Anyone had a D-I-Y Wedding Cake?

I mainly see cake cuttings maybe an hour hour and a half after dinner is served. But I think it also depends on when you have first dances. I know some people do those before dinner to get them out of the way and some after.

I know someone already said this but I would definitely go with a small cake for you and FH to cut and then have sheet cake in the back to serve to your guests. We are doing cupcakes with a small cake to cut. Also my mom is the one making our cake/cupcakes.

I personally don't think it is a good idea to make it yourself. I do think though there are less expensive options then a traditional three tier cake. You could easily order 3 cakes or cakes on tiered stands different sizes like you have here, and have your coordinator put the topper on them. They will be eaten at the end of your meal if you arrange for someone to serve them or slice and put out for your guest.

My cousin had a box cake wedding. He wedding was rainbow (all her maids wore a different color & the groomsmen wore different colored ties). Each layer of her cake was a different color, but not different flavor. While it worked for her, I was not impressed. This is my one and only wedding and I am having the professional wedding cake! You just have to decide what elements are important to you. As I told a friend that got married this weekend, in the end, the only thing that matters is that you got married.

For my wedding we're doing a cake buffet. I'm going the Whole Foods route and getting 5-6 10" cakes in all different flavors. That way everyone will be able to find something that they like. We're having less than 50 guests, but my family are huge on cake. Because it's small and the type of venue we're having the reception at we're actually just going to let people cut the cake whenever they want. That's probably not the best case scenario for larger and more structured weddings, but I hate it when I'm ready for cake and I have to wait FOREVER.

I bought a cute Mr & Mrs. Batman cake topper from ebay, FH is a huge Batman fan, so if we go with 5 cakes it'll just be on the middle one nice and simple.

I don't know about you guys, but actually being hands on is the one thing I've loved about planning my wedding. I'm sure my fiancé will be happy when it's over because my stress level will be lower. But the things that have calmed me is the hands on stuff. Tying ribbons, or putting glitter or sewing something has been what puts my mind at ease. That is the very reason i'm making my own cake. I initially had this plan in mind but everyone tried to make me feel bad about it as if it's so taboo. So then I called around. the cheapest in my area was $450 for a three tier cake. But when I showed the vision for my cake that price quickly went up to $700. This seemed a bit ridiculous to me. So then I decided to use a dummy cake, but after purchasing the Styrofoam, spackle and sanding the thing down, the whole idea just seemed silly. So I went to Amazon and started shopping. I ordered all the cake baking supplies and they arrived in 2 days (with prime). BonNoces, a company on amazon sells beautiful acrylic cake/cupcake stands that are very sturdy. They are clear and when you put the cake on it, it appears to be a regular tiered cake. It has a single column going down the center and each tier is screwed on making it very secure. I went to a local cake decorating school and picked up a 14" round Styrofoam plat and covered it with fake bling to use as the cake stand. I'm using a simple design of white buttercream fondant with Betty Crocker red velvet cake. I'll add a little extra oil or apple sauce to keep it moist. I've been watching wilton decorating videos and I did a trial run, so I would know where my strengths and weaknesses are. This process is very simple and I really enjoyed making the test cake. My wedding is on October 10. I plan to get up bright and early on October 8 and begin work on a four tier cake. I can't wait until everyone is so surprised that I could pull it off. In total, it cost me $200 for supplies to include cake, fondant, icing, decorations and the test cake to include the failed attempt at the dummy cake. That's a big difference if you ask me. Most bakeries charge you per person, so I was looking at around $500 or more for a cake and that's just not good sense when I have other things to worry about financially. But to each his own. Good luck!

Oh Gosh Nika thanks for all that information! Please share the pictures of your cake after your wedding! After reading all the comments, I'm a little worried about baking it myself now. Some of your mentioned about stress and yes, i agree that i might be putting too many things on my plate if i decide to bake my own cake too. Whole Foods is something i am also considering too but i am thinking how easy it is to put the smaller cakes on top of the largest one without them sinking in. I'm gonna take a look at BonNoces' cake stands, thank you for the tip!

I'm just done designing our invite card, and I'll be working on the rest of the cards this week. Hopefully i can strike another item off my to-do list soon.