Anonymous wrote:Wedding cakes w/all the fondant taste like crap. Just get a small round cake that's pretty for the pictures & cake cutting. Sheet cake from Costco for the rest. Cakes are typically plated behind the scenes and no one knows or cares at that point.

+10000

We did a tower of cupcakes for our wedding. They were decorated beautifully, very affordable, and guests loved being able to choose their flavor.

Wow - thank you all so much for these suggestions! I appreciate it!

Anonymous wrote:We got our cake from Victoria's in Fairfax http://www.victoriascakeryinc.com/. It was DELICIOUS and (from what i remember) affordable. But, i also agree with the PPs that you should definitely not invest too much in the cake. Put the money towards a good photographer! Sheet cake is just fine!

Forgot to say that Victoria's doesn't put all that fondant/flower stuff on their cakes. They're plain. For decoration, we just clipped the stems off some fresh flowers and put it on top. leftover slices we just froze and ate later. They were great!

We got ours from Whole Foods in Kentlands in 2009. It was about $300. Two tier with small gum paste flowers all over. Fed 70 people. It was very pretty. The bakery services at WF probably vary from store to store. You could talk to the bakery manager at the location near you.

Don't get a tiered "wedding cake" cake. You can get a 14-inch round cake that will serve about 70 people (according to standard "wedding cake servings") or even a 12-inch round that will serve about 50 people. If you also want a tier to save for your anniversary, you could then get a separate 8-inch round cake. Together, that should run you less than $300, depending on the bakery. Go with a simple elegant design, with standard flavors and no fillings or fondant. Plan to pick it up yourself rather than having it delivered... that will also save money.

signed,
family owned a wedding cake bakery for 20+years

Wedding cakes w/all the fondant taste like crap. Just get a small round cake that's pretty for the pictures & cake cutting. Sheet cake from Costco for the rest. Cakes are typically plated behind the scenes and no one knows or cares at that point.

My niece spent $500 on a small-ish cake for her small-ish wedding... and it was gross. I would have preferred a Costco cake (which are yummy!) Get a small fancy bakery cake for the cake cutting and for pictures, and then sheet cakes for the guests. Even if everyone knows, I don't think it's a big deal.

Guests won't remember the cake and most will be too full to even eat it. Make it a very pretty 12 inch 1 tier cake and then serve a sheet cake for everything else.

We got our cake from Victoria's in Fairfax http://www.victoriascakeryinc.com/. It was DELICIOUS and (from what i remember) affordable. But, i also agree with the PPs that you should definitely not invest too much in the cake. Put the money towards a good photographer! Sheet cake is just fine!

Check out Heidelberg Bakery in Arlington - I forget how much it cost but they are local - do something simple yet special.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just get a small bakery cake and then serve a sheet cake for the rest. One of my friends bought a cake that served 10 and then served costco sheet cake for the rest. By the time the cake comes out, people are drunk enough not to notice what you're giving them.

+2. Save your money to pay off loans or for your house down payment. No one has to know that you served a sheet cake at your wedding but yourself.

+3. Put the money towards a good open bar!

Anonymous wrote:Just get a small bakery cake and then serve a sheet cake for the rest. One of my friends bought a cake that served 10 and then served costco sheet cake for the rest. By the time the cake comes out, people are drunk enough not to notice what you're giving them.

+2. Save your money to pay off loans or for your house down payment. No one has to know that you served a sheet cake at your wedding but yourself.

Just get a small bakery cake and then serve a sheet cake for the rest. One of my friends bought a cake that served 10 and then served costco sheet cake for the rest. By the time the cake comes out, people are drunk enough not to notice what you're giving them.

I am getting married in a few months. Second wedding for both of us so we are just having a small, intimate wedding. 50-60 people. We would like a wedding cake, but so far have gotten two quotes for around $600! I do not want to spend that much, and I don't think we are asking for anything that fancy.

Any suggestions for a less expensive bakery - even a friend who is trying to get their business off the ground? I would like to keep it $200-$300 if possible

Thanks!