Average Wedding Cake Prices: Your Wedding Cake Cost Will Depend on Location and Style
There's no way to pinpoint exact wedding cake costs as wedding cake prices vary a great deal based on your location, the economy, and the style of decorations you choose, but we can give you an idea of what to expect.Bakers and caterers quote their wedding cake prices per slice, and the amount of decoration and size is what drives up the cost of the cake.
Although not every guest will eat the cake, the estimated size for slices are small by modern American portions, so you may want to estimate one slice per wedding reception guest.
Butter cream and whipped cream frosted wedding cakes are usually less costly than fondant cakes because of the time and expertise required, but those options will not hold up in the heat if your wedding reception is outdoors in August.
Tips for keeping your wedding cake costs down:
Stick with the basic cake designs offered by cake vendors. Custom work will cost you extra.
Take a look at your local grocery store chains. Several brides I interviewed got their cake at a Publix chain and were very happy.
Order a very basic cake and dress it up with DIY add-ons like sugar flowers, sugared flowers, fresh flowers, or a cascade of silk butterflies on wires.
The last tip above can be a great way to make the least expensive wedding cake special, but be very, very careful. One wrong or careless move and you’ve messed up the basic frosting or decoration with no way to fix it.
If you decide to go this route, have a friend “spot you” – watch your every move to make sure you don’t get an elbow, a sleeve or a pinky in the frosting, and try to get extra frosting in case you need to patch a spot (smooth with a damp spatula, decorations are tougher to fix).
Cost cutting wedding tips on the internet go viral fast.
One of the most repeated is the “save money on your wedding cake by having the bottom layer be fake.”
That tip is suspect as decoration is what really drives cost, so even if your bottom layer is actually Styrofoam decorated to look like the rest of the cake; you probably won’t be saving that much money.
The only real reason to ever have a fake layer is if your wedding is small, and you like the drama and the look of a multi-tiered wedding cake but don’t want all the leftover cake.
You may have also read that you can rent a fake cake and serve sheet cake from the kitchen, but the fake cake rental and shipping can be expensive, so you may as well order the real cake.
Rough Guide to Wedding Cake Prices:
Set aside at least $125.00 in your budget for the wedding cake, unless you intend to DIY some or all of the cake. Cake prices will vary from $1-$2 a slice to $15 or more a slice in greater metropolitan areas.
At the average grocery store chain (Publix is recommended by many brides), your wedding cake cost will run around $2 a slice, again, depending on your location and choice or decorations.
Be prepared to pay $9 or more a slice for your dream fondant wedding cake in or near a larger city. Much more if your vendor is a well known and in demand pastry chef.
For most areas, a nicely designed fondant cake for $4 a slice is a good deal! Don't forget to add in the cost of the fresh flowers if those are part of your wedding cake decorations, depending on the size of the cake, the flowers you choose and the florist, this can drive up wedding cake prices.
The Ultimate Budget Bride: Lisa Spooner saved almost 90% on her wedding, now she helps others save big money.
Cost cutting wedding tips on the internet go viral fast. 
Set aside at least $125.00 in your budget for the wedding cake, unless you intend to 
