Crafting A Wedding Cake Costume: A Step-By-Step Guide

Whether it's for Halloween or a joke wedding, a wedding cake costume is a fun and creative way to dress up. While it may take some time and effort to make, the result is sure to be impressive. The basic structure of the costume typically involves cardboard or foam board, with lightweight spackle used to create the frosting effect. This can be dyed to create different colours, and additional decorations such as flowers or piping can be added for a more intricate design. The costume can be as simple or complex as desired, with some people opting for a single-tier cake costume, while others go for a more ambitious multi-tiered design.

Choosing the right materials

The materials you choose for your wedding cake costume will depend on the desired size, shape, and overall look of your costume. Here are some key considerations when selecting your materials:

• Base structure: The base structure of your costume will provide the shape and support for the rest of the costume. You can use cardboard or foam board to create a round or rectangular base. Consider the number of tiers you want and the overall height of your costume when selecting your base materials.
• Reinforcement: To reinforce the structure and ensure it holds together, you will need binding materials such as bookbinding tape or duct tape.
• Adhesives: A hot glue gun with glue sticks will be essential for attaching the different parts of the costume together.
• Frosting: To create the frosting effect, you can use lightweight spackle, which can be left white or coloured with dye or paint. You will also need tools such as a cake spatula and piping tips to apply and decorate the "frosting."
• Decorations: Depending on your desired design, you can use a variety of decorative items such as flowers, pearls, wire, leaves, and other embellishments.
• Undergarments: Consider what you will wear under the costume. You may want to dye or decorate a bodysuit, collar, or other clothing items to match the cake theme.
• Straps: To secure the costume to your body, you will need straps attached to the inside of the top cake layer.
• Shoes: If you want to create cake-themed shoes, you will need a pair of shoes that you can cover with spackle and decorate to match your costume.
• Headpiece: To complete the look, consider adding a headpiece, such as a cake hat with a veil or a topper.

When selecting your materials, keep in mind the overall weight of the costume, especially if you plan to wear it for extended periods. You want to ensure it is comfortable and secure while also achieving the desired visual effect.

Making the structure

To make the structure of a wedding cake costume, you will need cardboard or foam board, a fabric measuring tape, a pencil, a string, an Exacto knife, and hot glue.

First, you need to measure how large the cake opening needs to be so it can fit over your hips, waist, and chest. Next, decide how many tiers you want for your cake. For this example, we will make two layers with a hat for the third layer.

Use the fabric measuring tape to draw a circle for the top of the cake. Take the measurement from your plan and find the radius (use an online calculator if needed). The radius is half of the diameter or width of the cake. Cut a piece of string and tie one end to a pencil and the other end to a nail. The string's distance from the pencil to the nail should be the radius length. Draw a circle on the foam core. Make the string longer and create a larger circle outside the first circle.

Cut out the circle for the top of the cake. Take an Exacto knife and cut out the circles on the pencil lines. Repeat this step for both the top and bottom tiers.

For the sides of the cake, use cardboard or foam board to cut out rectangles. For the top tier, cut out a 10-inch tall rectangle. For the bottom tier, cut out a 14-inch tall rectangle. Use an online circle calculator to find the circumference for both tiers. This will tell you how long the sides for each tier need to be. For example, if your top tier has a 60" circumference, cut two rectangles that are each 30" long.

To make the sides curve around the cake, score the foam core with an Exacto knife every 1/4". Don't cut all the way through.

Finally, attach the layers using hot glue. Reinforce the seams with bookbinding tape. Once each tier has a top, attach the tiers together with hot glue.

Frosting the cake

Now that you have the structure of your wedding cake costume, it's time to frost it!

First, prepare the spackle. If you want coloured frosting, mix Rit Dye or acrylic paint into the spackle to achieve your desired colour. For a wedding cake, you might want to stick to white or a pastel colour.

Next, it's time to frost the cake. Using a cake spatula, apply the spackle evenly across the surface of the cake layers. Try to get it as smooth as possible, but don't worry too much about perfection—any swirls and peaks will make your costume look even more like a real cake! Work in sections to ensure you get the right texture before the spackle starts to dry.

Let the spackle dry overnight so that it hardens and provides a good base for any additional decorations.

If you want to add more decorative "frosting," mix some spackle in another colour. You can also leave it white. Apply this with large piping tips in disposable piping bags. You can use a star tip to create a shell border on each tier, but be aware that this will be slow and will take a lot of spackle.

Continue adding spackle to look like decorative frosting until the cake feels fully decorated. You can use standard piping tips to add more details. This time, try using white spackle straight from the container for the details.

Allow the spackle to dry completely before handling or wearing the costume. Drying times will vary depending on how thickly you've applied the spackle. For thick frosting borders, it could take up to 48 hours to dry completely.

Now that your cake is frosted, you can add any additional decorations, like flowers or a cake topper!

Adding decorations

Now for the fun part: adding decorations! You can get creative with this step and add as many decorative elements as you like. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Flowers:

Sugar flowers are a popular choice for wedding cake costumes. They can be made from flower paste or gum paste, which is a type of sugar paste that is more elastic and pliable. You can find tutorials online for making sugar flowers, such as roses, poppies, lilies, and chrysanthemums. If you're short on time, you can also purchase silk flowers from cake or craft stores. Fresh flowers are another option, but be careful to avoid poisonous flowers like lilies.

Piping and Icing:

Using a piping bag and large piping tips, you can add decorative "frosting" to your costume. You can use lightweight spackle, buttercream, or royal icing for this purpose. Pipe swirls, stars, or other designs onto the costume, mimicking real cake decorations. You can even add food colouring to the spackle or icing to create colourful frosting effects.

Other Decorative Elements:

• Pearls: Attach pearls at the base of flowers or scatter them across the costume for a touch of elegance.
• Leaves: Create leaves using green flower paste and wire. Add them to your floral arrangements or use them as accents on their own.
• Bows: Create decorative bows using paper clay and a bow mold. Paint them to match your colour scheme.
• Wire swags: Create swags from wire and attach them to the costume for added texture and dimension.
• Coloured fondant or marzipan: Covering your cake layers with coloured fondant or marzipan will give it a smooth, polished look. You can even use different colours to create a tiered effect.
• Ribbon: Wrap a ribbon around the base of each tier and secure it with pins or glue. This will give your costume a finished look and hide any imperfections.
• Cake topper: Add a wedding cake topper to the top tier of your costume. You can find these toppers at most cake decorating stores.

Remember to plan out your decorations beforehand and allow enough time for them to dry and set. You can use hot glue or an appropriate adhesive to attach the decorations to your costume. Get creative and have fun with it!

What to wear underneath

When it comes to what to wear underneath your wedding cake costume, there are a few options to consider. Firstly, a bodysuit in a matching colour can be a great choice, providing a seamless look and ensuring you are covered and comfortable. You could also opt for a collared shirt, which can add a touch of elegance to your ensemble. If you want to go for a more whimsical or playful look, consider donning a pair of lace gloves. These can be a fun and flirty addition to your costume.

For those who want to embrace their playful side, ruffle bloomers could be a perfect choice to wear underneath. They add a touch of whimsy and are sure to bring a smile to your face. Don't be afraid to get creative and experiment with different combinations of these suggestions to find what works best for you and your unique wedding cake costume!

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