretty bedraggled after about three hours depending on the weather and the humidity. Humidity affects the choice of icing, glaze or frosting. Whipped cream does not hold up well in hot weather it goes rancid very quickly.

The European wedding cake made with fruit is typically decorated with Royal Icing, but the more typical American wedding cake will use a type of butter-cream. Fortunately as prevailing weather conditions are different there are many types of butter cream icing. If you are planning to marry in the height of Summer a recipe using all butter is not a good choice, the properties of all butter, butter cream icing is no different from that of butter, it melts when it is warm. However if you have your heart set on butter cream icing then make sure that you have a recipe where the sugar is cooked to the soft ball stage.
Italian butter cream is someti8mes referred to as meringue butter cream, as it is more stable in hot conditions. Egg whites are whipped to peaks and then combined with hot sugar syrup; once this has cooled butter is added withy any desired flavourings. This example of a type of butter cream is softer and lighter than the regular butter cream and is used in Europe for genoise sponges.

Design

Choosing a wedding cake should be fun; it is a perfect opportunity to make a statement, it is your party and you can have what you want. However there are once again practical constraints. In Europe a layer of the wedding cake is traditionally held back for the christening. If you like this idea then you have to choose at least one layer of your cake to be a fruitcake, as it preserves well, drenched in brandy.

Theme

If you have a theme, talk to a baker, there are many props that can change the basic design of a cake. Use your imagination flavourings can add color as well as flavor, avocado icing or filling is a wonderful delicate color. A well-designed cake will enhance your theme and bring the whole concept of the design together as the celebrations culminate with the cake.

Don’t be Boring

The typical American sponge is not your only option, before making a final choice; think out of the box, if only to dream! Consider cupcakes building them to a pyramid, or the traditional French wedding cake the croquembouche, an iconic creation of choux pastry bound by carmellized spun sugar, and violets. Make the cake worrk for you, if you have a lot of children coming to the wedding it may be worth having two cakes as adult and children’s tastes are markedly different. The tradional Italian wedding cake, celebrates all tastes as ti is layers of biscuits or cookies inerwoven together.

Freezing Your Wedding Cake

If you need to freeze a wedding cake it is an excellent idea to make a dummy layer, before hand, it should be decorated exactly as your wedding cake will be. If it freezes successfully then you have no problems, but if it does not then you can make design adjustments. It is not necessary to have baked and iced more than one layer, because what happens to one layer will happen to the rest.

Wedding Cake Designs

September 29, 2009

Ad_Preview_Main_179200816235797The phrase wedding cake conjures up an image of a three-layered white cake with plastic figurines of the bride and groom perched on top. But that is now passé. Wedding cakes are going through a fashion makeover and new styles and designs are in vogue. With the help of a talented cake designer, there is no limit to how unique wedding cakes can be.

These days, flowers intertwined with a delicate icing are very popular. If you have a favorite flower, it can be used as the main focus of the cake’s design. You may want the flowers of your bridesmaids duplicated on the cake or the flowers in your bridal bouquet. Any talented cake designer should be able to create a beautiful cake with this design in mind. Just make sure you bring along samples of your flowers when you meet with the baker.

The color scheme of your wedding can also be incorporated into a wedding cake. You can even request that a designer try to emulate the design and style of your wedding gown into your cake. Depending on the season, your cake designer can whip up fabulous wedding cakes with snowflakes and icicles for winter, chrysanthemums, and autumn colored leaves for fall, daisies and raindrops for spring and tulips and roses for summer. Thinking in terms of fun and creativity will help achieve unique and wonderful results.

Whatever type of cake you desire, discuss your thoughts with several cake designers to ensure that what you want is what you get. If you’re not sure, let the designer give you ideas. Guaranteed they will have many wonderful suggestions.

Crystal Wedding Cake Topper

September 29, 2009

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but crystal is certainly the next best thing!

wedding cakeIncorporating crystal elements into your wedding is a quick way to create a magical and elegant atmosphere. The way the light in the room will reflect on the etchings will make for a stunning array of sparkles. You may have crystal vases on your tables, crystal details on your gown or a crystal tiara, continue with the theme, and top your wedding cake with a gorgeous crystal topper. Everything and everyone gets dressed up for a wedding, why shouldn’t your cake?

Your crystal cake topper doesn’t have to be clear, look for a crystal cake topper to match your wedding colors. You may want to top your wedding cake with a red crystal heart. Classic clear crystal is always a good choice, but with all the styles and varieties out there, you are not limited. Make sure to get your crystal topper in advance so you can show it to your cake decorator. Crystal can be quite weighty and your baker will need to make plans for the cake to accommodate it.

Swarovski crystal is famed for their crystal figurines and encrusting jewelry and gowns. This crystal will also make a wonderful keepsake to display in a china cabinet or on a formal coffee table as a memory of wedding and gorgeous cake. Swarovski is, of course, not the only manufacturer of crystal. You can search the Internet for other brands and for something really unique to suit your day.