Ok, so I'm doing my first wedding cake for a friend in August and she's coming over for a consultation next week. I'm looking at the Wilton Serving charts for a wedding and I'm baffled at the number of servings I'm supposed to squeeze out of these cakes! For example: can you really get 24 servings from an 8 inch cake? And even if you can, is it enough to consider a real dessert? I mean I don't want to serve a cake that you only get two bites out of. So two questions:
-Does the wilton wedding serving chart really work?
-Does anyone else use a different serving chart that gives bigger pieces?
Thanks guys, I'm grateful for the input!

here's a chart that shows wedding cake servings and party cake servings.
http://cakesbybing.com/info.html

Yes, you can get 24 pieces, but you are NOT going to cut them in pie-wedge shapes, like everyone does at home. Cake is a dessert, not a meal. Wedding cake is cut is nice rectangles, not big wedges....

Here's a step-by-step of how I cut my cakes to achieve the wilton servings .... I generally get 10% more than the wilton chart shows and I STILL have people ask me to cut them a piece ".... a little smaller, please." Notice the pieces of cut cake on the plates .... nice, dessert size pieces.

http://cateritsimple.com/_wsn/page19.html

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1156785

Hey indydebi, i used to cut my cakes into wedges for family gatherings until my oldest sister showed me how to cut into these nice pieces that you show! now anytime I cut for a customer this is how i do it. Glad to see that someone else does it this way besides me

I happened to be channel surfing past Martha Stewart one day and she had a caller asking how to cut a wedding cake, so she was showing her "the dreaded circle method" (as I call it). Ms. Martha told this girl, "....just like your mother cut your birthday cake!"

Huh? My mother cut all sheet cakes into squares and all round cakes into wedges! I never saw any other way to cut a cake until I started making wedding cakes!

Survey! Did ANYONE'S mother cut their 5th birthday cake like a wedding cake?[/quote]

Nope my mother cut it into squares or wedges! No offense to Martha but i'm pretty sure her mother did the same!

I happened to be channel surfing past Martha Stewart one day and she had a caller asking how to cut a wedding cake, so she was showing her "the dreaded circle method" (as I call it). Ms. Martha told this girl, "....just like your mother cut your birthday cake!"

Huh? My mother cut all sheet cakes into squares and all round cakes into wedges! I never saw any other way to cut a cake until I started making wedding cakes!

Survey! Did ANYONE'S mother cut their 5th birthday cake like a wedding cake?[/quote]

Nope my mother cut it into squares or wedges! No offense to Martha but i'm pretty sure her mother did the same!

I am going to start using this cutting method myself. I think it portions out the cake well, and also helps a customer understand how it is possible to actually get the suggested servings. And, when it comes to pricing, helps them understand why they are paying whatever price (that the cake is "meant" to serve) whether they cut it that way or not.