Look at lots of different ideas before you decide what you want. Visit bakeries and peruse bridal magazines. You might also find inspiration at a toy store, in china patterns or from your
favorite candies.
Remember fancy cakes from the bakery are expensive, anywhere from three dollars to fifteen dollars a slice plus other
charges like delivery, etc.Simple cakes can be very elegant. We'll give you great ideas to have a marvelous confection that will long be remembered after it's eaten and smashed in the face of the bride and groom.
Consider simplicity with your cake. The actual one you have on display doesn’t have to feed your entire guest list. Try out a simple two-tiered number and then have a sheet cake in the kitchen to serve to guests.
Why not try cupcakes as an alternative to the traditional tiered cake. These can be made in a variety of flavors and arranged on a tiered rack or in a creative design on the cake table.
Of course, the best way to save the most on a wedding is to make it yourself or have a friend or relative bake it. Consider the cost of some cake mixes and frosting, and you can see how baking your own cake can save money.
Choosing to have several small cakes, put them on a display and you may be surprised at how fancy they look. You can add different flavors and guests will have options.
The cake topper is another place where you can show your uniqueness as a couple. My second husband and I are avid golfers. My mom found some miniature (really small) plastic drivers that just happened to be white. She tied them together with ribbon and this is what adorned our cake.
Consider a matchbox car for the Nascar fans. How about one of those headliner figures in your favorite team for a sports couple?Do you both like to fish? No, don’t put a fish on top of your cake, but you can put a lure or bobber up there. Get a new one so it’s clean!
Many couples want to have mints and nuts to go along with the cake. This is fine, but you should buy the nuts in bulk from a warehouse store, and make the mints yourself. Homemade mints can be frozen well in advance and still taste delicious when they’re thawed out.
Try this delicious recipe:WEDDING CREAM MINTS
1 three-ounce package cream cheese softened
3 cups powdered sugar
Food coloring (in your wedding colors)
Flavoring (available at most grocery stores) – peppermint preferably
Mix cheese, flavoring, and coloring till well blended. Slowly add sugar. Knead in with fingers as mixture thickens. Roll into small balls then into granulated sugar. Press flat with a spoon. Refrigerate or freeze. If freezing, thaw in refrigerator 1-2 days prior to serving.
This makes 50-75 mints. Plan 2 mints per person.Guests cannot have food and cake alone at your reception. Let’s explore the question of beverages.
Plan to have coffee on hand. You can borrow a large coffee dispenser from the local church, or your
reception hall will probably have one on hand for you to use. Buy a large can of coffee on sale and brew it yourself.
Iced tea is always good to have as well . You can get family size tea bags at most grocery stores and brew the tea in your coffee pot. Rinse it out good first! Put the brewed tea in a large cooler dispenser, add some water and ice. If you want to add sugar, add it while it is hot as it makes it sweeter. Offer both sweet and unsweetened tea. This is a very inexpensive but very mush appreciated option. Check out how much sweet tea McDonald’s sells every day!
Soda can be expensive, and really can be avoided. There really aren’t any neat ways to serve it. If you want coolers with small cans is best. Have someone pick up cans to recycle. Bottled water, sweet and unsweetened tea with coffee can be all the non alcohol drinks you need.
Punch is always good to have at a wedding reception. We’re willing to bet you know someone who owns a punch bowl, so borrow it. Don’t go overboard on the punch, though. Many people will only have a cup or two and you don’t want to have leftover. It’s not that great the second day!
A good basic punch recipe
mix together a 2 liter bottle of lemon-lime soda, a can or bottle of fruit punch, and flavored sherbet. You can also use plain vanilla ice cream. Stir
together until the sherbet or ice cream is melted. Add ice.
where the bride’s grandma got drunk and picked a fight with the groom’s grandma. They ended up tangling on the floor and an ambulance had to be
called. No bride wants that as a memory of their
special day.
First, you need to check with your reception hall to see if you must purchase liquor directly from them or if you can bring it in yourself. If you have to get it from them, negotiate a price. They’re usually willing to give a little knowing that you’re investing your money in them for the reception.
Most people can’t afford to have an open bar for the duration of the reception. Just to clarify, an open bar is one where guests can drink whatever and how much they want and the bride and groom pay the bill.
We suggest having open bar for only an hour or two. You can calculate just how much you’re able to pay for a bar bill and instruct the bartender to cut off the open bar when you’ve reached that point.
Some experts think it’s an insult to ask guests to pay for their own drinks. We beg to differ on this point. Drinking is optional. With the couple providing a meal, music, and socialization, asking them to pay for everyone’s drink is just not feasible for most couple or their families.
If you do want to have an open bar, it’s a good idea to limit that to beer and wine and opting out of pricey mixed drinks that can add up quickly. Insist that bartenders use shot glasses. This keeps drinks uniform, and if you're charged per bottle, prevents bartenders from "pouring heavy" to go through more bottles.
If you are allowed to provide your own liquor, this, of course, would be the best way to save on alcohol at your wedding. For large groups, buy beer by the keg, not the bottle. Contact a nearby winery and ask about bulk discounts. Buy liquor at warehouse stores like Sam’s or Costco as well.
Don’t think you have to have absolutely every type of liquor on hand. If guests want an exotic drink, they’re out of luck. Buy only the basics: vodka, whiskey, rum, and possibly gin. We suggest having on hand some juices as well: orange, cranberry, and pineapple. You should also have cola and lemon-lime sodas.
We strongly suggest having a bartender on hand instead of asking your guests to make their own drinks. You might find yourself running out of liquor quite quickly that way! Most families have a bartender or a weekend bartender in the family. They usually like to hide behind the bar anyway so ask them if they would tend bar as your gift.
A rather unconventional, but sometimes feasible idea for liquor is to have guests bring their own alcohol. That way, they have what they prefer, and you don’t have the expense!
Also, consider making your own wine spritzers . One couple I know rented a champagne fountain from a party rental place and put the spritzer in it instead of champagne. Mix equal parts of lemon-lime soda and wine and you have a tasty alternative to straight wine or beer.
For my first wedding, we were very limited on our budget for alcohol. We had purchased 3 kegs of beer wholesale from a family friend who owned a liquor store, but my future in-laws (at the time) wanted to have liquor available too. What did we do? Raided the liquor cabinets at home! We were able to purchase a few bottles, but when we brought together what we found in both my parents house and their house, we had a lot of alcohol available and took home what wasn’t used.
Above all, make sure that any of your guests who have had too much to drink won’t be driving home.You may want to have on hand the number of a taxi service or provide one yourself. Be Responsible here!
Have someone in charge of keeping an eye on those who are inebriated and someone else to enforce the requirement that they not drink and drive.
They may be angry that night, but they’ll thank you in the morning – through the haze of their hangover!
The final aspect of your reception you’ll need to decide on is music.