Last weekend my husband and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary by renewing our vows in an intimate ceremony with about 70 or so of our friends and family. I’ll be posting lots of details and pictures over the next week or so – but I wanted to start by sharing our dessert table with you.

We decided early on that we wanted to have a dessert table rather then a wedding cake. My sister, who is a talented baker, agreed to help out. We choose black forest cakes (my husband’s favorites) and chocolate raspberry cupcakes (my favorite).

If you’re looking for an affordable alternative – a simpler cake style like the ones my sister did for us is something you can do and it still looks amazing! The cakes were iced in whipping cream icing with dolops of icing along the top rim for effect. The little chocolate hearts were made by piping melted chocolate onto wax paper. Once the chocolate hearts were hardened, they were placed on the cake with cherries for a gorgeous finish.  I think these cakes would also have made fantastic centerpeices if you placed them on pretty little cake stands at the center of each table. Gorgeous – and practice since it saves you the cost of centerpeices.

We also added a few jars with our favorite candies – Jelly Bellys, Chocolate Covered Pretzels and mints for after dinner.

With toppers featuring different sports like football and baseball, different positions like embracing and sitting, and many other types of toppers, your sure to find the perfect topper for your while adding a touch of humor as well.

Left to right: Groom “Taking A Plunge” – $42.00, Bride “Still Shopping” – $40.00, Bride “Wears the Pants in the Relationship” – $45.00

Left to right: “Reaching Bride & Helpful Groom” – $45.00, “Winter Skiing Couple” – $45.00, Couple “Walking on the Beach” – $42.00

Left to right: Motorcycle “Get-Away” Couple – $45.00, Western “Lasso Bride & Groom” – $35.99, Princess Bride “Kissing frog” – $35.75

Left to right: “Cell Phone Fanatic” Couple – $38.75, The “Love Pinch” Bridal Couple (Front veiw and back view, 2 photos) -  $35.75

Left to right: Bride “Having the Upper Hand” Couple – $37.00, “Expexcting” Bridal couple – $35.75, “Embracing” Western Couple – $27.99

It’s so chic – and also budget friendly!!! The favor boxes can be purchased fairly affordably and are then prettied up with a little ribbon (instruction available for the bows on Martha Stewart). Piled in layers on a cake plate, topped with a little ribbon, paper and silk flowers and voila – no need for a cake at all!

Normally – you would have to pay both for a cake and for a wedding favor for your guests. By combining the two, you save on cost and this is so gorgeous and classy, no ones going to complain.

And – if you happen to be one of those brides who doesn’t really want a cake, it’s a great alternative all around.

I found these really cool “cheese” cakes – and by cheese cakes, I mean cakes made of cheese.

Take a look at these for some inspiration.

These cheese-cakes came out of the UK courtesy of The House of Cheese and The Cheese Shed. Take a look at their sites for more ideas.

Paired with the right wine(s), your cake is sure to be a hit.

Thinking of something slightly different?

How about a wedding cake made from rice crispy treats?

Photo Courtesy Amanda Jaffe

Some other alternatives might be a cookie cake, ice cream cake, cupcakes, stacked pancakes, cheesecake, a “fruit” cake (not a fruitcake but a “cake” styled from fruit), twinkie cake, or even a croquembauche

So, will you be ordering a 3-tiered vanilla cake with raspberry filling and buttercream frosting OR will you use your imagination and come up with something spectacular and definately not your traditional wedding cake?
As usual, we’d love to hear your ideas and see YOUR wedding cake photos.

They also have a great selection of other culinary stencils available.

This cake topper would work well for a July 4th theme, a white & black theme, or a masquarade ball theme.

So can you do it yourself? Is it possible to make your own wedding cake? Well, yes it is but it takes some time and commitment. And of course, a simpler design is a smarter project for a first time cake maker. If you are considering making your own cake, or making a cake for a friend or loved ones wedding – here are some great books on the market with recipes and instructions for basic, beautiful wedding cakes for beginners.

Most of these come from the 1940’s and 1950’s. They also have another added benefit: most are under $10! So, you get both the true classic vintage look, with a much lower price tag! Click here to see more Vintage Wedding Cake Toppers.

Click here to see more Vintage Wedding Cake Toppers.