Wedding cakes have taken a more center stage at weddings in recent years.  Design has become more sophisticated and more personalized.  The possibilities are endless, so where should you begin? Setting a budget for the cake would be a good place to start.  It could be a guessing game if you have never hired a custom cake designer before.  Having hired an experienced Wedding Planner at this stage would have helped to ease your headache as they would be able to provide you with some realistic figures for you to work with.   In my opinion, a budget of $ 450-500 for a cake that serves 100 guests (i.e. $ 4-5 per serving) is a good starting price point if you are looking to hire a reputable cake designer who bakes from scratch using quality ingredients.   Pricing varies based on a few key determining factors:

1)  Headcount - If you have invited 150 guests, you may not need to purchase a cake that feeds 150 people as there might be a plated dessert that comes with the meal and/or an elaborate sweet table to follow after the dinner.  In general, I would recommend couples to get a cake that feeds 80-100% of the headcount if the cake will be the main dessert.  If a lavish sweet table has been planned, a cake that feeds 60% of your headcount would be more than sufficient.

2)  Design - Any design that involves intricate piping pattern, hand-moulding sugar works or hand-crafted stand will eventually be higher in price.  Attaching a picture of a potential cake design along with your inquiry email would help the cake designer to reply you with a more accurate quote.

3)  Venue Location – Hiring local vendors would help save some cost on delivery and set-up fee, especially for locations that are more remote.

I always encourage couples to bring items that may reflect their style, color scheme and wedding theme to the initial meeting.  Stationery pattern, monogram design, floral bouquet, gown pattern or bridesmaid’s dress color/design could be great inspiration for the cake design.  Most reputable cake designers are booked up quite far in advance.  I would highly recommend couples to contact their potential designers at least six to nine months in advance, especially if the wedding date falls into the busy wedding season between May to October.  Other than design, the taste of the cake is equally important, so a tasting should be included as part of the consultation as well.  Preparing a list of questions that might concern you regarding the cake would help you determine the right designer for your cake.  Most commonly asked questions are “When the cake is made?”,  “Do you have insurance for the cake in case of damage during transport?”,  “Any back-up plan in case of accident?”, or “What if I change my mind on design at a later point?”, etc.  Shopping for your wedding cake should be the lease stressful and most enjoyable part of the planning, so have fun!

Thank you to Shirley’s Sweet Creations for your insight.