How many servings of wedding cake would you suggest when there is also going to be an extensive sweet table at the reception. Is there a general rule of thumb like 50% of the guests.
I have a lady who is having a sweet table with 250 guests and is ordering a wedding cake to serve 70.....I sure hope that is enough and this is my first wedding where I am "competing" with other sweets!
I was hoping to get some expert advice....I'll be talking to her again in the next couple of days.
Thanks in advance....I'd be lost without all of you!
Jodi
Questions to ask:
Is there a DJ? Bar? Open or Cash?
How many people were actually invited? (Then use Debi's 60% Rule to figure out how many people will REALLY be there. To have 250 realistically show up, they would have had to have invited over 400 people.)
How much food are they having overall?
- Appetizers?
- Buffet or plated dinner?
When will the guests have access to the sweets/dessert table?
- During the appetizer period?
- Wait until after dinner and use it for dessert?
What is on the sweets/dessert table?
- small candies and mini cookies?
- regular size brownies and cookies?
When are they cutting the cake?
- Will cake be cut and served immediately after dinner?
- Are there other festivities first, like speeches, toasts, first dance, etc?
All of these questions will impact how much cake is needed.
- If guests fill up on a dessert table and appetizers before dinner, PLUS have dinner, then they are not going to need much cake.
- If they are not opening the sweets table until after dinner, then I'd go with at least 125 for cake, since everyone will be going for some kind of sweet/dessert at the same time (as opposed to already have "too much sugar" in their system and will therefore forego the cake/dessert altogether).
- When there is alcohol at a reception, you don't need as much cake because alcohol and sweet cake do not mix.
- If there is a DJ, people are dancing, getting thirsty and drinking alcohol. See above comment.
- The later the cake is actually cut, the fewer guests will actually still be there to eat it. This is why I encourage brides to do the cake-cutting ceremony immediately upon arrival, THEN open the food buffet, so I can cut the cake for the guests as soon as they are done eating.
- Run the 60% Rule to see how what the realistic number of expected guests will be. 250 may be a shot in the dark. Most people overestimate anyway.
Don't most people take a piece home with them if they don't eat it at the reception?
No, I wouldn't say that is true. A handful might take a piece home, but I wouldn't say "most" do. The biggest problem is when brides wait so dang long before they cut the cake that half of the guests have already left. They've ordered cake for 150, they had 95 people show up and by the time the cake is cut, only about 50-60 of them are still there. Since I stay and serve the cake, I see it all the time.
It sounds to me like the wedding cake may simply be a matter of tradition in this case rather than a dessert.
What you want is to sell a cake for as many people as necessary for that wedding.
I would try to go for at least a cake for 100. If she still insists on less, just ask how many pieces will be on the sweet table (literally the number of pieces ordered). Then go from there. If she has at least 1 1/2 pieces per person, give her what she asks for.
(I worked making desserts/pastries for banquets at a large hotel, this is a good way to calculate)
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