Wedding Cake Prices

I'm going to try to tell you what exactly goes into the pricing of a wedding cake and how are the prices affected by your choices?

What is the average price of wedding cakes?

The average price of a wedding is going to vary not only by the actual cake you choose but also by where you live.

A wedding cake in New York city is going to cost more than the same cake ordered in smalltown USA. That's just how it goes.

According to the Average Wedding Budget, in 2010, forecasted average cost of wedding cake for the average wedding is $580 with the cake topper costing $44 and the cake knife set costing $46.

What Things Affect the Wedding Cake Price:

Size - the more guests you have coming to your wedding, the more servings you will have to serve, the bigger the cake you must serve and then the higher the wedding cake prices.

And don't forget that some of your guests will want seconds of your yummy cake so you should make sure that you will have enough for that as well.

If you want to do something traditional and save your top layer for your first anniversary, then don't count it in when you are determining your the size of your cake.

Just so you could see the differences in price in 2008 the average price of a wedding cake for less than 50 guests was $201, while between 50 and 100 guests was $331, 100 and 200 guests was $513 and a wedding cake for more than 200 guests cost $1,078.

Shape - ask your baker if s/he charges more for round or square cakes. Usually square cakes are charged more because they are more difficult and time consuming to properly shape the corners. You can also see if cupcakes might be a cheaper option.

Flavor - if you choose a simple single flavor like chocolate or vanilla, then your costs our going to be lower than if you choose a filling. And remember, some fillings are more expensive than others.

Tiers - if you choose to have your cakes tiered, you can be sure that it will cost more to have the tiers arranged than if you each separate layer on its own plate.

This is because it takes more time to put the cake together as well as the fact that it is more difficult to transport.

Rentals - if you choose a cake with lots of columns/pillars/plates, then you can expect either to put down a hefty deposit for their return or your baker might want you to pay for them in full with the cake.

See if the baker supplies the cake table or if you have to provide one. It might be a nice idea to purchase your own so that you have it as a fond memory of your special day (and you can always use it later on again!)

Decorations - the more decorative you want your cake to be, the more time it will take the baker to make your cake, so the more it will cost.

Icing - if you choose fondant over buttercream icing, you can expect to pay a higher wedding cake price.

Credit Cards - if you pay by cash or cheque, you might just get a discount. Some bakers will charge you a higher cost if you want to pay by credit card to cover the fees they will be charged by the credit card company. (Just make sure that you get a receipt to protect yourself!)

Delivery and Set Up - Find out how much your baker will charge for delivery (mileage and/or straight charge) and how much they charge for set up. This can raise the cost of your cake considerably.

Cake Cutting Charge - some caterers will charge a fee for cutting the cake. See if this is going to happen at your venue.

Ways To Save On Your Wedding Cake Price:

If you like the tiered cake look, ask your baker to make a dummy tiered cake and have a sheet cake baked to cut up and serve to your guests or you could also serve lower costs cupcakes.

Check to see if your venue's caterer provides cakes as well. That could save you the delivery and transportation charge.

Try to employ a student baker at a cooking school or someone else who is new to the wedding industry. You also might be able to find a good deal at wedding shows you attend.

See if a crafty friend (or maybe even yourself!) would like to bake your cake for you. There are a lot of Wedding Cake Supplies available to help you make a beautiful, professional looking wedding cake to help you save on money.

I've also compiled a few Wedding Cake Recipes for you to try (definitely try these before your wedding day to make sure that you are going to happy with the end result.

Cupcake Wedding Cakes are quite easy and with the beautiful wrappers available and stands you can make a lovely display for your guests (with no cutting fee!)

Don't forget to visit our Wedding Surveys and Polls page.

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