Getting a quote on a cake requires some correspondence between the decorator and the client.  As a client, it’s important to have some information before asking for a quote:

• number of guests / servings
• your budget
• your colors
• do you have any reference material / photos of cakes you like

Number of Servings

You might be surprised by just how big or small of a cake you will need to feed your guests.  Do you plan on serving the top tier, or will that go home with the bride and groom?  Will there be a groom’s cake? If so, will that be served?  Once you know the answer to these questions, you will have a base number of how many guests you will have.   I use this chart to find out how many tiers and what size is needed to feed your guests.

Budget

The wedding cake is the second main event of a wedding.  It’s important to know how much you are willing to spend on a cake, while still getting all of the important things you want.  Wedding cakes often run from $2-$10 per guest depending on where you order them from.  Keep in mind, that’s $200-$2,000 for a simple cake that would feed 100 guests.  Adding all the pretty extra, like fillings and flowers, increase the price of a cake.

Decide the musts of the cake:

• The cake needs to feed all of the guests, even if it is small slices.
• Will it be there and set up before the reception?
• Who will be serving? Make sure they have a knife and tools to serve.
• Make sure you have separate plates and utensils for the cake.  No one wants to reuse their spaghetti sauce covered fork.
• Ambiance for the cake: candles, separate table, etc.

Ways to save money on your cake:

• Choose silk flowers for decorating your cake versus real or sugar flowers.  See if your decorator will allow you to purchase them yourself.  If so, double check to see if they will be placing the flowers or you.
• Have a less expensive grooms cake served.  This will often get you at least 50 extra servings.
• Have the top tier served. (Honestly, who wants to eat a year old cake that’s been in the freezer?!)
• Rent a cake stand versus buying one.  Another nice thing about this, is you can often get a much more impressive cake stand to rent than the money you would spend buying one.
• Have a friend designated as the cake server.  It’s not the best job in the world, but one of your friends might be honored to help you on your wedding day.
• Find a local decorator or pick up the cake yourself to save on delivery and setup charges.  Sometimes though, this is worth the extra money to avoid the stress.

Your Colors and Getting Ideas

Most brides often dream of their wedding years before they start planning.  If you are not one of these brides, get some motivation and ideas from websites like www.brides.com.  You’ll be blown away by all the new creations out there.

I also offer a 2d draft of your cake that we can work on together to create your dream cake.  We can use your color scheme and flower choices in the illustrated image.

Hope this information helps!  If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

If you wish to find out a little more information about having a custom cake made, please fill out and submit the form below.