One of the hottest new trends at weddings are cupcakes. Cupcake wedding cakes, or cupcake trees can add a conversational touch to an already enjoyable event. Your guests will appreciate the originality and if the bride chooses, the various flavors to choose from.
The cupcake wedding cake is used, instead of a regular wedding cake. Sometimes a traditional cake is used for photos while the cupcakes are served to the guests. However, in a true cupcake wedding cake there’s usually at least one cake tier (or a separate cake) that is used for the cutting of the cake. Although this is not a completely new idea, it is becoming much more popular and for a few very good reasons:
- A cupcake wedding cake is usually a cheaper option than a traditional cake.
- Cupcake wedding cakes are easier to handle and not as messy.
- Transporting cupcakes is a lot easier than carrying a large cake with multiple layers.
- Since there are so many little cakes, you can actually have a lot of different flavors!
- Because they’re individually wrapped, the reception staff doesn’t have to deal with cutting and plating up slices for each guest.
- The cupcakes don’t even have to be served. Each guest can pick a cupcake from the tower or “cupcake bar”.
- Cupcakes are also easier to carry home for the guest who would love a piece of cake, but would rather not eat it at the reception.
- They could also be boxed up and used as favors.
If you opt to go the route of cupcakes as opposed to a conventional wedding cake, there are a few things you will want to keep in mind. You may want to consider purchasing a cupcake tree. The cupcake tree is a rather unique and interesting way to display cupcakes at your wedding. A wedding cupcake tree can be made of metal, plastic, cardboard, glass and even wood. The ones I have seen can be anywhere from three to seven tiers and can hold anywhere from 23 to 200 cupcakes. Many of the cupcake tree stands have a top tier that can hold a small cake to be used for the cake cutting ceremony.
You will also want to choose a cupcake liner or paper to match the colors and theme of your wedding. Many brides & grooms will further dress up the look of the cupcake tree by having flowers strategically placed in and around the cupcakes.
Using cupcakes at your wedding allows you to offer a variety of flavors and you can even accommodate special dietary needs, such as sugar free for diabetics. So, don’t be afraid to offer multiple flavors and colors as well as different types of icing.
And for those of you (like me) that are “Decoratively Challenged”, don’t worry! Here’s a neat little item that I came across recently, they are called “Cupcake Caps”. Cupcake Caps are pre-made, sturdy yet sumptuous cupcake toppers, that feature a variety of wedding-friendly designs and easily stick to the top of your cupcakes with just a smear of frosting. That’s right; with these Cupcake Caps, you do not even have to worry about decorating the cupcakes. Just dab on a bit of icing, press the cap down, twist slightly & YOUR DONE! And the best part is that you can purchase these cupcake caps for around $1.00 each. They even offer a custom design service. You can check them out at www.cupcakecaps.com.
One of the biggest mistakes that I see brides & grooms make when using cupcakes is forgetting about the cake cutting ceremony. It is important to ensure that you have at least a small, single tier cake that can be used to cut and then feed to each other (note that I said nothing about smashing it in your spouse’s face – but that’s another article). You may even want to consider a small 2 tier cake, so that you are able to cut the bottom tier and then save the upper tier as your anniversary cake.
So as you can see, cupcakes do offer a viable alternative to the traditional wedding cake, especially for the bride & groom that are looking for something unique, or different. Please feel free to leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.
