Wedding Cupcakes

wishinstar2131

My mother the other day threw a fit because she found out that my FH(Future Husband) and I have decided to do cupcakes instead of a traditional wedding cake.  It actually wasn't about the fact that we are doing cupcakes it's about the fact that I am making them.  We are paying for everything ourselves.  But deciding to do cupcakes has nothing to do with cost.  We live in Indiana and are getting married in Tennessee our wedding has been completely DIY except for my dress, his suit, my shoes, and his boots.  Our decision to do homemade cupcakes because transportation will be easier.  The thought of traveling with a 3 tier wedding cake in the back of our car made both of us extremely nervous.  Also it is silly to have a 3 tiered cake that serves 165 people when we are only having 20 guests at our wedding including us.  If we got a cake that would serve 20 people it would be like a 14" round and would look ridiculous in our opinion.
My FH also is the one who suggested the cupcakes and that I make them because he prefers them to other professional ones we have had before.  So my question is...is it tacky to make homemade cupcakes for a small, intimate, non-formal wedding?  I will be making 72 cupcakes and a small 6" cake for the top tier. 

JadziaDax

How long is your drive from Indiana to Tennessee? I don't find anything wrong with brides making their food IF there is time. For such a small number of guests, you might just want to find a place in Tennessee to do the capcakes for you. My concern is that with the preparation, you will have limited time to bake a day before your wedding. I'm also concerned with the length of the drive and how you will preserve the food you are traveling with.

wishinstar2131

The drive is 9 hours.  I actually own 3 of those cupcake/sheetcake containers which will be enough to transport them down there.  It only takes a few hours to bake and decorate the number of cupcakes we need.  I am enlisting the help of two of my friends who have lots of decorating experience.  Right now I am calm and unconcerned about the whole project, but ask me again March 10 and see if I still feel the same.

tldh

When you get closer, you will likely find that you don't have as much time as you think.  DH and I got married 1 1/2 hours away and we were scrambling to get everything done in the days leading up to our wedding.  When we got to the last two weeks, DH made a spreadsheet to schedule each day.  By the time we got to the last two days, that spreadsheet was broken down by the 1/2 hour and we only had 30 people coming.

My brother and SIL did cupcakes at their wedding in Savannah.  SIL looked for recommendations and found a baker who supplied 5 dozen cupcakes for her wedding with 28 guests.  I would strongly suggest finding a bakery and placing an order.  It's just not worth the hassle to make them yourself.

EDIT:  Keep in mind that with every day you make them before the wedding, they will get more and more stale.

SCogs18

If your mom is so against homemade cupcakes she could volunteer to pay a baker in Tennessee to make you a small cake, other wise she will just have to deal with it.  Cup cakes are a cute and delicious idea.

dibsontop

If you plan for it, you will have time to make them.  I made 160ish cupcakes, decorated, and boxed them all just days before my wedding.  Of course, I planned ahead, so everything else was done and that's all I had to concentrate on.

Cupcakes in progress:









Cupcakes finished:

kaesha

You could get a small two tiered cake instead of doing a gigantic one. Often times the cake is transported in its individual layers and then assembled on site.

My personal opinion is that all things are possible in the wedding world, but you have to be organized and know exactly what you're getting in to. Cupcakes are definitely best eaten on the day they're made, IMHO. When I make them for bake sales, I'd do them the day before, but no more than that. How long before the wedding will you be making the drive? If it's more than a couple of days, I'd bake the cupcakes in Tennessee... but of course then it's cutting into your prep time there for everything else too. What social obligations will you have? What else needs to be done?

Out of curiosity, why are you baking 72 cupcakes for 20 guests? Are you serving different flavours?

anna.oskar

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_wedding-cupcakes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:d1420d05-4d65-4a48-8f71-85cfc4d597fePost:5c72405a-afcb-4990-a60a-7d6e034fbcb3">Re: Wedding Cupcakes</a>:
[QUOTE]Out of curiosity, why are you baking 72 cupcakes for 20 guests? Are you serving different flavours?
Posted by kaesha[/QUOTE]

i was wondering that too but then just figured her family must really, really like cake.

wishinstar2131

I am making different flavors 3 to be exact.  I am very organized and I think it can be done.  I was just wondering if other people thought they were tacky that they were going to be homemade. Thanks for all of the comments :-)

Cgidds

Its not tacky! I would do it too but I can only make a good vanilla rainbow sprinkle from a box... :-P

And I dont think that flavor is very wedding-ish.
We're having a cake baker who works from home make them for 80 people (only 40 bucks)!

NRHDaisy

I think its very doable.   I am a cake decorator and I find that if you leave the cupcakes in the baking tins (you can buy disposable ones) and cover with plastic while still warm, they will stay moist.  Also, you can buy the foil papers which also keep them moist.  It's easy to make your own cupcake liners by using a cupcake liner to create a template and cutting them from scrapbook or wrapping paper.  Decorative scissors give them a really neat top edge.  You can get several graduated sizes of cake plates to stack and set the cupcakes on.  Or cover square boxes covered with paper and stack like a wedding cake (4" between layers). Also think about buying fondant and using a cookie cutter to cut out hearts, flowers, etc. to place on the cupcakes (right before setting them on the cake plates or the icing butter could wick up and melt them)  Wilton even has edible markers so you could write your initials or a design on the dried fondant.  Drop a few of your flowers between cupcakes and you will have a really neat professional looking display.

HiddenPaw

Definitely NOT tacky!  I haven't been to a wedding where the bride made the cupcakes, but I've been to weddings where a friend of the bride made the cupcakes.  They are extra delicious, because the secret ingredient is love!

We are having cupcakes for the groom's cake, and I thought about making them myself.  I just know it would drive me crazy from all the stress of getting everything together for the wedding in addition to having to bake cupcakes. 

But if it won't make you nuts, then go for it!