Cake Etiquette

stantokm

I think that I already know the answer to this because it goes along with the champagne post below, but my fiance and I are disagreeing on it.  We don't want to spend a ton of money on a wedding cake, so we plan to have a small, two-tier cake and then use sheet cakes for the rest (so that someone will already be cutting pieces and getting ready to serve while we're cutting our cake).

I say that the sheet cakes should be made out of whatever our cake is made from, but FI thinks that we can just get sheet cakes from Costco instead.  When I said that I thought that was rude, he said that Costco cakes taste way better than any wedding cake that he's ever had and that we'd be doing our guests a favor.

So who's right? 

(To be fair to him, we plan on our wedding cake being very simple, so guests probably wouldn't be able to tell--think plain vanilla with buttercream frosting or something, which I think Costco does, too).

zitiqueen

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cake-etiquette-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:c7c76db1-6bd0-45bf-a7dd-3780839c13aaPost:b856436f-95f5-4e05-acdc-338f496276d6">Cake Etiquette</a>:
[QUOTE]I think that I already know the answer to this because it goes along with the champagne post below, but my fiance and I are disagreeing on it.  We don't want to spend a ton of money on a wedding cake, so we plan to have a small, two-tier cake and then use sheet cakes for the rest (so that someone will already be cutting pieces and getting ready to serve while we're cutting our cake). I say that the sheet cakes should be made out of whatever our cake is made from, but FI thinks that we can just get sheet cakes from Costco instead.  When I said that I thought that was rude, he said that Costco cakes taste way better than any wedding cake that he's ever had and that we'd be doing our guests a favor. So who's right?  (To be fair to him, we plan on our wedding cake being very simple, so guests probably wouldn't be able to tell--think plain vanilla with buttercream frosting or something, which I think Costco does, too).
Posted by stantokm[/QUOTE]

A lot of people use sheet cakes to save money. Nobody is going to care where they're from, and how would they know anyway unless you plan on announcing it before it's served?

"Attention, guests! The actual decorated wedding cake is from Cakez-n-Stuff, but the cake you'll be eating is from Costco. Thank you."

kerlan1

As long as the quality of both cakes is similar you should be fine.  You run into problems when the bridal party is exclusively enjoying something better than what they offer their guests.

kmmssg

I agree with you.  The sheet cakes (also called kitchen cakes) should be the same as the cake you cut.  If you have a 3 layer filled cake that you are cutting, and then you have slab sheet cakes in the back I think it is in poor taste.  We did kitchen cakes for last DD's wedding.

ptrataros

OMG, Costco cakes are AWESOME. especially the chocolate ones. I think you could even have 2 flavors (since 2 tiers?) since no one pays any attention to that. As long as they get cake, no one cares. Its a good photo op to have a nice cake and hand out whatever you like. Save the dough and spend in on something else!

itzMS

I didn't have a cake at all !! *gasp* Cake was super unimportant to DH and I so we had other options for dessert and did no "cutting/feeding/smush in faces ceremony".

Anyways, I've always found it weird going to a large wedding that has an itty bitty wedding cake. If you choose to have a cake, IMHO, I think the scale of it should really go with the size (# of guests) of your wedding.

Maggie0829

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cake-etiquette-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:c7c76db1-6bd0-45bf-a7dd-3780839c13aaPost:30692715-3bde-4ba1-af0a-39d20df01461">Re: Cake Etiquette</a>:
[QUOTE]I didn't have a cake at all !! *gasp* Cake was super unimportant to DH and I so we had other options for dessert and did no "cutting/feeding/smush in faces ceremony". Anyways, <strong>I've always found it weird going to a large wedding that has an itty bitty wedding cake. If you choose to have a cake, IMHO, I think the scale of it should really go with the size (# of guests) of your wedding.
</strong>Posted by itzMS[/QUOTE]

This is a good point.  Even if you don't announce it to your guests they will still know that they are most likely not getting the same kind of cake that you and your FI are cutting into.  Think about it, if you have a two tiered cake but are having about 150 guests, there is no way that small tiered cake will serve every single guests and your guests will realize this.

So, if you do decide to stay with the small cake then I think you should definitely have the same kind of cake in the back in either sheet cake or large round form.

Calypso1977

you dont even have to have a wedding cake if you dont want to.  you could just opt to provide some other dessert that may be better/cheaper than a wedding cake.

achiduck

It's fine as long as they're similar in quality and fillings.

LDubHawksFan

I agree that it is fine to do the Costco cake as long as the tiered cake is similar in flavors.  Your guests will know right away that their cake is not from the tiered cake when they get a square piece of cake.  Most likely they won't care though.  Cake is cake!

stantokm

Thanks for all the help!

Jennlee2

In Response to Cake Etiquette:

I just wanted to add my love for Costco cake.  I am hoping to have Costco sheet cake for my  wedding.  I may or may not have a very small decorated round cake to use for cake-cutting photos, but I'm leaning against it at the moment.  

Costco cake is my favorite cake ever and is so yummy!

So my vote is that it is definitely not rude.

Peledreamsofrain

It would only be rude if there was a noticeable difference in quality. Since costco cakes are delicious, nobody will be offended.

Julie2013

You all are making me wish there were a Costco near just so I can try their cake!

jenajjthr

As other PP's have said as long as the quality is the same or better you are fine.  Don't rule out the other type of desserts that are availabe too.  I like cake, but I don't love it.  If you had an assortment of desserts instead of just cake, I'd be in heaven!.  I went to a dinner once where they had a bananas foster dessert bar.  I don't know how much they paid for it since there was a person there making the bananas part of it, but OMG it was awesome!  That was better than any cake I could ever have.

freebread03

I didn't even realize that costco made cakes OTHER than sheet cakes--we just got three round two layer red velvet with buttercream cakes for a work event and they were awesome!

chapel2012

Heck our "cutting" cake is only going to be a 6 inch round on top of a tier of cupcakes! The real show will be the Italian Cassata sheet cake that will be cut up and served to those who don't want cupcakes!

Had we done a whole wedding cake in Italian Cassata it would have costed us $2.50 a person, sheet cake is $1.00 a person. The guests gets the same quality and we get the cost savings. 

Also... Costco cakes are soooo yum and I would rather have that over wedding cake any day.

TaraKeeley

We're having "Spoon" cake for our wedding, which a supermarket brand cake. It's waaaaay better than any cake from any bakery our area. As long as it's yummy, go for it!

PrimRoseMama

You can keep the two tiered cake and do "fake cake" underneath to make it look sizable. I would get the same type of cake though if you are going with the sheet cakes.