Cake Stands

Look for interest, I know a lot of us have the basics, but who said basic had to be boring?
Look for unusual stands, who said it had to have anything to do with Cakes originally. Anything that will support a cake board and be steady works! Ideas?
· Heavy duty Cardboard tubes. An upholstery shop near me was getting rid of these, they measure about 10" across, and can be cut to any size ,drape them in some fabric, paint them and sponge over in gold or silver..or both! Great look, and inexpensive.
· Resin Pillars. These have been appearing in Craft stores such as Michael's, they're meant for plant stands, okay so, stick a cake on one! Very Dramatic, and when you bring it home, put a plant back on it!
· Planters. Of all kinds, there are so many wonderful styles out there, all sorts of shapes and finishes. You can go country garden to Greek gothic. And don't be afraid to turn them upside down!
· Okay, want a weird one? Paint Cans! Old Caterers trick to add dimension to a buffet table, Drape them, who is going to know! Just don't use one with a color in it you can't replace in case someone tosses the can….been there…
· Antique anything! Old plates, stacked books, vases…as long as its supportive, go for it!
· One I have to try is the famous "Earlene Puff" base, (contact Earlene:  pwdrsugar@aol.com for directions).
· All you have is a plain cake board? Try putting it on blocks of wood, make sure its steady, and tucking flowers around the base.
· Getting some Ideas? Hope so! Check Garage sales, thrift stores, antique stores, just let your imagination go wild….NOTE ! Try out your fabulous found object with something heavy placed on it, shake the table, is it steady? Can it hold up? Better safe than sorry!
 

The Table

You arrive and in front of you is a table with a white cloth, how……..original? Do Not Despair!
This is where you can have a lot of fun!

· If nothing else, ask for another table cloth, this cloth can be draped, scrunched, bunched, anything you want and looks good! I once used Christmas lights under one (see picture) I laid the lights on the base cloth then bunched the second one on top, they shone through and looked great!
· Fabric, fabric, fabric!!! If the bridesmaid dresses are being made, see if you can snag a yard or two, even scraps can be useful. Tuck it, drape it, Bows….You can add wedding colors in where sometimes doing flowers in buttercream just doesn't fly…..Royal Blue Roses….. Need I say more..
· TULLE! What is it? Its what wedding veils are made from, it comes in multitudes of colors, sometimes sparkly, and its CHEAP!!!! And even better it comes in incredible Widths! Sometimes 102" wide! I love Tulle, I use it all the time. Bunch it around the base of plain cake board and it gives a romantic, ethereal look. Tuck it into flowers, fill Lucite tubes with it, Drape the table with it, use it as swags around the table, endless possibilities, and its light and airy, never looks heavy. Another good way to use twinkle lights is to place them under the tulleing.
· Flowers. Swags of Ivy can hide a boring stand, as can flowers tucked around it. If the bride is willing, a nice table bouquet with the cake set up around it in a semi circle is always elegant.
· Candles! Even during Daylight! Whether they're in Candelabras, or in Votives scattered around the table, they add elegance, shimmer and shine. Used with Lucite pillars, the pillars will look as if they glow.
· All those Bride and Groom things. Toasting Glasses, Cake Knives and Servers. These are important to the couple and should have a place on the table.
· Odd Stuff…one thing I discovered lately is bead garland, I literally robbed my Christmas tree! Drape it in around in tulleing, between the tiers of the cake, inside of pillars. It comes in many colors, including Gold, Silver and Pearl, for a holiday wedding, try Red and Green. Oh! And while you're stripping your Tree! Christmas Balls! Use them anywhere!

· Use the theme of the wedding and then create!
 

The Cake

· Always keep in mind the style of the cake, how ornate is it.. How plain…
· Always get the name of the person supplying the flowers, if possible get in touch with them to discuss the style of the cake and the ideas you'd like to express, many times the florist hasn't got a clue what the cake even looks like!

Still in need of Inspiration? Look in your cake books, in the florist shop books, wedding magazines, even garden magazines can be rich with ideas…. Find your inspiration and just have fun!
 

The following is a list of favorite items I use in set-ups:

· Any special items I'm using to set cakes on:  stands, pots, pillars, etc.
· 2x4 chunks of wood, to add lift to a simple cake board.
· Tulleing:  I always take white, and cream, but coordinate wedding colors when possible
· Small votive candles in small glass cups (matches are helpful)
· Twinkle lights, aka stolen Christmas lights
· Bead Garland,  silver, gold and pearl
· Pruning shears
· Scissors
· Hot Glue Gun and glue sticks! Don't forget the glue sticks!
· Cake repair kit, for life's little accidents
· CAMERA! Never forget it! And Never rely solely on the Wedding Photographer.
 
 

This wedding was in an old mansion, very ornate room, so I tried to keep it simple. The Mother of the bride also wanted several items added, Cake Knife, Goblets and Wedding gift Candlesticks.

I draped the sides of the table in tulleing, with bows and swags. The Lucite pillars looked too stark so I wrapped tulleing up them and intertwined ribbon in it. A florist provided the flowers and she brought me spares, which I placed at the bases of the tall pillars. I then tucked tulle and ribbons under largest cake, arranged the table bouquet and Bridal Items.
 
 

This wedding was in the classic Hotel conference room…totally boring! The Caterer and I thought it would be dramatic to set the cake table by itself at the end of the room. I placed Twinkle lights on the table, and just under the bottom edge of the skirt. Taking an extra tablecloth, I bunched it on top of the table. I set up the cake, and the Florist then arranged the flowers on top and tucking them around the base of the largest cake. It was looking good but it wasn't quite right, I asked the caterer if he had extra votive candles, he did and it was just what the table needed. By the time of the reception, the sun had gone down and the table literally glowed. 
 
 

Martha Stewart would have loved this wedding! It was held in an Apple orchard, and the reception was under a huge white tent. The table was all draped in White, so I bunched another cloth on top for texture. I then tucked Hydrangeas, Ivy, Ferns and Roses around each layer and placed toppers of the same on each cake top. Then with the left over flowers, ferns were tucked around bases and petals were strewn over everything.
 
 

This Wedding was held at the top of the tallest building on the West Coast! What a view!!! The cake was all in white and small, The florist had made me a topper and left me lots of extra flowers. I raised the Cake on chunks of 2x4's, then bunched rose colored tulle in and around it. Then using the extra flowers, I tucked them under the raised base. Raising the cake made it appear larger than the 50 servings it was.