i LOVE good cupcake towers, saying that I havent seen that many i would prefer over a cake. personally Pinkcakebox has the only cupcake towers that i truly love and think are just as wonderful as their cakes. i also (dont mean to sound conceited) love the cupcake tower i did last month. it was my first wedding cupcake tower and it was the first thing i ever made that i was completely happy with and didnt find faults. saying that i really do think cupcake towers can look horrid and messy if not done properly to me they really need either PERFECT fondant covers or PERFECT swirls otherwise they do look messy and a bit like a bunch of kids fairy cakes, but that could also be said about wedding cakes, to me piped buttercream cakes with pillars look tacky but i think that's also my age - im only 25 so pillars to me represent the 80's and puff sleeve dresses, etc

but to each their own!!

Being an event planner I can tell you that this trend has taken off quickly...however the reality of it hasn't gone over so well. The idea is that the guests end up with their very own "cake" but the reality is that their handheld cake is a bit messy and unweildly which is not fun when you are in dressy clothes. As for the look? I've seen some really elegant looking cupcakes that I know had to cost more than a 5 tier cake would have cost. So it can have an elegant look but it's not going to save much, if any, money on the budget. I think it's the idea that is so appealing and that it's "unusual". I am getting less requests for that look and people are heading back into the elaborate tiered cake or several small different looking cakes. My favorite was a wedding I worked last summer, didn't do the cakes on this one, where the bride picked out a different style 6 inch cake for each guest table. The wait staff came by after dinner, divided up the cake, and served it to each guest. I loved the different looks of the cakes as part of the centerpieces. Leftovers were put in cake boxes for guests to take home if they pleased. It was a big hit.

Cat

In the interest of full disclosure, I hate cupcakes. I don't enjoy eating with my hands, and I hate crumbs (but that's my neurosis.)

I don't personally like cupcakes for weddings, but I can see in certain venues where they'd be okay (beach weddings, super-casual, etc.) I have to say that I've spoken to three people recently who were guests at weddings where they had cupcakes, and every single one said that they either "looked like crap" (not my words) or that they didn't like being handed a cupcake instead of a piece of cake.

As an aside, some of the pictures of decorated cupcakes that I've seen recently seem to be mostly icing and not much cake. My neighbor said that she went to a cupcake shop and found that there was so much icing on the ones that they bought, they couldn't eat them. If you do cupcakes, maybe you should dial down the icing a little!

Having said that, it's probably obvious that I don't do cupcakes, but I have several people who I refer clients out to if that's what they want.

Who says you can't eat a cupcake with a fork or spoon?

It's not what I would choose for myself but far be it for me to judge another person's taste as tacky, especially since I've been graciously invited to celebrate their wedding.

There's no disputing taste.

A slice of Wedding Cake on a paper/plastic plate with a plastic fork plonked on the side wrapped in a paper serviette - Now thats tacky.... and whats worse, is when guests have to "line up" to recieve that portion of *tacky* -

Bluehue

Cupcakes for weddings are in style right now. There are some amazing cupcakes out there.

Have you seen this blog? It's unreal!! The cupcakes are THAT awesome!

http://blixman.blogg.se/category/cupcakes.html

A cupcake cake at a wedding bwah hahahahaha...ha That was a good one. I love cupcakes and have seen many a beautiful cupcake towers here on this site

TACKY? as has been said previously... ANYTHING can be tacky ! depends on who does it and how!!

So, for the record ..... people don't pick them because they are CHEAP nor CASUAL

* LOTS of very elegant cupcake towers here in Australia
* A good cupcake stand (7tiers that can be packed flat and adjusted to accomodate whatever tiers you require) will cost in excess of $300AU- so decoraters normally charge a "hire fee" + a very HEFTY deposit
* Cupcake prices range from $5 to $15 (EACH) - so a traditional cake is often cheaper! - so they are picking them for the style NOT the price
* Cupcake Towers are treated exactly the same way as a traditional wedding cake for service - eg. if tradtional cake is served on a plate with a fork - then cupcake is treated in exactly the same way

As far as cupcakes go - ONLY a good experienced decorater would tackle these jobs more than once They are LOTS of work, you need to be a very organised person to accomplish these successfully.
I would never say that cupcakes is the EASY option.
I LOVE them!

Forgot to add....

Cupcake towers here are NOT self-service.... so guests do not walk up and just grab a cupcake.

and ..... ONE IS ENOUGH!! 700mm diameter top = 1 serve!

Somewhere on CC there is a discussion about how many cupcakes you should allow per person

I think nowadays pretty much anything goes at a wedding! Everyone is encouraged to do something different or new....and I personally do kinda like cupcake towers! My favorite one so far is a light green one in my pics that I did for a baby shower....I loved doing that one!!!! I think the neat thing about cupcake towers is you can make something that is more of a tall centerpiece with less servings...I mean, where else can you find a tall four tiers to serve only 80 or so?

I also love how the bride or otherwise guest of honor of an event can save the top tier so easily.

To me, the tackiest thing at a wedding is the half-naked bride.

like the op, i went to a very eleborate grand wedding (my 2nd cousins ) 200s guests staying at 4* hotel *paid for by the brides family* Everything was really top notch, fancy food, fancy band, fancy favours, fancy dress, fancy firework display, fancy entertainers etc . . I mean really, it was over the top but really elegantly done . . and then we hit the cake yup, cup cake tower. 200 iddy biddy cupcakes, NO icing or frosting, just a teeny weeny little pink or blue flower, either male or female . . . Some where over cooked, some had drips of cake batter baked onto the sides of the cases, the bases of the cases themselves were greasey. There was a 3 tier stand with some on, the rest were laid out on a table for guests to self serve. Honestly, i found this very tacky, Not so much because cupcakes are tacky, more so because everything else was so wonderful and elborate, i expected more from the cake, ive seen many cupcake towers , realy well done. But these bad boys, were just a let down, i feel sorry for the person who made them, they were so dry without any frosting you couldnt eat them

The few weddings I have worked that had these (and a baby shower as well) they were NOT self serve but they were not handed out with a plate and fork either. Maybe it's an American thing...anyone else tell me how these have been served in your experience. I only have a few to go on. And at none of these did the bride/groom have cupcakes, there was a small 4 inch cake on the top of the tower for them to cut and eat from..some with forks, some by hand. And yes, crumbs were everywhere! The moment people started peeling the wrappers back the crumbs started falling. IMHO I wouldn't personally serve these except outside at a kids party...let the crumbs drop in the grass and feed the birds and bugs, not on a fancy dress or suit at an elegant wedding. However, the tacky looks described here for the towers have NOT been my experience. The ones I have seen have all be really beautiful with the gorgeous "personal" cake on top. Just not practical to eat and I don't think the bride thought that thru in any of the instances I was involved in.

Cat

Ruth - very well put!!

I've seen some crappy looking (and tasting) wedding cakes. I've seen pics of many beautiful cupcake towers too. I like the ones with a small cake on top. I don't think cuppies are tacky unless they are done tacky. I certainly think they ought to be served on a plate with a fork. I don't like to eat a cupcake just from the paper unless I'm outside, but it's no big feat to peel down the paper and eat it from a plate with a fork, whether it be plastic or not.

I love cupcake cakes, but not for weddings. Again, please serve with plate and fork. I'm making one for my granddaughters joint b-day party this Saturday. Made one for my little gd's 1st b-day in July. Perfect setup for a party in the park.

costumeczar - you ARE a weirdo! LOl You cracked me up!!! My sis used to smell everything before she ate it. I mean every bite. I could hardly stand it. Thank goodness she got over it!

I don't mean to sound holier than thou, but I can't DO tacky. Bring me your tacky idea and somehow I'll refine enough tackiness out of it that I can live with myself and you'll be happy. I just can't help myself. It's one of my flaws................ I know.

I actually would prefer to do a cupcakes at a wedding. We are in a new era and that means NEW trends!!! I wish ppl would stop with this idea that the wedding has to be at a church, nice reception, nice diner, an elaborate cake, music, all you can drink.

Geez, this is why so many younger ppl are in debt these days. Trying to live up to "what-is-expected" of them.

We sit here and give opinions on what should be at a wedding and what shouldnt and then we judge the bride when she cant pay on time, a bounced check...all because I'm sure some one in her family said something tacky about her wanting a nice cupcake tower!

So, what if the cupcake's didnt go with the rest of the wedding or didnt live up to our expectations. I'm sure it lived up just nicely to her pocket book!

That's my two cents! Dont mean to make any one's panties get all knotted up!

costumeczar-crumbs really?

I haven't read all the posts yet, (and my tone is light and serious, not sarcastic)

What exactly do you mean by "Tacky"? I wan't aware wedding cakes or cupcakes could be "tacky" (unless a tasteless theme is chosen/offensive, etc.)

Seriously, how are baked goods tacky...? I'm sure I'm missing something obvious...

[quote="indydebi ......!" a wedding reception was cake, mints, punch and a book of matches imprinted with the couple's name and date[/b:69a6aa3469]. That's IT. no one expected more. It was fine.[/quote]

Oh, I'd forgotten about the match books with the names and wedding date. That was in the bad old days when people still smoked indoors. Gag... If you were really swanky, you also had cocktail napkins with the names and date.