Budget cake help!

Knottie28385687 · January 2015

So I just started shopping around for cakes and my mind was blown at how pricey it can get. I recently went to a bakery who quoted me at over $700 for a cake! I definitely don't have that kind of money to shell out for a cake. I know that fondant, filling, and things like that cost extra...anyone have any advice or tips on how that cut corners when it came to choosing a cake?

allispain · January 2015

A common suggestion you'll find on here would be to go to your local higher end grocery store and ask if their bakery does wedding cakes.

If you want a local bakery cake, then definitely go very simple on your design. The more elements you have on the cake, the more it will cost. Cut things like gum paste flowers, piping, etc. and just do a basic ribbon detail around the bottom of each layer, for example.

Another option would be to do a small decorated cake for the cake cutting itself, and then have a sheet cake in the back. Servers would cut slices from the sheet cake to serve to guests. This can give you a substantial cost savings. However, if you do this, you must have the sheet cakes be the same flavor and quality as the one you and your FI will have for the cutting cake.

Good luck!

kmmssg · January 2015

Also, if you go to a grocery, ask to see pictures of cakes that have been made by the people there. If you go to a chain store they usually have one book that everyone uses for their customers and the talent in the bakery might not match the picture in that book.

MesmrEwe · January 2015

There is a difference between cutting corners and cutting what you get, which impacts your guests, above all else - as the PP have mentioned - make sure all guests get the same portion/quality of cake (filled & layered vs. sheet pan unfilled "kiddie cake" slice). First, be realistic about what you're getting for the money (portion sizes, delivery vs. delegating to someone in your family to pick it up and set it up at the site). Depending on the size of your guest list, $700 might be incredibly reasonable! Know that depending on how many RSVP's you'll get will alter the final price of the cake if you need a smaller or larger design. Even "Blue big box bakery" isn't exactly the "cheap option" when you level out to the same portion sizes as everyone else is using. With the right baker, the value and cost will balance out. If you have a dollar amount in mind, tell your baker! It will save you a lot of frustration! It's like looking at Wedding Gowns, falling in love with a $2,000 dress, and realizing you only want to pay $500 compared to looking at $500 dresses to start and being willing to spend an extra $$$ for an upgrade.

First way to cut corners, open up the communication with your baker, they're bakers not psychics. Next, choose a design that is simple for your baker to make. This is a lot different from choosing a simple looking design. This part can be tricky because you need to work with the baker to determine this. Next, the more flexibility you have on the design, the more likely you are to get a better price.

jacques27 · January 2015

1. Buy a celebration cake, not a wedding cake. There are many beautifully decorated cakes out there with flowers or other fairly simple decorations for all sorts of celebrations - but attach the word wedding and it gets marked up. A lot of the time I think it's because there are usually elaborate expectations attached to a "wedding cake".

2. Pick buttercream or similar icing over fondant and sugar flowers. It tastes much better and will be cheaper. The more work your decorations are, the more expensive it will be. Like wise pick standard flavors (vanilla, chocolate, or marble cake with a standard fruit/buttercream filling is probably going to cost you less than having pineapple macadamia nut with key lime passionfruit filling).

3. Pick a simple design. Again, the more intricate the design, the more expensive it will be.

4. Choose a grocery store whose cake you like or a local mom & pop bakery. They almost always will have a lower per person cost than someone who specializes in wedding cakes or "Knot-approved" vendors. One of The Knot vendors for my area - their cakes START at $1250. One of my friends got her (ridiculously delicious) cake serving 150 for $2.50/slice from a local bakery.

ElcaB · January 2015

We paid $20 for our small cake, which was an 8" round with plain white buttercream, decorated it with fresh flowers, and served cheesecake to our guests and ourselves.

You can order sheet cakes for the guests & cut and serve them in the back; we just wanted cheesecake instead of regular cake.

kateskakes · January 2015

There are several options I offer for brides who are looking to save money. The first is a 6" cake to cut (this can be undecorated or minimally decorated) with cupcakes for the guests. The cupcakes are frosted, but undecorated. The other option is a small cutting cake (tiered cakes are more expensive than a single 6" cake on a beautiful stand) with either a kitchen cake or a sheet cake. A kitchen cake is the same amount of layers (3 cake, 2 filling) and the same quality as the cutting cake, but with no decorations. A sheet cake is 2 layers of cake with one layer of filling. The sheet cake is cheaper, but looks different from the cutting cake when served.

Talk to your baker about what options they offer for someone who wants a quality cake on a budget. They may give you options, or at least point you in the direction of a bakery that can work with your budget.

brittanykaylachandler · January 2015

This is what I'm trying to figure out, too! Everything I've read from here and other articles online say go to a grocery store. One article said that a grocery store wedding cake can cost about 67 CENTS per person as opposed to a bakery cake costing $3+ per person. Go for butter cream frosting and nothing too elaborate. Like others have said, the more elaborate, the higher the cost. We're probably going to use Tom Thumb for ours!

MesmrEwe · January 2015

brittanykaylachandler said:

This is what I'm trying to figure out, too! Everything I've read from here and other articles online say go to a grocery store. One article said that a grocery store wedding cake can cost about 67 CENTS per person as opposed to a bakery cake costing $3+ per person. Go for butter cream frosting and nothing too elaborate. Like others have said, the more elaborate, the higher the cost. We're probably going to use Tom Thumb for ours!

Those prices are likely outdated as even Walmart is higher than that per slice (recently priced out a stacked cake for DD's birthday)... But also, the portion isn't the same for the bakery vs. big box, so you HAVE to do your geometry!! If you REALLY want cheap though - Pepperidge Farm cakes! One on each table, super cheap, tasty, and one flower added to each still puts you in under $10!

brittanykaylachandler · January 2015

The article I got that from is from April 2013... not even two years old. I'm sure there's difference depending on where you are located and other possible factors, too.

And I stand corrected... the article said 64 not 67. Oops

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/finance/7-ways-to-save-on-a-wedding-cake/

atlastmrsg · February 2015

I did cupcakes. They ended up being about $3.00 per person, fully decorated with florals, with the bulk discount. The bakery that did them offers cutting cakes, but we skipped it.

You could also do small, ornate cutting cake and then sheet cakes that are cut in the kitchen and served to guests. The small cutting cake costs much more than the sheet cakes when the bakery gives you a quote.

klk111415 · February 2015

I second the sheet cake idea. Get a small cake to cut at your reception (I've heard before that "wedding" cakes do cost more because you tack on the word wedding to anything and people charge more) and have a sheet cake in the back. No one really cares about the cake, unless it's out of this world. And no one will know it's a sheet cake and judge you for that since it will all be sliced up in the back. I've even heard of people who get a fake cake, and have one layer of real cake that matches the fake cake for them to cut. This would save you money if you want people to think you have an extravagant cake...

http://www.ultimatefakecakes.com/

MesmrEwe · February 2015

klk111415 said:

I second the sheet cake idea. Get a small cake to cut at your reception (I've heard before that "wedding" cakes do cost more because you tack on the word wedding to anything and people charge more) and have a sheet cake in the back. No one really cares about the cake, unless it's out of this world. And no one will know it's a sheet cake and judge you for that since it will all be sliced up in the back. I've even heard of people who get a fake cake, and have one layer of real cake that matches the fake cake for them to cut. This would save you money if you want people to think you have an extravagant cake...

http://www.ultimatefakecakes.com/

This isn't always the case - every baker around here charges the same for "fake" cakes because it takes the same amount of time and ingredients to decorate as a real cake would. Also, a three-tier cake for my daughter's First Communion was the same as if I'd have asked the same baker for the cake for a "wedding" because it's the same amount of work, supplies, delivery, and expenses. Only for the First Communion cake there wasn't the "tasting" I just ordered it blindly. The tasting isn't "Free" it's built into the cost of the cake!

And yes, depending on the baker's definition of "sheet cake" this can go from unfilled 1" tall in a metal sheet pan kiddie cake without filling to a filled multi-layer cake of the same quality as the tiered centerpiece cake. Either way - it comes back to working with one's baker to come to a budget that you can agree to spending to feed all of your guests the same quality of cake AND with the understanding that your baker whether it's a grocery store, big box, bakery, private baker, etc. vendor aren't running a charity and have to pay the bills level to make a living just as you do working for your own profession. It's a balancing act of choosing a dessert option that is above all else delicious - don't waste money on something that tastes like crud!

klk111415 · February 2015

Wow, had no idea! I just remember hearing about these fake cakes and fake cake rentals on someone bridal budget show on TV a while ago. Cake is expensive for sure though. My parents did a sheet cake with filling for our engagement party and paid around $100 for a 30 person cake, but it was also a very fancy bakery and had a sugar blown diamond on it.

A similar cake from Costco would have cost half that, and honestly would have been just as memorable to the guests at the party.

Honestly, when I look back at all of the weddings I've been to in the past few years (over 15)- The last thing I remember is the cake. Yes you want it to taste good, but the difference between the priciest cake and a middle ground cake aren't that different.

http://www.bridalguide.com/planning/wedding-budget/wedding-cake-prices

The big box stores have very good sheet cakes. Costco will do filling, but of course- you need a membership. I would check Sam's club and BJ's. If you need to feed a lot of people cake, I think this is a great option. Then you can do a small cake at your reception that you cut (it can even be two layers) and this would save you a lot of money. Once it's all cut up and passed out, no one will know the difference. I wouldn't have know the difference and really wouldn't have cared if I was served a sheet cake. Probably one of the most expensive cakes I was served was made with fondant- I only remember this because the fondant was removed before it was served to us. Just thought that was strange.

MesmrEwe · February 2015

klk111415 said:

Wow, had no idea! I just remember hearing about these fake cakes and fake cake rentals on someone bridal budget show on TV a while ago. Cake is expensive for sure though. My parents did a sheet cake with filling for our engagement party and paid around $100 for a 30 person cake, but it was also a very fancy bakery and had a sugar blown diamond on it.

A similar cake from Costco would have cost half that, and honestly would have been just as memorable to the guests at the party.

Honestly, when I look back at all of the weddings I've been to in the past few years (over 15)- The last thing I remember is the cake. Yes you want it to taste good, but the difference between the priciest cake and a middle ground cake aren't that different.

http://www.bridalguide.com/planning/wedding-budget/wedding-cake-prices

The big box stores have very good sheet cakes. Costco will do filling, but of course- you need a membership. I would check Sam's club and BJ's. If you need to feed a lot of people cake, I think this is a great option. Then you can do a small cake at your reception that you cut (it can even be two layers) and this would save you a lot of money. Once it's all cut up and passed out, no one will know the difference. I wouldn't have know the difference and really wouldn't have cared if I was served a sheet cake. Probably one of the most expensive cakes I was served was made with fondant- I only remember this because the fondant was removed before it was served to us. Just thought that was strange.

Arguably $3.33/slice isn't that expensive in the realm of all things cake. You aren't going to go to a restaurant and find a slice of cake for that or less!

That said - one thing people forget about getting a cake from the big box and grocery stores is that they don't deliver. Once cake leaves the building if something happens you're SOL compared to that being on the bakery if something happens. Unless you've got experience or a family member who does, it's not something you're going to want to mess with yourself especially the day of the wedding when there are six-trillion details to attend to.

kvruns · February 2015

How many servings for that $700?

klk111415 · February 2015

Another way to supposedly save is to not have the cakes stacked, but on separate tiers. More work goes into stacking the cake.

Just a thought!

arrrghmatey · February 2015

We lucked out on our wedding cake by hiring a lady who makes the cakes out of her home but is also very reputable on review sites and among local venues. She charges $3.25/slice, whereas the bakery shops we looked at charged anywhere from $4.25-$5.00/slice…and those were the low prices we could find, which didn't even include decorating fees and delivery fees (delivery fees were anywhere from $70-$95). Our baker has a full-time day job and does cakes as a hobby/passion, so she is able to keep her prices low since it isn't her source of income nor does she have to pay overheard. No decorating fees, no delivery fees. We're paying about $450 for our cake to feed around 140 guests.

SO, that being said, check out your local boards or ask around your area for someone similar--someone who does cakes as a hobby or second job. Just be sure they have a good reputation.

hyechica81 · February 2015

my cake was around 200 bucks granted the venue we had our reception at had an add on package dj cake and centerpeices. we had ten cake designs to choose from we had three cake flavors and two filling options. if we wanted something out of the box in terms of filling or cake flavors it was extra, also any fondont or sugar flowers were extra. cake was three tiered but if we wanted to add another tier it was also going to cost more. we went with a vanilla cake (included and the chocolate mousse also included)

this is a photo of my cake vanilla filled with chocolate mousse vanilla buttercream aqua and ivory flowers

Dreamergirl8812 · February 2015

hyechica81 said:

my cake was around 200 bucks granted the venue we had our reception at had an add on package dj cake and centerpeices we had ten cake designs to choose from we had three cake flavors and two filling options if we wanted something out of the box in terms of filling or cake flavors it was extra also any fondont or sugar flowers were extra cake was three tiered but if we wanted to add another tier it was also going to cost more we went with a vanilla cake (included and the chocolate mousse also included)

this is a photo of my cake vanilla filled with chocolate mousse vanilla buttercream aqua and ivory flowers

I can't read that.

ETA: Wow, I should add that your cake was beautiful.

alwaysgold18 · March 2015

My fiance and I are doing a fake wedding cake on our cake table, but we'll have sheet cakes cut and ready to go in the kitchen area of our venue. Our cake cost went from $400 to $200 not too bad i don't think.

[Deleted User] · April 2015

I'm currently trying to convince my FI that cupcakes can be as elegant and beautiful as a traditional cake, at sometimes HALF the cost! He's still weary, but I'm working on it. We'd still be able to do the cake cutting, as most places offer a top tier for the bride and groom to cut.

nessiemmmkay · April 2015

I think everyone covered most of the best ways to try and cut costs. We just booked our cake last weekend and was able to do it with one of the better known wedding cake bakers in our area. We were shocked, because we did not think we would be able to afford it. We stuck with their cheaper flavors and are going simple on the design. They are letting us bring in our own decorations like ribbon, flowers, etc. and will put them on for free. We are doing a two tier 'show' cake that feeds about 50 and a sheet cake of 70 servings (120 guests). We get a dollar off per serving on the sheet cake. The other option we looked at was a higher end grocery store, like others have recommended. I did not get exact pricing, but their online menu (which did not specify if it was for weddings or not) was very reasonable and would have been cheaper than what we went with, we just did not like the cake that much

That being said, you should be able to find something out there in your budget.

Budget cake help!

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