While we aspire for boujee, the best most of us can do is budget - especially during a time of sky-high inflation and, in New Zealand, a cost of living crisis that has seen blocks of cheese priced at $21.50.
Which is why we really can't blame thrifty brides-to-be for pinching a few pennies while planning their upcoming nuptials. With a bridal gown, catering, flowers and a venue to secure (at the very least), it's understandable that many couples would want to cut a few costs where they can.
With that being said, scrimping on the wedding cake, arguably a cornerstone of a traditional ceremony, does not mean substituting an edible centrepiece for sponge - and no, not the yummy jam-filled kind.
One bride-to-be has been savaged online after she revealed her 'hack' for significantly cutting the cost of her nuptials: forgoing the wedding cake in favour of a fake 'cake' with tiers of foam swathed in wall plaster 'icing'.
It's safe to say, the bizarre concept gives truth to the proverb, 'you can't have your cake and eat it too'.
Sharing photos of her creative process to social media, the anonymous bride wrote: "Anyone else [tried] a fake cake with foam and wall spackle?
"I [saw] it on YouTube and they make it look so easy! We aren't having a cake so trying to figure out something for looks."
Unfortunately, the bride-to-be's economical approach was later shared to the popular Reddit forum, Wedding Shaming - a forum for people to, you guessed it, shame weddings - by an unimpressed Facebook friend.
The low-price pud, labelled as "tacky" by the original poster, quickly drew the mirth of readers, many of whom questioned why the bride felt compelled to have a 'fake cake' on her wedding table.
"Or just don't have a cake at all?" one pointed out, with a second agreeing: "An artificial cake makes perfect sense for a window display or a photo shoot. For a wedding? Not so much."
A third added: "I'd be disappointed if I were a guest seeing the fake cake and looking forward to some of it and then not getting any."
Others complained the layers of 'sponge' and spackle were wasteful and purely for the purpose of keeping up appearances, arguing that the couple should feel comfortable in their decision not to have a cake at their wedding. Several wondered why the couple didn't pick up a cheap cake from a budget retailer and call it a day.
Not everyone condemned the bargain-hunting bride however, with others noting they would also be open to trying fake cakes at their weddings.
"[She] stole my idea. Gorg fake cake. Take pictures. Take it to the kitchen to 'cut it'," one suggested.
"People like the look of a big cake but not the price tag. There's nothing wrong with having a fake cake and serving sheet cakes, that's actually really common. This is a bad look but they're trying to save money," another chimed in.
However, this arguably tasteless creation may just take the cake as one of the worst wedding centrepieces - even trumping sponge and spackle. For their big day, a happy couple decided to have a bust of Donald Trump presiding over their table, sitting atop a cake draped with an American flag that appeared to be crafted out of fondant.
