Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

Smaller Cake Advice

We're doing an early afternoon cake and punch styled reception.

We're looking at serving mini pies of various flavors to each guest between the ceremony and reception as a light snack while we work with our photographer.

Our wedding cake will be small, serving a little over half of our guest count. We will also have various fruits, French macarons, and possible cupcakes in the same flavor as our wedding cake.

Not every person will get a slice of our cake with it being decidedly smaller. Has anyone else done this with their wedding cake? Any complaints?

Re: Smaller Cake Advice

  • We're doing an early afternoon cake and punch styled reception. We're looking at serving mini pies of various flavors to each guest between the ceremony and reception as a light snack while we work with our photographer. Our wedding cake will be small, serving a little over half of our guest count. We will also have various fruits, French macarons, and possible cupcakes in the same flavor as our wedding cake. Not every person will get a slice of our cake with it being decidedly smaller. Has anyone else done this with their wedding cake? Any complaints?
    To not have a slice of cake for everyone is inconsiderate.  Will anyone at your pre-wedding event have to duke it out for dessert?  This just smacks as yet another example of how this post wedding reception is being treated as a second class event for some of your guests.
  • JediElizabethJediElizabeth member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited December 2015
    If you have a cake cutting, you need enough cake for everyone.

    If the cake is set out already cut (by staff, not by you in private), and as an option among many dessert options, with no real importance given to it, you still probably need enough for at least 2/3 of your guests, but not all. As long as you have more enough desserts for everyone, and you don't give it any significance, I don't think people will really care.

    ETA: it's a know your crowd thing, in the situation I described. My family would go straight for the pies. That's probably not true of all.
  • OP, while I am a fan of pretty much all desserts, I have to say that your plan to only have enough cake for some of your guests sends the message to your guests that they are good enough to bring you a gift/write you a check, but not good enough to be given a piece of your wedding cake. 

    As a guest, I would have an ENORMOUS issue with this.
  • Jen4948Jen4948 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited December 2015
    Having not enough cake for everyone at a cake and lunch reception is definitely going to get you side-eyed, especially if you're doing a cake-cutting.

    I'd have enough cake so that everyone can get some cake.
  • We had cupcakes for everyone.  We had a very small cake (maybe 6 inches in diameter) to cut for the "ceremonial" cutting, which was then packaged and saved for us.

    But since you are having cake for a certain percentage of your guests, there is an issue.  Especially onsidering you're having a cake & punch reception, you really need to make sure that everyone gets cake.
  • If you had a small cake (like 6" or even a two tier cake that has a 6" base and 4" tier) and then in addition enough cupcakes of the same quality/flavor so that each guest could have a slice/cupcake of cake then you are fine.  But since you said "possibly" in regards to the cupcakes it doesn't sound like you are 100% sure you are doing that.  But in any regards, you need to have enough of each item for your guests.  Not everyone will take a slice of cake, but then you will have some people who will take a slice of cake, a mini pie, and a macaroon.

    In the end, what you don't want to happen is to have people that want a slice of cake but can't have one because you didn't order enough.

  • My advice would be get more cake.  Seriously, why not?  It's a cake and punch reception; have enough of both those things.
  • Cut your guest list. That solves both problems of not enough tables/chairs and not enough cake!
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  • I think it's extremely odd to have like a random slice of pie "cocktail" hour so you can do photos at a cake and punch reception. You don't leave your guests waiting around at this. It's supposed to be a short thing. Take your photos after people leave.

    And obviously you must at the very least have cake available for all of them!
  • I think it's extremely odd to have like a random slice of pie "cocktail" hour so you can do photos at a cake and punch reception. You don't leave your guests waiting around at this. It's supposed to be a short thing. Take your photos after people leave. And obviously you must at the very least have cake available for all of them!
    Maybe she's figuring on half of her guests being gone by the time she gets done taking her photographs, and then there will be cake for everyone who's still there. You get the feeling she's not really into this cake and punch reception, and I'm sure her guests will pick up on that vibe also.
  • geebee908 said:
    I think it's extremely odd to have like a random slice of pie "cocktail" hour so you can do photos at a cake and punch reception. You don't leave your guests waiting around at this. It's supposed to be a short thing. Take your photos after people leave. And obviously you must at the very least have cake available for all of them!
    Maybe she's figuring on half of her guests being gone by the time she gets done taking her photographs, and then there will be cake for everyone who's still there. You get the feeling she's not really into this cake and punch reception, and I'm sure her guests will pick up on that vibe also.
    They will if they hear the talk from guests invited to the dinner/DJ/dancing gala the night before.
  • How is it difficult to figure out that... OP - you're having a CAKE and punch reception, you need enough CAKE and punch to serve your guests!!  The rest is bonus - but you don't get to skimp on cake... If anything you should be ordering more cake because no one wants to be shorted CAKE!  AND, the cake needs to be the same portion for every guest!  It's called proper hosting. 
  • This is not ok. I love lots of desserts, and while it's great that there will BE dessert for everyone, there is something very off-putting about you having a cake there, cutting, and eating it, and being all, "Oh, you guys get the other desserts, not this."
    What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14
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  • I am one of the people who will eat the mini-pie at cocktail hour, plus a piece of cake when you cut it, and probably a macaroon too. 

    If you are having a cake and punch reception, there needs to be enough cake. 
  • julieanne912julieanne912 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited December 2015
    I didn't have cake enough for every guest.  We did a small 2 tier cutting cake, plus had a quarter sheet cake.  But, we had mini cupcakes, mini pies, macaroons, cookies, brownies, chocolate covered bacon on a stick, and lemon bars.  And we served a full dinner.  There was cake left over.  

    So yeah, if all you're having is a "cake and punch" reception with no other food, you need to have more than enough cake. 
    Married 9.12.15
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  • If you had a small cake (like 6" or even a two tier cake that has a 6" base and 4" tier) and then in addition enough cupcakes of the same quality/flavor so that each guest could have a slice/cupcake of cake then you are fine.  But since you said "possibly" in regards to the cupcakes it doesn't sound like you are 100% sure you are doing that.  But in any regards, you need to have enough of each item for your guests.  Not everyone will take a slice of cake, but then you will have some people who will take a slice of cake, a mini pie, and a macaroon.

    In the end, what you don't want to happen is to have people that want a slice of cake but can't have one because you didn't order enough.
    This. You have to have enough cupcakes in the same flavor(s) and quality of your cutting cake. We were going to do that for DD's wedding but discovered it was cheaper to buy enough cake for everyone instead of cupcakes. You might want to check out cupcake vs. wedding cake prices. I would be very disappointed if I didn't get cake - I would also probably have some of the other offerings.
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