I took a stab at making my own wedding cake after getting quoted $350 for a plain cake where I had to bring my own ribbon. Is it perfect, no. Is it MINE, absolutely.
Professional bakeries do this all the time for couples who want the work of art but don’t need to feed that many people. They call it dummy cakes. I prefer Fake Cake.
My fake cake began with four pieces of styrofoam that I ordered from Amazon. I am still new to covering cakes with fondant and it shows. Since I didn’t want to do a cake cutting (Alex and I wanted to get straight to the dancing) and because the cake table was twenty-feet away from the buffet table, I’m not sure if anyone even noticed my cake. *Cue “wha-wha” sound effect.
So I pulled my sisters who were my bridesmaids over and asked them to look at it. We ended up enjoying our reflections on the mirrored cake table instead.
Since my cake was not destroyed at the end of the night I have continued to add to the structure: pieces of my gown, an alternative cake topper with our names on it, and a birdcage veil I flirted with the idea of wearing.
My cake topper groom lost his head when he fell from the fake cake at the end of the night. I bumped the table hard trying to get the box I delivered the cake in out from under the table. Alex and I agreed that since it was a skeleton, him losing his head was appropriate.
To save money, I made the flower bouquets (after a friend help pick out flowers that coordinated with each other.) I painted and decorated picture frames with pearls and printed out corresponding lyrics to match the photographs. I did my own hair (with last minute help from my sister) and my own makeup. I had the time and desire to make all those things along with the cake.
It was important to me to be in charge of the cake. If it was a disaster I wanted it to be my disaster. I needed to be the one to break the topper not a loved one who was just trying to help but not understanding the persnickety nature of a homemade fake cake.
Even if you don’t want your very own fake cake for the reception, might I recommend you make yourself a fake cake as a monument to your relationship with mementos from your time together? It could be a fun date night craft night.
Wishing you all the luck in your relationships and asking for your luck in return in mine. Cheers.
booze infused kitchen 