My future Daughter in law is thinking of using cupcakes at her wedding in lieu of individual slices of wedding cake. She would still have a cake for the bridal party, but the guests would receive one cupcake. I haven't seen it done at a wedding, but I'm looking for ya'all's input.
thanks

I personally think cupcakes are a great option. It's less messy and more portable. And not everyone knows how to cut a bridal cake. But if price is the issue, it could be more expensive to do cupcakes than a cake... at least that is something I have seen the pros say on here quite often. With a cake, you have to decorate one. With cupcakes, you have to decorate a hundred, or however many. I actually considered having cupcakes instead of cake at my wedding. But I found it to be so much more expensive. To get the traditional picture of the couple cutting the cake, you would still have to get a small cake. But if the bride is not too budget minded, personally I think it is a great idea. If she was considering doing cupcakes as a cost savings, then it is possible that it will actually increase the cost. But it never hurts to get a quote. Her baker may be less expensive.

Not speaking as a baker, but speaking as a wedding guest, I would HATE to be served a cupcake. Many guests look forward to getting "wedding" cake ... and to see the wedding party get real "wedding" cake, and they are "stuck" with a little 'ole cupcake .... well, it fires up the Jerry Springer's in the families.

I get all dressed up, actually put on make-up , maybe get my nails done, so I can pick up cake with my fingers and shove it in my face? Hate that. Absolutely hate that.

If it was a pig-roast reception in gramma's back-40, then cupcakes as the wedding dessert would be appropriate (in my ever so never humble opinion, as a wedding guest). But if I'm asking guests to dress up and attend a formal event, I would find it very tacky to serve them a snack-food-cupcake-dessert.

Some things to consider: Some brides think serving cupcakes will eliminate the cake service fee (sometimes referred to as the cake cutting fee). If she is planning on just plopping a paper wrapped cupcake in front of her guest or having them pick one up themselves from the cake table, then she might be successful in getting this fee eliminated.

But if she is expecting the catering staff to serve the cupcakes, maybe with a plate and fork (which would deter my irritation slightly at a formal event), she may still have to pay the service fee for the use of the plates, forks and the staff to take care of the serving and clean up (removal and washing of the cake plates/forks).

As a cake baker, they are more work and I dont' think they look near as grand as a traditional wedding cake.

If she is concerned about not knowing how to cut a cake, just refer her to my website where I have step by step photos on how to cut a cake. I have frequently delivered a cake and found this page printed out and laying on the table for the cake cutters to refer to.

thanks for the replies. I guess I hadn't looked at it from the guest point of view. Thanks Indydebi for pointing this out. I think I will steer her towards a traditional layered cake.

I agree with indydebi all the way! I had a bride yesterday ask me if I made cupcakes (first time I was asked this), so it got me thinking. This most likely the most important, formal party this woman will ever have, all the family and friends are there, they eat a great meal, everyone is dressed to the nines, and the dessert is.................... a cupcake? I told her that I didn't make cupcakes, but that I thought the colors she had chosen (hot pink and apple green) would make an awesome cake!

My husband says he would think of it as a vending machine dessert, and asks, "Does a bride really want the symbol of her wedding reception to be something you can get for pocket change from a vending machine?" He's as laid back as they come (our biggest argument is about how I don't like it when he eats cold ravioli straight from the can! ) and even he thinks cupcakes are out of place at a formal event.

Don't forget about those yuky cupcake wrappers that need to be taken care of too..........

Although I will do cupcakes for a wedding when paid to do so, I personally think it transforms a elegant evening into a child's birthday party.

As some of my friends say "Klassy." Yeah, with a "K". (not a good thing)

i don't mind a weddin with a central cake and several mini cakes or similar to petite fors (sorry forgot how to spell the 2nd word) but i agree.. there's just something about cupcakes for a wedding that just doesn't sit well with me, no matter how gourmet they may be. i guess i'm just set in my ways, maybe its a new "tradition" and traditions do come and go.. its just not my cupa tea.

I don't like them at weddings for the same reasons stated above. They're messier for the guests to eat (think about how you have to open WIDE to bite one and get the icing all over your face, not to mention holding it with your hand.) Okay for a barbecue, not so much for an elegant reception. I find that most cupcakes tend to be drier than regular cake, too.

One bride who came to a tasting with me yesterday also brought up the point that the cupcakes that people are selling are usually larger than usual, and nobody eats the whole thing. I didn't think of that until she said it, but a lot of the cupcakes that people are selling are larger than usual, more like a muffin-size, and I guess you would have to either want a lot of cake, or not eat the whole thing. She said she went to a reception recently where her friend had cupcakes, and a lot were half-eaten.

You'll probably get a lot of pros and cons for this question, but I think it comes down to what the "tone" of the reception is and if it's appropriate for the particular event. Cupcakes at casual receptions might make more sense, more formal receptions not so much.

Hubby is really into this topic! I'm telling him that he's becoming as addicted to this site as me and he waives me off as a "silly girl"!

But he adds ..... if you went to an elegant restaurant, where you had to dress up (like for a wedding), and the average meal was in the $20-$30 range .... what would be your impression of this fine dining establishment if they had on their dessert menu ..... "Cupcake, $3.00"?

He also requests that I "...ask those women on there, if their boyfriend/husband bought them a Snickers bar for Valentine's Day, instead of a box of chocolates, would they have a different impression or feeling about him? It's both chocolate ... one's formal and one's casual. One's a wedding cake and one's a cupcake. Which one has a better chance of getting him laid?"

excellent input Indydebi.. or do we mean, output? heh j/k ugh i gotta headache, happy sunday folks

Personally, I shut the topic down at "I don't offer cupcakes at this time, (not that I ever plan to either, but) let's design a great wedding CAKE for your elegant day!"

I don't like the idea of a cupcake at a wedding. Perhaps...does she think that she can somehow cut costs by doing this? Maybe having friends and family make the cupcakes?

I disagree. We do a lot of cupcake weddings . They have been a strong trend for over a year and a half. I am guessing they will burn out over the next years or so, but weddings can be anything you want them to be. They are also a great way of including people with different tastes and dietary restrictions. We just set up a beautiful antique milk glass stand lace wrapped cupcakes each topped with a fresh vanda orchid. People entering the restaurant stopped in awe.

Many bakers can't do great cupcakes. They are more difficult and delicate than cake.

I did a cupcake wedding http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1274849

The guests were crazy about the concept and did not seem to mind the issue of the wrapper. Forks were provided as well as pretty little dessert plates, etc. The cupcakes were three different flavors so the guests loved the fact that they could have all three if they wanted --and not seemingly look like a glutton. Three weeks later the bride was still gushing about how elegant it was.

I think they are a phase that will eventually pass, but until they do, I think they are fun and different enough that they cause people to still be talking months later.

Well, call me crazy, but I'm doing mini cupcakes for a friend's wedding. 900 of them. each will have a little fondant flower on it, and we are doing 5 different flavors. That being said, they will be displayed on a table later in the evening and the entire cake cutting and so on was never meant to be a sit-down affair anyway, as it happens kind of in the middle of the dancing. It's a fairly common practice in Manitoba, and I see it's coming to Alberta, too.

I will have to respectfully disagree here.

I have done many cupcake weddings- they are fun and can be presented very elegantly and be just as classy as a traditional cake. Just look on flickr.com and search cupcake weddings if you want to see some AWESOME examples that will rival ANY traditional cake. Yes, a wedding tends to be formal that does not have to = stuffy.

No one says a guest has to shove a cupcake in their mouth. Is someone stealing the forks and holding hostage? LOL! You eat it the same way you eat a slice of cake for heaven's sake. Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill. Yes, there is the wrapper but only the most uptight person would get bent out of shape over that. Most adults leave them on the plate, I've even seen some fold them up neatly.

I think it comes down to what the couple wants for THEIR day. I do hope the OP hasn't discouraged the bride from the cupcakes already. There are many options for cakes/desserts at a wedding. I think cupcakes are just one of those fabulous choices!

Hi! I think it all depends on how they are done, thay can be as tasteful as a regular traditional cake. I may a cc tower for my sister's wedding It had a 8 inch cake on top and, regular size cc and about 50 mini cc. Every single one of the filled with semi sweet chocolate ganache with white chocolate buttercream swirls and a sparkly snowflake. They couple got to cut the top cake and everyone was amazed by the cupcakes. The were absolutley moist and flavorful.
They are a lot harder to make, but in the end you have to give the bride what she wants...

I also disagree cupcakes for a wedding can be very untraditional but still classy depending on their presentation...silver or gold liners...dipped in ganche ..come on sometimes you have to think outside the box.

There are several people on here that make beautiful displays that paired with an elegant cupcake could be the talk of the wedding....

As a wedding guest I think it would be cute to eat cupcakes at a wedding reception. Although with all the elegant cupcake designs I've seen I would probably stare at the cupcakes in awe first before devouring. But I also LOVE wedding cakes! My favorite part of every wedding. I don't care about the gown, the music, the reception, just give me da cake! So i guess it depends on how you want the vibe of your wedding to be.

As a baker.... nooooooooo... it will be so tedious.

cupcakes are really avant-garde lately and dont think of it as a child's dessert of the quick not good looking cupcake u will do at home. But if you get a really talented decorator they could make some really beautiful cupcakes for you. some even look better than some wedding cakes i have seen.
So i would say think outside the box and try sthg modern

All images were provided by Sugarbloom cupcakes done by Bev
( http://www.flickr.com/photos/26396724@N05/ )

Snarkybaker--You're right about how not everyone does good cupcakes, which is why I never eat them. They generally tend to be disappointing. I don't make them because I don't want the hassle, but I do refer out to a baker who does nice ones.

Having said that, I still don't like them at weddings. The ones in the pictures above are pretty, but I wouldn't want to eat all that fondant. I think that most brides think they're cheaper, and that shouldn't be true. Also, if it's true that people are eating two or three, then you'd have to buy more cupcakes than you would cake, so that isn't going to be less expensive.

I did one cupcake wedding cake a long time ago, and no, they didn't provide plates and forks. The catering manager was really excited that they wouldn't have to do anything when it came time to serve the cake, and I assume that they were just going to let guest go up and grab them.
I guess it depends on how it's handled, but that would have been a mess.

I just posted this in another thread, but now the wedding magazines are suggesting that people get cupcakes from the grocery store since "bakery cupcakes can be pricey." Niiiiice...

So, in the interest of anyone WANTING to do a cupcake wedding, for regular size cupcakes, THEY (you know, THEY) say plan for 1 1/2 cupcakes per person. With mini-cupcakes they say 5 or 6 per person, particularly if there are a variety of flavors to choose from.

ETA: you also charge for the amount of cake that you make, so charge appropriately. Which does mean more cost, but that is their choice!

When a bride asks me about cupcakes for their wedding I'm pretty straight forward and tell them that I feel they are too informal for a wedding.

It just makes a formal event look "cheap".

well i must say i completely disgree! i love cupcake wedding sta do lots of them they are very popular in australia (hopefully they -as well as minis- will make way for something new from a decorators view as i am a bit sick of making them) but from a finished priduct and guests view i think they are very elegant and fit the shabby chique trend that is so hot right now, if they are done well they are brilliant espaeciall with a gorgous top tier cutting cake and a good stand, they can also double as the bonbonierre so are a cost effective choice. we have also found some reception venues are now refusing to cut and serve wedding cake if it is done by anyone but themselves (good way to ensure you sell your own wedding cake to the bride lol!) so this gets around that problem as there is no cutting/serving issue. a good cuppy also has a bigger serving portion and guests are usually happy about that and gives them something to take home if they wish and show their friends (taking a slice home doesn't really have the same effect lol!)

As a baker, I'll make them if they twist my arm. As a guest, I think that for anything but a very casual outdoor wedding, they're tacky. And by the way, I put sheet cakes served out of the kitchen in the same category.

Here's the scenario. Hello guest. You've committed the time and expense to come to my wedding, perhaps spending quite a lot of money to travel here and to buy me a lovely gift. And you look so nice - all dressed up, in panty hose and high heels and everything. See that beautifully decorated cake on the table with the custom cake and filling flavors? You can't have any. We're just going to cut that, then it disappears into the bowels of the venue's kitchen never to be seen again. Instead, I'm going to give you a piece of white sheet cake with no decoration or any of that lovely filling, or a cupcake, same story. Yum. Thanks for attending.

The pictures of the cupcakes above are gorgeous, and I have to admit I've seen some very nice looking towers of cupcakes. However, they're not representative of what I've seen at weddings. Maybe I just need richer friends... : )