A lot of people I know are getting married and a friend of mine (who is in catering) said that some people are getting dummy cakes decorated with only one real tier (for the cake cutting). Then the actual cakes are sheet cakes.

He says that no one actually sees the sheet cakes being cut, so they don't know the difference. I can understand that....

But honestly, how much time and effort is the baker going to save by doing this? You are still decorating the dummy cake and that seems to me like the hard part. I'm not experienced so I don't know.

Also, if a person wants fillings...etc...how is the baker saving time since you will still need to stack? I guess you wouldn't need to worry about tiers though.

It seems like the bride and groom wouldn't be saving that much money (or any?) in the long run. Perhaps I'm over thinking this.

Thanks for your thoughts

Nope, you're not overthinking it. If priced correctly, the dummy cake + sheet cakes should cost more than a tiered cake. Basically you're buying "cake" and cake twice.

u r rite

The only way this is "cheaper" is if the cake was rented out many times. Of course having a non-caker responsible to bring back a dummy without damaging the decorations would be next to impossible, so there would be more time put in to it to fix whatever gets broken.

And how do people not tell the difference between a piece of 2" (if that) sheet cake & a piece of the layered wedding cake? Hope the staff is observant enough not to serve both kinds at the same table... imagine sitting next to someone with the layered cake & you have a hunk of sheet cake... wth?!?!

Dummy cakes are great for outdoor weddings where the bride and groom want perishable fillings. But wont cost any less.... probably more

The only way it could possibly be cheaper is if the baker has set dummy cakes that they use over and over again and the bride is okay picking one of the basic styles. She would then have to be okay with the 2" sheet cake. BUT most brides want a custom dummy and kitchen sheet cakes so it looks like a slice of wedding cake, not birthday cake, which ends up costing way more then a wedding cake. And all I can blame for the thought process are wedding magazines that always seem to have at least one stupid article titled "Ways to Save Money".

Thanks for all the information! I'm amazed that my thought process was not convoluted and over thought. LOL!

I never thought about the benefits of using a dummy cake for an outdoor wedding if you are going to use perishable fillings.

But the idea of "renting" a dummy cake seems different to me. I don't really want to be negative, because to each is to their own, but I personally wouldn't want to do that. But everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I think it goes to show you how obsessed I am about cake when I would rather rent my dress than my cake hehe!!