BRONZE BUDGET BRIDE

Oh my goodness, how cute are these Tiara Cupcake Toppers! Since so many budget brides today are choosing cupcake wedding cakes instead over the traditional tiered cake, I thought these would be so perfect for any Princess bride whose having a cupcake tower at their wedding.



You can buy six here at Paradise Cupcakes for $4.50, however, please keep in mind that the tiaras won't all be the same but each one is just as cute as the other.

Square Cupcake Liners...yeah!! I was so excited to see these, seriously siked because brownies now have their own liners which they needed to dress them up a bit. Yes, you can bake brownies in them but even if you use them just to place the Brownie inside after baking they would look much more elegant than having them cut and stack.



Let's not just limit these to brownies though, you can use them cheesecake and basically anything that we cut into squares after baking can be placed inside these square liners which would make a cozy, elegant bed for them.

If you are as excited as I am to see these Square Cupcake Liners and want to know where to find them, just click here to go to Cupcake Social's Etsy shop where you can buy 50 for $4.25 which I think is a really cool price!



So do you think you will be baking brownies in these in the near future or just using them once the brownies are ready to serve?

This set of cake toppers are being sold at the wonderfully low price of $19.99! You get only one "letter" for that price on other sites. These are stylish, elegant and has crystals that gives them a platinum look! So if you were looking for monogram toppers your search is over because these are a great deal.

Mini CheeseCake with Fresh Berries

Trying to find a wedding cake or cupcake alternative, then you're about to start considering serving mini cheesecakes. These images are so good I almost licked my computer screen and I am not even a huge fan of cheesecake, but I am definitely starting to like them even more now.


Mini Cherry Cheesecake



Berry CheeseCakes with Fruit Topping


Vanilla, Chocolate Marble, Chocolate, Strawberry Swirl,
Cappuccino and Lemon Mini Cheesecakes



Mini Pumpkin CheeseCake



Mini Oreo CheeseCake



Mini BlackBerry Caramel CheeseCake



Mini CheeseCake and Peanut Butter BonBons



Cherry Blossom Strawberry Cheesecake



Banana Nut Mini Cheesecake

I've been wanting to make some cake stands for a while with supplies from the dollar store but I haven't gotten around to doing them. Well, since that was like a year ago and I haven't done them yet, I've decided to just direct you to a post of someone who did. You can get your plates, candlestands and vases from thrift shops like they did in this post at CraftyNest.com but I was thinking of using plates and candlesticks like the one's I added below. Using those each stand will still be under $3.00 but it can even be less if you score some at a yard sale, Good Will, or Thift Shop!

It's still on my "DIY To- Do List " list and I hope to get to it before the Christmas season. However, for instructions on how to get started on yours right now, you'll find instructions in the Repurposed Cake Stands post at CraftyNest.com!

I know many of you are making your cupcakes and although I've posted recipes, cupcake wrappers, even tools and toppers...I haven't shown you yet how to Frost or Ice your  cupcakes. So with this video you will learn four techniques that you could use and remember you can find disposable piping bags, pastry tips and more at Sweet Estelle's Bakery Supply store.

For our Caribbean themed wedding we were planning on having tropical flavors for each layer of cupcake tower and one of my favorites was this Easy Pineapple Cake by Catherine Dallas posted on AllRecipes.com.

Here are some of my not-so-typical cake recipes from AllRecipes.com that were given wonderful reviews and that would make great cupcakes for your DIY cupcakes towers.

• Pumpkin Ginger Cupcakes 
• Coconut Orange Cupcakes
  
• Easy Rum Cake
• Luscious Tropical Dream Cake
• Too Much Chocolate Cake
• Irish Cream Bundt Cake
• Tiramisu Layer Cake

Remember, don't wait till the day before your wedding to try these or any recipe for the first time. Months before the wedding you can make a batch for dessert every Sunday. I personally love reading all the reviews before trying any of the recipes because sometimes they contain some very good suggestions for those trying it for the first time.

You don't have to have a fancy cupcake or cake flavor to impress your guests because as long as the cake or cupcakes are delicious they won't mind eating it up.

I rememer that my mom made a last minute single layer cake for my brother's wedding using a white cake mix and pineapple marmalade that she added to vanilla frosting for the filling. It was just as delicious as the other four she made from scratch.

Are you decorating your cake table yourself? These photos are some of favorite decorated wedding cake tables and I hope they would be of some inspiration to you!

I've posted this recipe before in the Monogrammed Cookies favor idea article from stylishgiving.com, but I thought it would be a good idea for me to high-light it today. There some of you who are  thinking about making your own cake, yet do not like the taste of regular fondant and it can be costly if you are making a larger cake too. So this fondant recipe is an answer to your prayers because not only does it get rave reviews for its taste, but as you can see from the recipe and the ingredients, you can make it yourself, no sweat at all. Of course, my favorite part is that you can make a four tower cake using your own recipe and make enough fondant to cover the whole thing for under $20.00!

Don't forget to watch the video as well to see that is no such a daunting task to bake and cover your own cake with fondant.

This fondant covered, hat cake was made by our bronze budget bride Michelle and believe or not this was her very first attempt at covering a cake with fondant. I am impressed since my first attempt was not this pretty since, as I now know, didn't use the right kind of frosting! She even made the fondant herself using marshmallow and you can find the recipe here at WhatsCookingAmerica.net with some great DIY instructions!

If Michelle can do it, then perhaps you can do it too and save.