How to Set a Wedding Cake Budget
For some couples the cake is a massively important part of making their day super special, while for others, it’s just cake.
A small, simple cake will generally cost less than a large, detailed cake so set your budget and expectations accordingly!
How many guests do you need to feed?
Whether you want a simple cake, a showstopper or an opulent dessert table, there needs to be enough cake to go around! Are you serving large slices as dessert or smaller pieces in the evening?
Once you know the approximate amount of cake you need, consider how much it would cost to buy those guests each a simple slice of cake in a café… how much would you pay? Say around £4? I paid £4.35 for a dry slice of sponge in a well-known high street chain last week.
If you’re feeding 100 guests then we’re talking £400 just for a basic slice of mass-produced sponge cake…
Now imagine having a cake beautifully designed for you, choosing your favourite flavours made with the highest quality ingredients, having the cake decorated with handmade sugar flowers, each tier iced, dowelled and stacked and carefully delivered to your wedding venue. You’re going to need to set a bigger budget than if you took everyone to Costa!
A simpler design will take less time to create than a complex one but many cake designers will have a minimum order value during peak wedding season. My average customer spend for a summer wedding is around £750 – £850. There’s a lot more to cake than just butter, eggs, sugar and flour!
Design
A semi naked cake has a simple skim of buttercream, whereas a fondant iced cake is first covered in a layer of white chocolate ganache and then a thin coat of delicious Massa Ticino icing. A fondant iced cake involves far more skill, process, and luxury ingredients, so will naturally cost more.
If you love handcrafted sugar flowers (my speciality), hand-painted textures and patterns then you’ll need to allow more room in your budget for the time it takes to create these beautiful details.
So, how much does a wedding cake cost?
The good news is there’s almost always a cake maker to fit every wedding cake budget.
Hobby bakers may not feel as confident in their skills and therefore charge less. Friends and relatives are often keen to offer their baking services as a gift, too.
As a specialist wedding cake maker, my first and most important goal is always to create a wedding cake that impresses the proverbial pants off you and your wedding guests.
I’ve spent more than 9 years refining my delicious recipes and I’m always learning skills to ensure your wedding cake is all you dreamed of. I will personally deliver and set up the cake to your venue on your wedding day and liaise with your planner or caterer to provide my insurance details and an ingredients list (boring but essential!).
Some wedding cake makers don’t publish prices and I understand that this can often be a little frustrating for couples who want a professionally made cake and are looking to compare local prices.
In all honesty, I don’t know how much your wedding cake will cost until I have designed it for you, but I have created a price and portion guide to help get you started with your planning.
If you’d like to learn more about how much your wedding cake will cost then get in touch and let’s talk!