wedding cakes – worth the cost?

As I was talking to a wedding coordinator whilst packing away my equipment at the end of the night at the beautiful Oulton Hall, he said something that stuck with me and made me think a little about the expense of a wedding cake. The gentleman in question turned to me after I remarked on the mountain of wedding cake that was left untouched and said, ‘I’ve done hundreds of weddings and the cake is never eaten at any of them – not one!’ It made sense really as guests had had a three course meal with drinks; and then within two hours or so a large buffet was brought out for the guests when the disco was in full swing! All that food and drink doesn’t leave a lot of room for an enormous cake does it? 

It got me thinking about writing this little blog entry. I know it’s traditional to have a tiered cake of some sort, but is it really necessary to have an enormous cake that will almost certainly go to waste? I would definitely say that if the money side of it isn’t a concern then by all means have the most grand cake you can think of – I’ve seen some magnificent creations over the years and it’s a once in a lifetime occasion so why not have a spectacular cake to marvel at for years to come? I totally agree with that. Just be prepared to take a lot home with you or leave it for the venue staff (and wedding singer/DJ!!) to eat or simply throw away. But by the same token, if you feel that you don’t want to waste money and you feel that money could be spent better elsewhere then why not have a smaller cake that is more personal to you? I did a wedding recently for people from a boxing background and they had a lovely and modest two tiered, iced, chocolate wedding cake with a comedy/boxing themed bride and groom on the top. It was a big hit with the guests and everyone was chuckling and taking pictures – no enjoyment was lost and the waste was minimal.

So maybe have a little think. What represents you as a couple or family? Could you have a nice cake with a hint of that theme incorporated? Obviously there are as many options as there are couples in the world when it comes to wedding cakes but, I just wanted people to be aware of the words of the wedding coordinator that in all his time and in all the weddings he worked at he had never seen a cake eaten. Just seemed a shame to me and if it can help someone rearrange their budget slightly to give them a day they’d prefer then I think it’s a message worth spreading.