That perfect wedding cake should be beautiful, delicious, a photo opportunity, and memorable. But just like everything, when you mention the word “wedding,” prices at a minimum are doubled, and in some cases quadrupled. When it came to the cake, the same was particularly true.
Quotes
When quotes came in around $950, I knew that was not going to work. Now I understand there is work and creative talent involved in decorating a wedding cake, but the same is true for a birthday cake, graduation cake, and other cakes, although not to the same level. Typically, a wedding cake is tiered and the more people you need to serve, the more difficult it is to create. But there are alternatives, and the wedding planner from the Stanley suggested a perfect one.
Alternatives
Courtesy of Laura Grace Photography
The alternative to a large wedding cake that serves every guest, is a 2-tiered cake for the festivities and keepsake, with a sheet cake served up for the guests. The sheet cake is the same cake and icing as the wedding cake, and it’s already plated when served. The best part is, both cakes together were about a tenth of the cost.
Risky Business
There were only a few bakeries that handled wedding cakes in Estes Park, and I didn’t want to risk transporting it from down the mountain the day before the wedding. The church’s original wedding planner recommended the bakery of a local grocery store her grandson used. Since my daughter wanted a vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream icing, I was able to buy cupcakes made exactly the way she wanted her wedding cake to test them. They were delicious.
Courtesy of Laura Grace Photography
The wedding cake decorator was great to work with, and when I told her that I wanted the top to include the hand-blown bells from my wedding cake, she left space at the top, decorating around what should have been the bells (notice the word “should”). The only catch was that they didn’t deliver. Since they were located just around the corner from the Stanley, I didn’t see this as a problem, until… I forgot the cake.
Where’s the cake?
I didn’t just forget the cake, I forgot the bells that were to go on the cake and didn’t realize I did either until the lovely intern from France knelt beside me and said, “It’s time to cut the cake. Do you know where it is?” My eyes filled with tears and panic set it, “Oh no! I forgot the cake!”
The good part about using the bakery within the local grocery store was that it was still open. My brother-in-law volunteered to pick it up and was met with a perplexed employee who mentioned that this was the first time someone didn’t come to pick up a wedding cake.
Courtesy of Laura Grace Photography
The baker did a beautiful job decorating the cake and did exactly as I asked — left room for the bells, which I also managed to leave behind. Now I had a wedding cake with a rather obvious blank space for the missing bells. Fortunately, my husband’s quick thinking sister, Theresa, came to the rescue. She spied the beautifully decorated Christmas tree, and borrowed some ornaments to decorate the cake. She moved so quickly and did such a beautiful job that no one even noticed.
Courtesy of Laura Grace Photography
Punting became my end game… Stay tuned next week for the lemonade that was made from more lemons.
I’m probably not the only one who has forgotten a critical piece for an event. What have you forgotten?
(c) 2018, Karen Van Den Heuvel
