Wedding cake price?

[DSNY4ever]

Does anyone happen to remember what they paid for their wedding cake?

I make cakes just for fun for my family, but it is not a business (I have a regular full time job). A wedding planner contacted me to make a cake in a few weeks for a couple that didn't book a baker. She asked me to send her a portfolio, my cake flavors and pricing and I had to explain that I am just a lady with a hobby (she got my number from a friend). I am going to make it very clear what I am comfortable making because I am NOT a professional and I don't want the bride and groom to be disappointed.

I am trying to send her all this stuff and figure out a price. I can calculate out the ingredient prices etc., but I am just curious what real bakers charge for wedding cakes?

 

[Polyluvr]

I remember paying over 800 and that was alomost 11 years ago. it did serve 250 though.

Sounds like a fun job!

 

[Mandychelle79]

Im thinking I paid 1.50 to 2 dollars per slice so between 450-600 dollars. I had a TON of cake left over and was giving people layers as they were leaving.

 

[beck0321]

We paid about $400-$500 and it served about 250 people with some left over.

 

[golfgal]

Our cake cost $100, served 200 people (more actually since we had leftovers). We got it at the local bakery, it had 2 or 3 tiers, I think-it was over 20 years ago .

 

[laurie31]

I was married in 1993, and I wanted spun sugar flowers on my cake. There were only two caterers locally that did them (that I was aware of). I called the first one, and she gave me a price of $1200. I thanked her for her time and hung up, very sad thinking that there was NO WAY I was having spun sugar, but I went ahead and called the second one. She said she could do the wedding cake, the groom's cake and the punch for $1200! I booked her right then and there!

My cake was gorgeous, and in a weird twist of irony, she turned out to have been my PARENTS' wedding caterer! I'm sure Mom never thought to call up her old caterer from 1961!

I think it's commom for it to be priced by the slice. Ours were cakes to serve 300 people, so ours were about $1.50/slice. The expensive one I didn't use was $4/slice.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Okay what you guys are saying sounds reasonable. I was thinking $2 per slice because they want it fondant covered with fondant flowers and decorations, but it's a small cake.

This wedding planner told me that she mainly does weddings of about 150-200 people and that a fondant covered cake costs $900+ . . .That seemed a little crazy to me!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

What some people do is opt for a tiered fancy cake at a smaller price and then have the baker make a sheet cake to serve the guest.

 

[wendy46001]

We had a Disney wedding therefore higher priced then the local bakery
but our cake was 14 dollars a slice

So i think two dollars a slice is beyond reasonable

 

[momof1princess]

my wedding cake (3 tiers) cost $60.00 and was gorgeous, but it was made by a friend of the family (a retired cake decorator) as a favor to my mom. reading these prices makes me VERY nervous for when DD (now 13) gets married someday-her daddy's going to FLIP at these prices! lol
OP, it seems that $1.50 to $2.00 per slice is the norm, so don't be shy to quote an adequate price, especially considering the wedding is in just a few weeks.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Be careful about checking your local laws, especially the Health Dept. In many places you can not SELL food if it is not prepared in an approved kitchen. I used to make cakes for friends too but I refused to sell them because I knew I could get in big trouble in my city. They would provide the ingredients for me (usually be reimbursing the actual cost) and would provide me with a "thank you", like babysitting my kids or treating me to a few lunches or getting me a gift card.

 

[dakcp2001]

In my area it is 6-9 $ per person. If I were you I would call around and see what the going rate per person is in your area. If you can beat their price you would make a lot of brides very happy!

 

[hopemax]

I think mine was about $400 for about 125 people, from a local grocery store, in 1998.

But when I was younger, my mom used to make cakes for co-workers as a way to make extra cash. When I helped them move, I found a folder where she listed the cakes she made and how much she charged. It was $75-$150 for most weddings, and this was back in the early to mid-80s. So it would probably be $150 for a small cake, up to $400 for a large, multi-tiered cake, factoring in inflation. Though, I think there was one that was $250. It was 4 tiers plus there were another 6 smaller cakes around the main cake, with little bridges. That one would probably be over $600 now.

I remember the fun my Dad and I would have trying to transport them in a little Ford Fiesta, sometimes driving an hour away. Never had a cake ruined. But, yeah, I bet the health department would have a blast with my Mom's kitchen bakery.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Mine was $3 a slice, for 100 people, so $300. It was covered in blue fondant flowers.

$2 a slice seems very reasonable.

 

[descovy]

For Fondant, I wouldn't do it for less than $3.

Are you making your own fondant or buying it? How much are your supplies going to cost? (don't forget cake boards and dowels) How much time is it going to take to make the cake... and clean your kitchen?!!

A bakery buys their supplies wholesale. A hobbyist pays retail. Your expenses are going to be more than if you were a bakery.

A bargain for a loved one is one thing... but for perfect strangers, make sure it's worth the cost and time.

Let's put it this way, I work at Target for $8.00/hr. A no think, easy peasy job. Doesn't cost me a dime in supplies either.

I would make more per hour working at Target than I would decorating a Fondant covered wedding cake for $2 serving. Again, that's fine if I was doing it for someone near and dear to me, but don't you think that your time and talent is worth more than minimum wage??

 

[Imzadi]

Be careful about checking your local laws, especially the Health Dept. In many places you can not SELL food if it is not prepared in an approved kitchen. I used to make cakes for friends too but I refused to sell them because I knew I could get in big trouble in my city. They would provide the ingredients for me (usually be reimbursing the actual cost) and would provide me with a "thank you", like babysitting my kids or treating me to a few lunches or getting me a gift card.

Maybe the church they are getting married in, (or your own,) will let you rent out their kitchen to bake in. They would be zoned as a commercial kitchen. Many do rent out their various facilities very inexpensively. Make sure you factor this into the final price.

What started out as a nice hobby for you may turn into a nice side business. You can go as slowly as you want and take on as many or few orders as you feel comfortable with.

 

[RobynPrincess]

We wanted a 'Wonky cake' for our wedding but we were looking at £600 (about $1000 for 3 tiers) which was just wayyyyy too much for us, so I ended up buying a DVD on how to do it and made it myself.

What should have cost so much, cost me about $300 in ingredients, tools etc.

I had never done it before.....

 

[ohiomom28]

My wedding is in March. I am paying $2.25 a serving. Right now, we signed a contract for 92 guests (I have 150 invited) I have to have a final headcount in 3 weeks before the wedding and can go up to the next level then. At 92 servings, it was right around $300.

 

[ohiomom28]

Oh and mine is buttercream. Fondant is usually about $.50 more per slice. Hope this helps with current pricing. I know different areas are different prices but its a idea.

 

[msmayor]

In all honesty, if I was contacting someone who was not a professional I would not expect to pay the "going rate" of what professionals make. I'd expect to be paying less - for the limits on experience and product available.