Tiered Cake vs Cup Cakes

smbrindley

I've been told that cup cakes are less expensive than a large tiered wedding cake. There are going to be 200 guests at our wedding, so cutting costs is a necessity.

I'm just worried that with such a large guest list, cup cakes will be less practical - taking up a large amount of space, potentially melting (since we're having an outdoor wedding), etc.

Any helpful hints?

eliza+j

Having a tiered cupcake stand could work well in your situation. A simple cupcake stand with tiers is practical and elegant. You could have multiple smaller cupcake stands around the the main stand that hold extras so there's enough for all. 
Good luck! -Eliza

kaesha

What about doing a single tiered cake on display and then having an undecorated sheet cake in the back?

MilleRsBest

To me, cupcakes scream birthday party.  A cake is much more elegant, and as PP said, have a sheet cake in the back or somewhere else to feed all guests.  Sheet cakes are cheap, and good from Costco.  You could get carrot cake, white cake, chocolate, etc. and allow guests to choose which they like.

kaesha

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_tiered-cake-vs-cup-cakes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:97bc7aa3-3e0a-4ad8-8bfa-1e981f860183Post:d2286154-4769-4cd3-ae6b-3ae4051fa1e1">Re: Tiered Cake vs Cup Cakes</a>:
[QUOTE]To me, cupcakes scream birthday party.  A cake is much more elegant, and as PP said, have a sheet cake in the back or somewhere else to feed all guests.  Sheet cakes are cheap, and good from Costco.  You could get carrot cake, white cake, chocolate, etc. and allow guests to choose which they like.
Posted by MilleRsBest[/QUOTE]

Cupcakes have become incredibly popular for weddings in the past few years. And, I've been to two events now where the cupcakes were uber fancy pants. As with most things, I think it's about the presentation and taste. It's definitely possible to do tasty, elegant cupcakes... I don't know if I'd say that about Costco sheet cakes! <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-tongue-out.gif" border="0" alt="Tongue out" title="Tongue out" /> But I worked in Belgian pastry shop for 4 years. I'm a total snob when it comes to baked goods.

girl2bewed

Your right that cup cakes would be way cheaper then a 3 or 4 tierred cake, but its up to you which you like better. Like kaesha said, they are becoming much more popular. If you want something to cut into just have the top tier be a small cake and the tiers below it can be cupcakes of all flavors.

cai0311

If you google "wedding cupcakes" the pictures that pop up are very elegant.  If a classy design and display is chosen, I think cupcakes can look just as beautiful as a cake.  Not to mention that this is a growing trend because cupcakes CAN BE more economical.  Final price will come down to several things: the bakery you purchase them from, the design you pick, the display price and there may be a set up fee because they are more time consuming to set up than a drop and run cake delivery.

SuMmErKuTiE

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_tiered-cake-vs-cup-cakes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:97bc7aa3-3e0a-4ad8-8bfa-1e981f860183Post:d2286154-4769-4cd3-ae6b-3ae4051fa1e1">Re: Tiered Cake vs Cup Cakes</a>:
[QUOTE]To me, cupcakes scream birthday party.  A cake is much more elegant, and as PP said, have a sheet cake in the back or somewhere else to feed all guests.  Sheet cakes are cheap, and good from Costco.  You could get carrot cake, white cake, chocolate, etc. and allow guests to choose which they like.
Posted by MilleRsBest[/QUOTE]

I agree with this.. I've never been a fan of the wedding cup cake fad. I love how a traditional wedding cake is the one of the focal points of the reception.

I like pp's suggestion of having a smaller cake on display and a sheet cake in the back to be cut up and served to guests. HTH!

Britty2010

I would check on prices with the different cake bakers in your area. Some of the bakeries around where I'm from charge just as much if not more for cupcakes (like 2.00+ per cupcake). Our cake to feed 166 guests, 3 tiered is 340 dollars. Doing cupcakes wouldn't really cut the cost. just an FYI It may be very different where you live