Cake Plate Palooza

On Saturday Mama Goodlaff and I headed out in search of cake plates, more blue vases, and any other wedding-related trouble that we could get ourselves into.  I'm happy to say, the day was a resounding success in the cake plate arena.

As you know, Mr. Goodlaff and I are foregoing the typical wedding cake in favor of a cake bar.  This means we are in desperate need of cake plates, so that the cake bar will look like this:

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Different heights, types, colors--basically anything goes in the search for cake plates.  Mama Goodlaff, who is spearheading the search has already found four and has feelers out for more. We hoped we would be able to find some awesome candidates this weekend, and boy, did we ever!

The first find was a pink and orange cake plate, located at Home Goods.  (Ever been there?  It's a happy place...) Price: $16.99.  Score! We wove in and out of some more aisles, when I spotted one just like this beauty:

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 It had a pink ribbon (which can be changed), and came with a price tag of $14.99--much better than the $40 plus shipping that I was going to pay online. Moral of the story?  Check the discount stores first, then buy.  What you're looking for may be sitting right there on the shelf waiting for you!

Now, given that we will need upwards of ten cake stands, Mama Goodlaff did a little online research and found out how you can go about making your own cake plates.  Let me tell you, it's just about the easiest thing in the world to do. The right glue, a plate and a base of your choosing, and a few hours, and you're in business.

At Salvation Army I scored a really great serving plate for three bucks and a base (an old flower vase from 1978) for a dollar. Yes, four dollars got me the makings of a cake plate.  You'll also need industrial strength glue (which I happened to have--about $4 at Michael's), and a few toothpicks to smooth everything out or remove excess glue when you're done.

Before

Find the middle of your plate, and make a mark so you're getting the base in the right spot before you glue it down.  Since my plate was clear, I used a dry erase marker on the cake side that I would be able to see on the other side when I placed the cup.

Place a strip of glue around the edge of the base and press the plate and base together; don't press too hard or you will push out all the glue.  Go around the edge of the base with another strip of glue, and use your toothpicks to smooth or get rid of any excess.  Let it dry for as long as the glue manufacturer recommends (mine took about 4-6 hours). 

Look closely and you can see my pink measuring dot!

When it's dry, flip it over, and voila!: cake plate.

So, there you have it.  About fifteen minutes, a few hours to dry, and endless possibilities. Mama Goodlaff and I are still on the hunt for more plates and bases to meld together for the perfect cake plate, so you can count on seeing more of these as we get closer to the wedding!

Are you on the hunt for any wedding decor? Have you found a way to make something for way less than you could buy it?