Nautical Wedding Touches – Cake Dock
A cake dock was one of the many ideas that I saw on Pinterest after endless hours of looking up wedding inspiration and really wanted to include in mine. Our wedding venue had a special spot they put the cake on display and I figured a little dock for our cake would be the perfect way to present it. We looked into buying one on Etsy, but there were few options with a base big enough for our cake and they were pretty expensive. Andrew decided it would be better to build our own and took it on as a project. 
It ended up not being too hard compared to other projects we have taken on! He did most of the building, but I wanted to share the gist of it for anyone interested in building there own. You just need some 1×3 pieces of wood and some pocket hole screws along with a pocket hole jig. A Miter saw to cut the wood would also be helpful, but I would not buy one just for this project. You can rent one for 4 hours from Home Depot or maybe you can find a friend’s to borrow since it won’t take long. 
All you have to do is cut the pieces to about 18 inches long and then lay 7 boards across, about 18 inches across. You screw them into the side pieces, which are the same length, but laid vertically with the pocket hole jig. It helps to put a spacer in between the pieces of wood to keep them evenly laid out. The frame of the base needs to be screwed in on all sides. That’s all it takes to make the base of the dock! Then you have to add the posts. We got wooden dowels with a 1.5 inch circumference and then cut the back ones to one foot, 8 inches and 6 inches to give it the staggered look. You just need one 6 inch dowel on each side in the front of the dock. We bolted the dowels in with more pocket hole screws. We did it close to the middle so that the rope could cover the bolt. Before the rope was added, the dock needs to be stained. You can buy any color stain, we chose a grayish brown that resembled a rustic dock. There are all sorts of shades you can go with though! Lastly we got some rope from Joann’s Fabrics and wrapped it around the dowels and secured it with epoxy.
In the end we were pretty happy with how the dock turned out! It added a lot to our nautical cake. The cake was made by Sunshine Cake Design in Port St. Lucie and was as delicious as it looks! We ended up choosing a champagne flavored cake with strawberry frosting. It was so fruity and fresh tasting. The cake dock took a little extra effort, but it was worth it, as it is fun to add your own personal touches to your wedding decor. Comment below if you have any questions about how to make your own and I will consult the wood worker (my husband Andrew) and get back to you!
Cake Photos by Chris Kruger Photography