Rent a faux cake??

Actually I attended a wedding this past summer (in France) where they had a fake cake. It was about a mile high-(looked a bit dusty too) had sparklers going off from the sides of it and only the top little tier was real cake which the couple cut. I was not impressed. 

 

This also happens elsewhere too...not just in Europe, it's popular in Asia as well. I think it's done to cut costs and then the guests are served a plated dessert. Personally, I find it very disappointing, as the highlight of the reception is the (real) cake (for me). 

The first time I saw a rented cake was at a cousin's wedding in Saskatchewan, Canada about 25 years ago. It was and still is a common practice but it was a shock to me.

No. That's awful!! In my opinion, one of the main parts of your wedding should be the cake! And it should always be real. Who wants to eat real sheet cake that's behind a fake wedding cake? Not me.

It sounds like it's decorated to match your wedding....I've never seen this done but if it's done to match your venue and wedding I don't think it's to bad an idea, of course as long is it's done very tasteful....and when it comes to the sheet cake I would have each serving have a small rose on it so that the guest get a good amount with each severing of cake. I don't mean to brag but my better cream frosting taste oh so yummy, I feel the guest would be very satisfied.l

It doesn't save that much money unless you're renting something that ten other people have rented. I have brides who read this kind of stupid article then ask me if they can get a fake cake and sheet cakes instead. I charge 80% of the cost of a real cake for dummy tiers, then you add the cost of the sheet cakes in, which I charge pretty much the same as the wedding cake, and you've spent more than you would have. In general, cost-cutting articles are there to fill the space between the ads, and they're usually full of crappy advice.

 

For dummies, what I usually do is charge the same amount "per serving" because I'm still decorating the whole cake (and really, that's my specialty!  Although I have to admit my cake is fabulous to taste!)  However, the area where I give them a "break" is the stacking fee for dummies, since I don't have the headache, stress, or supplies needed for successful stacking.  Many of my brides do 1 "real" tier in their multi-tier cake which they cut, and then the rest are kitchen cakes that are the same flavor, filling, etc.

 

However, renting a cake that others have already used?  No thank you!

Such a weird concept. I have never heard of someone renting and then returning a dummy cake. That seems like the only way you could save money. Otherwise you are still paying for the time to decorate. But if the idea is to rent and return so someone else can rent it how would it be customized to match your wedding decorations? 

Also, the rest of the ideas in that article are equally as lame. Something tells me that David either doesn't know, or doesn't remember what it's like to not have money. Hire your photographer and videographer from the same place? I have actually never been to a wedding with a professional videographer. 

And save money by hiring all three musicians from the same company? Really? How about save money by hiring one professional for your entire wedding/reception? 

 

Nothing against David, I love his show, but we clearly run in different circles.

I noticed he allocates 3% only for the cake. It's such a shame that they put out stuff like this. People see them on TV and think they are the experts on how to conduct a wedding and will listen to them. These writers should do some real research.

Holy cow! What a ding-dong!

Oh my goodness I didn't even see the percents he thinks you should spend. 3% on a cake? and 2% on a dress? What kind of "budgets" are these people on!!! He is super out of touch with reality. Hypothetically if a cake costs $500, then your wedding budget is approximately $16,500. That is a super inexpensive cake for such a large budget! and the dress would cost $333. (not really possible even for a David's bridal dress!) These numbers are just way out of touch with reality. 

 

Realistically a nice dress, is about $2,000.00 percent wise according to David Tutera the budget would then be $100,000.00! That is so beyond out of touch i can't even find the right words to describe my astonishment. 

 

(I realize I have said 'out of touch' far more times than anyone should in the span of a paragraph. I am just is such shock I can't get beyond it to be creative with my vocabulary today. I am also only halfway through my first cup of coffee.)

I live in an area where pricing for cakes is on the lower end, compared to other markets. But even local pricing is not at 2%. This seems to be aimed at brides who are so budget conscious that they go the mostly DIY route and it ends up costing more in the end because they aren't aware of what things really cost.

I don't know about the DIY route if he's talking about having three different musicians, and hiring them. He doesn't say anything about DIY or asking friends/family with special skills for discounts or to do photography (example) as a wedding gift. 

 

I think he's just an ignoramus. I am boycotting his show now because he is so ridiculous. 

I noticed that someone who makes these cakes commented on the actual article, on her website it says she charges $50 to rent a stock 2 tier, going all the way to $350 for a custom decorated 6 tier (I think this was Canadian $). One thing she mentions is you save the cutting fee, but if you're serving a sheet cake aren't you still going to pay a cutting fee for that, as well as the cost of the sheet cake? I briefly considered renting my wedding dress to save money, but when it came down to it I didn't want to think of someone else wearing my dress to get married in. When it came to the cake, I went smaller and less elaborate. No shame in admitting you spent within your means these days.

I just couldn't imagine having the same "cake" at my wedding that someone else had at theirs too. I just think the cake is supposed to be one of those big deals. 

 

Also, on a side note. I hate when people do cupcakes instead of a cake at their wedding. I feel so let down as a guest at a wedding waiting for this big "Aww" moment when you get to the reception, and instead I end up going "Oh..."