So....I have a friend from school that I offered to make her wedding cake at cost. Well, now she wants cupcakes with a small cake on top. Which is not a problem. But, I hate the design she gave me. I think she is doing it like this purely for cost because months earlier she sent beautiful black and white tiered cakes, and she keeps saying she needs to be under $50. Anyway.....any ideas on how to decorate the cake on top? To match these cupcakes I feel like it would have to have dots and swirls, not at all what i envisioned as a wedding cake. I want to give her exactly what she wants but I don't want to put my name on something I am not proud of. The only thing she wants different from the picture is purple in place of the teal.Any ideas would be appreciated!

What about a white cake with same size dots in the different colors placed in rows going around the cake to fill up the sides. Simple and elegant, but still matches the cupcakes. HTH

I think if you did the cake in white, with purple dots and swirls, kinda like the reverse of the cupcakes. There are too many designs on the cupcakes to incorporate into the cake.

I would leave out the "target" design, and if you can nudge her towards a subdued purple, I think it would look "wedding-ish"

I know you are doing this for cost (as a gift, I hope), but how much cheaper are cup cakes going to be? Also, many people consider them to be MUCH more time consuming i.e. your "free" time

edited to add - Your name will be attatched to the quality of your work, even if you don't like the design

I think it could be very dramatic and elegant to do a purple cake, with black and white piped flowers and scrollwork, with a bead border around the bottom edge. I think it would pull in elements from each of the cupcakes while still having a wedding cake feel. Here are a few ideas from the gallery. Sorry, I don't know how to put the picture in the post.

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=982713

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=863883

I love this cake, it would make an amazing topper to a display with a few changes to match the cupcake decore:

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1741427

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Hmmm......thanks for the ideas. Still not sure what i want to do. I did try to explain to her that the cupcakes would probably end up costing more than a cake, but she "loves" these cupcakes. I just feel like a grade schooler could make these Would it be horrible if I changed them a little? Like maybe changed the swirl to more of a scroll to tie it in the the cake?

How about do a test run at home and take a picture and show it to her? She might change her mind if she sees that your design is much more elegant. Sometime they don't know what they want but when they sees it vitually they know if they like it or not.

What about using a paler blue with white stripes up the side of the cake with the darker blue as a border. Then you could add coordinating flowers with lack centers to bring in the polka dots. Think of those cupcakes as inspiration rather that replication. Best of luck! Let us know how this turns out please!