Wedding Breeze

When you think of a wedding, there are a few iconic images that instantly come to mind: the white dress, the veil, a bouquet of flowers – and a beautiful tiered wedding cake. With all of those beautiful images that come to mind, the bride could be sightly blinded by the cost of the cakes. Having a cake at your wedding could come with some unexpected costs. These expences are broken down to give you some money saving ideas for the big day.

The cost of the wedding cake depends on the design, ingredients and number of people you are planning to serve. The price of the cake is usually quoted by the slice. This can be deceiving –at a per guest cost, it might not seems so bad, but when you add it all together and realize this price is for a cake – it can be quite surprising:

• Smaller, simple cakes are approximately $1.50 to $2.00 per slice.

• At the higher end wedding cakes can cost up to $5 - $6 per slice(think buttercream frosting and special icing decor).

• Fondant, creative can cost around $10 per slice.

• With any of these options, should you choose to have an interesting filling or special sugar-based décor touches, the per-slice cost of the wedding cake would increase another $1 or $2.

There are other things that can add to the cost of the cake, these include fountains, cake toppers, flowers, layer separators, and the cake stand.

This means that if you were hosting an average-sized wedding – which is about 140 guests – you would be paying between $210 (simple, no-frill slab-style) and $1,700 (magazine quality).

But this is just the tip of the ‘icingberg’. Many tiered wedding cakes need to be specially delivered to the reception venue and sometimes assembled on location to ensure they’re presented intact. While some bakeries will include this service with the cake purchase, other brides have been charged upward of $150.

One of the most unexpected costs brides are faced with is the cake-cutting fee. Depending on your wedding reception venue, caterer or bakery, you may be charged a fee for staff to slice your wedding cake for guests to have. On average, this fee is between $1 and $1.50 per slice. And remember, if you’re paying for rentals, you’ll now need to get dessert plates and forks for guests to eat your wedding cake.

The avergage bride will pay between $500 and $700 for a wedding cake to be served at a wedding. And usually half the guest wont even eat the cake!

So what should the budget conscious bride do? Now that you know where the costs are, here are some ways around them:

• If you’re willing to give them a chance, local culinary schools have students and teachers who are up-and-coming bakers. Thier prices could be quite alot less than other bakeries.

• Square and rectangular cakes tend to feed more guests than round cakes. Consider this when placing your order, you might be able to save yourself a tier.

• Because a good proportion of guests don’t eat the cake, place an order that will feed less people than your entire guest list – up to 25% less. Rest assured, you’ll still have leftovers!

• Related to the above, consider faking your cake. See if your baker is willing to add Styrofoam layers instead of real cake layers. You’ll still get the visual effect of a large tiered wedding cake, but the cost of a smaller one (obviously, only the real edible layers would be served to guests!).

• Taste-tests prove it: People actually like buttercream – one of the more budget-friendly icing options out there – best. Easily applied, easy to color, and also about $2 cheaper per slice than fondant.

• For those who like feminine cakes, you could save by choosing a real ribbon instead of a edible fondant version.

• When talking with your florist, see if they will provide complimentary petals or buds that your baker can use to decorate your cake with.

• You may be able to supply your own cake toppers and decorative objects at a better price by searching on TradeMe, wedding forums and online stores.

• Delivery and the cake-cutting fee are negotiable charges. Check if they can be removed completely. If you have your hall or caterer supply your wedding cake, you’ll have an even better chance of avoiding these costs.

• You could consider serving the cake on napkins instead of using desert plates.

And the final cost-saving advice? You may want to consider not having a wedding cake. you could save a few hundred dollars If the wedding cake isnt that important to you. You might want to consider other dersert options. You can save money on your wedding cake by choosing something non traditional, like cupcakes, icecream, or even a chocolate fountain just as tasty and cheaper.

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