Find a Wedding Baker near you
The average rating for Bark Wedding Bakers is 4.92, based on 141,182 reviews
5/5
based on 141,182 reviews
Looking for the perfect cake to celebrate your wedding? Read our handy guide to find out how much a bakery or baker will charge to make your wedding cake.
Originally served at weddings as a symbol of good luck, a wedding cake is a classic part of celebrating a marriage - and if you're planning your celebration, it's something you wat to get right. Traditionally, wedding cakes are made from fruit with a marzipan icing to finish, but these days it’s possible to get a wedding cake in any construction or flavour. If classic fruit cakes aren't your thing, you could go for a sponge cake made of several layers, with each having different flavouring and colouring - the world is your oyster.
As with everything associated with wedding planning, you're probably asking: how much do wedding cakes cost? It's a fair question, with the average wedding spend growing to around £20,000 in the UK. Our guide will help you break down the average cost of wedding cakes, so you're ready to find your local wedding cake creator for your big day.
Wedding cakes can be as simple or extravagant as you like, so it’s tricky to say exactly how much you pay as it depends on what you opt for. To give you a rough idea, here’s how much wedding cakes cost on average in the UK:
| Average cost | £400 |
| Minimum cost | £100 |
| Maximum cost | £1,000 |
Wedding cakes are available in a wide range of flavours, sizes and styles. Factoring in the theme of your wedding can help narrow down what type of cake to opt for. Here are some other price points to help you decide:
Type of wedding cake
Cake size
Cake design
Cake mixture
Cake finish
Location
Let's take a look at the average cost of a wedding cake based on the type of cake:
| Type of wedding cake | Highest average price | Lowest average price |
| Single tier | £200 | £100 |
| Two-tier | £300 | £150 |
| Three-tier | £450 | £180 |
| Four-tier | £600 | £340 |
| Five-tier | £1,000 | £650 |
If you’re on a budget then a single tier wedding cake will offer plenty of value, starting at just £100. This is also ideal for smaller weddings as you won’t have as many guests to feed either.
On the other end of the scale, five-tier wedding cakes can cost as much as £1,000. The price could be higher if the cake is adorned with crystals and other luxurious touches.
Ultimately, the cost of your wedding cake will depend on the size, its construction, and the finish. As every company will have a particular price structure the costs will vary.
The size of your wedding cake should reflect the number of guests who will be attending. Taking 100 guests as an example, you would need a cake with at least 3 to 4 tiers, which would cost around £400. Your wedding cake maker is going to need this information beforehand so that they can advise on the type of size you’d need as a minimum. It’s possible to have several tiers to your wedding cake, though this will come at an increased cost compared with something more simplistic.
The design of your cake is where you can have fun injecting your personality. You also have the option to keep things simple, or even incorporate the overall theme of your wedding. Intricate wedding cake design will be more expensive, not least because of the extra time, it would take someone to do. This would include elements such as extensive fondant fabric effects, piping designs or similar hand-painted details.
Thinking about the base of your cake is important too. Traditional wedding cakes use fruit that needs time to mature, which may incur an additional cost compared with other mixture types. You can also have a sponge cake, and the advantages of sponge are that you can add any flavouring to it.
From marzipan to royal icing, buttercream to ganache, there are many options for your wedding cake! The finish of your cake will make a huge impact on both the visual presentation but also the cost. Similar to the cake design, the more intricate finishes will be more expensive to complete. A recent trend is ‘naked’ wedding cakes which use barely any icing at all on the outside.
As your wedding cake maker will be responsible for delivering and setting up your cake at the venue, keep in mind the location. If you hire a baker that is some distance from the venue, this will cost more versus hiring someone local. Travel and setup costs should be included in their quote, so double-check this with them before you book.
And of course, the cost of living will have an overall effect on the cost of your wedding cake. If you're buying a wedding cake in London, you'll pay more for both labour and materials than you might in areas with a lower cost of living - but you might also have more choice thanks to increased competition.
It can be tempting to attempt basking a wedding cake yourself (or handing the job to a trusted friend) to save money, but there are significant costs involved in turning out a good bake.
The rising cost of ingredients for a three-tier cake, including basic ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, as well as special items like fondant and edible decorations, typically ranges from £85 to £250. If you don't already own the necessary baking equipment, you might need to spend an additional £40 to £100 on items such as cake tins, piping bags, and spatulas.
In terms of labor, expect to spend about 20-35 hours on preparation, baking, and decorating. Valuing your time at £10 per hour, this translates to £200 to £350. Additional costs, such as utilities and transport, can add another £15 to £45. Overall, the total cost of baking your wedding cake could range from £300 to £645. While this can be cheaper than ordering from a professional baker, it's important to consider the time commitment and effort required to create a cake that meets your expectations.
The choice of whether to have a wedding cake made is ultimately up to you. However, for most couples, a wedding cake is the showstopper of the reception. Wedding cakes are also steeped in tradition and are something your guests will also look forward to tucking into after the formality of the ceremony. Even if you’re not a fan of traditional wedding cakes, these days there is something to suit all tastes. Plus, wedding cakes are delicious!
Celebrate your marriage in style with a beautifully baked wedding cake. Whether you fancy a traditional fruit cake or even a chocolate cake, you can find local bakers to create your wedding cake masterpiece with Bark.
The average rating for Bark Wedding Bakers is 4.92, based on 141,182 reviews
5/5
based on 141,182 reviews
