I have come into a huge amount of old-school wedding cake supplies, and I'm not sure if they're worth keeping and would love some advice.

Earlier this year I did a wedding cake for a former cake shop owner. We clicked since we have very similar personalities and talked a lot about cakes. She mostly did her decorating in the 80's and 90's, and she did the giant buttercream wedding cakes with the pillars and the stairs and the ruffles and all that stuff. My style is much more modern, fondant and sculpted and edgy and clean lines. Anyway she's getting rid of all her cake stuff, so last night I went over there and she gave me 2 HUGE boxes of stuff for free! I also bought a few pans from her (I looked them up later and the value today is $283 just in the pans and I paid $40). It's probably $500 worth of supplies. She was extremely generous.

I'm just not sure what to do with the wedding cake stuff. She gave me tons of pillars, the support plates they fit into, staircases, plastic doves, cake toppers, ruffles, etc. If it went on a giant 80's wedding cake, I now have it. Is this stuff worth keeping? I don't see a trend for the 80's-style cakes to come back, but you never know. And pieces like pillars can be used for other things, though that's not normally something I'd use. I just hate to get rid of this stuff. It's in pretty good condition and to buy all this would be hundreds of dollars. The two boxes can be stored in my garage without too much trouble, but I'm moving next year and have to decide if this is worth moving. What do you guys think? Would you keep it? Get rid of it? Thin it out and keep some? I'm just a small part-time home business and do maybe 20 cakes a year.

Thanks for the advice!

I would keep it, if as you say it isn't taking up that much room. you never know what might come up that you could use them for. The stairs could be covered in some brown fondant if you want a bridge... or something like that.. I have tons of stuff and still find new uses for things I have had for a while. Do you have any other cake friends that live nearby? You might share with them too if you want to thin it out. Have fun!!

Sort them by type: pillars/plates, other stuff?

Then you can sell them as sets on ebay or wherever.

Thanks everyone. Good point on the bridge, I can use these as forms for other stuff. Hm, will have to think about that. Thank you!

Check out where you are moving. Many places have their own style.

Also, I see pillars, bridges, and fountains creeping back into some cakes - quincineras and sweet-sixteens.

Get a feel for where you are going before you get rid of it.

You could just hold on to it too because you never know when you might run across someone who needs that stuff. There was a woman on here not too long ago looking for an old school wilton castle thing that they no longer produce. You just never know when someone is going to need the vintage/retro stuff.

I just did a 50th wedding anniversary cake. She wanted a replica of her original cake. Which had the ruffle, swans, doves, cherubs, etc... I had a hard time finding things. I found some things and made do. So you never know when you might need them.

I had a friend in college who had saved a picture of a wedding cake from the 80's when she was a girl....and that is what she had at her wedding. I couldn't believe it--a 24 year old with a fountain, staircases, and satellite cakes. I also made a cake with pillars last year. Ya just never know what you might need!

I would keep it. I had a bride 3 weeks ago who wanted to use the columns on her cake...so we did. It was very pretty. I used fresh flowers of daisies, stargazer lilies and baby's breath....3 tiers....it was nice.

On the Wilton forum, there are people looking now and then for the swan pillars, or bridges, etc to replicate cakes for big anniversaries. So there is a use for them, even if it is for other cakers. Just depends if you want to hang on to them or pass them along or sell them to someone else. I think I have read lately where brides are starting to ask for fountains and more pillars and more piping. Maybe the pendulum is swinging back the other way from crisp fondant.

I'd definitely keep them. This year we did at least 10 of the fountain/pillar type wedding cakes. Usually just one or two a year. You just never know. Some of the brides that booked us to do those type of cakes were younger. Vintage is very "in" right now. And that style is just now being deemed "vintage"

We usually get zero requests for cakes with ugly plastic crap on them, but this past summer we had about 8-10 requests for plastic flotsam cakes.

Every time I see one of those kinds of cakes I always think: The eighties called and they want their cake back!

I usually keep everything but since storage space is limited occasionally I can throw away something to find out a short time later that I need that exact same tool for a new order

WOW! Your so lucky that she gave it to you! Her in the Netherlands traditional things like that aren't avaiable at all. I love the traditional wedding cakes, I think they are so beautifull with the doves and stairs and stuff lijke that. I know a lot of people disagree with me haha. But I try to make them with regular pillars. I wish I also had those supplies!! Don't throw it away!!

I say keep them. Those plates and pillars could also be covered in fondant/gum paste/modeling chocolate for a whole new look. I think it is worth hauling a couple boxes around. You might have to hide them from your husband, though. :)

I would keep them, i always seem to need something ive just binned!!!

You could also amend them and use them for something else, a cake pillar doesnt always have to be a cake pillar!! : )
 

Hi, as soon as I read your post it reminded me of one thing 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding' where more is more.

This is a TV programme shown over here in the UK, which follows the lives of young (very young 16ish!!) girls in the Irish/Romany travelling community as they prepare for their forthcoming nuptials.

Fountains, pillars, ruffles, tiers, balconies, bridges and fairy lights are all very much alive and highly sort after, in fact the bigger and more ostentatious the better!!

Thanks everyone!  I have found some larger plastic bins and stashed it all in the garage.  I am planning on moving to Texas next year so there's a high probability I'll get some quincanearas and things like that. The woman who gave me the stuff told me the pendulum is swinging back to those over-the-top sort of cakes, I thought she was nuts but it seems she's right!

LOL on the gypsy wedding - I've seen that show!  It's crazy!  Then those girls spend the rest of their lives cleaning a trailer every day.

You're only doing 20 cakes per year THIS YEAR. What about next year? When  business is booming and you'll have alll sorts of folk with all sorts of tastes  asking you to do their cakes? Keep them.