This is the big questions that everyone wants to know. Many people guess or are given the wrong advice by other wedding blogs and suppliers which can be very misleading. In truth the price of a wedding cake will differ depending on your location, the type of business you choose to order from, and the size, style and flavour of the cake. In this blog I will outline some important details to take into consideration before setting your wedding cake budget.
To see my current wedding cake prices head to my contacts page on the link below:
Store Bought Wedding Cakes Vs Bespoke Wedding Cakes
There is no one size fits all as wedding cakes come in a range of different price points for instance, a shop bought cake from a supermarket or high street store will be much cheaper than a bespoke wedding cake designed especially for you.
If you consider that a slice of cake from an international coffee shop ranges from £3 - £4 which is a mass-produced product sold by a huge company; It stands to reason that a beautifully decorated, bespoke tiered cake, made using fresh high-quality ingredients from an independent business will not be able to compete with this kind of price per slice.
A wedding cake from a supermarket or high street company might be an option if you are looking for a very low budget choice. They will be mass produced and use ultra processed ingredient’s that are cheaper and have a long shelf life. There will be less choice in terms of design and you will have to take into consideration that you will be responsible for delivering and setting up the cake yourself on your wedding day which may add a little extra stress. None of this means that an off the shelf cake is the wrong choice for you but these are just some of the details to consider when planning your wedding.
A luxury bespoke cake from a wedding cake designer will be made with fresh ingredients without any additives or preservatives, baked especially for your wedding day. You will be able to get to know your cake designer and discuss with them the intricate details of your cake, the table styling and you’ll get to try samples helping you select your favourite flavours. The cake will then be delivered and set up at your venue on the day giving you the experience of walking in and seeing the masterpiece on display for the first time.
You can already see that there are stark differences between bespoke cakes and store-bought cakes and these differences do, of course, impact the price.
To see my menu of bespoke wedding cake flavours click the link below:
"The cake not only looked amazing, it tasted fantastic too. Responsive, friendly and supremely talented, I'd give Abbie 6 stars if I could"
Ryan Fong - Google Review
What Makes Up the Cost of a Luxury Wedding Cake?
For many couples a luxury wedding cake is more than just a cake, it is the centre piece at your reception that exudes the style of your entire wedding. It will also the focal point for your wedding cake cutting photos.
So let’s discuss the question “Why are wedding cakes so expensive?”.
Here is some information about what costs go into the running of a cake business and making of a wedding cake. You are not just paying for the cost of flour, sugar, butter and eggs, you are paying a trained professional to run their business and offer you a tailored service. Of course, pricing and overheads will differ from business to business but some of the things that are taken into account when calculating costs are:
Time-
Lots and lots of time, perhaps more than you might think.
Time spent on an order starts right from the initial enquiry; replying to emails, sending quotes, going through consultations, researching and designing the cake. Next there is shopping for ingredients and decorations, baking the cake, making fillings, filling and coating the cake, making & attaching decorations as well as tidying and washing up the workspace at the end of each day. We then liaise with venues, photographers & florists and write ingredients lists before finally delivering and setting up the cake on your wedding day. Plus there is other business admin that might be nonspecific to your order, such as doing the accounts, marketing and editing photos etc.
Variable Costs Specific To Your Order-
These are the costs of things specifically bought or used in order to create your cake and will differ from cake to cake. This includes ingredients, decorations, cake boxes, cake boards, stationary, petrol, utility costs and tax.
Fixed Costs Needed To Run a Business-
These are generic costs that don’t change depending on the size of your order. Kitchen equipment & decorating equipment, business insurance, home insurance, car insurance, Wi-Fi, telephone bills, training, website hosting, marketing & running social media accounts and national insurance.
All in all there are quite a few things that go into running a business and creating bespoke cakes. These all have to be considered when pricing to make sure that costs are covered and we are still able to earn profit.
In truth the question “Why are wedding cakes so expensive?” is often a false one as they’re often not priced high enough. Many cake makers do not charge properly and based on data taken from the Great British Cake Survey in 2021 46% of cake makers earned less than £4,999 per year, with only 13% of cake makers earning over £20,000. This wage is quite simply not enough and low prices are damaging to the entire industry, as cakes that are priced properly to ensure a decent wage are then perceived as “too expensive”.
"Abbie designed, baked, decorated, delivered and set up our wedding cake and was fantastic throughout! The cake looked stunning and tasted incredible!"
Alex Collingwood - Google Review
I Want a Bespoke Wedding Cake but I Have a Budget to Work Towards?
You can still have an amazing bespoke wedding cake that tastes fantastic with a smaller budget. Quite simply the bigger the cake, and the more intricate the design, the more your cake will cost.
Many cake designers will have a minimum spend so do make sure you set aside budget for your wedding cake and speak with your cake designer about how much you want to spend right at the beginning. They will be able to advise you on how to make the most out of your budget whilst still having an amazing cake that wows you and your guests.
One thing to think about is the type of wedding cake design you go for. Some designs that involve a lot of complex work such as handmade royal icing flowers, fondant models or painted details are very time consuming and this will be reflected in the price, meaning they might be better suited to a larger budget. Other designs, such as an elegant smooth white cake decorated with fresh flowers, fruits or herbs, can be a little more budget friendly yet still create a showstopper that will be the centre piece of your wedding.
Another option is instead of ordering dessert from your caterers as part of your wedding breakfast you serve your wedding cake in place of dessert. Or you might consider the size to keep the cost down, some people choose not to serve the cake to all guests attending. They instead choose to have a beautifully designed cake on display to get the perfect ‘cutting the cake’ photos but only serve the cake to close friends and family.
Read more about what to consider when ordering a wedding cake with my blog: Top Tips for Ordering Your Perfect Wedding Cake
"Abbie made our wedding cake in December. It was it was absolutely perfect. Not only did it look incredible, it also tasted divine."
Charissa Chadderton - Google Review
Why Is There Such a Big Price Difference Between Cake Makers?
As with most things there are different price points and you will get a different service and product depending on which one you choose. I have outlined below three levels that you might find when looking for a bespoke cake.
Price Option £
There are some people who will make a wedding cake for you and are a hobby baker rather than a professional wedding cake maker. These bakers may not wish for a living wage off the back of their work and are happy to just cover the cost of ingredients. They may advertise on social media but don’t have a website domain and be much cheaper than most bespoke wedding cake designers. They keep the costs down by using cheaper ingredients such as margarine instead of proper butter. They may not be a fully registered food business with the Food Standard Agency (FSA) and their products will be finished to a less high standard.
Price Option £££
Then there are cake business owners who are self-employed, run their business full time and make a living doing so. They are a fully registered food business with the FSA and have business insurance. With years of experience baking and designing cakes they produce work to a very high standard and their customers come to them for their expertise and professionalism. They use the best quality ingredients, and all their products are finished to a very high standard, their moto is that it should taste as good as it looks and it should look flawless.
Price Option ££££
Then there is the Louis Vuitton of cake businesses who have shop fronts in highly sort after postcodes. They employ a team of staff and make cakes for big celebrity clients. These cake businesses will have lots of publicity and have won awards for their design skills.
Be sure to do a bit of research into your cake maker before you book. If they seem really cheap there might be a reason why and by paying too little you may get a cheaper product. Most reputable cake makers and designers will have a google business page, website and social media presence where you will be able to get a feel for their style and see customer reviews. You can also get in touch with them and ask questions to gage if they are the right fit for you or order a tasting box before you secure the date with them.
To get in touch with me and ask any questions you may have you can click the button below:
Will Having a Dessert Table or Cupcakes Be Cheaper Than a Tiered Cake?
Not necessarily. To bake and decorate lots of individual different cakes can take much longer than making a tiered cake.
"Abbie made our wedding cupcakes recently. They were delicious and looked lovely. Lots of complements about them. Really recommend!"
Lucy Cowie - Google Review
How Much Should I Budget for My Wedding Cake?
Having a bespoke cake on your wedding day is something that many couples want. It is the perfect treat to look forward to after some of the more nerve wracking and stressful parts of the day are over. Many couples also ask for a few slices or even a full tier to be boxed away for them to enjoy by themselves the day after. You can have the wedding cake of your dreams at a few different price points, but you do need to be clear on what you do and don’t want and make sure you set some of the budget aside for it.
If you are contacting a professional cake maker, be sure to be upfront about your budget straight from the off. There is no point in spending lots of time back and forth on emails if you are not the right fit for each other. If a cake maker knows your budget, they will be able to put forward options and adapt designs that best suits you. Once you have your venue booked and know the rough number of guests you want to feed, a cake maker will be able to give you a guide price for your wedding cake.
"Our wedding cake was simply incredible! We gave Abbie a rough idea of what we wanted and she was so helpful and gave us suggestions the end result was better than anything I could have imagined"
Laura Ireland - Google Review
So What is the Real Price of a Wedding Cake?
You can see my current wedding cake prices by heading to my contacts page on the link below:
Although it is very difficult to give exact prices on how much a wedding cake costs, I hope this blog post has given you some food for thought.
Make sure you are ordering from the type of business you wish to work with, this way you can ensure you are getting the perfect cake and service for you. Check the reviews and ask to try some samples first. A luxury wedding cake from a reputable business is an investment in a handcraft centrepiece that symbolises much more than just the ingredients it is made from.
If you want to discuss a wedding cake designed by me, click the button below:
If you would like to take a look at some of my work check out my wedding cakes page. You can also check out my google business page to read all my reviews.
Best,
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