Wedding cake pricing
A question often asked is, “How much will my wedding cake cost?” The topic of wedding cake pricing, when covered in wedding blogs, unless featuring interviews direct with wedding cake designers, isn’t always reliable information.
Unrealistic wedding cake pricing
Some wedding blogs mention average wedding cake pricing based on little, no, or outdated research. The stats often include the whole gamut of options – in terms of supplier, design and even diy cakes. Much more of a generalisation than specific, this information can mislead couples, set unrealistic expectations and damage the wedding cake industry – actually putting those out of business who feel pressure to offer their services cheaply.
So, the best people to ask about specific wedding cake pricing are those who are experts in their field. The cake designers themselves!
Me! (2022)
Wedding cake designer’s costs
That may be partly true for a one-off cake made by the couple themselves. But for a professional wedding cake designer, aside from the ingredients (the prices of which have escalated in recent times), there are many other costs in creating a wedding cake and overheads involved in running a wedding cake business. Such as:- website design, set-up, ongoing hosting and management
- public liability insurance
- business motor insurance
- fuel and energy
- telephone
- stationery
- packaging and postage
- marketing
- consumables
- specialist equipment
- ongoing training
- taste samples
- consultations
- recipe development.
And, of course, most importantly, the cost of our time spent…
- developing skills
- keeping abreast of food safety and allergen regulations.
- on admin
- marketing
- client liaison
- designing
- sourcing ingredients, equipment and materials
- creating sugar flowers
- drawing sketches
Approximately 8 hours of work!
…long before we’ve switched on an oven or lined a cake tin.
So, wedding cake pricing is dependent on many factors. Simply put, the answer to the wedding cake pricing question will always start with, “It depends.”
The size
Naturally, it depends on the size of the cake. Generally, the larger the cake, the greater the price. (I say ‘generally’ as there are exceptions to this rule – see ‘The design’ later.) So, consider how many guests you wish to serve. You don’t have to cater for them all. Think about their age – young children may just eat the icing and discard the rest, older guests who may have smaller appetites may decline cake altogether. The usual guideline is around 70% of your total (including any additional evening) guests. But, if you’d like to offer everyone a slice that’s fine too!
There’s no hard and fast rule. Of course, it will often depend on your overall wedding budget and your priorities for your big day. If cake is one of your top priorities then your wedding cake budget is likely to be larger so you may indeed wish to cater for all. Whereas, if it’s not a priority, you don’t even have to have a wedding cake.
The finish
It depends on the finish. Wedding cake pricing varies according to how they are (or are not) iced. So, ‘naked’, ‘semi-naked’ and buttercream-only cakes are cheaper. I don’t offer naked, semi-naked or buttercream finish for weddings. (For reasons why see my Naked and semi-naked cakes blog post.) Fondant (sugarpaste) cakes are more expensive given the additional ingredients and labour involved.
Fondant-iced cake
The design
Minimal design to serve 120 finger portions £900+
Elaborate design to serve 70 finger portions £1100+
Proximity
It depends on the cake designer’s proximity to your venue. Wedding cake pricing varies according to how far that cake has to travel. Whilst I have vast experience of delivering wedding cakes considerable distances, it’s not for the faint hearted, takes time, planning, specialist equipment and is priced accordingly. Ideally, choose a wedding cake designer relatively close to your venue or, if you have your heart set on a particular wedding cake designer some distance away, that higher delivery charge will need adding to your cake budget.
Wedding cake at The Sun Pavilion, Harrogate – my shortest commute!
Wedding cake in situ at The Sun Pavilion, Harrogate – my closest venue!
The location
It also depends on the cake designer’s location and whether they have commercial premises or a home-based studio. A cake designer in central London commercial premises will have higher overheads than a home-based cake designer in Yorkshire, for example. So, even with comparable skills, if asked to produce the exact same cake they will price differently to cover their own individual costs, overheads and desired profit margin. Yes, profit! All businesses need to generate sufficient profit to be successful, thrive and make an actual living.
Expertise
Hand piping inspired by the bride’s dress.
It depends on the cake designer’s expertise. Wedding cake pricing varies according to the skills required to create your cake. Investing in skills, through research, practise and training, a cake designer with more expertise and creativity will charge a higher price than one with fewer skills. This is reflected in the price (and finish!) of your cake. I’ve honed my hand piping and sugar flower skills which I use to reflect your wedding style…
Hand crafted sugar flowers. Set against a backdrop of hand piped lace, dill and flowering mint.
Cafe au lait dahlia made from sugar.
Cherry blossoms, hand made from sugar.
Hand made Phalaenopsis orchids.
Hand crafted Chrysanthemums. A favourite flower of the bride, so I made many!
Hand piped lace to reflect the bride’s Pronovias ‘Asteroid’ wedding dress. Hand crafted sugar flowers. Wax flowers, chrysanthemums, veronica, roses, lily of the valley, bridal lily.
The service
It depends on the service offered. Clearly, an off-the-shelf cake, with few flavour options, collected (and assembled!) by you from a high-end supermarket, or mass produced in bakeries with little scope for customisation, is going to be cheaper than a freshly baked bespoke design, uniquely reflecting your wedding style, created and delivered to your venue by a professional cake designer. With crowd-pleasing favourites and some a little more adventurous, I offer a generous array of delicious flavours – 17 in total! And I offer 7 flavour options for iced biscuit favours too!
White Chocolate, Strawberry & Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla Cake, flavoured with fresh strawberry reduction, homemade Madagascan vanilla extract and made with Belgian couverture white chocolate, filled with a fresh strawberry reduction Swiss meringue buttercream.
Bespoke as standard, my service is professional, friendly, attentive and personal with meticulous attention to detail. My cake tasting and design consultations are thorough and include a hand drawn full colour sketch created on premium recycled (50% coffee cup waste destined for landfill coupled with 50% paper mill waste) acid free 170gsm paper for you to frame and keep forever.
To achieve the most delicate sugar flowers I make my own florist paste – standard and vegan! My sugar flowers are then created into arrangements prior to attaching to your cake to enable you to retain and display them, long after the cake is eaten, as a memento of your special day.
And your wedding cake receives all my attention as I commit to a maximum of one wedding per week.
The ingredients
And, at the risk of stating the obvious, it depends on the quality of ingredients. A wedding cake made by a cake shop using a cake mix or inferior ingredients, or from a bakery who buy in ready-made sponges, is going to be cheaper than a wedding cake made from scratch with quality ingredients.
Hand making from scratch all my cakes, chocolate ganaches, nut pralines, sea-salted caramel, fruit curds, fruit reductions, masala chai, Madagascan vanilla extract, sugar syrups, Swiss meringue buttercreams and marzipan, I source quality local ingredients where possible and make jam with my allotment-grown fruit. For those ingredients not available locally I still make sure I source the best. Trusting the quality, unadulterated, local, fair trade and organic ingredients I use, I will never compromise no matter how much inflation affects their price as they really do influence the taste!
Amanda Manby Photography
Wedding cake prices guide
Your wedding cake budget
I appreciate a bespoke wedding cake is a luxury purchase – and this may or may not be a priority for you. If it isn’t that’s absolutely fine! But, if it is, I’m here for you.
Even as your priority, as you’ve likely never looked before, the price involved can still be a surprise. Therefore, it’s worth checking your chosen designer’s minimum order value before getting in touch to see if you’re on the same page. Being open with your wedding cake designer about your budget helps them manage your expectations. For example, you may have your heart set on an ‘S’ cascade of sugar flowers…
but your budget may not accommodate this. This is where your designer can suggest alternatives – perhaps one statement sugar flower along with less time-consuming foliage and a sprinkling of smaller, simpler filler flowers?
You may wish for every surface of your cake to be adorned with lace piping and this may indeed suit your budget.
If it doesn’t – then there are always alternatives – perhaps just a swathe of lace on one or more tiers? And, depending on where you’re going to display your wedding cake, do you really need lace around the back?
The beauty of bespoke…
…whilst often implying expensive, is that the design is tailored to you and your anticipated spend. Don’t be afraid to ask what can be done! Within reason, obviously 😉 .
So, in summary, to answer an often-posed question…
“A cake is just flour, butter sugar and eggs, so why are wedding cakes so expensive?”
An artisan bespoke cake is not just about the cost of ingredients, in the same way an original painting is not just about the price of the paint. Also, the word ‘expensive’ is subjective and often depends on what’s important to you. On the face of it, wedding cakes may seem expensive but it’s worth considering what’s involved in creating one.
A bespoke cake is a piece of edible art. Time spent by the artist, both in designing and creating your cake and investing in and honing their skill, along with their level of expertise is reflected in the price of your cake.
The creation of the cake itself is a four-day process – before any decoration is applied. The decorative work can take anywhere from 10 to 40+ hours depending on the design. So when you consider the price of artisan, handcrafted cakes it’s worth remembering that what you are paying for, in addition to finest quality, local, fair trade and organic ingredients, is time.
Bespoke cake design
And the first task you undertake together as a married couple is cutting a cake that is uniquely yours.
Photo credit: Paul Joseph Photography. Venue: Ellingham Hall, Northumberland.
Photo credit: Ellen Gustafson Photography. Venue: Grays Court Hotel and Restaurant, York.
And then, often after a 12 to 18 month wait since your cake-tasting, finally sharing its deliciousness with all your loved ones.
Photo credit: Jonny Barratt Photography
If you’d like me to help you do this get in touch!
Barnaby Aldrick Photography
Barnaby Aldrick Photography
