What You Need to Know About the Wedding Cake Box

This might sound like such a simple thing, but the wedding cake box is more complex than you could ever imagine. Wedding cakes come in so many different shapes and sizes that the cake box becomes more important than anybody would think. The cake has to be stored, transported, presented, and even cut before it is distributed. There are even cake slice favor boxes that you can use to give your wedding party a personalized favor. If you intend to freeze some of the cake for your memories then you will be considering a keepsake wedding cake box so that you will still have a great fresh taste for your first anniversary snack. This is why the wedding cake box is such a serious issue.

Different type Of cake Boxes

If you want to add special touches for all your wedding guests and for the wedding party as well, then you need the right cake boxes. Picking the perfect cake is step one, but don’t forget about picking the perfect cake box as well. Before you go out and make a decision on a box you need to know what is available.

Traditional decorative cake boxes – This type of box is the perfect box for storage and transportation of your cake. The last thing you want to happen is to find out that on the day of your wedding something horrible has happened to your cake. These boxes are made specifically for the cake that you choose and will protect the cake while it is stored and while it is transported from one place to another.

Memories box – This is also known as a top freeze storage box and it is perfect for the preservation of your first anniversary cake. These are specially made boxes that are used to preserve the freshness and taste of your wedding cake while it is frozen. You will not have to worry about freezer burn with these boxes.

Personalized cake boxes – If you are looking for a great way to say thank you to your guests and your wedding party, then you need these personalized boxes. These are boxes that are used for your guests and wedding party to take a slice of cake with them and you can have it personalized for each guest or member of your wedding party.

So now you know that choosing a wedding cake box is very important and there are different types of boxes for different reasons. You need to make sure you are getting what you want and that you get the correct boxes for all the different reasons that you might need wedding cake boxes for.

Wedding Cake Costs

One of the highlights of any wedding is the impressive and delicious wedding cake. Wedding cake costs can be a bit of a shock, but they have a wide range.

Your wedding cake will be one of the first things people look at as they enter your reception site. There will be pictures of it, and you may even recreate it for anniversaries to come. The centerpiece of your wedding can be costly, yet is extremely important. There are several ways to get a wedding cake on a budget, and even more ways to go all out. Wedding cake costs vary, but you can have the perfect cake on any budget!

If your budget is tight, go for a do it yourself attitude. Before your big day, take several cake decorating classes. The cost is small compared to the hourly cost you will pay for the manual labor of someone else decorating your cake! Buy a few different size pans, depending on the size and shape you want your cake to be. Bake your own cakes from scratch or from a mix the day before the wedding. Enlist the help of friends and family in decorating your cake. For that smooth wedding cake look, buy pre-made fondant at your local craft store or bakery. Fresh or silk flowers will also add a cheap yet elegant look to your wedding cake on a budget. For a low cost, your cake will often taste better than a professionally designed one!

If budget is no matter for you, your options are endless. There are cakes that range anywhere from $8 per serving to over $30 per serving. This cost often includes a tasting and design session for you and your family. This ensures that you will pick the perfect selection for your tastebuds. If you are having your reception at a hotel, their restaurants will oftentimes have a wide selection of gourmet wedding cakes to choose from. For a truly unique cake, contact local bakeries. Almost every large city around the country will have one or two renowned bakeries, famous for their wedding cakes. Before you go to your tasting and design appointment, be sure you know exactly what you are looking for. Many custom bakeries are just that- custom. This means that they will not have a book of cakes for you to look through and choose from. You will come up with your own creative design.

If you are on a moderate budget and can afford to spend some amount on your cake, there are viable options for you, too. Bakeries that mass produce cakes can often make your beautiful wedding cake at a fraction of the cost that custom bakeries will charge you. Give the bakery plenty of notice to avoid any expediting fees. Instead of having the baker decorate the cake by hand, supple them with fresh or silk flowers to adorn the cake. Since cake decorating is often charged for by the hour, placing flowers will take only minutes. This can have a dramatic impact on wedding cake cost.

No matter if you are on a budget or money is no option, you can have a beautiful wedding cake. Plan ahead to make the most of your money and you will end up with a cake fit for a princess!

Alternative Wedding Cake Ideas

So you’re looking to have a wedding cake that’s a little bit different. People choose to opt for alternative style wedding cakes for many reasons whether it’s because they want to make a statement or simply because they are just not big cake fans.

So what is the alternative to the traditional tiered wedding cake?

If you are not a cake lover there is always the cheese wedding cake. This is where several different types and sizes of chesses are stacked on top of each other to represent the tiered wedding cake. It is often decorated with grapes and fruits in much the same way you would decorate a traditional wedding cake with flowers. The great thing about this wedding cake is you are able to add the final cheese course onto your menu. After the bride and groom have ceremoniously cut it of course!

Chocolate fountains have become increasingly popular wedding cake substitutes. Not only do you get that sweet desert style course you also provide a great source of entertainment for your guests. Many brides who opt for a chocolate fountain wedding cake worry about not getting that classic photo of the bride and groom cutting the cake. Don’t worry, liase with your chocolate fountain supplier before hand and you can have a ceremonial switch on. Think of all those wonderful photos of the bride and groom’s faces as the chocolate starts to cascade down the fountain.

Individual cupcakes and individual boxed cake slices are also proving a popular alternative to the traditional wedding cake. When placed on a tiered stand these individual cakes make a stunning spectacle. The individual nature of these cakes makes them ideal for serving. Boxed wedding cake slices are also very easy for people to take home as a memento of the day if they are just too full to eat it at the time. Some couples decide to have a small cake on the top tier just so they are able to have the cutting of the cake ceremony.

You could even consider having a one-off sculptured cake commissioned. This option requires the skills of a highly proficient cake baker or chocolatier. These cakes are often created in the form of funny caricature representations of the bride and groom, definitely only for the couple with a good sense of humour. This is also a good wedding cake choice for people with an alternative wedding theme such as a gothic wedding. A mystic world of dragons and castles can be created by a skilled confectioner.

Ideas For Destination Wedding Cakes

Wedding cakes are one of the most important showpieces of the wedding. You want your cake to be spectacular and to enhance the theme of your wedding. When planning a destination wedding, planning for a customized cake can seem like a big challenge, but there are some great ways to make sure that you have your dream cake.

A beautiful idea for a wedding cake is to decorate it with fresh flowers, and if you are having a wedding in the tropics, there will be some fantastic flowers that you can use. Most tropical flowers are big and show, making them perfect for decorations. Think of blooms like bright pink hibiscus or elegant orchids. The baker at your destination resort will be able to make suggestions about the most spectacular local flowers. Be sure to confirm that all flowers that will be coming into contact with your cake are pesticide-free.

Fresh flowers are great, but some brides are looking for a more thematic design for their cakes. Communicating a very specific design idea can be tricky when you cannot actually sit down with the baker face to face, but there are some things that you can do. If you have a picture of the exact style of cake that you would like, then it is simple enough to email it to the baker at your wedding venue. Do keep in mind that not every baker is able to execute every type of cake to perfection, so it may be wiser to stick to a fairly straightforward design. If you like the idea of a very elaborate and complicated cake, do your research first to make sure that the resort’s baker is up to the challenge. Ask to see pictures of their previous wedding cakes to get a sense of their skill level at decorating a very fancy cake.

There are some great alternatives besides emailing a picture to a baker in a far away land and simply holding your breath. A wonderful idea is to get a wedding cake topper or other decorations that you can bring with you. That way, you will know exactly what you are getting, and will not be leaving your cake design up to chance. This is something that more and more brides are choosing to do.

One of the most popular cake toppers these days is a monogram. You can have one created with either the last initial of the couple’s first name, or have a monogram designed using the first initials of the bride and groom on either side of the initial of their last name. The monogram cake toppers can be created in a number of different materials, but by far the most fabulous is Swarovski crystal. This is the perfect cake topper for the bride who will be wearing beautiful crystal bridal jewelry. Your crystal cake topper will look like bridal jewelry for your dessert – just divine!

Some bakers even make kits that you can bring to add to a cake at a destination wedding. You can get an entire theme in a box that is designed to travel. Little marzipan flowers or other sweet motifs are very sturdy, and can handle a plane ride to wherever you will be getting married. Just be sure to pack them in your carry-on baggage!

Having a destination wedding always involves a few extra logistical challenges, but it is well worth the extra effort. It is great to know that you can take steps to have the perfect wedding cake, even if your baker is not local. With a little advance planning, you can be sure to have a Destination Wedding Cake that is a true centerpiece of the reception.

Buying Wedding Cake Toppers

It has often been said that there are three main ingredients to any wedding. The bride, the groom, and the cake for the wedding – not necessarily in that order. And many would probably agree that the most important part of the wedding cake is the cake topper.

These cake toppers are ornaments or figurines that sit on top of the wedding cake during the wedding ceremony. At the end of the wedding ceremony, the cake toppers are retained by the bride and groom and kept by them as keepsakes and a reminder of their wedding day.

Cake toppers come in many different forms. They can be funny, serious, outlandish, staid – in other words, whatever the couple decides that they like. The important thing is that whichever one you choose should represent your feelings as a couple towards each other.

Some of the more higher priced and popular cake topper providers do not keep much merchandise on their shelves. Instead, they will custom design and create cake toppers for their clientele. Understandably, wedding cake toppers bought from these establishment are normally non-refundable. Keep this fact in mind if you are leaning towards a custom made solution.

But even if you can’t afford a custom made solution or decide that you don’t need or want a fully custom made cake topper, this doesn’t meant that you are limited to settling for “off the shelf” items. Many providers will allow you to buy customized toppers and will also give you a plethora of choices to embellish and customize them with different accessories.

Some of the most unique and beautiful wedding cake toppers are made of hand blown glass. In the hands of a skilled artisan such a topper becomes a unique work or art that has value even if it weren’t set atop a wedding cake. One of the premier artists in this field is Frank J. Horvath who has been creating and refining his craft for over thirty years. You can find his work at various sites on the Internet.

Porcelain is another material that many artist use to create unique works of art. Porcelain designed cake toppers add a touch of elegance to what might ordinarily be considered a simple design. Glazed porcelain is a very popular choice, especially among traditionalists who simply love its beauty. These toppers are considered fine china by many.

As the years pass and cultures change, it becomes more evident each day that there really is no such thing as a “standard” wedding cake topper. Today, even the most mundane and ordinary wedding services provider will be able to offer a slew of custom and unique cake toppers that will make the normal bride very happy.

Wedding cakes have a reputation as being more for show than taste. And, all in all, the wedding cake topper is a “showpiece” for the cake. It’s meant to dramatize and highlight the beginning of a new life for the just married couple and to serve as an indelible memory of this special day in their lives.

Wedding Cake Design Through History

The design of the traditional wedding cake has varied greatly over time. Once a sign of fertility, the wedding cake of the Roman Empire was made of wheat or Barley. The small cake was then broken over the bride’s head, celebrating her fertility.

The design of the wedding cake changed and it became a tradition to pile several small cakes on top of each other. The bride and groom then tried kiss over the top of the cakes without knocking them down. A successful kiss was a good omen, bringing a lifetime of prosperity to the new couple.

The current traditional design of wedding cakes first appeared in the 1660’s. A French Chef visiting London attended a cake piling ceremony. He was shocked at the way the cakes were stacked on top of each other, and how often they fell over, so he created the tiered iced style of wedding cake we know today.

The wedding cake is more than just a desert at your reception. It is a symbol of good fortune and married bliss. Your guests always enjoy admiring the wedding cake and devouring the cake too. Even on a limited budget, you can present a Beautiful Wedding Cake. Low cost options could include buying a stacked cake from your local bakery and dressing it up yourself. Ordering a cake from a pastry class at a culinary school could also be an option. There are also supermarkets and wholesale clubs that may offer bargain priced customized cakes.

Wedding Cakes

A wedding cake is customarily served to guests following the wedding ceremony. It is traditionally large, and comes tiered or multi-layered. The wedding cake is heavily adorned, generally with icing over a coating of marzipan, with the figures of the bride and groom on top. Other commonly used designs include horseshoes(which stand for good luck), gold rings and doves. The ideal wedding cake has to be strong enough to support the decorations; at the same time it has to be fit for consumption.

Customarily, the cake is first cut by the newlyweds together, usually with a knife or, in some cases, even a sword. Then the newlyweds feed a portion of the cake to each other. Guests may then indulge in the cake. An old tradition required the bride to serve the cake to the groom’s family, a symbolic gesture of transferring herself from her family to the groom’s.

The wedding cake’s origins are not easily determined. Today, wedding cakes are generally served at Christian or Western ceremonies. Sweets are used as an alternative in other cultures. Olden Roman records talk of sweets given out during wedding receptions. Another popular Roman practice was to drop the cake on the bride’s head.

A substantially large cake, a requisite during ancient times, took quite a lot of time to make. The high content of sugar can thus be explained. A heavy sugar frosting could stop the cake from being spoiled by moisture. Also, sugar combined with fat would satisfy the consumption of the large number of people liable to be present at the ceremony.

It is noteworthy that King Henry VIII of England actually came up with a law to limit the quantity of sugar on a wedding cake. During World War II, the icing on the wedding cake could not be produced, as sugar was heavily taxed. Thus, there was a marked reduction in the size of the wedding cake. Cakes were generally served in a box adorned with plaster of Paris, to give the illusory feel of a bigger, more conventional cake.

Wedding Cake Prices Increasing Rapidly

If a wedding is in your future then wedding cake prices are of concern to you. It is an important part of the wedding planning. Today’s weddings usually have a grooms cake in addition to the standard cake.

The traditional cake will be chosen by the bride. The groom’s will usually represents his hobbies or interests. This is usually much smaller than the traditional one. Wedding cake prices have increased because of having both of these sweet treats being completely different. The traditional cakes were several layers and usually round with a white icing and flowers of the wedding colors.

With more advances in cake decorating and the addition of fondant, options in cakes is extreme. Have you ever considered decorating the cake yourself? This would allow more control over what you would want. It will also save you a lot of money. If you look at some of the new designs some areas have simplified. It is no longer a standard to have one big cake. You can have several cakes displayed in various ways. This makes it easier to bake many cakes and give varieties and different styles.

Wedding cake prices will vary, depending on how complex and detailed your order is. Learning to decorate your own would also allow the advantage of marketing this talent later. Depending on how you look at the equation, if you are the one making the cake for another wedding, you can look at the wedding cake prices as an advantage. It may open doors to a whole new career.

Wedding Cakes With Nostalgic Charm

Back when your mother and grandmother got married, the wedding cake was not the extravagant showpiece that it is today. Brides back then would have been shocked at the price that some couples pay for today’s over-the-top wedding cakes. Cakes these days have become like competitions; it seems like every bride wants hers to be taller or more elaborate or quirkier than every wedding cake that has come before. If you feel like sometimes simpler can be better, take a look at some ways that you can design a wedding cake with a refreshingly nostalgic charm.

A traditional wedding cake was frosted in white or ivory buttercream. The buttercream icing has a softer and more genuine look than the too-perfect look of perfectly smooth fondant. (I once attended a wedding where one of the young guests insisted that the cake was fake; he could not believe that fondant was edible and not plastic!) The look of buttercream frosting harkens back to the day when the families of the bride and groom did much of the cooking for the wedding celebration. Although I don’t necessarily recommend having your mom try to make your wedding cake, working with buttercream is something that a talented amateur could conceivably do.

Classic wedding cakes were generally round, and could either consist of stacked layers or tiers with risers in between. The risers got a bad name in the 1980s, as they were often really tacky plastic things made to look like fluted columns, or worse yet, bridges spanning from one tier of cake to another adjacent to it. Yet, pedestals can be used to in a good way to add height to a cake and to give it a lighter feeling. One very nice way to use risers without the tacky factor is to partially obscure them with flowers between the layers of the cake.

The decorations on your nostalgic cake are what will really give it a charming simplicity. White on white is best, perhaps with a touch of pale pink if you want a hint of color. Keep the design classic. You cannot go wrong with pretty decorations piped in white frosting. Wonderful choices include garlands, scrolls, and Swiss dots. The pearl is another lovely addition to a vintage inspired cake, as it really ties in with the classic bridal jewelry favored by brides throughout the ages. You can have a simple pearl border piped along the edge of each tier, which looks beautiful when the bride is wearing pearl bridal jewelry.

Another nice choice for cake decorations would be fresh flowers. They can be arranged in small clusters on the base of each tier, cascading down one side of the cake, or as filling between layers if your cake has risers. Ask your florist to bring some additional flowers to place around the base of the cake, as well as some petals to sprinkle on the cake table. Roses are a timeless flower to use; even more vintage would be orange blossoms. Choose cake flowers that tie in with your bouquets and centerpieces. One of the nice things about decorating your cake with real flowers is that it is considerably less expensive than having the baker create handmade sugar flowers.

A nostalgic wedding cake should definitely have a vintage cake topper. The best of all would be if the bride or groom’s parents saved their cake topper for you to use. Otherwise, look around at vintage stores and online for wedding cake toppers with a sentimental design. You cannot go wrong with an original bride and groom topper. Other popular choices from the past are wedding bells and doves.

Your wedding cake should be special, but it does not have to be cutting edge or extravagant. Create a cake with a nod to the past for a dessert that will have both beauty and simplicity. A nostalgic wedding cake is the perfect sweet ending to your special day.

Beach Wedding Cakes

Looking for beach theme wedding cake ideas?

When it comes to wedding cakes, long gone are the days of following tradition. Since you are considering a beach theme wedding cake, you are obviously not a slave to those traditions.
So…let’s stray from the “norm” and be adventurous!

One thing to remember…there are no rules! If there are…well, rules are made to be broken. Your beachtheme wedding cake can be anything you want it to be!

What Size?

How many guests are you planning to have? If you have your cake made professionally it can range in price anywhere from $2.00 to $15.00 per slice. A “slice” is normally considered to be 2 ounces or, approximately 4″ x 2″. The range in price will depend on how much intricate detail you want on it. If the cake you choose is very labor intensive, you can expect higher prices. If you are on a tight budget, keep it simple!

What Shape?

A beach theme wedding cake can be any size, shape or description. Be creative. If you have an idea for your cake, sketch it out on paper and take it to that talented friend, relative or your chosen bakery. If you can imagine it, someone can make it!

Do not limit your thinking to a two or three tier cake. It can be round, square, a sheet cake, a sculpted cake, individual mini cakes, cupcakes or even cookies! Some brides even choose a one or two layer, individual wedding cake on each guest table rather than the traditional large cake at the head table. This is a nice idea because it also serves as the table centerpiece. This eliminates the added expense associated with having a wedding centerpiece at each table!

A couple of things to keep in mind though…

* Since your reception may be on the beach, consider the sun! If you are having a dawn or dusk ceremony, heat from the sun will probably not be a major factor. However, if you are having your wedding midday, consider an “ornamental” cake. By that I mean, not edible with the exception of perhaps the bottom layer if you and the groom plan to cut it. You don’t want your creation to melt!

* Consider draping your cake in a decorative manner with tulle to keep the bugs and sand out of it. It would be beautiful yet practical.

* Purchase decorative, individual cake boxes. Fill them and perhaps tie your wedding program or thank you to them with ribbon. Keep them in a cooler until time to pass them out to your guests. They will serve as your wedding favor, killing two birds with one stone!

* Make your own beach theme wedding cake! Look inside the next “DuncanHines” cake mix you buy. The instruction for making baking tiered cakesare in there! You can do it. If you can’t, I’ll bet you know a friend who could! In EVERY town there is a friend or a “friend of a friend” who makes beautiful wedding cakes. It’s a hobby for them. They love doing it! Of course they still want to be paid, but not the ridiculous prices that a professional will charge you.