Are you planning a country-style wedding and looking for unique budget-friendly ideas for wedding decor? Today I'm sharing a handmade four-tiered rustic wedding cupcake stand idea. 

The top tier is made to hold a small wedding cake topper. What makes this wedding cupcake stand unique is that it is portable and can easily be assembled at the venue. Making it perfect for a destination wedding!

We made it for our daughter's destination wedding located a 10-hour drive from our home. The portable cupcake stand took up very little room in our small vehicle during transport.

Rustic Portable 4-Tiered Wedding Cupcake Stand

When planning our daughter's budget-friendly country wedding, we did what most people do and went to Pinterest for inspiration. There were several tiered stands that caught our eye but this cake stand was the inspiration for our own version.

How Do You Transport The Tiered Wedding Cupcake Stand?

Instead of trying to transport a tall 24-inch high, tiered wedding cake stand, we made it portable. The tiers and center supports can easily be separated to fit inside a bag and then reassembled on-site within minutes with just the turn of a wrench. 

Is The Cupcake Stand Food Safe?

Food safety is not a concern with the wooden cupcake stand. Wedding cake toppers have a cake board underneath and cupcakes are served in cupcake liners so there is no contact with the wood.

What You'll Need To Make It

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Supply List

1 each 1" x 2" x 6' Pine Boards
1 each 1" x 3" x 6' Pine Boards
2 each 1" x 4" x 6' Pine Boards
White PVC Pipe
24-Inch Long Threaded Rod
2 Nuts and Washers To Fit Rod
1-inch Forstner Drill Bit
Wood Glue
Bar Clamps
Brad Nailer OR Finishing Nails and Hammer)
1 1/4" Brad Nails
White Glossy Spray Paint
Dark Walnut Stain
White Chalk Paint
White Tulle (dollar store)

Wedding Cupcake Stand Tier Boards

Top Tier: 2 each 1" x 4" x 8" AND 2 each 1" x 3" x 8"
Second Tier: 2 each 1" x 2" x 10" AND 2 each at 1" x 3" x 10"
Third Tier: 4 each 1" x 3" x 12"
Bottom Tier: 4 each at 1" x 4" x 14"

Pine Batten Supports Cut Dimensions

2 each 1" x 2" x 8"
2 each 1" x 2" x 10"
2 each 1" x 2" x 12"
2 each 1" x 2" x 14"
Bottom Anchor Board For Rod: 3" x 3"

Here's How I Made It

Stain And Whitewash Boards

Once the boards are cut according to the dimensions above, brush them with one coat of dark walnut stain. Wipe away the excess stain with a lint-free rag.

Once the stain is completely dry, whitewashed the boards with white paint. To do this thin white water-based latex, acrylic, or chalk paint with water to a milk-like consistency. Brush each board with a wash of white paint and immediately give the boards a wipe with a lint-free rag.

This will remove some of the paint and allow the dark stain to peek through from underneath (like pictured below). The whitewash gives the cupcake stand the rustic charm we are going for.

Wedding Cupcake Stand Supports

The wooden layers of the wedding cupcake stand are supported with PVC pipe cut 7-inches high with a chop saw or miter saw for perfectly straight cuts. You can adjust the height to your preference but keep in mind you'll need enough of a gap between tiers to easily reach the cupcakes.

Next, paint the PVC pipe with two coats of glossy white spray paint. Once the paint is dry, loosely wrap the painted pipe with white tulle from the dollar store. Tack it in place with a few dabs of clear hot glue.

Wedding Cupcake Stand Tier Instructions

As mentioned earlier, the pine board slats on the tiers are made with a board and batten style assembly. We'll begin the instructions for building the cake stand with the bottom tier.

Bottom Tier

1. Turn four 1" x 4" x 14" boards upside down.
2. Butt them together and clamp with bar clamps.
3. Measure 1-inch from the outside edge and set a 1" x 2" x 14" batten perpendicular to the slats.
4. Add some wood glue to the batten and nail in place with 1 1/4-inch brad nails. If you don't have a nail gun you could use finishing nails and a hammer instead.
5. Underneath the bottom tier, attach the 3" x 3" block of wood for the rod support.
6. In order for the nut to be countersunk so the cake stand sits level, drill a hole in the center with a 1-inch Forstner drill bit.

Third Tier

1. Turn four 1" x 3" x 12" boards upside down.
2. Butt them together and clamp with bar clamps.
3. Measure 1-inch from the outside edge and set a 1" x 2" x 12" batten perpendicular to the slats.
4. Add some wood glue to the batten and nail in place with 1 1/4-inch brad nails.

Second Tier

1. Set a 1" x 3" x 10" board upside down and butt a 1" x 2" x 10" against it, then set another 1" x 3" x 10" board next, followed by a 1" x 2" x 10" board.
2. Butt them together and clamp with bar clamps.
3. Measure 1-inch from the outside edge and set a 1" x 2" x 10" batten perpendicular to the slats.
4. Add some wood glue to the batten and nail in place with 1 1/4-inch brad nails.

Top Tier

1. Turn a 1" x 4" x 8" board upside down, followed by a 1" x 3" x 8" board, then another 1" x 4" x 8" board, and another 1" x 3" x 8" board.
2. Butt them together and clamp with bar clamps.
3. Measure 1-inch from the outside edge and set a 1" x 2" x 8" batten perpendicular to the slats.
4. Add some wood glue to the batten and nail in place with 1 1/4-inch brad nails.
5. To accommodate a nut and washer on the rod of the top tier, drill a hole in the center with a 1-inch Forstner drill bit.







Wedding Cupcake Stand Rod Assembly

Assembling the 4-tiered wedding cupcake stand is so simple to do at the wedding venue. Make sure you place all the washers, nuts, and a wrench in a plastic bag and tape it to the threaded rod before you leave so you don't leave them behind.





At the venue, thread the rod through the bottom tier and secure it with a washer and nut. Next, slip one of the tulle-wrapped PVC pipes through the rod. Slip the third 12-inch tier through the rod and face the boards in the opposite direction as the previous tier. Let it rest on top of the PVC pipe (like pictured above).





Continue much the same way by adding the PVC pipe and tiers until you get to the top. Secure it with another washer and nut and tighten with the wrench. Put the wrench somewhere for safekeeping because you'll need it again when you dismantle the cupcake stand after the wedding.





The bride and groom were thrilled with their handmade 4-Tiered rustic wedding cupcake stand. We also made them a Rustic Wedding Card Box that looks like an old wooden tool caddy.








Here's the rustic birch log wedding cake we custom ordered for the top tier of the cupcake stand. The adorable etched love heart with the bride & groom's initials match the rustic wedding centerpiece boxes we made for each guest table. We ordered the fun custom fishing wedding cake topper on Etsy.








Here's a photo of the wedding cupcake stand filled with whipped lavender icing cupcakes made by the groom's sister. They are an assortment of chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet, each distinguished by the icing. They were so delicious!








Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by this rustic wedding cupcake stand for a country destination wedding.





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