cost for wedding cake

[damack]

ok i got the cater taken care of but the cost for a wedding cake that i have heard just seems like a lot for me... im expecting 200 people and i have heard from 800-1000+. are these prices a lot or are these just what im going to have to pay.

i like in the sacramento CA area if that makes a difference. also if there are any pastry chefs that do wedding cakes that are in my area please feel free to contact me.

[oldschool1982]

That's not a bad price!!!!! In 1996 when we were married the average per slice cost was close to $5.50 I had a pastry chef on the payroll (off site) and I was going to get the cake through work. Luckily he was also a friend.

Long story but I had a wreck 6 weeks before our wedding and almost broke my neck. The restaurant released me because of lost time and we were scrambling for many reasons but mostly because we needed to definitely keep to the budget. We had already signed contracts for most of the other stuff and only budgeted what he was originally going to charge us for the cake. We called for 125ppl and the cake cost us 280.00. It was an outstanding cake yet very simple in presentation compared to those that were in the 8.00 per slice cost. If he had not been a friend and made the cake for us it would have cost us close to that 5.50 average.

Come to think of it.......when I was able to return to work I did some contract work during the holidays for the Catering facility he was tied to at his recommendation. He saved my arse twice!

[lentil]

We're a small outfit, and last year we did a wedding cake for $3/slice. We charged for cutting, plating and serving $1/pp. It was a simple cake with real flowers and not overly decorated.

[chefjune]

Originally Posted by damack

ok i got the cater taken care of but the cost for a wedding cake that i have heard just seems like a lot for me... im expecting 200 people and i have heard from 800-1000+. are these prices a lot or are these just what im going to have to pay.

i like in the sacramento CA area if that makes a difference. also if there are any pastry chefs that do wedding cakes that are in my area please feel free to contact me.

I'm not familiar with prices in your area, but yes, wedding cake costs are very high, mostly due to the labor intensity required for the detailed decorations, not to mention the expense in transporting such fragile cargo.

In metro New York you would be getting by VERY cheap at $1000 for wedding cake to feed 200. I'm sure it's at least double that figure, tho I haven't checked lately. but just google Colette Peters or Sylvia Weinstock, both well known wedding cake makers here, and I'm guessing you can see some typical cakes and prices on their sites.

[damack]

i mean i know it dose take a lot of work, but really is it really 1000$ worth of work or do bakers know that wedding are expensive and they want in on the money.

i have been working the kitchen for 8 years now and it just seems like im getting taken. all i want is a 3 teer butter cream cake, not sure on the filling but im not asking for something thats very hard, im thinking about trying to make it my self but i know im going to be very busy.

[ChefRAZ]

3 teir what sizes ? 20 16 14 0r 10 8 6 ?



You get what you pay for . Wedding cakes take skill, not everyone can do them.if you want a cheap cake try your nearest grocery store yummm. not.

[chefjune]

Originally Posted by damack

i mean i know it dose take a lot of work, but really is it really 1000$ worth of work or do bakers know that wedding are expensive and they want in on the money.

i have been working the kitchen for 8 years now and it just seems like im getting taken. all i want is a 3 teer butter cream cake, not sure on the filling but im not asking for something thats very hard, im thinking about trying to make it my self but i know im going to be very busy.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say you cannot probably make a wedding cake that you and your spouse to be would appreciate. Wedding cakes are an art, and not even all pastry chefs are good at them!

If you've been working in kitchens for 8 years, perhaps you have a pastry chef friend who will "give you a deal," but other than that, it's going to be fairly expensive to have a beautiful, delicious wedding cake.

Some halls include the cake in their packages, but it doesn't sound as tho you have booked such a place.

[lentil]

Why go the wedding cake route at all? It seems that lately, my brides ask for cupcakes. They're easier to eat, look nice in a display and can be decorated easier than a cake.

One bride had late summer flowers on hers and the upcoming one is having a single pink rose on hers. The late summer cakes were very bright and the flower mostly covered the top. The pink rose cakes will be very simple and easy. Both brides opted for a small (6') cake for the cutting ceremony. Cupcakes are served from a cupcake tier that can be decorated by your florist and is also very pretty.

Just a thought from someone who is NOT a pastry chef. I can't imagine paying $1000 for a cake no matter how good it is! I don't mean to say that they're not worth every bite and every minute the pastry chef puts into it, but I just couldn't do it. My entire wedding AND honeymoon didn't cost that much, so I'm not a good judge of what's a good price for cake!

[oldschool1982]

Originally Posted by damack

i mean i know it dose take a lot of work, but really is it really 1000$ worth of work or do bakers know that wedding are expensive and they want in on the money.

i have been working the kitchen for 8 years now and it just seems like im getting taken. all i want is a 3 teer butter cream cake, not sure on the filling but im not asking for something thats very hard, im thinking about trying to make it my self but i know im going to be very busy.

3 tiers, butter cream, filled for 200 ppl. So you're going to save the top tier for your first anniversary too????? C'mon Damak think here. If you try to do the cake yourself don't bother. You'll not make it. Nothing like starting out in the doghouse I always say. From the Grooms perspective you ain't gonna have the time. It's not like your having a few friends and family for an open house. You're talking 200ppl and that's at the moment. Wait until you figure in those last minute invites.

Can't say I agree with the cup cake thing but then I'm a traditionalist. To each their own.

Like ChefRAZ said.... "you get what you pay for" and with that in mind there's always the bakery department at the Sam's Club, Target or even Wal-Mart. But be prepared to pay close to the Grand for the type you want. Sure it'll be nice but..... really? If you need a reference to things just look at Pan's site He's a member here too. Panini Cakes

When I would talk to "would be" clients for wedding receptions about menu and cake, when we got to the cake part I explained that every tier above 1 cost an extra $300.00 (1998 prices). Sounds unreasonable but if you think about all the time involved in decorating and what can happen when trying to assemble the cake......

[damack]

i understand that it is a lot of work im just not sure if i can bring my self to pay 1000 for a cake. like some one said about the cupcakes, if im going to do a cake i want to do it right, i would rather have no cake then cupcakes i think they look very tacky. i am going to call a few caters that i have worked for in the past and one of them is good with pastries. so well see if she will cut me a deal. i got a good deal on food. so im hopping to find it here too.

[foodpump]

Go for a smaller 3 tier cake for presentation/photos, and the head table, and a real good slab cake for the rest of the guests. It's a lot easir to cut and serve and also easier on the budget.

[kuan]

You know, you can't bang out wedding cakes. Part of it is spending time with the wedding party to make sure they get exactly what they want. Part of it is transportation and assembly.

[bughut]

We catered a wedding bbq last year, and were surprised to see the wedding cake set up on tiers with a selection of gorgeous looking muffins, in paper instead of paper cases with fresh flowers as decor on top. Heavenly. The guests were well impressed

[Erik]

I know, having just done a couple cakes simplier 3-tier cakes for friends I've charged $2/serving. It barely covered my costs at times, and didn't touch the amount of labor involved.

[lentil]

Originally Posted by bughut

We catered a wedding bbq last year, and were surprised to see the wedding cake set up on tiers with a selection of gorgeous looking muffins, in paper instead of paper cases with fresh flowers as decor on top. Heavenly. The guests were well impressed

Please explain "paper instead of paper cases". I think paper cases are probably what I think of as muffin cups- the commercial pan liners that are normally found surrounding cupcakes and muffins. How did they use the paper?

As others have said above, they don't like the look of cupcakes/muffins at a wedding, but given the right type of wedding, ie a more casual style, they fit the bill perfectly. I've also heards guests rave about the presentation. To each his own, though, not everyone is awed by it.

My baker tells about her wedding 25 years ago when she was really young. They rented a big function hall with the house caterer. They got a huge tiered cake but were told to only cut "this" part-she didn't understand why until her husband tried to cut from another place. Turns out the entire cake save one part was made from decorated styrofoam. She said that the icing was crumbling off if it! The guests were served from a sheet cake in the back. Heck, she was 18 and said she wanted chocolate with white icing. The styrofoam cake had white icing and the sheetcake was choc with white....