Weddings can be expensive!  The good news is there's ways to get the wedding cake you want without having to pay a fortune.  Remember...

• The wedding cake is the centrepiece of your wedding celebration. Your guests will appreciate the care and thought you've taken to delight them
• The photographs of your wedding will be the lasting memory.  The tradition of 'cutting the cake' will feature strongly in your photo album

Here in Cyprus you will find many wedding 'packages' that include a wedding cake.  But what wedding cake?

You're planning to make your wedding day special - so the centrepiece of the wedding reception should be special too. You can choose to serve the wedding cake as a dessert so it makes sense to get the right one.

Size of wedding cake

Having feasted on the wedding 'breakfast' your guests probably won't want a big wedge of wedding cake.

Talk to your cake designer about a size of wedding cake that will serve the right amount of portions.  You don't want any left over (unless you fancy a midnight feast later!)   

Some designs will require more cake than you need - so if you're on a tight budget then explain that to your wedding cake designer.

Wedding cake shape

There's a myth that square wedding cakes feed more people than round ones. Yes, it's a myth. It's not the shape - it's how you cut it.

Ask your wedding cake designer for a cutting guide to get the optimum number of portions.

Remember that heavy fruit cakes have smaller portion sizes than sponge or Madeira type cakes, but they'll be more expensive due to the richer ingredients.

Sharing the wedding cake with all of your guests is a tradition, not a feeding frenzy!

Wedding cake decoration

The more complicated and intricate the decoration - the more your wedding cake will cost.

Keep costs down by having a minimalistic design.

Use fresh flowers rather than those handmade in sugar. Your florist and your wedding cake designer will work together to achieve a wedding cake themed to your bouquets for a great look.

Of course, there are Health and Hygiene considerations when putting fresh flowers on a cake, but a good wedding cake designer will know how to overcome these.

Shop around

If you want to shop around for a wedding cake a good way to compare prices is by portion cost. A cupcake assembly for example, can look 'towering' - but each cupcake is decorated individually and that can be expensive.

You may get a better match to your budget with a two tier wedding cake on a stylish wedding cake stand.

Helpful?

Also check out...

• Tips for getting married in Cyprus
• How to choose a wedding cake
• Wedding cakes in the Mediterranean sunshine