How I Tied the Knot: The Cake

Previously in the post, tying the knot: the cake, I shared some of my favorite pictures of our cake and how Chris managed to smash a nice piece of it in my face. Now, it's time to let you all in the details behind our cake and the lessons that I learned from that aspect of our wedding day. And, of course, some pretty pictures to display along the way!

I was a bride that did my research. I went to the bridal shows around town, I read all the wedding related blogs that I could find and I compiled spreadsheet after spreadsheet to ensure that I was getting the most bang for our buck.

I started obtaining quotes from the cake bakers around town (for a cake to feed 150 people). They were coming in at $800 and I couldn't get my jaw off the floor. The accountant in me did the math, with assistance of a calculator and was even more outraged to learn that one of those cakes would cost me $5.33 a person! No way. Not on my watch.

One day, our reception coordinator casually mentioned that she knew of a reasonable baker that has been making cakes out of her home for years. I called her as I was walking out of that meeting. I went over to her house, tasted some samples, looked at pictures of her past work, attempted to explain my vision or our cake, received a quote and signed on the dotted line. $350. The bottom two layers (one vanilla and one chocolate with butter cream frosting) fed 150 people, allowing us to take home the top layer. Her attention to detail was impeccable. She pretty much took this picture of a cake that I had in my mind and recreated it perfectly. We were quite pleased. To top it all off, it tasted just as good as it looked!

Lessons learned #13: You don't have to buy an expensive cake from a ritzy baker just because it's what you think is the best of what's around. Roll up your sleeves and start reaching out to your reception vendors, coordinator(s), etc. to see if they have worked with a reputable baker that won't send you a bill rivaling that of a weekend shopping spree at Anthropologie.

Indianapolis brides: please e-mail me if you would like the name and contact information of our wonderful cake baker.

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look, bouquets and boutonnieres, socks and shoes, bubbles and getting away
all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.