Wedding Cakes Versus Other Cakes Of Same Size - Price Difference?
Business By katy_cakes Updated 28 Jul 2017 , 8:34pm by kakeladi
I'm just new on the scene here - figuring how to best charge for cakes to make them worth my time and effort (but also realizing my non-heavily experienced status). Does anyone here charge more wedding cakes than regular cakes - even if roughly the same size and design/skill involved? For instance: a two tier cake for a birthday as opposed to two tier for a wedding - one not THAT much more labor intensive than the other. To me, the wedding cake just seems so much more demanding in planning, delivery, and execution because it is a WEDDING cake - a once in lifetime event and all that.
Do any of you charge more for a wedding cake just by virtue that it's wedding cake? Did that question even make sense? ;)
The pirice should be the same for any tiered cake....no matter what the occasion it is for. You are putting much extra work into making sure it will stay standing up and the design to work together so you deserve to get paid for that expertise. A simple one tiered/'single' cake does not take 'extra' work so that should be reflected in a lower price.
Quote by @kakeladi on 22 minutes ago
The pirice should be the same for any tiered cake....no matter what the occasion it is for. You are putting much extra work into making sure it will stay standing up and the design to work together so you deserve to get paid for that expertise. A simple one tiered/'single' cake does not take 'extra' work so that should be reflected in a lower price.
I agree fully...in fact, you'll find that tiered Birthday or other celebration cakes are often more work than wedding cake...especially true of tiered children's birthday cake!
Set your basic price in you head, but base the final cost on the number of servings, the cake flavors/fillings and the overall design complexity...and don't forget to include delivery too if applicable!
Gotcha - thanks to both of you! My question comes from overall nervousness to do a wedding cake (I've done two-tier anniversary cakes, but no weddings yet). Birthday cakes - not nervous at all. Something about it being a wedding makes me feel extra pressure and I wondered if others felt that and priced accordingly. Like an extra $50 just because it might take few years off my life with worry ;)
But I'm sure the first time I do one, I feel better and it will feel like making a cake for any occasion!
I do not charge extra because it is for a wedding, but don't hold your breath, @katy_cakes , waiting for it to be less nerve wracking! Just thinking about possibly ruining someone's wedding makes me sick to my stomach, lol! I am a hobby baker only and only do a few "customer" cakes. My nerves would not allow me to be a real cake decorator!
I do free of charge wedding tastings and include delivery in my final price.
Wedding cakes are a lot more nerve wracking but for me it is the delivery of the cake that is the worst. Every single bump feels HUGE and even though I have now done millions of wedding cakes, those delivery nerves have not lessened at all unfortunately!
I have a basic breakdown of prices that I use as a base for my final price. As in whether it is a semi-naked buttercream finish, full buttercream finish, simple fondant finish, elaborate fondant finish with sugar flowers or a 3D hand-sculpted novelty cake. High levels of sugar flowers are an additional cost, as is the wiring of fresh flowers as I'm not a proper florist.
But I don't have a 'wedding tax' :)
I don't charge more for wedding because it's wedding, but for all the sugar work with the flowers. Doing a birthday cake or whatever, I make the characters or whatever, and use them. Weddings, I make a lot of extra flowers incase some don't look as perfect, or break because they are so thin. So, it's more of a time thing getting it perfect and having extras, vs. other occasions.
inthkitchen2 - you are right to make extras when working on special decorations so you don't have to make 'new' for each and every order. If a petal breaks or doesn't come out just right, set it aside and tuck it into the next order where it will fit. When I was teaching I would tell students that.......save those 'broken'/not so perfect ones & work them into another arrangement next week or month.
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