Cake or cupcakes?

Stacked tiffany boxes were my perfect image of my wedding cake when I first picked our theme but once again sticker shock got me. It's the word wedding man, I tell ya! I thought that uuhhmm maybe I would attempt my cake on my own but as big a DIYer as I am, even I pick my battles. I'm no baker so I won't attempt to make a wedding cake to feed 80 people. My sister in law (my brother's wife)is a really great baker but she says she has problems with fondant which is what I would my boxes covered with. It just makes for a smoother consistency which I think is the best for square cakes.Plus the cake cutting may be an additional cost since cake cutting fees can really add up. My future sister in law is also an excellent baker and we've gone through different cake ideas but i'm not sure where she is on fondant.

Here are some of pictures of what I had in mind. I love the stacked look and this way I would just need a fondant bow, so no need to buy a cake toppper. yay! one less thing to add to my budget.







The last one would be aqua an white though, not pink. I'm not sure where I got those pictures from. I see so many pictures during my countless searches and I just copy them to my computer without their labels or websites so if anyone sees their pictures here, i'm not taking any credit for them. I honestly don't remember who to give credit to. My apologies. In future, I will make sure I get all the necessary info since i'm now reposting.

Another idea i'm toying with if the stacked boxes don't work out, is cupcakes. They're really gaining popularity at weddings these days and pretty much anyone can make cupcakes, even me. I just have to find a good recipe.
I've seen so many pictures of cupcakes in all kinds of colors and beautiful displays.
from marthastewartweddings.com

I even saw square cupcakes, I thought they were soooooo gorgeous and alot classier than round cupcakes. Plus they would be in keeping with my tiffany box theme.

This one is from sweetdesigns.com

Most weddings i've been to (and i've been to many), the wedding cake would go to waste because most people are so stuffed after cocktails and dinner that they just have a few bites. After spending so much money on a cake only to not have it eaten, to me is a big waste of money. So at least with cupcakes, they have the option of taking it with them in the clear boxes that I will provide if I decide to go that route. They can be covered with aqua icing or even aqua fondant with a white icing or fondant ribbon. Hmmmm, i'm really loving this idea.

I'm kinda torn between the cupcake shapes. One of the advantages to the round cupcake is how easy it is to frost or ice them. Just use an icing bag with your favorite icing or frosting and perfectomundo! Square cupcakes however need to be iced all over I think to look their best and I have never seen square cupcake cups. But round or square, cupcakes are an uber gorgeous and much cheaper idea. I can also have a combination of square cupcakes and a large square cake for cutting like this one. These are adorable.
This one from ivcc.co.uk


Then there's the idea having a small 2 or 3 tier stacked tiffany square cake for cake cutting on a cake pedestal and cupcakes on a cupcake stand for the guests.
I can have my cousin who is a construction worker make me a cake stand using plywood or MDF. I thought I could get some white satin fabric and have him cover plywood cut into 4 squares measuring 18", 14", 10" and 6" from bottom to top, then I could place the aqua cakes on those shelves or teirs and it would kinda look like a tiered cake. I think it would look really lovely. Any one of those options would be lovely actually.