I am running into a little problem with wedding cakes. This may be an obvious answer, but here is the question anyway. When pricing a wedding cake for a client, I know how to price for the cake to be served...what I need to know is do I charge on a "per serving" basis for the top tier also? I do apologize if this is a dumb question...I just seem to have hit a wall on this. lol I am back and forth on the issue of whether or not to have a base price across the board for that or to charge by the serving. Thank you!

I tell brides to make sure to add the top tier to the number of servings they want to have at the reception.  That top tier has to be baked and decorated just like all the other tiers - why should it be free? Sometimes, I give a "discount" and gift them the top tier but that is always at my discretion.

You charge for the servings of cake that you make , not the servings of cake that they need. 

If someone needs 17 serves of cake , and the cake that you make serves 20 then you charge for 20. 

I find out how many they need to serve ,  then look at my chart to work out the options to get those servings. 

The servings in the top tier,  if it is being kept is then added on to the total and then I work out the price. 

Don't give away free cake . If you have to make it and deliver it , you have to be paid for it. 

AYou should charge for the top tier, but don't add it into the serving count total if they're going to serve it.