My question is why is it acceptable to charge MORE money for wedding cakes.....let me see if I can explain.. I went to fred meyer and picked up a brochure with wedding cake prices. A single tier 6 inch is 34.00. Yet you can get a 10" birthday cake for 17.99. Am I making any sense?
I had a lady want a 14 inch birthday cake for her daughter and I'm thinking how on earth do I charge for that? I know what I can charge if it were a wedding cake but if it's just a birthday cake? Then what? Same price? What do you guys do?
I charge more for wedding cakes because they are normally 4" tiers with filling, and the decoration is very important. You also have other materials, such as boards, boxes, dowels, etc.
Birthday cakes are generally not as complicated (not including carved or specialty items) and not as high in layers. I have a $25 minimum, regardless how small, and I start the 'regular' cakes at $1 a serving.
it seems that a wedding cake is generally more detailed. I haven't done any wedding cakes, but that would be my guess.
Wedding cakes generally take much more time, and because they are generally 3 or more tiers tall, they require substantial knowledge and skill to be made to look "right". Someone who doesn't know anything about cakes can tell in 1 second if a cake is crooked. My prices change per number of tiers, regardless of what occasion the cake is for.
If we could all sell 6" cakes for that price all the other sizes should be outlawed LOL That is insane! The crazy thing is....is that people would actually pay that! I like cake, but come on....it can only be "so pretty" or taste "so good"...... 
I understand all that you are saying, thanks for your input. However Fred meyer is still gonna charge you a whooping price for that 6 inch even if that is the ONLY cake you order. Yes they have single tier cake prices! I sure appreciate all you info on the matter. Sincerely, Rhondie
.....Oh how about on more question....how about a two tier birthday cake? Now what are you gonna charge? Of course it depends on the simplicity and extras but do you charge more because it is tiered? Let's say customer wants simple 10" and 6 inch cake, would you charge the same whether it was tiered or they were two separate cakes? ( assuming just plain dowel rods were used). Man, thanks for putting up with me! ~ rhondie
a tired cake is a tired cake is a tired cake, no matter what the ocassion is.
a birthday cake is usually one cake torted or 2 cakes filled.
Usually wedding cakes are 2 cakes that are torted and then filled...
and they are Typically 4" high ( personally I think that's a HUGE piece of cake, but that's just me!! lol)
i don't charge any differently for wedding cakes - i charge by design and complexity and size/servings. I do all my cakes as 2 layers that each are torted (producing 4 layers of cake and 3 of filling), except for sheet cakes (which I torte but are only 1 layer of cake).
Cake for 100 is cake for 100, no matter what pan I bake it in.
However, to be fair......
I offer free samplings for weddings .... there's a cost to that.
I deliver on weddings .... there's a cost to that.
The time to set up the cake at the reception site ..... there's a cost involved in that.
I had to buy a van for deliveries instead of just throwing a 10" cake on my backseat of my car ..... there's an overhead cost to that.
People luv birthday cakes, no matter what. Wedding cakes have to be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT .... there's a cost involved in attaining that skill.
To compare it with my catering......
Non-wedding caterings go MUCH faster than weddings. There are no ceremonies, pagentry, traditions, etc., to have to sit thru (aka "Down Time" for my crew who is getting paid BY THE HOUR!) like there is at a wedding. That's an add'l expense that someone is going to pay for. At non-wedding caterings, 100 people go thru the line in no time. At weddings, people are moving at a "social slow" pace and it takes longer to serve. Plus much much more that I could list.
In other words ..... because weddings are more work, that's why!
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