DIY Project: Cake stand

Deciding on a cake stand was tricky because I wasn't really in love with any of the options that were readily available. It seemed like I only had two main choices; either a flat plateau stand or a tiered stand. Neither of these really appealed to me. I definitely did not want a tiered stand or the 1980s tower cake look with gaps in between the tiers, so it seemed like I had no other option but to get a flat plateau stand like the popular embossed silver stands used at most weddings these days.While I did like these stands, I wasn't in love with them, and I didn't feel that they really fit in with the rest of my wedding decor. So I was quite pleased when I discovered other brides were making their own cake stands out of wood. I decided to follow their guides and attempt to do it too!

Firstly I bought an 18 inch round wooden panel from Lowe's, that was already smooth and factory sanded.

 

Then I bought a 12 inch wooden candle holder from Target. It took me several attempts to get this right because many of the candle holders were slightly uneven and I only noticed when I got home that the wooden panel wouldn't sit flush on the candle stand because it wasn't level. I probably should have just carried a level tool with me to the store to be sure the candle holders were straight before purchasing them. Instead of repeatedly buying them, and returning them. Everything is always so much clearer in hindsight!

Then my fiance attached the candle holder to the center of the round wooden panel. Once this was done I realized it was a bit wobbly because the round wooden panel was too heavy for such a tall  candle holder. On all  the other blogs I had seen these, the brides always used a very short candle holder but I wanted a tall cake stand so I could place our initial letters in front of it without obstructing view of the cake. I decided to make a trip to Michael's to buy a small wooden plaque to attach to the base of the candle holder in an attempt to better balance out the weight of the stand. I wasn't really sure if it would work or not but it did!

Once the plaque was attached to the bottom of the candle holder,  the cake stand was now steady and balanced.  It was now time to paint it!  I wanted to go for something really neutral and plain to keep things simple, so I decided to paint it a soft ivory color. I opted to use spray paint since it is so much easier to get the hang of than using a paint brush, and there is not need to worry about brush strokes or streaks. I was also pretty much a spray painting pro by this point after spraying all the wooden letter centerpieces.  I wanted a smooth sleek finish so I chose to go with a gloss finish  Painters Touch spray paint from Home Depot.

It took about three coats of paint to get a smooth uniform look for the entire cake stand. After each coat of paint I allowed the stand to dry thoroughly for a few days before adding the next layer of paint. In no time  I had my very own, one of a kind ivory cake stand! The pictures below show the cake stand in action at the wedding reception hall.

I was very pleased with how it turned out. It was truly simple and chic, stylish yet understated, unique without being overdone.  Several people asked where I bought it from and refused to believe that my husband and I made it ourselves. I take that as a compliment!!