Wedding Cake Costs
How much should you expect to spend on a wedding cake? And how does that break down per-slice?
There’s no simple answer. Cake prices vary considerably depending on a number of factors. These include the selected design, style, and size of the cake. The cake price is also based on the amount of time involved in creating the overall design as well as the number of servings you require. The more elaborate the design, the more expensive your cost per slice.
If your design is simple, the cake will probably cost no more than a couple of dollars per slice. If the cake is a little bit more elaborate, the per-slice cost will be a little bit higher. This goes all the way up to about $15.00 per slice for an exquisitely elaborate cake created by a well-known cake designer. Realistically though, you’re probably going to fall somewhere in between the simplest and most elaborate cake, and your per-slice cost will probably run somewhere between $4-6. (By all means, do the math as to how much you need and how much you can afford before you commit to a particular cake or designer.)
There are some ways to reduce the cake’s cost. One way is to have a small, elaborate cake made to display and use for cake cutting ceremony, and then have sheet cakes tucked away to slice and serve to your guests. If you want to be discrete, you can have the display cake taken away to be cut in the kitchen after the official cake cutting ceremony has ended.
Make sure that you have a signed agreement with your cake vendor that tells its policy and pricing.