When you start to think creatively, there are plenty of cheap wedding cakes around. So put on your thinking cap and you won't have to fork out hundreds on expensive made-to-order cakes. Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

Try your supermarket luck
Don't be put off by the supermarkets - they have a great range of cakes that are suitable as wedding cakes. Asda and Waitrose have the best selection of plain iced cakes.

Marks and Spencer goes one step further and has a whole wedding cake service that is a snip of the price of the specialist shops - and they look amazing too. Using Marks and Spencer was actually recommended to me by a cake specialist recently!

Choose different flavoured layers
Certain types of cakes are more expensive then others as they simply require more time to make. With rich fruit cakes for example, you need to soak the fruit before you cook and then feed the cake after cooking. All the time adds up and if you're paying someone else to make it, then it can become expensive.

One way to avoid the high costs is to choose different flavours. Perhaps a fruit cake for the top tier, a chocolate for the bottom tier and a lemon drizzle in between? Mix and match for cheap wedding cakes. Speak to your cake maker to see how they can come in on budget.

Choose little cakes
You'll often find that using little cakes is cheaper as you require fewer ingredients - but you'll still get 'wow' factor. For instance, pile up fairy cakes for a stunning wedding cake. Make it even easier on your wallet by getting your friends to help and make a dozen cakes each!

Choose simple decorations
A simple way to cut your costs is to decorate the cake yourself. Simply choose plain iced cakes and then decorate with fresh flowers or fruits for the finishing touches. You can match the flowers to those in your bouquet. Both my best friend and I went down this route for our cheap wedding cakes.

Wedding cake gift
Why not ask for your cake as a gift? Maybe you have a friend or relative who's a whiz in the kitchen and would be able to make your cake for you? They'll be pleased as punch they've contributed to your day in such as special way.

About the Author

Nicola Ray is the editor of Cheap Wedding Success, a website dedicated to planning and creating the perfect cheap wedding. With lots of advice, tips and ideas to lower the cost of your wedding, it's the perfect place to start. You can find more articles like this one in the Wedding Cakes section.