Lets Talk Cakes
(cake : Annie Cakes)
Cake, Cake, Cake!!! When ever I get on Pinterest I see so many different ways Cake artist can create your wedding cakes. So obviously its going to be hard to really give you’re a price point, there’s so many components involved! Size of cake, design, labor, tax, frosting if you want fondant, butter cream, cream cheese.. etc. so many options for you!
When budgeting for a your wedding cake a few things to think about are how many layers your want, what kind of style you are going for, how detailed you want it, are you going to feed all your guest cake, if now what are you going to give them?
Before I get to numbers can I tell you a funny story!! When I was getting married I needed to save money so I had a friend make my wedding cake ( I am still grateful we did what we did, we were so poor), she wasn’t in anyway a cake designer it was exactly what I wanted however I got married in the hottest part of the summer so my cake started bubbling. (I AM NOT KIDDING! I look back and it makes me smile!) I also choose to get sheet cake from Costco (no dig on Costco, I love that store!) to feed all my guest! I got what I paid for!
Numbers? The national average for a wedding cake is $250. (As I’ve stated in other blog post do not hold me to that price, each cake designer cost is different) Now, that is an average it can defiantly be higher or lower depending on style! I know nothing about cakes so I have done some research to help you, below are styles of cakes to help give you an idea of what direction to take! I found this perfect picture that shows off everything about cakes!! Yay for making my job easier!
Designing your cake can be both fun and delicious – especially when it comes to cake tasting day! The design itself should be a collaboration between you and your cake maker. Your cake should fit the look and feel of the your venue setting and theme.
For example, a 5-tier white Victorian-inspired wedding cake probably doesn’t belong at a barnyard reception. It is an aesthetic choice as much as one of the environment your cake will exist. Cakes usually stand on display for hours before they are served, and certain frosting such as whipped cream, custard, mousse or butter cream, are too delicate to withstand much heat.
When coming up with ideas consider the wedding reception setting, the flavors that you and your partner enjoy, the meal, and above all the cost.
When it comes to icing on your wedding cake, it can be unstable and delicate. Unfortunately, you cannot choose icing by taste alone. I am sure you have seen those baking T.V. shows where all of a sudden a beautiful cake looses its icing and becomes a naked cake. (Remember my story!) Don’t let that happen to you!
Royal Icing: Made from egg whites and confectioner’s sugar, royal icing will harden when it is fully dried. You would not ice a whole cake using royal icing, instead use it for decorating touches such as small flowers, piping, polka dots, beading, and lattice work.
Fondant: Also known as rolled fondant, is a popular icing choice for most wedding cakes. It is versatile and will hold up much better in warmer climates or at an outdoor wedding. Fondant is made from sugar, corn syrup, glycerine and gelatin. It is rolled out onto a smooth sheet, which is placed over the cake to give a clean finish. Fondant is sweet, however most people like the taste of buttercream better.
Marzipan: Created from hardened almond paste and sugar, this type of confection can be rolled and used as icing. It is mainly used to create realistic shapes like bride and groom figurines or flowers. One advantage is that marzipan can be painted with food coloring afterwards.
Buttercream: Just as the name implies, this lovely icing is made from butter, cream, sugar, and vanilla or whatever flavor you would like to mix with it. It is soft, creamy and spreads easily. Buttercream cakes are not appropriate for outdoor weddings because any heat will melt the butter. Buttercream is perfect for cake designs such as rosettes, swags, or basket weave.
Another side story, I was planning my very first Styled wedding and I couldn’t afforded to pay for a Cake artist so me being stubborn made my own cake….. OMG it was a Pinterest fail!! I have a personal appreciation for all my cake ladies!! Anyways!
What if you do have a small budget? Go small on your cake and rock the sheet cake! Sheet cakes are a great way to supplement cake servings, without paying for a huge tiered cake with 250 servings. If your guest count is 250, order a smaller tiered cake (the most common size cake we bake is a 3 tier with 80) and then supplement the rest of your cake servings with sheet cake.
Another thing to note about cakes, the more detailed the cake design, the higher the price will be. And, just because a cake looks like a “simple” design, doesn’t mean that it is. I know there are many amazing cakes online, and in magazines and with cake artists pushing cake design to new limits, it’s easy to fall in love with so many of the beautiful cakes we all see. Things like hand painting, edible gold, sugar flowers, tons of little sugar pearls on the cake, all translate into beautiful designs, but also a higher cake cost. Some of those cakes can run as much as $15 per serving…CRAZY! But think about it, you go out to dinner at a chain restaurant and pay $15 for a so so meal, that was probably frozen and took about 20 minutes to make. A cake artist can spend HOURS from start to finish on your wedding cake. Cake decorating is an art and not just anyone can do it. Not to mention ingredient costs, like fresh fruit, butter and eggs! That stuff is expensive!
Talking with your Cake Designer is so important! If you have no budget but need help with ideas they are there to help, if you know what you want they are there to make it happen, if you have a small budget they can defiantly help you find what will work! You are not alone!!
Cheers,
Hannah Judd
Preffered Cake Venders
Photographer – Hannah Judd Weddings, Videographer – Cayly Bascom Photography, MUAH –-Elena Ochoa ECKO Beauty, Florets – Kaytee Stice – Roots floral design , Venue – Rush on Metro, Dress – Bitsy Bridal, Dress 2 - Gateway Bridal, Cake Designer – Annie Pugmire - Annie Cakes, Calligraphy - Dinner Menu’s and Ceremony back drop Shelbi Ghaderi – Opal.artistryslc, Suit – Allen’s Tux, Wedding Invitations – Shine wedding invitations , Model #1: Chau and Eric Merkley, Model #2: Katie and Luke Terry