Hive, I pride myself on being a pretty reasonable person. I feel like my wedding plans have been coming along, with very little crazy on my part (except for that time that I almost talked myself into making my own wedding cake—that was a lot of crazy). I found vendors, venues, a dress—McGlovin and I have put together a nice little wedding with very little drama or fanfare. So it makes me absolutely insane that I might be having my bridal meltdown…over a cake stand. WTF is this, hive?
Right, so. Around the hundred-day mark I emailed all of our vendors, just to check in to see what they still needed from us, and start to finalize all of the details. I emailed our cake baker to confirm flavors, decoration ideas, etc. And, since we’re doing a cake-and-pie situation, I wanted to confirm the size of the cake stand so the venue would have the right size table to accommodate everything. I was taken completely off guard, then, when he emailed back and apologized for any confusion but, unless we pay a (not-small) fee to rent a cake stand, he delivers the cake on a cardboard round.
WHAT?
This surprise is not the baker’s fault at all—he’s totally right, we never actually discussed a cake stand, he never insinuated anything otherwise, and, from talking about this to everyone I know, it’s completely common practice. It’s just—I guess that I’m just constantly surprised at the ridiculous, minute things that someone is required to think about just to have a wedding. You have a dress, but you also need a longline bra and a crinoline. You reserve a church, but you need to hire musicians. You have invitations, but for some reason your mom objects to the stamps. I thought the cake would be, like, we bought the cake, done. But no…no, no, silly Gloves.
This entire rant feels ridiculous, because it is—no one cares what my cake is on top of, not even me! It’s just like, every time I think something about this wedding is settled, it turns out there are four more surprise steps that need to be addressed. Hhhhhh…so, OK, now that I’ve vented that, let’s look at options. For some reason, I’ve always pictured my cake sitting on top of a silver plateau, like this:
Photo via Southern Events Party Rentals
I could rent that, or look at some DIY options, like Mrs. Bunting’s (gorgeous, by the way!):
Photo by Bryan and Mae, taken from the ‘Bee
Or, if I still wanted a box-type-situation, McGlovin could fashion a box that we could paint or cover in fabric, like this:
Compilation from WeddingChicks.com
Or, and this might be my favorite option, square glass vases with the cake sitting on top…I think that, rather than the flowers underneath, we could wind white Christmas lights through them?
Photo by Erica Hartman Photography via Zest Floral
Or, frankly, I could just forget about a cake stand and have it sitting on the table on the cardboard round—I’m almost certain that no one would notice, not even me. Suggestions? Ideas? Anything? Sorry for my uncharacteristic crazy today, hive—thank God it’s Friday, right?
go with the cardboard round. I never notice this stuff at weddings and I probably won’t at my own either. its one less thing you have to worry about! but if you are going to do it after all, I like the glass square vase option. I havent seen anything like that so for me it is unique and pretty 
good luck!
Have you checked w/ your venue to make sure they don’t have a stand available for you to use? Mine did and they threw it in for free! You could always check thrift stores for something unique – bases, stands, shelves, etc. – that you could repurpose and make it your own. It would be an inexpensive find and then something you could keep!
I second Mrs Sunhat – check with venue. You might also pick something up on ebay pretty cheap? I love the glass vase idea too, it’s so pretty. But ultimately, stardustintheeyes is right – very few people will notice. In fact, now that I think of it, I have absolutely NO idea what my own wedding cake was on.
The only thing about a stand is that it makes the cake easier to cut and serve…try rental places around your area- here, you can rent one for $15-$20 like the square one you pictured.
Our cake was delivered on a foiled square, the cake was square. I thought about DIY’ing a stand but decided it was one of those things no one would notice but me and I was probably right. Ours was just fine on the flat square and it saved me a little $$ and time.
My cake did not mind sitting on a cardboard round covered with foil. I didn’t mind it either. One less thing to pay for and worry about returning the next day.
Oh, it sounds so silly but I really cared about the cake stand. For me it was something that presented our cake. I know it is so silly to think that way. But I had a cake stand made for our cake. Its beautiful and a precious keepsake I plan to use at first birthdays, anniversaries, special family dinners. I posted pics in the gallery. Do what you want, be happy with your choice and don’t fret about it.
My family thought it was odd I cared about this, my husband completely supported me on this because he saw the happy when discussing the future uses.
I wouldn’t worry about it if it’s not something you care a great deal about. My grandmother collected cake stands, so I knew I wanted a pedestal stand for our cake as a very small nod to her. Luckily, my dad was able to make it happen pretty easily without spending any money!
I actually like those square glasses under the cake! Super unique and original!
I LOVED Mrs. Bunting’s but if you don’t care about it then I’d leave it as the round! No point in worrying about something that is insignificant
Check Marshalls/TJ Maxx! I have friends that have gotten them there. You can use it again or sell it here.
I can’t tell if I would care or not. Also, check Etsy!
The cardboard rounds honestly don’t look bad, and mostly will just blend in and be forgotten about. So if you don’t really care that much, I’d just go with that. You can probably request gold, silver or white from your baker, if that matters to you at all.
I really wanted a silver pedestal cake stand for my wedding and had a he** of a time trying find one large enough to hold a 12″ bottom tier. Additionally, I made my friend’s wedding cake and she requested I use this: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=18936178
The cake stand is GORGEOUS, but it is just a smidge larger than 12″ and the 4-tier cake (bottom tier, again, 12″) honestly looked really dumb on such a ‘small’ cake pedestal. So if you have a similar size cake, I would recommend not going with the pedestal.
That said the cake sitting on stop of the glass votives with flowers (or lights) is really gorgeous. I’d pick that if you decide to go with more than just the round.
Yes, you probably won’t notice the day of. But I will say, the squares with lights underneath it literally made me gasp out loud. That would be stunning
This post could have been written by me a couple months ago.
The cake stand and topper were those little details I just ran out of steam on. I couldn’t find the right cake stand for the life of me because apparently every rental service and our baker only stocks the same silver stand. Grrr.
So we just used our venue’s silver stand and had no topper. I kind of regret looking at the photos now because I feel like we didn’t do our cake justice by giving it a great presentation, but I don’t think any of the guests noticed. I just won’t be putting photos of the cake in our album. But it was yummy!
Wow, this really is one of those things you just don’t think about, but as a guest, I never notice, really.
I totally understand. It isn’t a huge deal but it’s still somewhat of a sore spot for me, haha. I asked my venue if they had a nice cake stand and they said they’d let me use it, but the day of the wedding came and my cake was on a silver round. Sigh.
I love the last option! And remember we always care and always want to hear your rants! Thats why we read your blog. Not that you rant…. you know what I mean!
I may be a lil partial to a cake stand because I’m a cake decorator but I do think while you and your guest may not notice it on the day, you will notice it in pictures.
So here’s my 2 cents: I make all my cake boards/stands. It’s a simple and inexpensive DIY project….all you need is
-3-5″ high styrofoam square (in 2-6 inches larger than the diameter of your bottom tier ex: tier=12, styro=14-18), -card board (the same size as the styrofoam),
-decorative paper (foil, fabric or something grease resistant),
-ribbon (optional) to go around the sizes.
-tape/glue.
Glue or tape (I typically tape the edges so they are flush) the cardboard to both the top and bottom of the styrofoam (IF your cake is going to be bigger than 3 tiers or veeeery heavy, I suggest putting lollipop stick (the height of the styrofoam) in the styrofoam for support before gluing the cardboad). Then add glue to the center of the board where the cake will sit and the bottom edges of the sides, do not put it anywhere the cake or the ribbon wont cover, because glue creates marks. Then cover the styro with the paper ( i do it like a present if the ribbon is going to cover it.), tape down the edges on the bottom of the stand. You can omit the glue all together but I like added security. Add ribbon if you want, and done.
I hope this helps someone.
Mrs. Gloves, Columbus, Ohio Age and Occupation: 25, Executive Assistant Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Firefighter Engagement Date: December 29, 2011 Wedding Date: January 2013 Venue: Cathedral ceremony, reception in a converted hardware warehouse About Me: I’m a blond-haired, blue-eyed Midwestern girl, who had grand plans of an international career, before the economy came crashing down right as I graduated college. I love travel, exploring other cultures, cooking for friends and family, and relaxing in a pedicure chair. My fiancé is the perfect, level-headed and logical counterpart for my impulsive tendencies, and the nicest person I’ve ever met. Lately, we like to spend our time renovating our new home, planning our wedding, and fitting in date night with friends. We are so looking forward to a wedding weekend jam-packed with all of our favorite people, plenty of food, and flowing champagne!
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