How Much Does a Wedding Cake Cost in Chicago? A Guide
When you’re planning a wedding, you have a lot of decisions to make. From where you want to get married to your wedding date, what you’ll wear, how many guests you’ll invite, and beyond, planning a wedding (or any event) is filled with tons of choices. Choosing if you’ll have a wedding cake, who will make it, and what it’ll look and taste like is one of the more fun choices. But as you start to navigate the planning process, you may wonder, how much does a wedding cake cost? Because there are so many different factors and variables that can influence the ultimate cost of your wedding cake, it can feel totally confusing. But knowing what to expect throughout the wedding cake selection process can help you determine how much of your wedding budget you’ll need to dedicate to the cake and that starts with understanding what goes into wedding cake prices.
Here, we're breaking down some of the cost considerations you'll need to know about when getting ready to choose a wedding cake, from the number of guests you're hoping to serve to (maybe surprisingly) the flavors you prefer.
How Much Does a Wedding Cake Cost?
There are a number of different factors that affect wedding cake pricing, such as the size of the cake, the look and taste of the cake, and even where you’re getting married. Generally speaking, wedding cakes are priced by the slice, so the biggest factor to consider when it comes to estimating how much your wedding cake will cost is the guest count. Here at ECBG, our wedding cakes start at $11 per slice, although you may not choose to provide a slice of cake for each and every guest, so it also depends on how you plan on serving it. If you are doing a plated dessert where a slice of cake is served to each individual you will need enough for everyone, but if you do a dessert station where guests serve themselves, you will only need about 60-70%.
Here’s the price breakdown for our starting buttercream price:
Small cakes (serving 50 or fewer guests): roughly $550
Medium cakes (serving 50 to 100 guests): roughly $825+ (75 servings)
Large cakes (serving 100+ guests): roughly $1,100+
Smaller cakes with a simple design generally cost less than larger cakes with more intricate designs. That’s why knowing how big the wedding will be and what you want your cake to look like is essential before you’re able to get a solid estimate from a bakery.
There are also things you can do to help bring the price down a little bit. We charge $7 per serving for sheet cake, which can help supplement servings. Typically, people will get a 3 or 4 tiered cake to feed about 100 people and then supplement the remaining servings with sheet cake to make the order more cost-effective.
What Factors Affect How Much a Wedding Cake Costs?
Although the size of the cake and number of servings you’ll need is one of the biggest factors in determining wedding cake costs, it’s not the only variable that plays a role. Here’s what else you need to think about:
Number of Tiers Your Cake is Made With
Because more cake tiers mean higher cakes that need additional stability and support (not to mention decoration), the more tiers your cake has, the more your cake will likely cost. It also requires more ingredients and time spent than a smaller, single-tiered cake.
The Flavors You Choose
While common flavors like vanilla, chocolate, or even lemon might be less expensive, if you’re looking for flavors that include nuts or fresh fruits or are fancier or more seasonal, you’ll probably have to pay a bit more. Luxe fillings containing premium ingredients can also result in a higher cake cost.
The Cake’s Design Complexity
When you choose an elaborately designed and decorated cake, your wedding cake will cost more. Highly skilled piping, handmade sugar flowers, intricate painting and fondant work all require more dedicated time from more experienced cake artists. At ECBG, our more intricate cakes start at $13 per slice to cover these kinds of extra costs.
It May Cost More to Deliver and Set Up Your Cake
Delivering and setting up your cake at the venue is an additional charge, separate from what you're paying for the cake itself. While these delivery fees may not be extensive (or one part or the other may be included in your overall cost), you should still consider them when you’re making your decisions because they'll factor into your final price.
At ECBG, our starting price for delivery and set up is $100 for the city proper, and then another $100 per 10 miles.
Where and When You’re Getting Married
If you’re getting married at the height of wedding season or in an expensive city, those details could also mean that your wedding cake price is higher. In Chicago, for example, expect to pay about $8-$15 per slice.
Custom Details
If you want custom details on your wedding cake, you might need to pay an additional cost for them. Handmade cake toppers and other decorations can raise the overall cost of your wedding cake. A cake topper or fondant flower can start at about $75 per flower. If you want a custom riser or cake stand, that will also be an additional cost.
What Else You're Serving
If you're planning to order a tiered wedding cake large enough to serve all of your wedding guests, you'll need to factor that into your decision-making. If, on the other hand, you're planning to feature other sweet treats or even a dessert bar at your wedding reception, you may not need to order quite as large of a cake, instead making do with a smaller version knowing that some of your guests will likely choose to sample the other desserts you're serving instead of eating a slice of wedding cake. Plus not all of your guests will pursue dessert. Some will leave after dinner, some will be distracted on the dance floor, and some are not dessert lovers!
How to Save Money on Wedding Cakes
While wedding cakes aren’t cheap, there are some ways to get a beautiful wedding cake without spending more than you’ve budgeted for your cake.
Choose a smaller display cake: If you’re working with a tight budget, you can order a smaller cake and supplement it with sheet cake.
Cut back on design: Because simpler cakes are often more affordable than intricately designed cakes, choosing something that’s classic and minimalist can help you save some money on your cake.
Simplify your flavors: Whether you’re planning to serve a few flavors or just one, opting for a more common flavor that everyone will love instead of something fancier can help keep the cost of your wedding cake down.
At ECBG, we also offer budget-friendly options on our website, which you can purchase directly from our Cake Shop, including the White Wedding or the Eat Your Heart Out, which start at $115 and $120 respectively and go up to about $250. Those options don’t include delivery, however, so you’d need to plan to pick up your cake yourself because our delivery minimum is $600.
So, How Much Should You Budget for Your Wedding Cake?
Ultimately, there are a lot of factors to consider that can influence the cost of your cake and a lot of them come down to personal preferences. From the size of your guest list to the venue you’ve chosen, to the complexity of the design, flavors, and more, knowing what you’re looking for is the first step to determining what you’ll need to budget for. If you're planning to go with basic flavors and a simple design, the cake served on your special day is likely to be a bit lower in cost. If you're looking for elaborate designs, intricate details, and enough cake to feed a crowd, it's going to cost more.
When you’re early in the wedding planning process and going over your initial budget, it’s a good idea to plan to spend a starting price of at least $600-$1,000 on your wedding cake if you’re getting married in a city. The average wedding cake cost in the U.S. is around $500, according to data collected by Zola. Doing some research into the prices in your area can help you narrow down your budget and give you a better idea of what you may be looking to spend.
FAQs
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If you have 100 guests you’re looking to serve on your big day, you should plan on spending about $700-$900, depending on how you want the cake to look and taste.
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Ultimately, it’s likely that the size, design, and flavor of your cake, not to mention the city or area in which you’re getting married, will have more of an effect on the price of a wedding cake than the month you’re getting married. Knowing the number of guests you want to serve is going to be one of the most important factors in pricing out your cake (but it's not the only important factor).
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We provide wedding cake tastings to go for $50 and wedding cake tastings in person at the Cake Studio for $60.
Selecting a wedding cake should be a fun part of your overall wedding planning process, but that doesn't mean that making potentially expensive wedding planning decisions isn't also stressful. Knowing how much you may need to budget to spend on your wedding cake makes choosing your cake a lot less overwhelming and helps you make the best choice for you and your partner on your big day.
