Top 10 Wedding Cake Cutting Songs & Ideas

Your wedding reception is almost over, and the fun and lightheartedness of the day has finally kicked in - it's time for the cake! One of the least stressful moments of your wedding has begun and to celebrate it, cut your cake with a light, fun song! Traditionally, many brides have used "The Bride Cuts the Cake" (to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell), but many modern brides are selecting more contemporary cake cutting songs.

Whether you choose something traditional such as "Happy Together" by the Turtles or something a bit edgier with a rock sound such as "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard, the song you select for your cake cutting ceremony should be reflective of both of your personalities. This is the one moment of your wedding where you do not have to be very traditional, you can be as funky and different as you want to be. When you are cutting the cake you certainly want people to remember the moment for as long as you will and playing the right music will definitely help to make that happen.

Since most songs are several minutes in length, the cake cutting ceremony may be shorter than the song itself. You will want to consult with your band or DJ and let them know exactly how to play the song. Most songs can be cut in length or have only a chorus or two played.

If you are stuck for ideas for songs for your cake cutting ceremony, here is a Top 10 List of Cake Cutting music compiled by DJ Robert Fayder, Owner of Party Perfect NYC.

1. Wanna Grow Old With You - Adam Sandler
2. When I'm 64 - The Beatles
3. Ice Cream - Sarah McGlocklain
4. Sugar Sugar - The Archies
5. Love and Marriage - Frank Sinatra
6. Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations
7. Going To The Chapel - The Shirells
8. How Sweet It Is - James Taylor
9. How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
10. You Make Me So Very Happy - Blood Sweat and Tears

Designer Wedding Cakes

A beautiful wedding cake is an essential and traditional part of any wedding ceremony and Designer Wedding Cakes are an extravagant but fantastic way of celebrating the style and theme of your big day.

Wedding cakes can be individually crafted to suit even the most outlandish ideas with just about any ingredient preferred by the bride and groom. If you have absolutely no idea of what type of cake to have but want it to be special and the centrepiece of the wedding reception table you will need to enlist the help of a professional cake makers who specialise in designer wedding cakes. They will be able to give you expert advice and help you make up your mind as to what type of wedding cakes would suit you.

You can let your imagination run wild when thinking of ideas for your cake and there is no need whatsoever to stick to traditional three tiered fruitcakes. Companies that make designer wedding cakes will create a cake just how you tell them too whether it is intricate and elegant sugar flowers or themed novelty figures of the happy couple.

You can also opt for tiered arrangement of fairy cakes which will make sharing them amongst your guests a lot easier although this may mean you will not be able to cut the cake in the traditional way unless you still include one of the tiers as a solid sponge cake. Fairy wedding cakes would not really be classed as designer wedding cakes and would probably suit a less formal wedding.

Most wedding cake designers will be happy to give you a full consultation and provide you with a free sampling to help you make up your mind. Before you go ahead and place an order check out various wedding and bridal magazines and go online in order to get quotes from various places and ideas for designer wedding cakes. This will ensure you also are getting the best deal for your money.

The best way to decide is based on recommendations so ask around your family and friends as they may be able to recommend the best cake designers to you.

Designer wedding cakes do not come cheap and you should always consider the cost when shopping around and more importantly who will be footing the bill. Traditionally it is the bride's parents who pay for the wedding but these days this is far less an expected occurrence. If your parents are indeed paying for the cost of the cake and it is your intention to shop for designer wedding cakes then it is only fair that you include them in considering which cake to buy an offer to pay yourself for any excess expense as designer wedding cakes can easily cost hundreds of dollars.

Perfect Baker For Your Beach Wedding Cake

To have that perfect cake for your beach wedding, you're going to need to find that perfect baker. That perfect baker is going to be the one who can create the most gorgeous and tasty cake that you can afford.

Time is always of the essence, because really good bakers are always very busy. So, don't delay.

Now is not too soon to start looking. Bakers think it reasonable to have conversations with you six to twelve months before the beach wedding. If you plan this far ahead, chances are you'll be able to obtain a lower price than if you delay. Indeed, you may face a "late" fee if you finalize your order only a month or two before The Big Day.

I've found that brides are more satisfied with their wedding cakes when they have taken the opportunity to check out three or four bakers during the early planning for the wedding.

They'll find that some bakers can't be relied on to produce anything more elaborate than a very basic style, but others are legendary for their extravagant artistry.

At the same time, they will have an opportunity to taste samples that the baker will prepare just for them and rate the cakes on taste, texture, moistness as well as beauty. And price.

It is a great time saver for busy brides if they can obtain before the face-to-face visit the names and telephone numbers from the baker of couples whose wedding cake the shop produced. In that way, bakers who disappointed previous couples can be placed much farther down the list of candidates, or dropped altogether.

Here are some of the important questions to consider when you interview bakers:

• Are you impressed with their cake designs?
• How do the samples taste?
• What do other couples say when you ask them for references for the baker?
• Can the baker's work fit into your budget and theme?
• Is the baker's schedule open for the date you need your cake so that it can be prepared and delivered on time?
• If the baker's first price estimate is too far out of reach, what can the baker suggest that would lower the cost to you?

Even though you are probably thinking that you are arranging for the purchase of a cake, the baker is thinking in terms of the number of servings you will need, and pricing accordingly. In today's world, it will be difficult to find a baker who would be able to prepare and decorate a basic wedding cake for much less than $1.50 per serving. A cake with several tiers but relatively simple decorations will run closer to $5.00 per guest. Fancy cakes with fondant icing, a gourmet filing, and loads of details may cost $15.00 per serving-or more.

All is not lost if even the most basic beach wedding cake seems out of reach. After all, following these suggestions can cut that cost to the bone:

· Grocery store bakeries can make and decorate sheet cakes at the most attractive prices around. You can keep the sheet cake in the kitchen and have a small "show" cake for public view. Or you could even "borrow" a beautifully decorated Styrofoam cake from an agency such as Rent-A-Cake.com that has a secret compartment for you to place a slice of angel food cake to grab at the right moment to feed your groom.
· Cake toppers provide a wonderful finishing touch, but they are generally inedible and end up for a short time after the wedding in someone's curio cabinet. If funds are really tight, consider asking a relative or friend to purchase your wedding cake topper as your wedding gift.
· Fresh flowers, ideally edible ones, make a splendid low-cost alternative to hand made flowers that bakers make from icings or marzipan.
· Be alert to the possibility that you may be asked to pay a cutting fee at your reception site. That fee can run to $1.50 per guest or more. Abandoning a cake that must be sliced and served to your guests in favor of a buffet table with assorted decorated cupcakes and mini tarts, cheesecakes, éclairs, brownies and so forth can make that service fee go "poof".
· As a last resort, some brides will ask a friend or relative to prepare their wedding cake in lieu of some other gift. Keep in mind, however, that this could be a very costly proposition for the gifting baker, especially if the cake must accommodate many guests. And most important of all, it is critical that the reception site be consulted to ensure that they will permit the serving of a cake prepared by someone who doesn't necessarily have a food license.

Stacked Wedding Cake Construction

That day you've secretly feared since you started decorating cakes is quickly approaching. You've been asked to make a wedding cake - a five tiered, stacked wedding cake! And it's for your sister's wedding!

As you go over designs with your sister by day, you dream about the cake at night. The cake in your dreams is taller than any cake you've even seen. As bride and groom pose for the cake cutting ceremony pictures, you look on as each tier slowly sinks into the one beneath it, and just as your sister and her new husband smile and begin to slice their first piece of cake, the force of gravity and the domino effect take hold and the cake implodes.

All four top tiers sink into the bottom tier, turning a once majestic beauty into a giant pile of fondant covered cake rubble! (And then you wake up, covered in sweat, only to realize that this dream could actually become reality.)

But wait! This nightmare does not have to become reality. And no, you won't have to add therapist bills to your cake budget to get through your big project. These sorts of nightmares are normal for first time wedding cake makers. Beyond a healthy amount of butterflies, you have absolutely nothing to fear if you follow these tips.

Stacked Wedding Cake Construction 101

Unlike wedding cakes with tiers that are separated by plates and pillars, the tiers on a stacked wedding cake appear to rest directly on top of one another. This is just an illusion since the cakes actually rest on a system of hidden pillars and plates. To stack a multi-tiered cake without plates and pillars is a very risky proposition with the weight of each cake.

Stacked cakes of more than 4 layers need some sort of support in the form of plates, spikes and/or dowels to keep the upper layers from sinking into the lower layers.

So whether your wedding cake will be stacked Victorian style (graduating round tiers) or à la chic with fondant covered gift-box style tiers, here are the basics:

To create a perfectly constructed tower rather than an experiment on the effects of gravity on cake and icing, you can either use a purchased set of cake plates and spikes, or you can build your own system using cardboard cake plates and dowels.

To build your own system, pick up some 1/4-3/8-inch round cake dowels (or other food safe wooden dowels) and a hammer (yes, even if you flunked high school Woodshop) and follow these tips:

1. Plan the dowels' placement by centering a cake plate the size of the next cake to be placed on top of the bottom cake, and then marking the spot by pressing down gently on the plate.

2. Within the boundaries of these markings, insert four evenly spaced dowels. Insert the first dowel straight down through to the bottom of the cake and mark the dowel even with the top of the cake. Pull out the dowel and, using wire cutters, cut off at the mark. Cut three more the same height. Then push the dowels straight down into the cake in the places you marked so that they form a square inside the circle. (Be sure the dowels are perfectly even with the top of the cake for the best support.)

3. Place your next smaller tier on a round cake board of the same size, and then place it on top of the bottom tier. The dowels will prevent the top tier from sinking into the bottom tier.

4. Measure the next set of dowels from the bottom of the bottom cake to the top of the top cake. Cut the dowel at an angle to taper the end and cut it so that it is just slightly shorter than the height of the two bottom cakes. Insert the dowels tapered end first straight down through the cake. When the dowel stops at the first cake board, give it a firm tap with the hammer to break through the board down to the bottom of the cake. To prevent the hammer from landing in the icing, place another small section of dowel end to end with the measured dowel to hammer it into position.

5. Finally, ice over the little blemish to hide the tip of the dowel, and your tower construction is finished! You can rest easy knowing that your wedding cake is stable enough to withstand the forces of gravity. No more nightmares!

Things to Ask Your Baker About Your Wedding Cake

Your wedding cake can be ordered from a baker, a caterer, or even your reception location. When ordering your wedding cake some things you should consider are: the price, the workmanship, the quality (of both flavor and design) and the taste. Some reception locations will charge you a fee if you order your cake from an outside baker. This fee is known as a cake-cutting fee. However, ordering from a baker who specializes in wedding cakes will ensure you are getting exactly what you want for your wedding cake.

You will also have to decide on other options such as: size, shape, color, decorations, flavor, filling and frosting. An experienced baker who specializes in wedding cakes will advise you how much cake you will need, what flavors are popular, and which frostings will hold up over the course of your reception. Frostings are very delicate - some do not perform well when exposed to air or heat for long periods of time (whipped cream is an example of this). Ask for photographs of wedding cakes from each baker you are considering, and also ask if you can taste samples of their cakes.

Once you narrow down your choices for a baker here are some questions to ask before making a final decision:

Name and Address of Bakery:

Contact Person and Phone Number:

1. How many years have you been designing and making wedding cakes?
2. What are your specialties?
3. What is your most popular flavor?
4. What is your most popular filling?
5. What frosting would you recommend for our event?
6. Do you have photographs of some recent cakes you have made?
7. Can we sample your wedding cakes?
8. Do you freeze your wedding cakes?
9. How far in advance should I order my cake?
10. (If applicable) Can I order a groom's cake?
11. How much is my desired cake?
12. How much per piece does my desired cake cost?
13. What is your cake pillar fee?
14. What is your cake plate rental fee?
15. Are these fees refundable upon the return of these items?
16. When must these items be returned?
17. Do you offer a specialty box in which we can freeze the top tier?
18. If so, How much does this box cost?
19. When will you deliver the cake?
20. What is your delivery fee?
21. What is your set up fee?
22. What is your payment policy?
23. What is your cancellation policy?
24. Do you offer a money back guarantee if something should happen to the cake?
25. Do you have liability insurance?

Wedding Cake Toppers

Avoid buying one of those cheap plastic bride and grooms that you can find in discount department stores, and some bakeries. Your topper should be as special as your cake, and reflect your dreams and taste, not those of the baker.

Use your imagination, there are some really humorous cake toppers available, that you might enjoy. However you may want to think about whether or not it might offend some of the guests on both sides of the family, like grandparents and other older relatives.

There are military, and police cake toppers as well as cartoon characters, teddy bears, animals, sports themed toppers to name just a few, as well as the traditional bride and groom.

Maybe you would like a wedding cake topper to reflect interests that you and the groom share. Do you both love music, dancing, hockey or bowling? You can likely find a topper to recognize that. Did you know, that there are Harley Davidson cake toppers available?

Of course you can get doves, bells, gazebos and hearts to adorn your wedding cake.

Any of these paired with the bride and groom figurine would look wonderful.

Fresh, silk, marzipan or frosting flowers can make a spectacular wedding cake topper, that will have everyone talking about the beautiful cake.

Maybe your Mom and Dad still have their wedding cake topper or perhaps your mother-in-law has her mother’ topper. What a special significance either of these toppers would have, if used on your wedding cake.

It is possible to have a cake topper designed to your specific wishes. Marzipan artists can make figurines to resemble the bride and groom, or even a favorite pet. Churches, temples, your home or the car you just bought together, can all be created as a cake topper for your wedding cake. Swarovski Crystal will be offering some truly different but exquisite crystal cake toppers. I can't wait to see those.

If your wedding will have an overtly religious theme, then please choose your cake topper design, with that theme in mind.

Guide to Wedding Cake Frosting

Next to the bridal gown, the wedding cake is perhaps the most detail intensive element of planning your event. It will take days if not weeks before the future bride can choose the exact design and color of her cake. On top of this, it may take her forever to decide the cake frosting to be used by her baker.

This is the reason why you need to get a reputable baker so they can make intelligent suggestions as to which frosting would be best for the chosen cake design. You may know a thing or two about cakes but only those who have experienced in decorating them can tell you the pros and cons of using a specific frosting. Here are some of the types of cake frosting commonly used today.

Butter cream

Butter cream is a very versatile ingredient because it can be used both as a filling and a frosting. Bakers prefer this frosting because it is easy to color depending on the motif of the wedding. It is also easy to come up with various designs using this frosting. The only problem is that it can easily melt especially if the temperature is not controlled so watch out for butter cream if you are holding an outdoor reception.

Fondant

If you have seen satin smooth cakes that look perfect even if shaped like a gift, flower or anything at all then most probably it has been designed using fondant. Fondant icing is picture perfect and no one can argue with that. However, it does not taste as delicious as the other icing and some would even say it tastes bad. Some bakers however have a trick of using butter cream beneath the fondant to give it a really nice flavor.

Marzipan

This is a favorite among bakers as it tastes good and can be made to look like fondant icing. Marzipan contains sugar, eggs and crushed almonds making it a very tasty topping. However, using marzipan can be very expensive so be prepared for your wallet to take a hit.

Royal icing

This is perhaps the cheapest frosting anyone can use for a wedding cake. It can also produce picture perfect cakes with very intricate designs. Royal icing is actually a very hard frosting so there is seldom need to refrigerate it. You can have your baker create miniature cakes for you using some of the frosting you are interested in and then you can taste them and decide which one will look and taste the best.