Frugal Couple Uses Costco Sheet Cakes To Create Gorgeous Wedding Cake For Less Than $50

Weddings are expensive. For anyone who hasn’t been behind the scenes, here’s the gist: Everything costs more than you think. From the flowers, to the venue, to the gown, to the cake, yes, even the cake. In fact, the average wedding cake in the United States costs around $350. This all of course depends on how large and fancy the cake is. On the lower end, it could cost around $125. But on the opposite end, a couple could spend $700 and often over $1,000. [1] However, one frugal couple decided to trash that idea. Instead, they designed a stunning show-stopper out of Costco sheet cakes.

A Wedding Masterpiece from Costco Sheet Cakes

This story came from Jessica Hoyle-King, a DIY Instagrammer, also known as @cottagefarmhouse. Her brother and his new wife, Jeremy and Gosia Hoyle, decided to cut costs on their wedding cake by designing their own. And no, it doesn’t look cheap. It’s a gorgeous, four-tiered, flower-adorned masterpiece perfect for a classy wedding. 

Jessica’s sister-in-law’s brother-in-law, AKA pastry chef Jamie Warley, “took their idea of the cheap wedding Costco cake and threw it all together in a couple of hours at the venue the day before the wedding!”

“Their flower budget was $0,” Hoyle-King explained. “Their cake budget was, ‘Let’s make cupcakes and freeze for the wedding.’” She added that despite the frugal budget, the wedding was beautiful. “Our families all pulled together, making the table centerpieces, organizing tables, wrapping tiny Polish wedding cakes — the bride is from Poland — and decorating tables. They were amazing.” [2]

“They bought two @costco cakes, cut them, stacked them, re-iced with buttercream icing, and covered with $10 @traderjoes flowers,” she explained in the caption of her post. She added that they built the display stand themselves using materials from Hobby Lobby.

Followers of @cottagefarmhouse went nuts over the post. After all, it’s unheard of to pay $50 for a wedding cake. “Wow this is insane!!!!!” said one user. Said another, “Holy cow this is beautiful.”

Additionally, some people loved the idea enough to try Costco sheet cakes themselves. “I am so stealing this idea for when I eventually get married,” said one commenter. “It’s not going to look anywhere as beautiful as that cake but if it saves me money I’m down to try!” [3]

The Cons of Making Your Own Wedding Cake

While making your own wedding cake may sound like a great money-saving hack, the end product may not look so good unless you are (or personally know) a pastry chef. Plus, the process may be more difficult and time-consuming than you imagine.

“Attempting a large, tiered wedding cake is a big feat for an amateur baker,” said Betsy Thorleifson of Nine Cakes. “There are many things to consider logistically and too many potential ways any of the process could go wrong or take longer than expected.” She would know. She made three cakes for her own wedding.  “I honestly didn’t think it was going to be a big deal. I wish I wouldn’t have though, it was so stressful. I didn’t have time to decorate them like I imagined, and was sad to miss out on spending every possible minute with my friends and family who were in town for our wedding.” [4] 

Weddings are stressful to start with. Most people would rather they kept the day’s to-do list as minimal as possible. After all, the to-do list is massive already.

How to Design Your Own Wedding Cake

However, many people choose to create their own wedding cake, and not all from Costco sheet cakes. Some people enjoy the challenge and are passionate about baking. They may have the perfect vision for their special day and would rather do it themselves. And of course, it’s often cheaper to do it yourself. And if you’re skilled enough and you’re willing to put in the time and effort, this might be the way to go.

Here are some tips:

• Map out the ingredients before baking and ensure you buy extra
• Plan out the steps in advance. Make sure you give yourself enough time for each one.
• Get help from others. This could be with decorating or setting up the dessert display.
• Keep your plan simple.
• Don’t forget transportation. Ensure you have a good box(es) and a large enough car.

For a more detailed step-by-step guide, check out this video. Keep in mind, you don’t need to bake your own sheet cakes if you have a Costco in your area!