Weddings: Save Money: Let 'Em Eat Wedding Cake!

Don’t serve an additional dessert at your wedding reception. Your wedding cake is dessert! Make it all it should be.

Caterers make a lot of money by selling you an additional dessert since cake is served long after dinner is over. Tell them, “No, thank you.” End the meal with something sweet like sorbet or a plate of good mints—and save the cake for later. It is the focal point of your reception.

Don't be duped into buying an additional dessert which costs YOU money! Your wedding cake is dessert!

Sylvia Weinstock, that celebrity cake baker of the best wedding cakes ever tasted, gave me these tips to select the perfect cake for your wedding reception.

* The size of the cake must relate to the size of the room. Tall ceilings, for example, require a tall cake.

* The size of the cake must relate to the size of the couple. If they’re small, the cake should not overpower them. If they’re tall, the cake should be tall too.

* The cake must relate to its ambiance. If it’s in a formal, ornate room then the cake should be formal and ornate also. If outdoors and beautiful, colorful flowers surround the cake, then the cake should be airy and vibrant to match.

* Relate the color of the cake to the color of the room, NOT the bridal-party colors. Let’s say your bridal-party colors are hot-pink and white and your reception room’s walls are covered in purple-and-green paisley wallpaper. Would you go with a fuchsia and white cake? Hardly. When in doubt, go white.

* Know your cake’s ingredients. The best wedding cakes are made with the finest ingredients: fresh butter, eggs, cream, sugar, etc. Supermarket cakes, on the other hand, use prepared mixes, hence the difference in the price.

Decorating spells M-O-N-E-Y. The more the decorating, the more you’ll pay for the cake. To keep costs down, have the cake frosted plain. Then have your florist decorate it with fresh flowers.

Fondant (that smooth cake covering that looks like glass) costs more than buttercream frosting (which can look like fondant, if smoothed. In my opinion, it’s tastier). It all depends on the look and taste you want to achieve.