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Cake
Basics
By
Megan Mercer
Last Update:
January 29, 2006
Wedding cakes are an
essential part of the wedding reception. The wedding
cake is the center piece for the bride and groom's
cake cutting ceremony. The cake also serves as decoration
usually displayed on its own table decorated with flowers,
greenery or other decor. Finally the
wedding cake is a delicious desert
to be enjoyed by you and your guests!
Price Points
The
price of your wedding cake will be based on the number
of people you have to serve and the kind of cake you have
in mind. Wedding cake prices are usually based
on a per-person basis. A typical cake may cost about
$2 to $4 per person. Of course the more complex the
design the higher the cost
will
be.
In
addition
extravagant
flavors, fillings, and frostings will jack up
the price.
Styles & Design
Traditional wedding
cakes of the past usually consisted of white, tiered
or stacked cakes that lacked any unique style
or personality. Nowadays wedding cakes come in all
different
shapes,
colors
and sizes. Skilled cake designers create each cake
as a
unique
piece of art. The design options are endless. If
you have seen magazine pictures of wedding cakes
you
like,
clip them
out and bring them to your meetings with bakers. Often,
this will be enough for the baker to go on to
give
you a "ballpark" cost estimate on the spot. But
keep in mind the more intricate the cake design the
more it will cost!
Flavors
Most bakers will offer a wide variety of cake flavors
and fillings for their wedding cakes. Buttercream,
cheesecake, vanilla
and chocolate are the most commonly used flavors. Inquire
with your baker about selecting a
different flavor for each layer
to appeal to a wide variety of tastes.
Cake Display
The
wedding cake should be displayed at the reception
on its own table where it can
be admired by all of the guests.
Remember that the cake will be the centerpiece for many
pictures during the reception. You will want to make
sure that
it is
displayed in a pretty area of the reception hall with
plenty of
room
for guests to crowd around to watch the bride and groom
cut the cake.
Don't forget to ask if your baker
or reception site can provide a cake knife. If
not, you'll have to buy one of your own. You may,
however, choose to buy your own to save as a keepsake
later.
