Wedding Centerpiece Ideas | Unique Wedding Centerpieces

When you think of a wedding, there are a few iconic images that come to mind: the white bridal gown, the viel, lots of flowers – and a gorgeous tiered wedding cake. But when a bride says “Let them eat cake”, like Marie Antoinette, she can find herself in unexpected trouble – but of the financial variety. Choosing to serve cake at your wedding could come with some unanticipated costs. These expences are broken down to give you some money saving ideas for the big day.

The cost of the wedding cake depends on the ingredients, design and the number of peolple you plan to serve. Cake prices are usually priced by the slice(number of guests). This can be deceiving –at a per guest cost, it might not seems so bad, but when you add it all together and realize this price is for a cake – it can be quite surprising:

• Smaller, simple cakes are approximately $1.50 to $2.00 per slice.

• At the higher end wedding cakes can cost up to $5 – $6 per slice(think buttercream frosting and special icing decor).

• Creative, fondant can run for at least $10 per slice.

• With any of these options, should you choose to have an interesting filling or special sugar-based décor touches, the per-slice cost of the wedding cake would increase another $1 or $2.

Additional factors that can add to the cost of the cake are cake toppers, fountains, flowers, and rental of a cake stand.

So if you were hosting an average sized wedding, you could be playing between $210 and $1700 depending on the quality of the cake.

This is just the beginning. Most tiered wedding cakes need to be delivered specially to the reception venue and occasionally assembled on site to make sure they’re presented intact. As part of the service, some bakeries will include this in the cost. However some brides have been charged upto $200.

The cake cutting fee is one of the costs that dont usually come to mind. The caterer, bakery or wedding reception venue may charge you a fee to slice your wedding cake. On average, this fee is between $1 and $1.50 per slice. And also remember that if you are paying for rentals, you need to get desert plates/forks also.

On average the wedding cake wil cost between $500 and $700 to be served at the wedding. And usually half the guest wont even eat the cake!

So what should the budget conscious bride do? Now that you know where the costs are, here are some ways around them:

• If you’re willing to give them a chance, local culinary schools have students and teachers who are up-and-coming bakers. The prices they charge would be quite a bit less than well-established bakeries.

• In order to feed more people you may want to try rectangular or square cakes. Consider this when placing your order, you might be able to save yourself a tier.

• Because a good proportion of guests don’t eat the cake, place an order that will feed less people than your entire guest list – up to 25% less. Rest assured, you’ll still have leftovers!

• Related to the above, consider faking your cake. See if your baker is willing to add Styrofoam layers instead of real cake layers. You can still get the visual effect of a bigger tiered wedding cake, but for a much lower cost!).

• Taste-tests prove it: People actually like buttercream – one of the more budget-friendly icing options out there – best. Its roughly $2 cheaper per slice than fondant.

• If you like feminine cakes, know that it’s more affordable to decorate your wedding cake with a real ribbon as opposed to an edible fondant version.

• When talking with your florist, check if they can supply complimentary petals that you can use to decorate you cake.

• You may be able to supply your own cake toppers and decorative objects at a better price by searching on TradeMe, wedding forums and online stores.

• Cake cutting fees and cake delivery charges negotiable. Check if they can be removed completely. If you have your hall or caterer supply your wedding cake, you’ll have an even better chance of avoiding these costs.

• If your wedding is more casual, think about serving the cake on napkins (which are usually included in your reception fees) instead of renting dessert plates.

Final cost saving advice? Consider not having a wedding cake. If a wedding cake isn’t really that important to you and you think you can use a few hundreds of dollars elsewhere, speak with your wedding reception venue or caterer about dessert options. You can save money on your wedding cake by choosing something non traditional, like cupcakes, icecream, or even a chocolate fountain just as tasty and cheaper.

Click here for more wedding cake articles and wedding planning advice

Technorati Tags: Wedding Cakes

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.