How much do wedding cakes cost? you asked.
Everyone; friends, family, clients and other suppliers all ask me this question. How much do wedding cakes cost?
Actually, the main reason I am writing this blog post is that it’s a difficult and complex one to answer. I can only answer it by telling you about all the variables involved in this quite complex industry, and I hope, help you to understand why prices vary so widely.
Also to say that there is a wedding cake option out there for you without the need for you to haggle on price with a wedding cake maker. If a cake quote has come out higher than your budget then the chances are that your budget is too low to get that particular cake design from that cake maker.
Photo by Sophie Lake Photography
I’d highly recommend looking around for the kind of cake you really want and going to a cake maker who specialises in that particular style. That way you’re more likely to get the best quality cake for the price you pay.
It’s also worth really thinking about what your wedding cake budget is. It’s a bad idea to just pluck a round number out of the air or decide that your wedding cake budget is £500, for example, just because that’s what your friend or your cousin paid.
Because asking a wedding cake maker or any supplier for that matter, to cut you a sweet deal and make that five tier cake for the budget you have in your head instead of the quoted price, it’s effectively asking them to provide some aspect of their service for free. And the question is “Would YOU work for free?
So, while the cost of a wedding cake is down to number of portions, design, decoration, flavours and the overall size of the cake, the cost of a wedding cake also depends on some of these things:
Cake pricing
Cake pricing is a complex thing and it depends on A LOAD of different factors.
And, cake makers tend to price their cakes on the amount of experience they have and, generally the confidence behind the maker enables them to price higher for what they believe to be a great product and service. Generally, as with anything, you get what you pay for.
Hobby Bakers
There are a lot of hobby bakers. I started as a hobby baker, but always knew I wanted to go into business. And of course, there is a place for hobby bakers. If you do have a tight budget it might be worth getting someone you know who is a hobby baker to make your cake for you. Just be aware that if you do offer to cover the cost of ingredients (as lots of people do) this is actually the smallest cost involved in making a wedding cake. Making wedding cakes is extremely time consuming so it may be worth rethinking how much you offer to pay a hobby baker.
Photo by Sophie Lake Photography
Business type
What type of business you’re looking at buying from? If you’re looking at ordering your wedding cake from a business that has a bakery with staff and cake decorators hired, rather than just one baker working alone, obviously prices will be different. The set up cost for a lone or small scale baker to produce a cake is much higher than that of a team of bakers working for a bakery produces a higher volume of cakes per day/ per week, so if you order from a small scale baker or a cake designer, prices are likely to be higher.
Is your wedding cake a priority?
How much do you want to pay for your wedding cake? Is your wedding cake one of the most important parts of your wedding? If it is, then of course a higher proportion of your spend is bound to go on ordering a cake. If not, then cheaper options are available such as having a relative make it, supermarket cakes decorated to your taste or theme.
The problem comes when potential clients ask cake makers to match these prices that are so low, there is no way we can compete. Does the budget you have set for your wedding cake really line up with the actual cake you’d like to have for your wedding. It’s a good idea to do some research and ask some cake makers what they do and how much they charge. You know what ‘they’ say. You can’t have a ‘champagne’ cake on a ‘lemonade’ budget!
Photo by Sophie Lake Photography
Is your wedding cake designer a specialist?
Are you choosing your wedding cake maker because they specialise in a particular style of cake? If you are, then you’ll be paying for a lot more than just the cake you get on the day of your wedding. Like any creative industry, cake makers put a lot of time and practice into their skill. And if they have carved themselves out a niche they will have spent extra time on trial and error in perfecting their art. When you pay the price for a particular cake designer you get their expert skills, specialist knowledge and their bespoke service and knowledge of the wedding industry alongside your unique wedding cake.
Photo by Sophie Lake Photography
A mention of the ‘W ‘ word.
I speak for most of the wedding suppliers I know when I say that I do not add on any kind of premium when I cost up my wedding cakes. This is a big fat myth! So why are weddings so “expensive”? Well, you want to serve the best food and cake to a large group of people. You want to entertain them, make sure they’re enjoying themselves for a whole day. This is expensive. And it would be the same if you had 100 people and you wanted to do the same things for a birthday party. Expensive!
I cost up my cakes in the same way regardless of whether they’re for a birthday, wedding, corporate event or anything else. The difference is that I specialise in wedding cakes as I enjoy the longer process of working with my couples seeing through an initial idea, all the way through to its execution.
So, how much does a wedding cake cost then?
If you ask me ‘How much does a wedding cake cost? I am a wedding cake maker and even I can’t tell you yet. I’ll need to know so many things about you, your wedding, your idea, your priorities before I can even give you an estimate.
If you’d like to learn more about how much your wedding cake will cost you can get in touch with me. If you let me know about all the info on my contact form I’ll be able to get back to you with an estimate for your cake. Looking forward to hearing from you!
K x
