20 Cake Stands on a Low Budget

Last week, Brent and I signed the contract with Second Floor Bakery! Not only will SFB be making our wedding cake, but they will providing our centerpieces as well. We are going to have a cake at every table. Some cakes will be chocolate, others vanilla, a few may be carrot cake, some will have raspberry filling, and All will be decorated differently! Having cake centerpieces is a great way to cut down on flower prices, and it eliminates the cake cutting fee. Almost every venue has a $1.50 - $5.00 cake cutting fee (PER SLICE) which adds up really quickly. Also, our reception is all about food, celebrating, dancing and having a good time, so we thought that having a cake at every table would be unique and a ton of fun! With the variety of cake choices guests will have the opportunity to walk around, check out the other flavors, and mingle with guests at other tables. At least that is our hope... Our only issue with having cakes at every table, is finding 20+ cake stands! Ha ha! My mom and I have been searching all over the internet for $10 or less cake stands, but have not come up with anything. However, we have heard about some "other options" that include the following: (I found many of my options at chowhound)

1) Check out resale shops for used cake stands. Have all the cake stands be different, OR decorate them yourself. I found really cute homemade cake stands on etsy and I doubt they would be THAT hard to make. :) The designer of these stands says, "These cute pedestals are fashioned from paper mache stands and covered with decorative papers and trim. They are sturdy and solid and would be fabulous to use as stands or risers, or you can just display alone, or set a bird and nest atop. The large one measure 9" in diameter and 4.5" high, the top one is 7.5" diameter and 4" high." I think that for my wedding we could go to a scrapbook store and get fun black and white designed paper and line the rim with rickrack.

2. Country Living had directions for making a "Beribboned Cake Stand" which is a little different then using used cake stands, however I think the directions would be similar: "Measure and cut paper to cover a 5" Styrofoam disk. Secure paper with pins. Trace 10" foil-covered cake base top onto paper, cut out, and glue to foil top. With a hot-glue gun, secure Styrofoam disk to center of underside of cake top. Measure and cut a piece (or two pieces) of paper to fit around rim of cake top. Trim bottom edge of this paper using decorative scissors. Attach paper to rim of cake top with pins. Then measure, cut, and glue 2"W striped ribbon to top portion of paper-covered rim and bottom of disk. For large cake stand use a 12" foil-covered cake base top and 1/2"W ribbon"

3) Ann's Bridal Bargains has Acrylic cake plate for $6. According to the website they have "a crystal-like appearance - the perfect centerpiece for displaying favors for your guests. The cake plate measures 10" in diameter and stands 4" tall." Not the prettiest, but at least they would all match.

4) Some people have found inexpensive Cake stands at local Dollar Stores or craft stores like Michael's. Other people have found cake stands at Target for about $8, or Kmart for $11, or Linen's and Things. Problem = what am I going to do with 20 cake stands after the wedding?!? SELL THEM TO ANOTHER BRIDE? Any Brides out there want to sell me theirs?

5) Another option is to make our own cake stands by using an upside down glass, fabbri cherry jar, a candle stick or a mason jar as the base. Then glue a colorful plate on top as the cake holder. If we used a jar as the base, and put something in it that goes along with the wedding, like a photo of Brent and I, or pink/white/black beads, fruit, etc. This could be kind of neat, however, since we have never assembled one before we do not know how sturdy it would be.

Blogger, Style Me Pretty focused one of her entries on cake stands, and added this beautiful collection from Pleasing Pantry. Many of them have pretty bases, which I would hope to do with my homemade stands (if I choose option 5) :)

Another reader of Style Me Pretty included a picture and description of what she did for cake stands. She wrote, "I bought white ceramic flower pots and the biggest white tart pans I could find. I flipped the tart pan upside down (to get that down-turned lip like the Clara ones in the post). Added a little gorilla glue to the bottom of the flower pot, and stuck the two together. Hands-down the biggest impact/ least time consuming DIY of the wedding." She also included that she got her flower pots and tart plates from IKEA. <-- My sister's favorite store!!

So, I think that about covers my options for cake stands. Who would have thought that I would spend hours focusing just on cake stands?!? It's worth it though.