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This is what my brother-n-law and his wife did. He had stylish small cake that was sitting on a stand (that was for him and his wife only) and then the rest were sheet cakes. Don't go to Wal-Mart if you can (the sheet cakes aren't that good). A good place to look into is Costco. That is where they got their sheet cakes and they were great. Hope this helps! http://www.altalodge.com/UserFiles/Image/Summer/Weddings/Aug8Cake.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_M6w88xhtCRQ/SXKQwlst0WI/AAAAAAAAAbM/q-nAZDhIXmU/s400/large_image-3.jpg
(just some ideas on a single layer wedding cake)

Another way to do it maybe a little cheaper is possibly to do CUPCAKES instead.... most places with will do this for you and you can still have an actual cake as an anniversary tier if you want it..... just do some searching for Cupcake Wedding cakes and see what you can find..... or ask your local bakery to see what is cheaper.... but it's just a thought!!!!

Everyone who I told about it looked at me like I was crazy! lol... I've searched for them high and low, but had no results of anyone providing them in Chicago. But search around there are some bakeries that will do it as long as you get the sheet cake from them. Or if you have someone who is good with decorating maybe you guys will want to play around making your own fake cake. Try this...
http://www.baking911.com/decorating/cakes_dummy.htm

But also try going to the bridal shows in your area. My FH and I were all about the fake cake until I went to a show and tasted a cake from a bakery there and fell in love. Best thing about it they offer you coupons and some other great deals. We actually are getting our cake from there, they let us design it however we wanted to, put whatever filling we wanted to, and booked in 2009 for a wedding in 2011 with a locked price. Just make sure when you go to that bakery you let them know you found them at the bridal show so you get the discounts!

If you do a fake cake you probably won't get to pick out the style since they use them over and over or it'll cost you almost the same amount as a real cake because the time it takes to decorate is the real cost. Cupcakes can save money and so can ordering less cake than people since not everyone eats it. Choosing simpler designs and staying away from fondant which tends to be more expense also have cut down on cost for labor and materials.

Things to consider:
A fake cake is not much if any cheaper than a real cake. If there is a discount, the norm is 20% off the normal charge for that bakery / slice. So, if a real cake is $2/slice the fake cake will be $1.60/slice. Then add in the charge for sheet cakes and you may find that instead of saving money, you are actually spending more.

If you do choose to go with the fake cake, make sure the bakery that does the fake cake knows that a cake from another source will be served. Many bakeries have in their contracts a "no cakes from other vedors" clause. It takes hard work and time to build up a good reputation which can be ruined by guests thinking the beautiful cake on display is from the same bakery as the cake they are eating-which could taste like cardboard.

Southerngirl:
I don't know of any bakeries that use the same fake cake over and over for clients. To use in pictures for a portfolio-yes, but for clients-never.

Yes, there are different ways of saving money on your cake. These are the 2 most common ones:
-You can rent a dummy cake and buy a sheet cake. You may save some money there, but not that much since it takes almost the same time to make a regular cake.
-Go for a cupcake tower, you can have a cake on the top of the stand.
One thing to keep in mind is that the price of the cake varies according to the intricacy of the design, quality of cake and skills.
Determine what is that you are looking for. Remember that you get what you pay for.
If you are marrying in Las Vegas I might be able to help you and give you more interesting options than the ones above or advise you on how to hire a vendor and answer any questions you may have. Feel free to call me at 702-413-8747 :)