Fake Cake

Has it really come to this? Weddings are out of control here in the U.S, that's for sure. The Wedding Industrial Complex has been phenomenally successful in convincing brides that if their wedding isn't an elaborate and expensive extravaganza they'll somehow offend the wedding gods, and you know, something really bad might happen. The result is that many brides appear to be caught up in planning the latest installment of the Ziegfeld Follies, rather than a warm and meaningful event to signify the start of a couple's life together. I've spent the last few hours feeling both amused and dismayed after learning about what is apparently a growing trend:  the rental wedding cake. 

There's no question that wedding cakes are expensive, especially the elaborate ones, although I'm not sure brides always get their money's worth.  I've been to some weddings where the cake looked spectacular and tasted like sand.  Many "How to save money on your wedding" articles suggest getting a very small version of your dream cake, which can be used for the cake-cutting ritual and saved for the first anniversary. The slices that are actually served to the guests are cut from an inexpensive sheet cake and no one knows the difference. There may be a slight deception involved, but at least it's a real cake. 

The rental "cake" is different. It's made of styrofoam, it comes in a box, and after the wedding you pack it up and ship it back. Apparently there's a small cut-out in the back of the fake cake, where you can place a small piece of real cake to be used during the ceremonial cake cutting at the reception. According to the cake rental website "three pieces of Twinkie fit perfectly."  If you go to the homepage, you'll see the slogan: "Don't settle for less on your wedding day."  That sounds lovely except they're talking about styrofoam! Am I really the only one who sees the irony here? Weddings really are out of control.