Cupcakes vs. Cake

Ashelton09 · May 2012

Ok, for a very long time I was sooo against having cupcakes over cake. I thought it looked tacky. but the more and more I look, I realize cupcakes, or at least the ones I would want, are sooo much more cost effective then a wedding cake. We would still get a top layer for us to cut. I'm so confused.What do you guys think I should do? Does anybody have any pictures of really nice looking cupcakes at a wedding? Help!

Maggie0829 · May 2012

Here is a pick of our cupcake cake.

Our guests loved them because they could just grab one and eat it while standing around and talking. We also had 5 different flavors for the guests to choose from. Our guests couldn't stop talking about the cupcakes...they were a huge hit!

missy41222 · May 2012

If you really have your heart set on cake, I would keep researching.

I also initially preferred cake but thought that cupcakes would be more budget friendly. Once I added in the cost of a decent looking cupcake stand and delivery/set up in order to make sure all of the cupcakes are placed nicely, I found that the cost was comparable to cake (albeit, with a simple design). My wedding is also in the Detroit area so there aren't any regional price differences that need to be taken into account.

Good luck!

Ashelton09 · May 2012

Maggie0829,

Where did you get your cupcake stand? It's ver similar to something I would want!

Maggie0829 · May 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_cupcakes-vs-cake-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:4da90d9e-a2d5-441d-9d57-57ccbeb02601Post:9d8f4c23-59bf-4cb9-9ad4-3a93dd94de3f">Re: Cupcakes vs. Cake</a>:
[QUOTE]Maggie0829, Where did you get your cupcake stand? It's ver similar to something I would want!
Posted by Ashelton09[/QUOTE]

My cupcake stand was provided by my baker for like an additional $25-$50 rental charge. I know that they make their own stands themselves so (not sure how handy you or your FI are, but you could definitely DIY it. You could take a pic to Home Depot or somewhere and ask them what materials they would suggest and how to put it together.)

I never researched wedding cakes so I am not sure how much they tend to run, even with a simple design, but for everything (delivery, set-up, cake stand, cupcakes, custom wrappers) we paid about $500. But I always wanted cupcakes because I just like them better then regular cake!

rlavach · May 2012

For us, getting a cupcake tower was a must. It was actually more expensive than going with the cake provided by the venue. The only pic I have shows just the top, but it was 5 tiers. We rented the tower from our baker. Absolutely everyone loved it. It's becoming increasingly common, but none of my guests had seen one yet.

Annas2013 · May 2012

We're doing cake, just because we have our hearts set on a certain design. I love the idea of cupcakes though! They're cute and honestly grabbing a cupcake seems a lot less time consuming than actually having to cut pieces of a cake.

ingramnusz · May 2012

We chose cupcakes because we wanted a variety of flavors and because the first venue we looked at charged a cake-cutting fee, which I was fundamentally opposed to given the way they were nickeling-and-diming for everything. (hence, we chose a different venue) If cost is an issue, don't forget to factor that in if your venue or caterers charge for slicing-and-plating.

I've also found in my experience that cupcakes tend to taste better than a lot of wedding cakes I've had in the past--less-than-stellar bakers tend to bake in advance and freeze, then thaw and decorate right before the wedding. A good friend of mine had a very dry disaster of a wedding cake as a result. If you're going the traditional route, definitely make sure they will bake it fresh soon before your wedding.

vantica · May 2012

I will be doing cupcakes because I really don't like fondant and while the cake doesn't have to be fondant covered, they really are quite pretty! Plus I think I've only ever tried one wedding cake in the over 12 I've been to. Cupcakes I would have eaten! And I'm sure I'm not the only one and would love for my guests to actually partake in my "cake"! I am, however, trying to come up with a display that isn't a tower....maybe something staggered. But when there will probably be over 100 cupcakes and I'm on a really tight budget, it may be easier to just rent a tower.

091109brIANna033013 · May 2012

My fiance and I are having 120 cupcakes and a small top tier cake to cut. We are going to have a small tiered cupcake stand to hold the cake and some of the cupcakes. The rest of the cupcakes will be on 2 to 3 other cupcakes stands, the kind that have individual spots to but 13 to 25 cupcakes. There are some nice stands at Target and Michael's. The tiered stand will be on the cake table while the other stands are by the buffet and bar, so people can grab a cupcake wherever they are in the venue.

random4180 · May 2012

We're doing cupcakes for guests and a cake for us to cut into. For us it was definitely more budget friendly; I'm vegan and specialty cakes are super expensive! Since most of our guests don't have the dietary restrictions, it makes sense to get regular, inexpensive cupcakes for them and then have a small cake for us to cut into. It will be the same flavor- red velvet with vanilla buttercream and shouldn't be too surprising to any of our guests since I am pretty well known as a big cupcake baker in the family!

Ashelton09 · May 2012

I've been researching and researching for the last week, and I'm definitly coming around to the cupcake idea, but I still don't want to do a tower. Because our wedding is a book/newspaper theme. (I'm an english teacher, and my fiance is a journalist) I think I want to do something along the lines of this,

Yes? No? Lame? Awesome??

091109brIANna033013 · May 2012

I think that is adorable. It would go very well with your theme.

expats14 · May 2012

We are going with cupcakes and other assorted desserts. This was a great workaround for us, as I'm a celiac and have no desire (or budget) to feed everyone gluten-free cake (there's no way that would turn out well). It's also given us a chance to make sure that the diabetics in the room have something to eat.

Great idea with the book stand. That's adorable!

ktdid10 · May 2012

I love cupcakes way better than cake so that's why I'm going for cupcakes plus we won't be having anyone to cut the cake so to have something people can just go grab and not wait for the cake to be cut is ideal for us. But if your heart is set on cake I would keep looking, but I've been to some weddings with cupcakes rather than cake and I didn't think it was tacky I actually liked it better.

PopPow · May 2012

We are doing a cutting cake and cupcakes. I got our stand here: www.cupcaketree.com

grooms cake aka rice krispy treats
vanilla cutting cake with vanilla almond buttercream
coffee chocolate cupcakes with Baileys Irish cream frosting
Banana cupcakes with maple brown butter frosting
Graham cupcakes with key lime frosting
vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting
chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting

VacMaster · May 2012

My brother-in-law just got married last weekend - first time I'd seen a cupcake "stand" and I was impressed. They had several flavors for guests to choose from and it was a lot easier than cutting cake. Cake cutting "fee"??? Really? That's just messed up!

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