Wedding Cupcakes – The Perfect Dessert for the Budget-Conscious Bride

It’s the experience of a lifetime – the opportunity to pledge your unending love to your fiancé. Once you’ve set a date, there are a myriad of decisions you’ll have to make for your wedding.

Certainly, one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make is what your budget will be. Are you prepared to spend tens of thousands of dollars for your big event? Or are you trying to keep costs low? If you are among those who would like to have a fun wedding, but not spend a fortune, you may want to reduce costs by opting against a traditional wedding cake and choosing festive wedding cupcakes instead.

There is little doubt that you can save money by selecting cupcakes. Rather than spending the $4 or $5 per slice which is customary with a cake, you could spend as little as $1 or $2 per cupcake. That’s a sizeable chunk of change, especially when every cent counts.

Fortunately, cupcakes can be every bit as glamorous as a cake. For instance, you can top them with sugar flowers of either royal icing or gum paste. Monogrammed hearts are an innovative, but possibly more expensive option. Stars and butterflies are perfect for nature-lovers. Old-fashioned sprinkles in your official wedding colors are a fabulous Technicolor option. Keep in mind that you will need a cupcake stand, but you can purchase one for less than $40. You can also bake your own wedding cupcakes – another way to substantially cut costs.

As Linda Kick of the Cupcakery in Dublin, Ohio, told the Columbus Dispatch, “Serving cupcakes instead of a traditional wedding cake can save newlyweds a bundle.” Not only are cupcakes less expensive than traditional cakes, but you don’t have to pay a $1 per slice cake-cutting fee.

Besides cost, there are numerous other advantages to using cupcakes. For the calorie-conscious, a cupcake may be less fattening than a slice of traditional wedding cake. You also don’t have to worry about fancy utensils for cutting and serving – each cupcake comes ready-to-eat! Cupcakes can also help to rekindle that child-like wonder which can add an element of fun to your wedding. They’re informal, cute, and irresistible!

When it comes to best practices for wedding cupcakes cakes, you’ll first want to choose your favorite flavor cake mix, then add almond or mint extract to customize the flavor. Or you might want to try a premium cake base such as carrot cake or red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. Tiered cupcakes can definitely complement your wedding theme – you can arrange them in a design that suits your personal style. You might also want to use a motif out of marzipan to enhance the basic design.

Perhaps one of the best-known connoisseurs of wedding cupcakes is music sensation Carrie Underwood.  As the country icon told CMT Radio Live’s Cody Alan, “We’re kind of doing cupcakes (for our wedding.)  I consider myself a very traditional person. More than anything, we’re going to get married, that’s the most important part. And we want everyone to have a good time, so we’re doing some things like that, that are a little bit different.”

A number of bakeries now specialize in cupcakes, meaning that you can have a pro bake and decorate your cupcakes, if you’re not the do-it-yourself type. Some brides might like the idea of letting someone else handle the baking chores, especially with all the other pre-wedding tasks that will be on their agenda.

Chances are, your family members, friends, and assorted other wedding guests will love your wedding cupcakes.  They are unusual enough to attract interest, without being “over the top.” Of course, if you’re a fan of pop culture, you can make your wedding cupcakes especially whimsical – check the Internet, and you’ll even find a photo of Lady Gaga cupcakes.

Lady Gaga-inspired cupcakes created by Kim Wallace

When it comes to selecting wedding cupcakes, make sure that your personality as a couple shows through. After all, cupcakes are meant to be expressive – they can even tell the story of your romance.  And isn’t celebrating romance what your wedding day is all about?

Sources:

• http://weddings.about.com/od/weddingcakes/a/cupcakesvsweddi.htm
• http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20355330,00.html
• http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/02/02/rest_0202.ART_ART_02-02-10_A6_Q2GFMF7.html

Line Break

Author: Sharon Vaz (37 Articles)

Sharon Vaz is the author of Sand, Sound and Soul: The Complete Guide to the Unity Sand Ceremony. She has helped thousands of happy couples around the world enjoy the meaning and beauty of the unity sand ceremony. She is also creator of UnitySandCeremony.net, a website dedicated exclusively to providing brides and grooms resources for planning the perfect sand ceremony.