Creative Towel Wedding Cake: A Step-By-Step Guide

A wedding cake made out of towels is a creative and fun gift for the happy couple. It's also a great DIY centerpiece for a bridal shower. You can use bath towels for a larger cake or kitchen towels for a smaller, quirky design. The basic structure is made by folding and rolling towels, then securing them with rubber bands or safety pins. The towels are then stacked to form tiers, with ribbon wrapped around each tier. Finally, you can decorate the cake with silk flowers, kitchen utensils, or other gifts.

Choosing your towels

Firstly, you need to decide whether you want to use bath towels or kitchen towels for your cake. Bath towels will give you a larger cake, whereas kitchen towels make a smaller cake but often come in fun prints. If you opt for bath towels, you will need two large, two medium, and two small towels. For kitchen towels, you will need six standard-sized towels and four dishcloths.

The colour of the towels is also an important consideration. You can opt for classic white or choose a colour that matches the wedding colour scheme or the recipient's preferences. If you are making the cake for a bridal shower, you might want to stick to lighter colours such as white, ivory, or cream, with decorative accents in the wedding colours. However, if you are making the cake as a wedding gift, you might want to choose towels in the wedding colours or a darker, more romantic shade like burgundy.

In addition to colour, you can also consider the texture of the towels. Waffle-textured towels, for example, can add an interesting visual element to your cake and complement other design elements.

Finally, you might want to consider personalising the towels with embroidery, such as the initials of the couple or a special message. This can add a unique and thoughtful touch to your wedding cake.

Folding and rolling the towels

Before rolling the towels, you must fold them. For the bath towels, fold them in half lengthwise and then fold them in half lengthwise again. Repeat this process for the hand towels. For the washcloths, simply fold them in thirds.

Now you are ready to start rolling! Take your largest towels and stack them on top of each other. Begin rolling them together as tightly as you can. Set this layer aside and move on to the next size towel. Repeat the rolling process, stacking and rolling the towels of the same size together. For the top layer, you can add a few utensils and bundle them together before wrapping the washcloths around them. Finish it off by tying a ribbon around the middle of each bundle.

You can secure the towels in a few different ways. One option is to use rubber bands, wrapping them around each layer to keep the towels from unrolling. Another option is to use safety pins, securing the ends of the towels together. You can also use straight pins, inserting them into the bottom of each layer to hold the towels in place.

Stacking the tiers

Start by identifying your tiers. For a standard towel cake, you will have three tiers, with each tier decreasing in size. The bottom layer will be the largest and is typically made using bath towels. The middle layer is made from hand towels, and the top layer is the smallest, made from washcloths.

Now, let's begin stacking! Place the largest tier, which you previously created by rolling and securing the bath towels, on your desired surface. If you are using a wooden dowel for added stability, insert it through the centre of the largest tier before proceeding.

Next, carefully place the middle tier on top of the largest one. Ensure that the middle tier is centred and securely balanced. You can use a small amount of hot glue or double-sided tape to attach the two tiers together for added stability, but this is optional.

Finally, place the smallest tier on top of the middle one, again ensuring that it is centred and balanced. If you are using a wooden dowel, make sure it runs through the centre of all three tiers.

At this point, you should have a stable and stacked towel cake with three distinct tiers. You can now proceed to decorate your cake with ribbon, silk flowers, or other embellishments of your choice.

Remember, the key to successful tier stacking is to ensure that each layer is securely balanced and centred. Take your time during this process, and feel free to adjust the tiers as needed to achieve the perfect stack for your towel cake.

Decorating with ribbon

There are many ways to decorate a towel wedding cake with ribbon. For example, you can use wired ribbon to secure the layers of the cake and create a bow at the top. You can also use ribbon to create a border around the base of each layer, or to trim the edges of the cake. Ribbon can also be used to layer on top of other ribbons, such as chocolate satin ribbon layered with pink ribbon. Another idea is to use gold and silver ribbons with white silk orchids, with gold beaded garlands to bring out the colour of the ribbons. Ribbon can also be used to secure flowers or other decorations to the cake. For example, blue flowers can be placed in a baggie and then stuck into the cake with the ribbon.

Adding finishing touches

Now that you've assembled your towel cake, it's time to add some final flourishes to make it truly stunning. Here are some ideas for embellishments and decorations:

• Flowers: Add some silk flowers or floral accents to your cake. You can use large flowers as a centrepiece, or smaller flowers scattered throughout the cake. Burlap flowers, silk daisies, hydrangeas, roses, orchids, and lilies are all great options.
• Ribbon: Use ribbon to cover any rubber bands or safety pins holding your cake together. You can also tie bows with the ribbon to add a whimsical touch. Choose a colour and width that complements your towels and other decorations.
• Confetti: Sprinkle some confetti or diamond gems on your cake for a touch of sparkle.
• Utensils: If you're creating a kitchen towel cake, consider adding some wooden utensils as a topper or sticking them into the top layer for a functional and decorative touch.
• Other Decorations: You can also add other decorative elements such as doves, butterflies, or a cake topper. Get creative and choose items that reflect the theme of the bridal shower or the couple's interests.
• Gifts: If you want to include extra gifts for the bride, consider adding travel-size spa products, candles, or items from her registry.

Remember to have fun with the finishing touches and let your creativity shine. The possibilities are endless, so feel free to experiment and personalise your towel cake to make it truly unique.

Frequently asked questions