If you've ever been involved in planning a wedding, then you already know they can get very expensive, very fast. Even the wedding cake, which will literally only be on display for a few hours before disappearing forever, can cost a pretty penny. If you've been stressing over every other detail of your wedding budget, but haven't stopped to think, "How much does a wedding cake cost?" then you might be in for a rude awakening. Many folks might not realize that even something as seemingly straightforward as a wedding cake can rack up quite the tab, especially if you have an elaborate design in mind. That's why cake-costs are not to be underestimated. The good news is, there are ways to avoid overspending on a dessert that most people probably won't end up finishing, anyway.
According to a 2017 survey conducted by wedding magazine The Knot, based on 12,000 United States respondents, the average couple spent about $540 (on average( for their wedding cake. If you and bae have your sights set on a pricier cake and don't want to break the bank, The Knot recommended a clever way to get cut your cost in half. "The secret is assuming guests will only need about half a slice — so if you have a guest list of 300, order cake for 150 people and serve it in 'half-servings,' suggested the site. Here's how much brides on Reddit spent on their wedding cakes. Their answers might surprise you.
Under $600
We're spending $500 (3 non-tiered cakes, several dozen mini pies, some cookies) for 100 people. We went with a local bakery that's a little untraditional (it's a bakery + bar, often partners to donate to Planned Parenthood!) and are SO excited.
We are anticipating 200 people, and we ordered a multiflavored 4 tier cake that cost $500. Bit more than I wanted, but my fiancé had a lot to say about the cake so I let him run with it so there was something he really liked that he mostly planned.
My cake is $505 not including the fresh flowers I will have the baker decorate it with on site. It will have three tiers and feed 60 people. The bottom layer will be chocolate with alternating mocha and ganache filling and the top two layers will be almond with alternating vanilla buttercream/raspberry and lemon curd/raspberry filling.
I'm not technically doing cake, but cupcakes that come with a 6" cutting cake. My venue charges $4pp for two flavors, and charges a service charge and tax. It'll be just under $500 for my wedding.
$500, which is for a two tiered cake and about 8 round "diner style" cakes. It will feed 150.
Over $600
Total cake is $2900 for 160 people. Luckily, our venue package included most of it so we only had to pay $530 difference.
2 tier vanilla latte cake with gold details and 3 sugar poppies for $750. It would have been a little cheaper (about $600ish) but my FH insisted on the sugar poppies instead of real ones. He felt really strongly about it for some reason haha.
$900 for 164 people.
Ultimately, how much you end up spending on a wedding cake doesn't matter as long as you and your partner are satisfied with the finished product. If the cake you want is in your budget, don't give the exact number too much weight. Just make sure you get a chance to actually eat it on your wedding day. (And stuff it in your partner's face.)
