How to price wedding cakes

Wedding cakes are the biggest orders most cake artists and shops take, and the easiest to underprice. Here is how we price them in our own shop.

Start from the hours, not the guest count

Guest count tells you how much cake to bake. It does not tell you how long the design takes. List every task: baking and filling each tier, stacking and supports, the finish, piping, flowers, and any hand painting or sculpted pieces. Estimate the minutes for each and price them at the pay of whoever does the work. The most skilled hours, yours or your lead artist’s, cost the most, and they are usually most of a wedding cake.

Set a per-serving floor for big tiered cakes

For three tiers and up, check the hourly price against a minimum per serving that matches the design level, from simple to showpiece. Charge whichever is higher. The floor protects you when a big, plain cake takes fewer hours than its size and risk deserve.

Treat small ceremony cakes differently

A one or two tier cake for a small wedding is closer to a celebration cake. Price it from its hours without the big-cake floor, or you will price yourself out of intimate weddings.

Charge for every tier above two

Each extra tier adds supports, stacking time and transport risk that the hours alone can miss. A flat amount per tier above two covers it.

Price delivery and setup on their own

Delivery, setup at the venue and any stand rental are separate from the cake. Charge them by distance or by zone, add a setup fee for stacking on site, and show them as their own lines so couples see what they pay for.

Take a deposit to hold the date

Wedding dates are booked months ahead, and you turn other orders away to keep them. A non-refundable deposit of a third to half of the price is common. Put the balance due date and your change and cancellation terms in writing.

Check your number

Run any cake through the free cake pricing calculator to see what its hours, pay and margin add up to.