Wedding cakes are expensive. Most of us have never realized this until we start to shop for one. Many range anywhere from $50.00 - $1,000.00+! Of course, pricing depends on where you live as well. If you live in a busy area such as Los Angeles or New York City you will pay more than someone who lives in Utah. Economy is everything. However, that doesn't mean you can't find a great tasting and amazing looking cake within your budget.
1. Know Your Budget - This is, after all, the bottom line. If you do not want to spend more than $200.00 for a cake, it doesn't matter how big, how many servings, etc. $200.00 is the bottom line. Your decorator needs to know this. This helps them not design you a cake for $500.00 when you cannot afford it. It also helps them actually design you a cake within that budget.
With knowing your budget, you have to realize you can only go so far with so much. Wedding cakes are EXTREMELY difficult to make. They take talent, expertise, and a lot of time. They cost a lot of money for a reason and you have to respect what a baker charges. I would be weary of bakers that are willing to low ball. If it's a valued product, great tasting, and good looking, no one should low ball their product.
2. Know Your Style - Look through Bridal magazines, internet searches, blogs, etc. Find samples of cakes and styles you like. Know your colors and theme. If you are doing a fun party wedding, then look for a more modern and fun cake. If you are doing a very elegant wedding, you want a sophisticated cake. Realize, also, that your budget will limit you on designs. Do not pick an extremely elaborate design with a very small budget. Also realize that the more detail work, the more money.
3. Know Your Guest Count - Not everyone you invite will show, not everyone that shows will stay late for the cake cutting, and not everyone will even eat cake that actually stays. I say only plan on 65-75% of your guests eating the cake. If you plan on saving your top tier, the decorator needs to know this. This will affect the size of your cake when it comes to servings.
4. Sheet Cakes and Cupcakes - If you are on a limited budget, cupcakes and sheet cakes are life savers...or should I say wallet savers. You can get a smaller wedding cake and serve sheet cakes or serve regular and mini cupcakes. Many people will just have all cupcakes on a cupcake tower with the top tier being the real cake for the Bride and Groom to cut. Cupcakes are young and fun, but can be very elegant when decorated right. You can also have a dummy cake. Where the tiers of your wedding cake are fake and give you the look of an elegant cake, but you actually serve sheet cakes and cupcakes to your guests.
5. Choosing Flavors - When choosing flavors of your cake, cupcakes, and sheet cakes, be sure you choose flavors that the majority will eat. Just remember if you pick something like Key Lime, you may not get a lot of people eating that cake. The worst thing if you are on a tight budget is to spend a lot of money on a cake that does not get eaten. Stick to the classic flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Raspberry, Lemon, etc. Ask your cake decorator for popular flavors and fillings. Some cake decorators will give you a discount if the entire cake is the same flavor. Also be aware that some decorators will actually charge you more for certain flavors. So always be sure to ask what costs what in the end.
6. Buttercream or Fondant - Without a doubt, buttercream cakes are much cheaper in cost. Fondant cakes usually cost 25-50% more than a buttercream cake. Though this is a tempting route, you must also think of venue. If your cake is going to be outdoors or if the room in which your reception is held will be warmer than 75F, you may want to stick to fondant. Though buttercream is cheaper and tastes better, a cake that sinks and melts at your reception defeats the purpose of paying all that money and saving a buck.
7. Delivery Fees - Many cake decorators can charge a range of $25.00 - $100.00+ to actually deliver your wedding cake. If you are on a tight budget you can always pick up your cake yourself. If delivery is free, then take advantage. Ask your decorator how much they charge for delivery. Just remember that transporting a cake and putting it together is not easy. So ask yourself if it is worth saving the delivery fee.
8. Shop Around - You should always shop around for a cake decorator. Never go with the first one and do not always just go with the cheaper one. Sometimes there are decorators that are cheap for a reason. Not all cheaper decorators are horrible, but just something to watch out for. Many decorators will offer to beat another competitors pricing as well. Go visit Bridal Expos and Shows. Many will have discounts just for visiting their booth and some even have drawings for free wedding cakes.
9. Making Your Own Wedding Cake - Though this is tempting, wedding cakes are extremely difficult to make. If you absolutely wish to make your own cake, realize that many take up to three days to bake, fill, frost and design. They are very extensive and require a lot of hours in order to complete. Instead of making the cake yourself, you can always order a cake that is baked, tiered, and frosted and then you do the decorations yourself. There are a lot of companies that sell gumpaste flowers and decorations that you can buy to place on your cake and have the professional look without the cost while you do all the baking and frosting.
10. It's Just a Cake - The wedding cake is important, but just a cake. If you are on a limited budget you can always scrap the cake and serve sheet cakes or do cupcakes. When you are looking at 350+ people, it is usually cheaper to serve sheet cakes with a smaller tiered cake than try to get a wedding cake that will actually feed 350 people.
Always ask your cake decorator for ways to save costs. There are a lot of bakeries and cake decorators that offer "Budget Cakes". Usually they are a generic flavor and very basic decorations. However if you are on a tight budget, it is the way to go. Just remember that if you are on a super tight budget, you may not be able to get the bells and whistles of a grand cake without being willing to increase the budget. In the end, there are so many things to worry about for your wedding that you should never spend all the money on just a wedding cake. Know your budget and just stick within it. No one is going to think any different of a smaller wedding cake out there on that table.
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