The Wedding Cake Prices Guide

Trying to estimate the average cost of wedding cake, has most couples scratching their heads, and some wedding cake prices have young couples running for cover. After all, aren't all wedding cakes made to order, and no one wants to screw up, right?

Fortunately, it isn't impossible. I've done some research on wedding cake costs to give the discerning bride an idea of what to expect.

Here are different sized tiers of wedding cakes to cater anything from a very small wedding, to larger affairs up to 350 people. Bear in mind, these costs are approximates. They are centred on a basic wedding fruit cake or mud cake covered with a buttercream frosting. Serving sizes are approximately finger-sized portions, served with coffee.

How Much Do Wedding Cakes Cost?

Most of a wedding cakes cost is not in the ingredients; it is in the creating, decorating, icing and assembling.

The larger the wedding cake, or more complex in design, the greater the chance of the cake collapsing.

The precautions the cake designer makes, the greater the wedding cake cost.

Huge wedding cakes can easily collapse and some cakes can only be assembled at the wedding reception. These are just some of the hidden costs.

Below you will find approximate serving sizes and approximate wedding cake prices for:

1. A tiered wedding cake.
2. A choice of wedding fruit cake or mud cake.
3. Finger size portions, served with coffee.
4. Vanilla buttercream frosting.
5. Minimal cake decorating.
6. A choice of local in season fresh flowers.

The prices below start from a simple two tiered fruit or mudcake with vanilla buttercream icing, at $5.50 per finger size slice. As we're going up another tier, we've added $0.50 to each slice.

Approximate Wedding Cake serving for finger size portions for a Round tiered Wedding Cake
Servings	Round Tier Cake	Approx Prices AU$
up to 30 people	5 and 8" (2 tier)	$165
up to 50 people	6 and 10" (2 tier)	$275
up to 75 people	5, 8 and 10" (3 tier)	$450
up to 100 people	6, 9 and 12" (3 tier)	$600
up to 125 people	6, 9 and 14" (3 tier)	$750
up to 150 people	6, 10 and 16" (3 tier)	$900
up to 175 people	7, 12 and 16" (3 tier)	$1050
up to 200 people	5, 8, 12 and 16" (4 tier)	$1300
up to 225 people	5, 9, 12 and 18" (4 tier)	$1,450
up to 250 people	6, 10, 14 and 18" (4 tier)	$1,625
up to 300 people	5, 9, 12, 14 and 18" (5 tier)	$2,100
up to 350 people	6, 9, 12, 16 and 20" (5 tier)	$2,450
Approximate Wedding Cake serving for finger size portions for a Square tiered Wedding Cake
Servings	Square Tier Cake	Approx Prices AU$
up to 25 people	5 and 8" (2 tier)	$165
up to 50 people	6 and 10" (2 tier)	$275
up to 75 people	8 and 12" (2 tier)	$450
up to 125 people	6, 9 and 12" (3 tier)	$750
up to 250 people	6, 8, 12 and 16" (4 tier)	$1,625
*All prices quoted based on research done in 2007. Prices may fluctuate due to inflationary pressures or from region to region.*

Additional Wedding Cake prices

The prices above were for a simple two tiered fruit or mudcake with vanilla buttercream icing, priced at $5.50 per finger size slice. As we went up another tier, we added $0.50 to each slice.

The price per slice is less if you choose a single tier cake, no assembling needed. The price of a single tier may start as low as $3.50 or $4.50 per finger slice. Depending on the cake flavour.

Wedding Cakes Cost - example;

Let say you want a two tiered fruit or mudcake with vanilla buttercream icing, at $5.50 per finger slice.

If you have 100 guests, the price of this two tiered cake $550. The higher the tiers, the more expensive. For example; a three tiered wedding cake per slice may go up another $0.50 and another $1.00 per slice if you go up to a four tiered cake.

Hidden Wedding Cake Costs

The more tiers you have, the harder it is to control your wedding cake from toppling or collapsing. So much more time is taken to ensure your wedding cake stays secured. For any extra's other than the buttercream frosting, there are additional costs price per slice.

Examples of additional upcharges per slice:
Fondant covered frosting:	$1.00
Chocolate ganache icing:	$1.00
Marzipan frosting:	$1.00
Cream cheese icing:	.50
Creamy or chocolate ganache fillings:	.50
Liqueurs shots:	.50
Flavour shots:	.50
Fresh flowers:
Fondant or sugar flowers:	$50 - $125.00
Chocolate hand made flowers:	$50 - $125.00
Custom made toppers:	$50 - $125.00
Custom cake plate:	$25 - $125.00
Fondant bow topper:	$25.00
Chocolate bow topper:	$35.00
*All prices quoted based on research done in 2007. Prices may fluctuate due to inflationary pressures or from region to region.*

Cheap Wedding Cake Ideas

The cheapest wedding cake is a single-tiered cake, however they can look more like birthday cakes and that just screams `budget wedding!'. Unless of course it is beautifully decorated.

Fairy godmother tip! if you have a small wedding cake budget, choose a beautiful but small wedding cake for your reception, use it for the cutting of the cake photo's.

Have a sheet cake made with the same flavour and icing, no need to have it decorated with fresh flowers or elaborate scuptured decorations, as it is just a cake for cutting and serving. The sheet cake is only seen by the reception staff. This saves on wedding cake decorating and wedding cake tier assembly costs. You get to have your dream cake and enough cake to serve all your guests.

Remember, the average wedding cake price for a mediocre cake is not that much less than that of really classy designer wedding cakes. If you do decide on a single tier cake, spend the extra cost to have it beautifully decorated.

Make Your Own Wedding Cake

Fairy godmother tip;if you love do it yourself projects, try to make your own wedding cake. Here's a video tutorial with step by step instructions on how to make a two tiered wedding cake, recipe included. It's easier than you think.

Average Cost of Wedding Cake

Note: Wedding cake prices vary greatly from the ordinary wedding cake bakery to the designer wedding cake bakery. If you already know what you want you could save on the designer costs simply by finding wedding cake pictures and showing them to your wedding cake maker.

Below you'll find different themed wedding cakes to get you started on your dream wedding cake search.

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