HELP! Wedding cake is way too much! Any suggestions? I live in Orange County, CA?!
Cake (feeds 72 people) = $468
Florist to decorate w/ Orchids = $75
Tax = $42
Gratuity = $117
Grand Total = a whopping $702
I can switch the fondant for butter cream but still . . . it's ridiculous! I kept thinking my cake was $468 & forgot about the other charges.
I can use another bakery but of course someone will have to pick up the cake & the restaurant will charge me $2/pp cutting fee.
Considering I have to pay $100 for them to cut it, I'd like to get a much less expensive cake. Has anyone ordered one from a grocery store like Vons or Albertson's? I don't want it to be cheesy.
Answers: I answered a question the other day about cost of cake & once I realized how much mine was going to be, I was shocked! I have about 50 guests & the restaurant uses one specific bakery. If I go through them, they don't charge me any cake cutting fees at the reception but they do add 7.75% sales tax & a 20% gratuity on top of that. The place delivers for free but this is how it breaks down:
Cake (feeds 72 people) = $468
Florist to decorate w/ Orchids = $75
Tax = $42
Gratuity = $117
Grand Total = a whopping $702
I can switch the fondant for butter cream but still . . . it's ridiculous! I kept thinking my cake was $468 & forgot about the other charges.
I can use another bakery but of course someone will have to pick up the cake & the restaurant will charge me $2/pp cutting fee.
Considering I have to pay $100 for them to cut it, I'd like to get a much less expensive cake. Has anyone ordered one from a grocery store like Vons or Albertson's? I don't want it to be cheesy.
That is a lot of money and I think you are being taken for a ride. The cost of the flowers for the cake is ridiculous so I would either:
- use silk ones which you can get cheap off ebay
- use another fresh but cheaper flower
- don't use flowers - get a nice monogram cake topper off ebay and put it on top and use thick ribbon to go around each tier.
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll...
It can still look great without fresh flowers, see these pics:
http://au.images.search.yahoo.com/search...
http://au.images.search.yahoo.com/search...
http://au.images.search.yahoo.com/search...
It will be so much cheaper without flowers so consider this idea to save money.
To make it even cheaper, I suggest just getting a plain white 3 tier square cake with the fillings you want from a baker and get the monogram and ribbon and decorate it yourself.
The cake will probably cost less and it will be cheaper without the flowers but you will still have to pay the cutting fee but it may be worth it. Just ring up some local bakers who do the sort of cake you are after and compare the prices and see what would work out cheaper.
The last thing I can suggest is get someone with good cake making skills to make it and it will cost less again. But if you do this make sure they make a practice one so you can be sure it will turn out good.
Good luck!
If you have any friends or family that are good at baking let them bake you a cake. I am sure they would be happy to help you out. That price is pretty rediculous for a cake.
I live in the same area you do.
My nieces had one main cake - not huge -- and a lot of sheet cakes to save on the cost. They were fortunate, a friend of the family also did cakes and did theirs.
I can ask my sister-in-law who made the cakes and try to get you in touch with the person. Just let me know.
I might be able to get more $$ saving ideas for you... I don't know.
contact me.
I have a couple of suggestions that, hopefully, will help you out.
There's a new trend of using cupcake tiers instead of a traditional wedding cake, which costs less. You may want to consider that.
Also, check with local companies that offer cake decorating classes. Some will have advance students who may be willing to bake your cake for a fraction of the cost you'd pay at a bakery. I took cake decorating classes a few years back and baked my godson's wedding cake, which he and his new wife loved.
Good luck and best wishes for a beautiful wedding and a long and happy marriage! : )
My cake came from Albertsons and it was gorgeous! It tasted pretty much like a sheet cake but it wasn't bad at all. Visually it was sooo pretty - I got tons of compliments. It had cascading frosting roses in a spiral - it was also three tiers. I got married in 1995 but the cake was under $100, and I had twice as many guests. Don't be afraid to give the grocery stores a look.
I would go with the cupcakes! You should not get charged for the cutting fee because there will be not cutting needed. You can have the cupcakes decorated any way that you want and you can buy them any where. Even with the small cake (that you will save for your first anniversary) this should not be more than $100.00+ the cupcake stand. Look how pretty http://www.coolcupcakes.com/Cupcake_Stan...
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage!
I would choose another bakery and have one of your guests cut the cake!!! Just make sure it's okay with the restaurant that you do it that way. Just tell them that your aunt really wants to cut and serve the cake. I have cut cakes at at least 5 weddings because of the same reason. $2 per cut is riduculous! I'm sure someone in your family/ friends knows how to cut cake. Keep in mind that you might need a few people to serve the cake also, usually if the restaurant doesn't cut it, they won't serve it. If you get an outside bakery to make the cake you will probably be charged a cake set up fee - for them to come to your party and set the cake up ahead of time, but I think it'll be much less than buying the cake from the restaurant.
don't have a cake.
get away from tradition
I would go with Little Debbie Cakes... That is a cheap way to go.