How big of a wedding cake do you think I am going to need...?

Question

We will probably be inviting close to 250 ppl. How big of a cake will we need. (number of tiers) And about how much are we looking at spending on it?
Im just trying to get an idea of how much this is all going to cost =)
thanks!

Answer 1

Make sure you have more than enough cake for everyone. I hate when people say well not everyone eats cake so I can short the servings by 20 or so. Or the last poster who is shorting their servings by 50 servings is ridiculous.

Here's instructions on how to cut a cake to maximize your output. http://cateritsimple.com/_wsn/page19.html

Here's a page with an estimate of what you'll need
http://cakesbybing.com/info.html

I think you should go for the 18/14/10/6 cake. The 6" isn't cut and you take that home. The 18/14/10 can serve almost 300 people. If you want to make it smaller a 16/12/8/4 will serve about 215. And maybe have some sheet cakes in the back. These are round sizes. Different shape cakes different output. The thing is you want the tiers to be 3-4 inches in width different than the next so you can see the tiers. If they are only one inch off you don't really see tiers.

I'd say you are looking at at least 1000 for a cake of this size. It's a lot of work.

Answer 2

The number of tiers will depend on the size of them. A three tier cake that is 16" 12" and 8" will not serve the same as a three tier cake that is 12" 10" and 6". The price will be determined by your choice of icing. Buttercream is less expensive than fondant. Also by the intricacy of the decoration and also by your choice of filling. A mousse will be less expensive than say fresh fruit filling. There are so many factors that go into a wedding cake, you need to shop around and see who has the best tasting and better price. Good Luck.

Answer 3

Go smaller with the cake. You really can get away with it. We had four tiers, and we could have easily fed 300 people with it. I didn't care, because I wanted a certain shape- but we had tons and tons left over. You do NOT need six tiers, unless they are very small tiers.

Your baker will advise how many each cake feeds, they vary because the overall size of the tiers can vary. If you're not serving the cake as dessert, get a cake that will feed no more than 200. Most of it will go to waste anyway, unfortuately.

Answer 4

the how much part is easy. it will depend on where you go.
i've seen places on foodnetwork and we tv that charge over $15 a erving
locally i found places from $1.50 to $5.50 a serving

not everyone eats cake.

i am inviting 120. my cake will be a 3 tier stacked cake that will serve 70-75.

the rest will be served sheet cake. i will also have a dessert table set up.

since you cut up the cake in the "back" or kitchen, nobody will know but you and the wait staff what they are getting lol

most bakeries have pictures and # of serving per cake breakdowns.

you can always to fake layers if you want a larger cake with not as much real "eat me" cake.

check out the wilton cake site for examples of size of tiers and servings per size averages
it's a great resource.
it tells you by shape how many servings you get (round, square, octagon etc)


oh just fyi- i am getting a shop rite tiered cake- they have great cake and it's only $1.50 a serving!
i highly recommend sampling from your local grocery before buying an overpriced cake from another location

Answer 5

I had about that number of people at my wedding. I had so much other food that by the time they got to the cake it wasn't touched. I would base it on what else you will be serving and will it be the first thing that they come to or the last. In my case I bought a 5 tier and maybe only one cake was eaten. That was a lot of left over cake. Not to mention the groom will have a cake. I know most people aren't cake eaters either.

Answer 6

Probably a 4-5, possibly 6 tiers.... when in doubt go to www.theknot.com, they can show you some stuff. Also you are probably looking at about $500-$1000 on the cake.

Answer 7

If you go to http://www.bakingit.com and use their "cake tier combinations" calculator you will be able to play around with cake sizes, portion sizes and come up with some ideas of how you want your cake to look along with feeding all the guests.

Answer 8

Our's is for 125 people and it's 3 tiers so I'm assuming you'd have to double it to 6.

Answer 9

5or 6 tier around 600 to 1000 dollars .

Answer 10

To save money you can have a smaller decorated cake and the rest of the cake can be sheet cake. Just keep the cake and icing the same flavor and have the staff cut slices in the kitchen.