Cakes as centerrpieces on tables

RachelJohnson2b

Has anyone seen cakes used as centerpieces on the tables at the reception. The venue I am using is small, so having a cake table will eat up space that I would rather use for family/friends. Also, I am working on a very tight budget and am thinking the cake would then be the main decoration of the table, it would also grant my guests the ability to eat as much cake as they want/can! I am just curious if anyone has seen this done or has done this and if they have any recommendations/suggestions they can pass on!
Thanks!

jagore08

I think it's a great idea.  I found a couple of pictures on Google and there's one I thought was cute where the cake is cupcakes.

kmmssg

We used to have a MOB on here who was a pastry chef.  She made centerpiece cakes for her DD's wedding - I think about 20 or so of them.  She regretting taking that on, but had to follow through.

One of the things she stressed adamantly is no more than a 6 inch cake on each table.  You will have cake coming out of your ears if you go with 8 inch, and 10 would just be crazy.

She also said she simply took 4 champaign glasses and turned them upside down to make a base on which to set the cake.

Keep in mind that individual cakes like that may cost a bit more because there will be more labor involved.  On the other hand, you don't have to buy a centerpiece, so it can balance out.

Hope that helps.

031107

Most bakeries charge per serving (except WalMart and such stores).  A 6" cake will feed 12 people.  So at $3/serving that is $36/cake/table.  If you want a larger cake, like an 8" that feeds 24 people, because a 6" will look really small you will be paying $3 * 24 = $72/cake/table.  It can get really pricey really fast.
 
We decided to do mini cakes, but we had a 4" x 4" x 4" square cake for each guest.  So we had 65 guests, which means we paid for 65 cakes.  But since that cake should have fed 8 people instead of the 1 we had it feed, we were charged for 8 servings not just 1.

Understand?

nontradduo

I do know of people who have done this.  I am coincidentally having cake centerpieces.  My sister and niece are pastry chefs and they're doing them as my wedding present.
We're sort of going to do a mingling event where everyone tries a small piece of cake from everyone else table.  Each cake will be custom designed to a specific author and book that have defined me and my FI's lives.  The cake flavour is either something the author was personally mad about, is mentioned in the book specifically, or evokes a feeling or look of the book. 
What I'm doing would be extremely costly (I'm just extremely lucky to have 2 gifted pastry chefs in my immediate family).  But you can do inexpensive cakes of all different sizes, types, etc. 
In the most general terms:
The smaller the cake, the less expensive it is.
The less decoration or specialty icings, the less expensive it is
If you keep the cakes all one flavour, it may be less expensive.  But do make sure you stick the bakery's standard cake flavours, otherwise it's added cost.

The same goes for fillings.

Cakes can be quite expensive, but there are ways to do this that will satisfy your guests, create a nice mingling atmosphere, and invite your guests to really dig in and enjoy themselves.

mccartys

I think they can be really pretty with some candles and small vases with little buds around them, but I'd recommend asking the waitstaff to clear them once they've been dug into - otherwise your guests will be left with a half eaten cake on the middle of their table for the rest of the night, which is kind of unsightly.

RachelJohnson2b

Thank you everyone! All such good ideas and suggestions! We had thought about doing different cakes on each table, but worry that with our venue being so small it will be difficult for people to get up and move to a different table to get the piece of cake they want. So, we have pretty much decided on doing identical smaller cakes on each table, we are going to do angel food cakes with frosting and strawberries on each table. I am throwing around the idea of what additionally to put as decoration on the table! I like the lidea of the upside down wine glasses and am thinking of putting small tea light candles and rose petals under and around it for a little atmosphere. Once the tables are cleared I know they will look pretty bare, but I suspect everyone will survive without a centerpiece on the table during the dance! (we are throwing around the idea of putting large bowls of popcorn out on each table to replace the cakes. We figure this will provide a little snack for people a the night goes on and will add a touch of comfort to the event, other parts are going to be more on the formal side. Thoughts are keep the wedding and the reception more structured but then when the dance starts provide an environment where people can let loose and have fun and not have it be stuffy.

This wedding planning stuff is time consuming!

Thanks Again Everyone!!!!!!!
Again, Thank you everyone!