ADid anyone else read this article. At first I thought he meant having the decorator do a dummy cake but it mentioned renting the "faux" cake. Then he mentions that its decorated for your style. Wanted to get everyone else's thoughts.

http://www.wetv.com/my-fair-wedding/articles/top-10-ways-to-cut-wedding-costs

Actually I attended a wedding this past summer (in France) where they had a fake cake. It was about a mile high-(looked a bit dusty too) had sparklers going off from the sides of it and only the top little tier was real cake which the couple cut. I was not impressed. 

This also happens elsewhere too...not just in Europe, it's popular in Asia as well. I think it's done to cut costs and then the guests are served a plated dessert. Personally, I find it very disappointing, as the highlight of the reception is the (real) cake (for me). 

The first time I saw a rented cake was at a cousin's wedding in Saskatchewan, Canada about 25 years ago. It was and still is a common practice but it was a shock to me.

ANo. That's awful!! In my opinion, one of the main parts of your wedding should be the cake! And it should always be real. Who wants to eat real sheet cake that's behind a fake wedding cake? Not me.

AIt sounds like it's decorated to match your wedding....I've never seen this done but if it's done to match your venue and wedding I don't think it's to bad an idea, of course as long is it's done very tasteful....and when it comes to the sheet cake I would have each serving have a small rose on it so that the guest get a good amount with each severing of cake. I don't mean to brag but my better cream frosting taste oh so yummy, I feel the guest would be very satisfied.l

It doesn't save that much money unless you're renting something that ten other people have rented. I have brides who read this kind of stupid article then ask me if they can get a fake cake and sheet cakes instead. I charge 80% of the cost of a real cake for dummy tiers, then you add the cost of the sheet cakes in, which I charge pretty much the same as the wedding cake, and you've spent more than you would have. In general, cost-cutting articles are there to fill the space between the ads, and they're usually full of crappy advice.

Such a weird concept. I have never heard of someone renting and then returning a dummy cake. That seems like the only way you could save money. Otherwise you are still paying for the time to decorate. But if the idea is to rent and return so someone else can rent it how would it be customized to match your wedding decorations? 

Also, the rest of the ideas in that article are equally as lame. Something tells me that David either doesn't know, or doesn't remember what it's like to not have money. Hire your photographer and videographer from the same place? I have actually never been to a wedding with a professional videographer. 

And save money by hiring all three musicians from the same company? Really? How about save money by hiring one professional for your entire wedding/reception? 

Nothing against David, I love his show, but we clearly run in different circles.

I noticed he allocates 3% only for the cake. It's such a shame that they put out stuff like this. People see them on TV and think they are the experts on how to conduct a wedding and will listen to them. These writers should do some real research.

Holy cow! What a ding-dong!

Oh my goodness I didn't even see the percents he thinks you should spend. 3% on a cake? and 2% on a dress? What kind of "budgets" are these people on!!! He is super out of touch with reality. Hypothetically if a cake costs $500, then your wedding budget is approximately $16,500. That is a super inexpensive cake for such a large budget! and the dress would cost $333. (not really possible even for a David's bridal dress!) These numbers are just way out of touch with reality. 

Realistically a nice dress, is about $2,000.00 percent wise according to David Tutera the budget would then be $100,000.00! That is so beyond out of touch i can't even find the right words to describe my astonishment. 

(I realize I have said 'out of touch' far more times than anyone should in the span of a paragraph. I am just is such shock I can't get beyond it to be creative with my vocabulary today. I am also only halfway through my first cup of coffee.)

AI noticed that someone who makes these cakes commented on the actual article, on her website it says she charges $50 to rent a stock 2 tier, going all the way to $350 for a custom decorated 6 tier (I think this was Canadian $). One thing she mentions is you save the cutting fee, but if you're serving a sheet cake aren't you still going to pay a cutting fee for that, as well as the cost of the sheet cake? I briefly considered renting my wedding dress to save money, but when it came down to it I didn't want to think of someone else wearing my dress to get married in. When it came to the cake, I went smaller and less elaborate. No shame in admitting you spent within your means these days.

I just couldn't imagine having the same "cake" at my wedding that someone else had at theirs too. I just think the cake is supposed to be one of those big deals. 

Also, on a side note. I hate when people do cupcakes instead of a cake at their wedding. I feel so let down as a guest at a wedding waiting for this big "Aww" moment when you get to the reception, and instead I end up going "Oh..."

AThe 2% is low, even for my DIY wedding. I only spent a total of $2,000 including honey moon, and did my own cake. But if I take the $600 off for Gatlinburg, then it is $1,400, so I should've spent $28 on my cake! I don't think Walmart even sells cake for 120 guests for $28.

We also need to remember that reporters take a lot of liberties with information they get. I've been misquoted 99% of the time in interviews and articles I've contributed to, so he might not have said any of that. For all we know he could be screaming at one of his assistants that he's never talking to that reporter again right at this moment.

I feel really out of it!  11 years ago, my DH and I paid for our own wedding.  Being on a tight budget and paying cash (no bills to drag us down after the wedding!!!) we only spent around $5,000.  I printed my own invites and programs.  We didn't do candles because of all of the kids around.  My dress cost $250 on sale.  It wasn't the fanciest, but I loved it and that's what counts!  We had a local restaurant cater a simple chicken/ham dinner.  We had a live band and a free bar.  My decorations were simple and bought on sale.  My mom and aunt made my cake.  Even at that, the baker that I talked to originally was going to charge $350 for it.  I think it was around 150 servings?  (That would have been fine with me too but I had to fire her after she lied to me and wasn't going to do my cake herself but hire out)  All of my family and my husbands family pitched in to decorate the church and the reception hall.  My friend took pictures for us as a gift and a friend of my husbands took a video as a gift.  To tell you the truth, I have watched part of the video and have never looked at all of the pictures.  I found the envelope with a picture of the wedding party and that is all I have in the frame.  

Now, having said all of that, I agree that people LOVE the cake at a wedding.  You want it to be beautiful!  I actually hate the "sheet cake" thing.  I tell my clients that guest may feel "cheated" if they get something that looks NOTHING like the wedding cake on the table.  I will make a small wedding cake with kitchen cakes that are tiered round or square just like the wedding cake but without the bling. That way they are spending a less money but they are not feeding their guests a sheet cake.  Of course, I did lose an order because they wanted a dummy cake from me with sheet cakes from somewhere else.  I didn't want to put my name out on a "cake" and have them eat something that I didn't provide.  If the sheet cake was nasty, I didn't want my name drug through the mud!  

As far as cupcakes, I don't mind them at weddings.  If it is good and presented nicely, it is not so bad and can help a client on a budget.  Especially if you do not have someone who will be able to cut a cake.  (Around here, most small wedding parties provide their own person)  That can be such a mess if they don't know what they are doing.  

Anyway, my point is, there are so many ways to have a nice wedding without skimping on your guests.  They are your family and friends not people you don't care about!  But, cutting back on everything for the guest is always the first thing that is looked at instead of something else.  Besides, we are still happily married, not in debt and it didn't cost us 80,000!  :)   Okay done harping........ 

Inspiredbymom, how did you manage a free bar and an inexpensive wedding?  That's awesome!  Bar tabs are insane at weddings.  Most of the weddings I have been to have had cakes that were not super glamorous, but it was real cake.  

I get asked about fake cakes all the time - almost as much as sheet cakes.  I am sticking to my guns:  NO.  It may be OK for you (not, you know, you, but the general you"), but it is not something I want to do.  And yeah, it sucks that others around here are starting to do it just to get the business, but I'm not them.  I hate these types of articles, I hate making sheet cakes, I'll never make a fake cake for rent, and I hate mango, especially mango mousse, so no, I will not make that for you either.  

APreach it! I hate coconut, but my husband likes it, so he is my taster, but I don't do mango either, since there is no one to taste it.

I hate coffee, so I'm in trouble with kahlua and mocha flavors. I have to get someone else to try them to make sure they're not too strong, they all taste too strong to me so I can't tell.

A

I'll be your taster for the coffee flavors, but I am very heavy handed with alcohol so you better get someone else to do the Kaluha!

A

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