I know this ranges all over the place and I'm going to call a few of the local bakeries probably on Tues and Mon is very busy for me. Anyway... being very very new to all of this I wanted to ask what you all thought about pricing for wedding cakes. I've been asked to do one for January and one for April.
The first one is for 200 people and she just wants a small tiered cake and the rest sheet cakes. Simple design and Snowflakes are her theme. Do you charge the same price per person for the sheet cakes for wedding as you do the actual cake or is there a difference? Here's my idea. For 200 people use 2 qty 1/3 sheet cakes and then a small tiered cake using an 8, 10, and 12 and I think that bring us to 208 if I can add correctly for the servings. For the sheet cakes just deco with a few BC snowflakes and sprinkle with edible glitter stuff to add a little sparkle. The main tiered cake I was going to try to follow an idea off CC and use a snowflake ribbon around the base cakes and just add a few of the RI snowflakes at the base of each tier, in the middle for the space between the pillars, and then on top with some on candy sticks or wires to stand out on top. We haven't talked cake flavors but I'm figured a basic yellow cake, maybe the Vanilla Almond Sour Cream if it would hold up to three tiers. (The price could change too if she gets fancy on the flavors or fillings.) Also I would dust the cake with a little cake sparkles to add a little shimmer too. I could also do super pearl dust on the snowflakes ??? Thoughts? Again, add it to the cost if done.
Anyway, I came up with a price of $208 for the ingredients and est time for baking, mixing, deco, delivery, etc. I don't want to overcharge because I'm so new at this and I don't want to undercut myself either. Anyone have any thoughts or comments? PLEASE I'm totally open to discussion here. Thanks!!! 
- Paula
PS - I don't know anything about the one for April yet. I'm sure I'll be asking more questions as it draws closer. I've already posted questions for filling suggestions and for best wedding cake recipes. 
Personally, I think that is a little low. That is just about $1.00 per serving. I start my wedding cakes at $2.50 per serving and go up from there depending on how much work is involved. You could go less expensive on the sheet cakes if you wanted, but do not sell yourself short. I usually stick to my guns on wedding cakes, but tend to do other cakes too cheap. In my opinion, I like wedding cakes better, because I usually don't have to do all that color mixing. Hope it all goes well for you!
At $209 for thatn cake is only going to be about one dollar a person and that is really cutting your profit. I think as you get into making this cake you will find out that it will take more time etc., and you don't want to lock yourself into that low of a price. I would say that you should charge at least $2.00 per person and in my opion 400.00 is still a reasonable price for the bride and even if there is more extra's to add on the price she will still be getting a good price. Hope this will help some.
Mickey
please dont do it for only one dollar a serving, i understand that you are new, but don't sell yourself short either. you've gotta set your standards sometime....your work is great!!!
This is exactly the feedback I wanted,.. thank you Thank you Thank you!!! Keep it coming. Hubby was saying the same thing and I just wasn't sure. My MIL said to keep it cheap at first so I can get more business. Also I was relating to my own wedding cake almost 10 years ago and it was $125 for 100 people so $1.25 per serving and that was for a pretty fancy cake with lots of BC flowers and a grooms cake. I know they gave me a break because I was a repeat repeat repeat customer but I don't think it was that much. Maybe I'm wrong.
megankennedy, Thanks for the compliments. I've wanted to do cakes for so long... if you saw my pic's the early ones are before cake classes and my family has always said you need to take classes. I himhawed around about it till finally when they asked what I wanted for my B-Day I said Cake Classes! I'm not a professional by any means but I do enjoy doing it and I think I'm doing OK and I want to learn soooo much more! Thus my holding back on the pricing since I'm so new to this.
Also, I know the Bride & Groom well as we go to church together and I know they're just starting out like most couples and they're money is tight. So again she gave me no budget but I don't want to price myself out of the opportunity either...
Thanks again,.. keep it coming!
- Paula
This might help:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-5711-pricing.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-31733-pricing.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-44289-pricing.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-49865-pricing.html
Thanks for all these great links.... great reading. I will up my price, and I'll call around too to make sure I don't out price myself but i really want this opportunity. I'll be sure and post photos!
If anyone has anything else please post it. I'll still be checking.
- Paula
OK, I just went through the PRICEMATRIX spreadsheet that JanH posted in a link (above) and it showed with me entering my time at $10 per hour that I should charge $1.40 per slice. Thus making my cake $335.00. Does that seem high for a cake to feed 300 per my description above?
Still mulling this over and doing lots of figuring. 
Was $10 per hour to much??? What is this skill rated at on an hourly basis? Is there one? Should it be more/less. I know for you Pro's its a lot more but what about home based?
Thanks all!!!
- Paula
For cake-only, I charge $2.25 per person, no matter what pan I bake it in, so no sheet cake discounts. Same batter, same icing, same baking time, same work. So for a cake for 300, that comes to $675. Cake for 200 would be $450.
I'm also a little different because I usually sell my wedding cakes in a package: cake, plates, forks, mints, nuts, punch, cups, table linens, delivery, set-up, I stay and cut-n-serve the cake, clean up and tear down for $5.50 a person. Cake for 300 = $1650; cake for 200 = $1100.
I charge a flat fee. I don't do fondant and I don't charge a different price for a different design.
You are selling yourself way short. If you feel sorry for every bride that's on a budget, you'll do all your cakes for free. 
I usually end up comparing my cakes to cars: I'd LUV to drive a Lincoln Town Car but since I can't afford it, I drive a Jeep. Brides would LUV to have your very best creation, but if they can't afford it, they will need to tone down their requests. No reason you should be the one to subsidize their wedding. The sales guy at the Lincoln dealership isn't going to chop the price in half because I'm on a budget, and as nice a guy as he is, he's not going to eat the price difference because we see each other every Sunday.
(And before you think I'm a big 'ole hard a$$, I have worked with brides who are on a tight budget and I've eaten some costs to help them out. But I've also been around long enough that they know I'm making a big exception for them and it's not the norm, and it's not the price their friend is going to get.)
OK, Today I called around to about a half dozen bakeries to inquire as to their costs for wedding cakes. Here are my findings... Cost ranged from a low of $1.35 per person to a high of $2.05 per person. Given my last post for using the pricing matrix spreadsheet I do not think I can justify using the estimated price of $1.40 per person.
So anyway, for a newbie to this I think I'm back down the price game more towards the $1 to $1.25 per person. Cakes are really cheap here in St. Louis. (I was shocked.) I even called one of the more renowned cake decorating companies and they were still only $1.65 pp for a 4 tier decorated cake for 200 ppl using no sheet cakes for a total of $329.
Just thought I'd post my findings and see what others had to say regarding the prices here. Thanks again for all the great feedback!
- Paula
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