Every bride wants a beautiful wedding cake, but the price is often outstanding.  However, there are a few different options you can choose to get the beauty you want without spending a hefty chunk of your wedding budget. These tips will help you to save money while still having a beautiful cake on your big day.

1.  Look in the phone book and in local wedding magazines for coupons. You can save up to 20% by doing your research.

2.  Do your research by looking for online reviews of different bakeries and asking friends who did their cakes. By mentioning the good things you’ve heard, they may be inclined to give you a deal.

3. Know your budget. Telling a baker you can spend X-amount will help them in assessing what they can do for you and ensure that you don’t overspend, but still get great quality and beauty for your buck.

4. Check out options other than local bakeries. Wal-Mart, Target, and many local grocery stores make wedding cakes for a much lower price.

5. If you’re a talented baker, or know one in the family who’s willing to gift their time and energy, check out some different do-it-yourself wedding cakes. There are many books out there that have recipes and step-by-step instructions available at major bookstores and most local libraries. Do a test-run a month or so in advance to make sure it tastes and looks the way you want it to. Also, give yourself time a few days ahead of time to bake, if you’re doing it alone. In most cases, you can make the components separately days in advance and construct the cake the night before or morning of the wedding.

6. Try cupcakes! This new trend is a great option for smaller weddings. Not only are these usually cheaper because they’re less labor-intensive, but a much easier option if you’re doing it yourself.

7. Order a small one or two-tiered cake and then supplement cake with a larger sheet cake (hidden back in the kitchen).

8. Pay attention to how many guests the cake size serves. You don’t need a 5-layer cake that serves 250 guests when you’re only having 100. If you still want a big cake, ask that the bottom tiers be made of foam instead of cake. No one will know the difference, since you’re cutting from the top down.

9. Skip the exotic flavors when ordering your cake. Mango may taste amazing, but it will cost you more than, say, lemon or orange. Keep it as simple as possible to save as much as you can.

Be sure to know what you want before you go cake shopping. Look at different pictures and bring your favorites with you when looking around. This will help your baker give you an accurate estimate and ensure that you get what you want out of your design. Using these tips, you should be able to get just that. Enjoy having your dream wedding cake… and eating it too!

Posted by Jillian, a Dot-arilla Blogger