With the revamp of cupcakes in recent years, this question is certainly not the last one to consider. While some Brides' and Grooms seem to 'just know' what they'd rather, for others it's something to mull over. It seems that the main factors to consider here, is the style of your wedding, the price, and the convenience.
For example, If you decide to have a traditional wedding with "castle and princess" like the choice of the venue, as opposed to an event in one of the hip & cosy little clubs somewhere in Soho, you will, of course, be choosing cake vs. cupcakes, - a 'no brainer;,- right? Well, not necessarily. We often get orders for very traditional, in their structure weddings cakes, alas they don't tend to be orders for swirly cupcakes. A tower of fondant finish cupcakes with a topper cake [done well] will look very traditional indeed and at the same time offering a modern touch and convenience which a cake might not.'A cake is a piece of art which a cupcake could never be', this comment challengingly cropped up in a blog the other day. Is that really so? Art's boundaries are nicely democratic and so, are subject to individual definition. It can be argued that a cupcake can easily be as much of an art as any cake. True enough. If you are a decorator worth your salt, the chances are, you might one day create a cupcake, that is 10 times 'artier' than the guy next door's cake. In practice, though, I surprise myself in agreeing with the above sweeping generalisation after all. Cake is bigger, so one can get more detailed with it, make more of a story out of it. Besides, there's only one cake as opposed to 100 + cupcakes. In theory, it is possible to make them into hundreds of mini wedding cakes. But in practice they'll be less 'edible' and quite unaffordable. That said, if you do want to take your cupcake order beyond the commercial level, and are prepared to pay extra, it's worth mentioning it to a stylish cupcake maker and they might just surprise you!
Talking of affordability, generally, cupcakes tend to be less expensive. The reason for this is, that stacked cakes are more time-consuming to make, and, to allow adequate presentation, they require skills and level of experience beyond those required for making cupcakes. (For this reason, It's probably marginally safer to order wedding cupcakes from a website that also offers wedding cakes, if choosing an online supplier - this eliminates the chance of an overoptimistic new 'cupcakeess' trying her hand out on your wedding day.) Thinking of uniqueness of your wedding day, though, it's not the price difference between the two that should be the deciding factor, but rather what you'd like to remember when the wedding expenses are long forgotten: your wedding memories are there to stay.
Finally, a few words in regards to the convenience of cupcakes vs cake for your wedding. Most venues provide an adequate stands for cakes, while more often than not you'll end up having to buy or hire a cupcake stand (until wedding venues catch up). But then, there's the obvious convenience of cupcakes: they are portions in themselves. If your catering arrangement is all inclusive, it might be of no use to you. It does make difference, however, for those of you who prefer to keep your wedding a more personal affair, yet don't want your mums spending hours cutting, serving and tidying up.
All in all, both wedding cakes and cupcakes are yummy scrummy wonderful things and are great fun to go shopping for. While it does help to consider all pros and cons, there's no right or wrong choice after all. It's your wedding, you decide!