Wedding cake tips

Even the smallest sweet tooth appreciates a great wedding cake. The centerpiece of the reception, your wedding cake should reflect your tastes, tie into the theme and, of course, taste great. Here are tips from the pros at TheKnot.com and chow.com to save money and make sure you love your cake.

* Put bakery cakes on your own stands. Let go of the idea of a tiered or stacked cake and save cash by ordering simple cakes from a local bakery and arranging them on borrowed stands of different heights.

* Serve sheet cakes. Save money at large weddings of more than 175 people by displaying a small, special cake and hiding away several plain sheet cakes to serve. Guests get the same, tasty cake and you save money.

* Ask your baker how big the slices are. You can feed more people with the same cake by serving smaller slices.

* Check the weather. Certain frostings, like buttercream or chocolate icing, will melt in high temperatures. Fondant will hold up against any heat but doesn't do well with refrigeration, making it a bad choice for fruit- or cream-filled cakes. It's also more laborious and usually more expensive.