Question About Wedding Cake Pricing.
Decorating By Susie43727 Updated 21 May 2009 , 1:27pm by costumeczar
I have a quick question I hope someone will help me with. I just started doing cakes(selling them) and someone asked me to make a wedding cake. As we was discussing the details and pricing she said; "You can't charge me for the top cake, the one we keep, it doesn't count." I have never heard of this before, but I was just making sure that I'm not doing wrong by charging her for this cake. I just figured they was going to eat it eventually(on there 1st anniv.) so they was to be charged for it. I have to pay for the supplies to make it. Am I wrong or do I really not charge her for it. Thanks for helping and happy baking!! 
I've never made a wedding cake, but if I ever do, I will charge for every serving of cake they receive...whether they eat it at the reception or a year later. I would be offended if a prospective client told me what I was or wasn't going to charge for. That just rubs me the wrong way.
Every bakery on the planet that does wedding cakes charges for the anniversary tier. If she doesn't want you to charge, tell her to approach one of those bakeries with that argument... 
If she doesn't want to count it in her servings so she can save it for a year that's her business--then she orders enough cake and subtracts the servings--not the money-but oh my yes you sure do charge her for it.
The nerve!
I've only done two wedding cakes and made the mistake of undercharging each time. My NEW rule is not to even begin a wedding cake for less than $250. And that's only for a 3 tier with smoothed buttercream and border. Any additional accents will be at least $25 each. You deserve to be compensated well for a wedding cake. Anything less than $250 will be $75 for a 1 layer half sheet cake or $100 for 2 layer. Probably still too low.
I've only done two wedding cakes and made the mistake of undercharging each time. My NEW rule is not to even begin a wedding cake for less than $250. And that's only for a 3 tier with smoothed buttercream and border. Any additional accents will be at least $25 each. You deserve to be compensated well for a wedding cake. Anything less than $250 will be $75 for a 1 layer half sheet cake or $100 for 2 layer. Probably still too low.
You go girl! It's work ain't it!!
A prospective client that is that petty and cheap would leave me wondering...Is she going to critique everything you charge for?
Lord help her if that's the kind of client this is. I had one of these "momzilla's" a couple years ago and she referred me to her friend a year later who I told straight up (referring to the price) "deal with it -- cakes cost what they cost and I will not be nickeled and dimed to death over every little thing." Oh yeah, she got the point!
I have a quick question I hope someone will help me with. I just started doing cakes(selling them) and someone asked me to make a wedding cake. As we was discussing the details and pricing she said; "You can't charge me for the top cake, the one we keep, it doesn't count."
OMG......LMAO......Oh I'm sorry, that one is rich!!! I'm sure the bride just got her servings vs price mixed up and wasn't thinking, but really. "It doesn't count"???
You should say. "Oh yeah....whooops I forgot to add on the sorely mistaken bridal research fee...sorry that's extra."
I don't charge for the top tier, and I know others who don't also, it all depends on how you want to do it. However, for her to tell you that you CAN'T is stupid!
I don't include the top tier in the serving count, they can either serve it, keep it or eat it on their anniversary. If they want to get another cake for their anniversary they pay me for that one. It amounts to the same thing as people who give a complimentary anniversary cake on the first anniversary, but it keeps me from having to keep track of brides a year after their weddings.
Again, you do what you want to do. Plenty of people charge for the top tier, so if you want to you go right ahead.
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