wedding cakes

When you're trying to plan an affordable wedding, there are some areas you should cut back on. Perhaps the wedding cake can be one of them. After all, by the time it comes to the cake, most guests might feel too stuffed or tipsy to even notice it. Now skimping on the cake doesn't have to mean you're stuck with an option that tastes like cardboard — read on for tips to save.

Skip the cake: The popularity of cupcakes has prompted many couples to serve them at their reception. While it's hard not to love the tinier bites of cake goodness, it's not all fad: cupcakes, wedding cookies, and even dessert bars are often less pricey than extravagantly iced tier cakes.

Try ethnic bakeries: A friend of mine bought an affordable but beautiful wedding cake at a Chinese bakery. I was actually really surprised because in my opinion, it was the best-tasting cake out of all the weddings I've been to.

Go to your local baker: Check with your local baker to see if the costs are cheaper. You can usually get a better price with the ones who don't specialize in wedding cakes. Those who bake from home don't have to pay the overhead costs of a brick and mortar bakery, so that may result in a lower cost as well.

Check out the supermarket: There's a burgeoning trend of supermarket wedding cakes, and many are even adding fancy fondant designs and details. The cost of these grocery store wedding cakes can cost you about $300 — a bargain compared to specialty wedding cakes.

Read on for more.

While many people couldn't wait to see Princess Catherine's gorgeous dress, we are excited to finally get a glimpse of the royal wedding cake! The eight-tier fruitcake, which was made by Fiona Cairns, was covered in white frosting and had ornate rose detailing. It's beautiful and I'm sure it tasted delicious!

This week you can't look anywhere without being bombarded by information about the royal wedding. One thing I keep thinking about is the two wedding cakes. Kate has chosen a classic fruitcake, while Prince William's groom's cake is made of chocolate biscuits. I wonder: is fruitcake really Kate Middleton's favorite type of cake or does she have to serve it because of royal traditions? Since I've got cakes on the brain, I'm dreaming of my ultimate wedding cake. It would either be chocolate or dulce de leche with a light and creamy frosting. A second choice would be a delicious princess cake with marzipan dome.

How about you? What is your favorite kind of cake?

One month before their nuptials are set to take place, the world is abuzz with curiosity about details of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. Today we've learned what their regal wedding cakes will look like. Kate has chosen a fruitcake to be the main wedding cake — perhaps an odd choice in America, but a traditional one across the pond. Its designer will be Fiona Cairns, a well-respected cake creator known for her bold designs. Although further details of the cake "will be a surprise," says Cairns, we do know this: It'll be tall and tiered, and covered in cream-and-white decorative flowers that not only mimic the architecture of Buckingham Palace but also each represent something meaningful. For instance, the cake will include roses for England, shamrocks for Ireland, acorns for strength, and sweet William flowers as well.

Just like at Prince Charles's and Princess Diana's wedding, pieces of the cake will be cut up and put into little boxes. Because of fruitcake's density, the dessert will stand the test of time, serving as a memoir for the 600 guests. As for William? He'll buck tradition with a groom's cake, a top-secret royal family chocolate cake recipe that's made out of McVitie's biscuits, a digestive biscuit enjoyed at tea.

Although both sound incredible, I'd spring for William's in a heartbeat. Which cake would you rather eat?

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Source: Flickr User HeroicLife

A wedding cake is like a guest of honor — it's as central to the wedding's look as the bride's dress or flowers. It's so pretty, you could eat it. And you do.

Though the cake has always been an important piece of the wedding pie (at times, it literally was pie), it wasn't always the masterpiece we eat today. See how the wedding cake has changed, what traditions we've borrowed, and what's faded away.

Roman Empire
There was no cake, but a loaf of bread to symbolize the bride's virginity. After the groom ate half, which isn't a disgusting innuendo at all, he broke the rest over her head to show his dominance. Young love!

The tradition of throwing rice, or now confetti, stems from this time, too. Guests showered the bride and groom with breadcrumbs, and when they ran out were given a mixture of nuts, dried fruit, and sweetmeats — confetto.

Medieval England
Spiced buns were stacked as high as possible, and the bride and groom had to lean over it and kiss (hence the kissing wedding toppers we see to this day) without toppling the cake. Succeeding was an auspicious sign of prosperity, happiness, and children.

Renaissance
The bride and groom often had their own cake, and the bride's cake was usually a pie — bride pie. Filled with savory foods, charms — both lucky and unlucky — were placed inside for guests to find. Finding a button meant a lifetime of spinster- or bachelorhood while finding the wedding ring meant marriage within the year.

Find out when wedding cakes went white below

From the flowers to the music, there are a number of crucial elements to every wedding, but in my opinion, there's nothing more exciting than planning the actual cake. Regardless of whether or not she's looking into cake toppers, the cake tower is sure to be at the top of the bride's mind, and a new book, Wedding Cake Art and Design: A Professional Approach by Toba Garrett ($50), is here to help. I had a chance to preview the book. See my assessments of it when you read more.