Wedding cake costs

The other day, I followed up with a bride who contacted me about making a cake for her wedding. She stated she wanted a "simple" 3 tier cake to feed 250. It is to be round on the bottom tier with the two top tiers being square. She also wanted it covered with fondant that was handpainted the color of confetti roses in her bouquet with red fondant ribbons on each layer. Additionally, she wanted a sprig of roses sculpted out of sugar paste and a monogram made out of chocolate wrapped with silver foil to gracefully decorate the cake. I was excited for her as the idea of making a cake just like that was fantastic! She, however, wanted this all done for under $500!

I had to gently tell her that the dream cake she wanted would more than double her cake budget. She was surprised as my price per slice is only $1.50. I advised that the added items of fondant ribbons, handpainting, custom chocolate monogram and especially, the sugar paste flowers had been what put her over.

Now, this issue happens quite a lot when it comes to wedding cakes. It is neither the brides or the baker's fault. The baker is charging based on time spent on the various elements of the cake, in addition to materials used and finally delivery of the delectable creation. While for some a simple bakery sheet cake will suffice, on average a towering creation of cake is all that will do! It is then that your baker will work with your budget and suggest that you can get the cake that you desire at the price of your budget.

In the end, the bride and I negotiated a bit and I was able to get her a cake she was happy with for roughly $750. The cake will look pretty close to her hearts desire, but will not be as expensive. We decided on using satin ribbon to frame the layers, minimal handpainting and working with her florist to get confetti roses to place on the cake. Overall a wonderful experience, but definitely something brides should be aware of when ordering their wedding cake. In fact, here's a link to Cost Helper that will help you greatly. Also, I hope you've liked the small peek at the delectable cakes I can make for you.

Happy Eating,

Syreeta