According to www.costofwedding.com, the average ceremony and reception costs U.S. couples upwards of $26,500.

At the price tag of a new car, many couples are seeking cost-effective ways to reduce their wedding budgets without sacrificing quality.

Popular wedding blogs and sites such as Pinterest feature a growing trend in synthetic cakes.

This means that couples can rent an elegant display cake for their reception and serve catered sheet cakes for guests. Oftentimes the top tier is real, allowing the bride and groom to cut the cake and serve one another.

Make it yours

Every couple wants their big day to be personalized and memorable. What better way to display your “tastes” than through a custom cake creation? Synthetic cakes can be made to order according to your wedding theme, personal style or even hobbies.

“Styrofoam displays are very popular. You can have a lot of fun with it and add bling,” said cake decorators at Lincoln Center Hy-Vee. “We’re 100 percent custom and the crazier, the better.”

As for the guests’ dessert, cut costs by serving sheet cakes. Often times, caterers work behind-the-scenes during the dinner or cake-cutting ceremony to ensure guests do not notice the cake switch.

Cupcake towers can also be a fun alternative to sheet cakes. Choose a variety of theme colors, flowers or beads to make each cake different and unique for partygoers.

“Individualization is huge. Creating custom ‘mocktails’ and serving individual cupcakes are also big trends,” said a baker at ISU Dining.

For limited budgets, the guests’ cakes can also be done in your very own kitchen. Recruit friends, family and Betty Crocker to help bake and decorate cupcakes. These can be done a few days prior to the wedding and transported the day before, if the reception hall allows.

Display cakes are also more likely to maintain their glitz and glam, as they are not as vulnerable to heat or transportation issues.

With so many fun and fake options, you truly can “have your cake and eat it too.”