Wedding Cake Prices

Weddings are considered to be a happy occasion where the entire focus is on the bride. However, for the bride-to-be, her concentration is stuck on making everything more than perfect for her dream wedding. Getting all the decorations, flowers, food, and tons of other stuff ready takes a lot out of anyone. Although all these little elements is what sets the mood for the occasion, the cake takes a considerable amount of attention. And as it is a traditional focal point for the celebrations, choosing the perfect wedding cake is also important. But with the recent economic upheaval, the total cost is rising continuously.

Many couples can get disappointed due the rise in prices and might not be able to fit their choice of cake into their budget. However, there are certain factors which affects the average cost, and that is what you need to keep in mind while shopping for the cake. In the following article, we will see what are theare decided and what you can do to save some money.

Wedding Cakes and Prices

To create the masterpiece, wedding cakes take many man hours. The final work of art depends on the choice of icing, decorating the cake, the size of the tiers, and the number of servings you want. Which in fact are some of the factors that affect your overall cost. Below, we have given detailed information on the prices and its determinants.

Cost of Traditional Cakes
It is obvious that the size of the cake will be the biggest factor that controls how much you'll be spending in the end. Plus, depending on the guest list and the amount of slices you wish to order, the cost will increase substantially. But besides the size of the cake, here are some more important factors you may have overlooked upon.

• Total tiers of cake - Although 2-tier and 3-tier cakes are pretty standard, more layers/designs on the cake can cost you a lot more.
• Type of cake - The most common and least expensive type of cake is sponge cake. Pound cakes are more dense and need careful assembly, and cheesecakes are really expensive.
• Flavor of the cake - Classic white, chocolate, marble cake, and red velvet cakes are less expensive. Now the elaborate ones like carrot, German chocolate, and black forest cakes are mid-range cakes. Whereas the gourmet flavored cakes such as tiramisu, mocha, and liqueurs can be quite costly.
• More than one flavors in the cake - As many couples like to incorporate different cake flavors in each layer of the cake, the overall cost increases.
• Flavors used as fillings - When you use the same icing fillings which is outside the cake, you won't go overboard with the cake. The fillings that cost more and take more labor hours are nuts, liqueurs, and crushed fruit.
• Icing on the cake - A classic and least expensive option for cake frosting is buttercream icing. The more smoother and seamless kind of icing is fondant icing; more expensive because you can mold and fold it in extravagant shapes.
• Shape of the cake - As round-shaped cakes are one of the most popular and cheapest cakes you can get, it can make you shell out more. Also, watch out for wacky and unusual shapes for cakes as they need intricate assembly techniques.
• Intricacy for the cake's design - The designs that include layers of lace icing, tons of pearls/beads, gum paste sugar flowers, monograms, and basket-weave frosting are obviously more expensive. Although they may be "to die for", you can decorate your cake with rosettes, piped icing, and natural flowers instead.

We have a table below which gives you an approximate prices for round cakes (as it is the most common choice). For a 2-tier fruit or mudcake that has vanilla buttercream icing (very common), the price per slice would probably start at US $5.50. Just add approximately US $0.50 for each additional slice as you add more tiers.

# of Servings	Round Tier Cakes	Cake Prices (US $)
Approx. 25 guests	2 tier: 5 and 8''	US$ 165
Approx. 50 guests	2 tier: 6 and 10''	US$ 275
Approx. 75 guests	3 tier: 5, 8 and 10''	US$ 450
Approx. 100 guests	3 tier: 6, 9 and 12''	US$ 600
Approx. 125 guests	3 tier: 6, 9 and 14''	US$ 750
Approx. 150 Guests	3 tier: 6, 10 and 16''	US$ 900
Approx. 175 guests	3 tier: 7, 12 and 16''	US$ 1,050
Approx. 200 guests	4 tier: 5, 8, 12 and 16''	US$ 1,300
Approx. 225 guests	4 tier: 5, 9, 12 and 18''	US$ 1,450
Approx. 250 guests	4 tier: 6, 10, 14 and 18''	US$ 1,625
Approx. 300 guests	5 tier: 5, 9, 12, 14 and 18''	US$ 2,100
Approx. 250 guests	5 tier: 6, 9, 12, 16 and 20''	US$ 2,450
# of Servings	Square Tier Cakes	Cake Prices (US $)
Approx. 30 guests	2 tier: 5 and 8''	US$ 165
Approx. 50 guests	2 tier: 6 and 10''	US$ 275
Approx. 75 guests	2 tier: 8 and 12''	US$ 450
Approx. 125 guests	3 tier: 6, 9 and 12''	US$ 750
Approx. 250 guests	4 tier: 6, 8, 12 and 16''	US$ 1,625

Trim Down the Cost
When you want your wedding cake to be delicious, eye-catching, beautiful, and cost less, all at the same time, just follow these tips given below to cut down on the expenses.

• Reduce the guest list - Since the price of the cake depends on how many slices you'll be ordering, you can easily narrow down the final guest list. This will reduce the cost drastically.
• Opt for a square-shaped cake - Square-shaped cakes will give you more slices than the round or fancy ones. Plus, if you can't reduce the guest list, square-shaped cakes will give you the chance to get more slices as well.
• Natural decorations are attractive too - Keep your cake simple with fresh fruits and flowers as decorations. Avoid using handcrafted flowers or ornaments for the cake. Plus, you won't have to add too many tiers to the cake as well.
• Make the cake yourself - There's nothing wrong in saving some money and making a cake by yourself. Have your bridesmaids, maid-of-honor, and/or family help you out. There are tons of cake recipes you can choose from.
• Go for cupcakes - Wedding cupcakes are trendy, versatile, and really easy. You can use variety of flavors, designs, and decorations for them. Make them a week in advance, freeze them, and use them at the day of the wedding.

The perfect cake, for you, is the one that can fit into your wedding budget and not the one that you "think" will be liked by others. These helpful tips for lowering your overall prices will give you, the couple, an opportunity to have your cake and eat it too.