Fake Wedding Cakes?
 

So my Grandmother told me that people are now cutting cost on their weddings by skipping out on the traditional wedding cakes and getting a fake cake made of foam! :eek: You can now rent fake cakes. Apparently, the fake cakes still have enough real cake hidden so that the bride and groom can have the traditional first slice. As a guest you still get a slice of cake, it just comes from a much cheaper sheet cake.

I guess this could be your something borrowed? Lol. Has anyone ever heard of this or ever been to a reception with a rented wedding cake? Would you ever have a fake cake? I think I am far too traditional. I mean the cakes look real, but I don’t know it just seems strange to me.

http://cakerental.com/
http://www.rentthecakeofyourdreams.com/

That is ridiculous. If you can't afford a fancy cake, don't have one. I promise no one will care that much.

Most of those cakes in the links you provided look extremely tacky...I wouldn't want my REAL cake to look like that!

my cousin used one this weekend...looked great and we pulled it off!

What you said. I wouldn't think less of someone for having sheet cake at their wedding or even having a small "wedding cake" with sheet cake for the guests. But having a fake cake is just tacky, IMO.

Neat!
 

This is pretty nifty! I don't know if I would do this, but I would think about it, lol. On the first link, the "topsy pink" cake is really cool. No one would know the difference!

Waiting for her imput on this thread....

Where are you SHEETCAKE???:D

lol.

Oh and as for the cakes being tacky, they're very much in the style of cakes these days, with the polka dots and ribbons and things. Everyone's watching too much Ace of Cakes ;)

The funky/cutesy novelty cakes are great for little Ishmael's bar miztvah or Guadalupe's Quince or Cher's Sweet Sixteen....

But not for a wedding, for the love of God.

Preaching to the choir. Maybe I'm old fasioned (oh wait I'm Catholic, I must be :p) but wedding cakes are white... cakes. Not pink and with little danglies or funky shaped or whatever. There are cakes covered in white frosting possibly on tiers but that's as liberal as I go.

But I think that Ace of Cakes mentality is what's fueling this. It's not good enough to have just a cake, it has to be a special super expensive cake and if you can't afford that you better fake it or else it's social suicide.

Not that the AoC thing is bad altogether, if you want to splurge, fine. But why go with the fake cake instead of a normal nice looking one?

I know a few people who have done this...they have a real bottom layer to cut for pictures and the rest is fake.
Then the reception staff takes it into the kitchen and many people won't know they are being fed cheap sheet cake.

i've seen people do this. especially a mix between the two. The base and the little cake on top are real, but the in between tiers are fake.

It seems that unless you want a really elaborate cake, you can get a real one for not much more than they charge. I mean, I know it's all based on where you are, but if you are willing to look around and be flexible, you can get some good deals.

My wedding cake was soooooo yummy that I can't imagine having a fake or just having a sheetcake that people eat.

Oh, you know when you're getting a piece of sheetcake.

I mean, cake is cake and I'll eat it regardless, but I always feel a bit slighted when I get a piece of sheetcake vs. tiered cake. The frosting to cake ratio is definitely subpar on a piece of sheetcake.

Have you ever seen how much an Ace of Cake's cake cost??? "All of our cakes start at $500. Tiered cakes start at $8 a serving, and go up from there. Pricing is determined on a cake-by-cake basis, by the complexity of the design. Once you have figured out roughly what the cake looks like and how many people you need to feed, we can give you a pretty accurate price estimate." (http://www.charmcitycakes.com/) I don't know if I'd pay $500 for a Birthday cake, especially if that's just the starting price!

I'm not super traditional, as in a cake has to be white, but damn at least be real! If you can't afford fancy schmancy have someone's granny make you a nice tasty cake! The granny ones usually taste better than any store one anyway.

This type of keeping up with the Joneses just looks ridiculous.

Yeah, I've looked :eek: I can see why you'd do it for a really special occasion, or hell, if you have the money to throw around, but no one should feel like they have to have a cake like that. It's a luxury item!

Paging SHEETCAKE...

*sigh* Just get a smaller cake.

http://photos-977.ll.facebook.com/ph...30345_3541.jpg

Less than $200 and oh, so yummy!

Is that Buttercream icing? It looks quite yummy and very pretty.

Why rent when I can have this made?

That's why God invented Groom's cakes - so you can have your beautiful wedding cake AND a funkier one, too.

tell me about these groom cakes. sounds interesting!

The groom usually has a smaller cake. Traditionally, it's chocolate and reflects something he likes or a hobby.

I would not go the rent a fake cake route, but I see nothing wrong with the foam layers. That's a design decision. I plan to have a really small wedding--50-75 people. However, I like certain cake designs and I don't want that to be compromised. My bakery charges nearly $200 for 1/2 a sheet cake. So, I know I will be paying out the wazoo.

Groom's cakes
 

I am not much of a white cake lover, so I am sooo happy to have a slice of a chocolate groom's cake instead.
I've never seen one like the "Steel Magnolia" armadillo (although I do love me some red velvet cake!) but I have seen some shaped like fraternity badges, or with a hunting, golf or sports motif.
My (ex) husband's was German chocolate, and very, very good. Our wedding cake was chocolate, but it had the traditional white icing (which I think is kinda tasteless).
I've reached a point where I am much more impressed by a cake which is moist and tasty than one that is a bizillion tiers high.

Ehhhh.... says who? If it's what the bride and groom want, who are you to say that it's not allowed? As long as it's not offensive or something involving poor etiquette, it's the bride and groom's wedding - not the guest's. They're still providing you with cake, it's not like they're leaving you with a dixie cup of punch and a few peanuts. Just because it isn't big, white and boring doesn't mean that they can't have it.

Now, I agree that the fake cake is a bad idea, but why can't a wedding cake allow for more individuality? I personally dislike boring, plain white wedding cakes. Actually, I'm not a huge fan of wedding cakes in general. They cost a ridiculous amount, they're fairly boring looking, guests just get a sliver, and it isn't all that good at all. When I get married someday, I don't even know that I will have an actual wedding cake (the horror!). I will certainly be looking into alternatives

Groom's cakes are fun. We don't really do them up here in Pittsburgh. Probably because with the cookie table, there's already enough sugar. I've been to a wedding with a HUGE cookie table, a chocolate fountain, and cake. that's a recipe for a belly ache!

I think the bride and groom should do what ever they want on their wedding day and to hell with who ever might think it's tacky. Nobody eats wedding cake anyway unless you force it upon guests as desert.

What you should never do is have a "black tie" wedding with a reception at dinner time and then not feed your 200 guests, and not tell them that it's a cash bar and make us sit through boring speeches for an hour and half.

My cousin had one at her third reception in Hong Kong. There was no way she and her husband could do three cakes (husband is from Malaysia), so the real cake was at their "real" wedding in NYC.

That's bad even if it's a "casual" wedding.

Wow you got a really great deal and it looks yummy... My cake was all real and it was good. I didn't think that it would get all eaten but it did because it was that good. I spent $600+ on my wedding cake... thank goodness my MIL paid for the grooms cake...

...at my cousin sweet 16 though they did have this huge FAKE cake on display on one of the tables... and yes later they served sheet cake.

I have heard of the fake cakes and although it is a good idea, I think you should go ahead and get the real deal. You definitely do not have to go with an expensive cake. The cakes at Wal-Mart and Publix (if you have one) are tasty, professional, and affordable.

you all are really making me want to go home and bake a cake. or at least cupcakes.

speaking of which, do y'all think the cupcake-cake thing is cute or tacky? I like the idea but i don't really see myself pulling it off properly. I'd save that for a more casual event.

[QUOTE=abaici;1482238]The groom usually has a smaller cake. Traditionally, it's chocolate and reflects something he likes or a hobby.
QUOTE]

I thought they were traditionally fruit? Ok, I looked it up and found both answers. So I guess we're both right. ;)

"Cake historians say the [grooms cake] practice first came to the wedding party in the mid-19th century. About that time the bride's cake--for a long time a single-tier, dense fruitcake--had evolved into a stacked pound cake in the shape of a church steeple. But revelers still desired some of the old-style, rich, fruity cake. Enter: the Bridegroom's Cake. Each guest was given a slice of fruitcake in a box to take home. As the story goes, single women who slipped a slice under their pillow would have sweet dreams of a mate. Today, groom's cakes are baked and iced in the bridegroom's favorite flavors...A groom's cake is a have-to-have in the deep South."
---"A Cake of His Own," Washington Post, April 15, 1998 (p. E01)


How do you sleep with cake under your pillow??? I think I'd do a bit midnight snacking. lol. :p

"The grooms cake...The tradition of sending wedding guests home with a piece of second cake, called a "grooms cake," has its origins in early southern [U.S.] tradition. It is a tradition that almost disappeared by today is experiencing a revival of sorts. The modern-day groom's cake is often a chocolate cake, iced in chocolate, or baked in a shape, such as a football or a book, that reflects an interest of the groom. It is to be used as a second dessert, it is placed on a separate table from the wedding cake and cut and served by the wait staff. At a small, at-home wedding, it is placed on a separate table from the wedding cake and is served. Having a special groom's cake is a charming personal touch. Some couples ask to have the groom's cake packaged, festively wrapped and tied with a ribbon, in small boxes to send home with departing guests."
---Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette, Peggy Post, 4th edition (p. 339)

I think it depends, if it's a casual reception or if they're done very well... I think it can work. Although I still think you should have a small cake, just surrounded by the cupcakes. I'm just all traditional like that though.

Now, the twinkie/hostess cupcake cakes are a no-no. :p

Around here, groom's cakes are for the rehearsal dinner, never for the reception.

I don't like chocolate cake, but my mother was adament that the grooms cake, by tradition, had to be chocolate. I remember well when we were meeting with the caterer:

"The groom's cake has to be chocolate."
"But I don't like chocolate cake."
"But it has to be chocolate."
"But I don't like chocolate cake."
"But it has to be chocolate."
"But it's a groom's cake. I'm the groom, and I don't like chocolate cake."

Finally, the caterer mediated, asking me some very specific questions about what I don't like about chocolate cake and about different kinds of chocolate cake and he came up with a chocolate suggestion that was acceptable to everyone.

And I did like it.

As for rental cakes: beyond tacky.

Agreed!

I don't think I would do a foam cake, but I am sooooo far from getting married who knows what I would do.

The weddings I've attended have always had the groom's cake at the reception & I've seen some really interesting ones. Puerto Rico's flag, footballs, dogs, golf bags, cowboy hats, etc. Its mostly for show during the reception, usually only the wedding party takes a piece of the groom's cake & thats after everything has wound down.

I think the fake cakes are certainly pretty, but as a traditionalist, I wouldn't buy one.

Have you seen the tiny individual wedding cakes? I think that is cute (but expensive, I'm sure).
I need some clever person to post a picture from Martha Stewart or the like.
My home computer network is named luddite for a reason!

Is this what you're talking about?

http://www.matissecatering.com/aug32006-2.jpg

I've always liked that idea. Here are some examples:

http://www.scrumptions.com/images/we...ding_cakes.jpg

http://www.scrumptions.com/images/we...niandlarge.jpg

I wouldn't say this is a "new" idea - I've been hearing about it for years. Though it usually was the bride and groom having a real top and bottom tier and the bakery used styrofoam for the other layers - not renting a cake from another place.

And the Ace of Cakes designs aren't new either. I got married in 05 so was looking at stuff in 04 (and earlier b/c I'm obsessive like that) and those bright colors, dots, stripes, etc have all been popular for some time now.

Our cake was included in the pp charge at the location - most NYC area locations do that. Since we knew the bakery they used and really liked their product, it worked out perfectly and was completely affordable.

Funny someone said something about wedding cake only being white. Mine was pale yellow with white swirls on it. My southern Chi O sister came up to me early in the reception and said, "Have you seen your cake?" I said, "No, why? What's wrong?" She said, "It's yellow." I said, "OH! It's supposed to be!!!!" I thought it was funny she was so concerned! :D