Not exactly etiquette related, but I know you ladies give great advice on handling delicate situations.
When FI and I realized how much a "traditional" wedding cake costs, we decided that we absolutely didn't want to spend the money on it. It's just not important to us. We decided to serve sheet cakes from the kitchen, and I asked my grandma if she could help me bake a simple little cake for the ceremonial cutting, or if I could borrow her cake pans to do it. She still bakes cakes for all the birthdays and such, and we love cooking together, so I thought this was a nice idea.
Last night grandma offered to pay for my wedding cake as her wedding gift to us, because she "knows I want a pretty cake" (I don't) and it just made me feel super awkward and I don't know how to handle it. First of all, I don't think she realizes how much they cost (starting around $3pp in our area), and I'm sure she wasn't expecting to spend that much on a gift. I know she worries about money a lot and the last thing I want is to make her feel obligated to spend that much. She would probably tell me to order from the bakery and have them send her the bill, and I'm afraid that might actually cause her a heart attack, but there's no good way to broach the subject on the front end. At the same time, I don't know if there's any graceful way to decline the offer without hurting her feelings.
So, what's the best way to handle this? Just let it go and pick out a cake? What would you do?