Assisted Wedding

Wedding Cake Prices – What Are The Costs?

October 9, 2009

The wedding cake is an essential element of any “successful” wedding. It can also be one of the most expensive. However, wedding cake prices can be managed based on a number of factors. First, the wedding planner should understand that wedding cakes are not priced at a single “cake” price, but rather by the number of slices needed.

The more slices needed, the more expensive the cake. Second, the quality of the cake itself adds to the per slice cost. The more tiers on the cake, the better quality the icing, the more artistic and elaborate the decorations, the more expensive the cake will be. A simple, no-frills wedding cake should run $1 to $2 per slice. It will have few decorations, cheap icing, and a basic design.

For 100 guests, that’s a $100 to $200 cake. The next step up, including multiple tiers (2 to 3), better icing, and a more complex design, runs $4 to $7 a slice. For larger wedding parties, of 500 or more, at $5 per slice, the total cost is a minimum of $2500! A complicated, multi-tiered cake, using a high-quality icing that doesn’t bleed and a high-end custom design, can run $8 to $12 PER SLICE!

For a small wedding party of 50 or less, the budget-conscious couple might consider such a cake, but would be out of reach for most folks having more than that number of guest. So, keeping the preceding information in mind, wedding cake prices can be reduced by:

1. Keeping down the number of guests (thus keeping down the number of “slices”).

2. Reducing the number of tiers on the cake.

3. Using fewer or cheaper decorations on the cake.

4. Using a cheaper, easier-to-manage icing such as butter cream, rather than the much more expensive fondant.

5. Bake a do-it-yourself cake, using an online step-by-step guide.

Using the information provided here, the wedding cake at your wedding can be tasty and attractive at a much lower price than most caterers would provide. The happy couple is sure to find a use for that extra money somewhere.

Posted in: Wedding Cake