Hey party people!
Tis the season for something old, something new, and something blue. If you’re in the midst of planning a wedding or know someone that is…these Wedding Cake Tips will help make your decision less stressful. And since this blog is called “Parties for Pennies,” you know there are some budget-friendly tips for you as well.
I’m so grateful to Malinda, owner of THE BAKING GROUNDS in BUFORD, GEORGIA, who sat down with me to give you the inside scoop on the best tips for choosing a wedding cake.
Malinda serving a customer
Malinda’s love for baking began in high school, when she started working in her father-in-law’s bakery. Her father-in-law (not her FIL yet at that point) owned a large bakery in the Chicago area, which opened in 1958. Malinda and her husband moved to the Atlanta area 25 years ago and decided to open up their own bakery. That’s how The Baking Grounds began. It’s a family-run business that specializes in wedding cakes, but also is a bakery and cafe.
Here’s Malinda’s take on some of your most frequently asked wedding cake questions.
What are the most recent wedding cake trends?
We’re in a time where everyone is creating a wedding that fits their unique personality. Lots of themed weddings. Overall, the requests we get are for sleek, elegant cakes, with lots of bling, silver and gold. Burlap and rustic themes are also still very much in demand.
The sweets table is still a big trend, as well, with brides offering their guests a variety of sweets instead of the usual wedding cake.
How far in advance should a bride order the wedding cake?
About 6-12 months before the wedding date. This just ensures the bakery can fit you in the schedule for that day.
What should a bride come prepared with to her consultation?
If you have a picture of what you’re wanting, bring the picture. It always helps to visualize the bride’s vision.
Other than that, make sure you have a basic idea of the STYLE of cake you want, the COLORS, HOW MANY GUESTS you’re serving, and YOUR BUDGET.
Some bakeries do cost per slice, but Malinda does full cake prices instead, with a suggested serving size. Ask this question in advance, so you’ll know which budget breakdown you should prepare.
Make sure to set an appointment with your bakery for a consultation, so they can prepare tastings.
What are some ways brides can cut back on the wedding cake budget, if it’s tight?
One way is by using faux cakes. Faux cakes are decorated with icing like regular cakes, but are made from styrofoam. If you want the look of a BIG cake, but don’t have the budget for it, you can have the two or three top tiers real and the bottom tiers fake. This is particularly helpful if you are in a large venue space where a smaller cake wouldn’t fit the scale.
The other option is to do a smaller decorated wedding cake and serve the guests slices from a sheet cake.
Most bakeries will always help you figure out ways to work within your budget.
If you’re in the Atlanta area, stop by The Baking Grounds…even if it’s just to try one of their delicious cupcakes, cake cups, or other pastries. Malinda just did an amazingly beautiful naked cake for a stylized wedding shoot I did last week. I tasted a small piece and it blew my mind. She’s incredibly creative and a wonderful designer that can make any vision you have become reality. Check out The Baking Grounds website or Facebook page.
Here are a few additional budget-friendly wedding cake ideas for you. Last year the national average for a wedding cake was $466. These tips will help you if you need to trim a little off here and there.
* Use real flowers or faux flowers to decorate a plain cake, instead of the sugar flowers. Both are beautiful, but the real flowers or faux flowers are usually less expensive.
* A square cake is generally less expensive because you can feed more people with the slices.
* Buttercream is less expensive than fondant (and The Baking Grounds uses buttercream, but it looks like fondant).
* Generally, not everyone eats the cake or stays for the cake. If you’re working with a bakery that does the price/slice, estimate 25% fewer slices for 150 or more guests. I’ve never been to a wedding where there wasn’t a ton of cake left.
* If you want a fun filling instead of the usual buttercream icing, do the fun filling on the smaller tiers and the usual filling on the larger tiers.
* Do a regular cake, but serve less expensive desserts with it as well…like doughnuts.
Do you have any additional tips to add? Any crazy wedding cake stories?
Thanks again to Malinda for taking time to share these great tips!
Party On!
