With a little know-how, brides on a budget can still have a beautiful cake for their wedding day. Did you know, bakers typically charge by the slice? The more complex the design, the higher the price. Here’s some suggestions to cut the cost without sacrificing style. 

Choose butter cream icing over fondant. Ingredients for butter cream are cheaper, and the frosting is also easier and quicker to work with. Fondant requires intensive labor. As a compromise, you can select a butter-cream decorated-cake with fondant accents. (Do stick with fondant, however, if your cake will be sitting outdoors in warm weather, as the butter cream may melt.)

 Bring in outside decorations and personalize at the same time.   Cake Top Monograms cost less than elaborate sugar flowers or other sugar decorations. 

  Skip the groom’s cake and add a different-flavored tier to the wedding cake or combine two flavors in a single slice, which may deter guests from wanting a second piece. Also, you don’t need to have enough wedding cake and groom’s cake for every person. If the cake cutting happens late in the reception, some of your guests may already have left.