You rented your Wedding cake?

A growing trend in these economic times is the rental wedding cake. Jane Singleton from Singleton’s Kitchen, says that at first she was "not that enthusiastic about the idea, as she took much pride in offering many combinations of fresh baked wedding cakes . But after looking into the idea, and doing a few dummy cakes, she decided to be flexible and began to offer cake rentals to her clientale."  Singleton offers these reasons in favor of rental wedding cakes:

1. It's a better fit for the bride on a tight budget; she can have the cake of her dreams at a fraction of the cost. Sheet cakes can be cut in the kitchen and served to the wedding guest in lieu of a costly tiered wedding cake.

2. The bride has a better chance of booking her wedding date because the cakes can be assembled and decorated ahead of time.

3. Delivery and costly set up fees may be saved if the bride opts to pick up the display cake and sheet cakes before the wedding.

4. If planning an outdoor wedding, a dummy cake reduces worry of invading insects, bees or other pesky critters . It is also less susceptible to damage caused by high temperatures during the summer months; thus allowing the wedding cake to be prominently displayed during the reception from the beginning to the end.

5. Sometimes reception venues add a cutting fee into the package deals and the bride might be unaware she is paying for it. If the charge is per slice, that fee could add up to a hefty amount, sometimes as much as the price of the cake itself. By renting a dummy cake, these extra charges can be avoided.

6. The bride can order her dummy cake via the Internet having it shipped to directly to her home address. UPS is able to package and ship to insure a successful delivery.

7. One may choose to rent the wedding cake with an option to purchase.

8. The designs are limitless because dummies can be made in almost any shape.

9. No special clean up needed. Just return the cake intact to the decorator.

Some people would say that it is a disservice to wedding guests to not have an actual "cake" because the wedding cake is quite often a centerpiece of the evening. I agree that there is definitely something nostalgic in displaying, cutting, and serving a real cake. But for me I go with whatever makes the bride happy. If she's happy with the service that I have provided her on one of the most important days of her life, then she will be likely to return for other important occasions, which gives me a chance to be part of the best moments in her life.