During the early stages of wedding planning, you’ll probably set at least a ballpark budget for each element of your wedding. Even if you’re just starting to plan, you’ll definitely have an idea in your head of how much you’d be willing to spend. But how much does a wedding cake cost, and what can you expect for your budget?

Well, the wedding cake cost can vary significantly, depending on so many different factors. Although you might think that the number of servings will play a large part, realistically, adding an extra tier of cake or switching to the next size up will only add a proportionately small additional cost. The biggest differences affecting the wedding cake cost will come from different bakers, their ingredient costs, skill level, location relative to venue, running costs and most importantly, your design. I thought it would be helpful to compare some of the different budget ranges when it comes to wedding cakes, and see what you can get for them. Although there’s no ‘standard’ cake size, let’s assume you need to serve about 80-100 people, with 1” x 1” slices (if using a professional baker), with the cake being delivered up to 15 minutes to the venue.

Lowest Wedding Cake Cost: £75

There are two quite different options in the lowest budget range: using standard supermarket/high street celebration cakes and making your own wedding cake (or having a family member do it).

1. Using the supermarket’s ‘best quality’ sponge cakes, designed for afternoon tea with your friends, you could serve 100 guests for under £50. It doesn’t compare to a homemade cake by any stretch, and is filled with preservatives and additives, but if that’s not a concern to you, it’s a really cost effective way of feeding lots of guests with a tasty cake. As each cake only serves about 6 people, you could also go really wild with flavours, and mix and match from the different options they have (vanilla, chocolate, lemon, coffee, carrot). Even with their off-the-shelf party cake options, you could feed everyone for under £75, and have a fun themed cake to match your personality and wedding (roses, rainbows, animals, superheroes). If you’re really looking to save on your wedding cake cost, cupcakes are the cheapest option from the supermarket, and you can still have a larger cake to cut.
2. The other option in the under £75 range is to have a homemade cake. Either made yourself or by a family member. This definitely isn’t the cheapest option, despite most people’s assumptions, but it often lends a really personal touch for couples. Once you’ve purchased all of the ingredients, fillings and boards that you’ll need to make the cake, as well as some decorations, the wedding cake cost will start mounting up. Another thing to think about is that although this option is cheapest in terms of money you have to pay out, it can be quite a stressful job for you or other family members leading up to and on the big day, and it’s quite a big favour to ask someone. But if someone has offered and you trust them to do it, it will be a really special part of the wedding.

Lowest Mid Wedding Cake Cost: £75 – £300

In this budget range, there’s actually quite a few different options, from supermarkets to hobby and professional bakers. This category is also still below Bridebook’s average wedding cake cost for 2019, with most couples spending £331.

1. A made-to-order, luxury supermarket wedding cake. Although these vary across almost the entire budget range, this means you have lots of flexibility on wedding cake cost. At the lower end is a very famous his and hers chocolate caterpillar cake, stretching to a more heavily decorated luxury white cake at the higher end. With multiple flavour choices and the reliability of a trusted high street brand, these are a really good option. However, they are not without their problems, and there have been a few stories of brides let down by stores. The only guaranteed downside is that you have to deliver them yourself, and often you need to stack them too. So just think about whether you need the added stress on your wedding day. Or even better, maybe it’s a job that you can delegate to a member of the wedding party or family?

2. Wedding cake from a ‘hobby’ baker or someone starting out. A ‘hobby baker’ (as I see it) is someone who is registered with the council (i.e. has a food hygiene rating) and follows all appropriate laws regarding food hygiene and selling their services (i.e. registers their income with HMRC). They may not make many cakes every year, and do not charge as much as professional bakers (although some of them certainly should!). This does not include bakers who are not registered and don’t log their income with HMRC – I definitely don’t advocate someone who operates like this (friends and family don’t fall into this group). Hobby and new bakers often just take on cakes they feel confident making or would enjoy making, so they tend to charge less. Like everything else, have a really good chat with them, get to know them, taste their cake and look at their work, and if you’re happy, agree on a price with them. You can’t expect a cake that will rival some of the most expensive London bakers, but you can expect a cake that has been lovingly made and looks good, but maybe with a few slight imperfections. They’re perfectly imperfect.

3. Cupcakes from a professional baker is the final option in this category, falling at the higher end of the price budget. They might be at the higher end, but there are so many reasons why they are worth the extra wedding cake cost. They will be baked, just for you, in the flavours of your choice (often more than is available from hobby bakers or supermarkets, and they will be beautifully decorated, in whatever design you choose. On the day, they will be delivered to the venue and set up, with no effort required from you. This is arguably the most cost effective way to get a professional quality wedding cake.

Higher Mid Wedding Cake Cost: £300 – £750

I did say that the wedding cake cost can vary significantly! Within the middle bracket are professional cake makers, ranging from very good to phenomenal. You are almost guaranteed a very well finished cake, that is structurally sound, delivered to the venue and set up for you, with no hassle. These cake makers will come recommended by venues who have worked with them in the past, who know they are reliable and will leave couples and guests happy. At the lower end of the price range, you often find buttercream cakes, followed closely by naked or semi-naked cakes, costing in the £300-500 bracket. Fondant cakes are much more expensive because they take so much work, stretching up to approx. the £750 mark. In this category, you’ll also find some off-the-shelf options from some of the well-known, higher end cake studios. They won’t be very customisable, if at all, but they should be every bit perfect and flavourful.

High End Wedding Cake Cost: £750 – £10,000+

Finally, you will know of some of the most luxurious wedding cake makers in the UK from royal weddings and trending cake styles. Although every studio will price differently, these are the kind of places where you don’t worry about the wedding cake cost, but know they will create a masterpiece that you could never have dreamt of in your wildest dreams. From 3 tier flower adorned simple beauties to 10 tier heavily decorated masterpieces, the journey and final cake from a luxury cake studio should be phenomenal.

When it comes down to wedding cake cost, there is no right or wrong budget that you should set. It’s completely up to you and your partner. How important is the cake to you? Do you want a cake that will be delicious, and wow guests because it’s been beautifully made and suits you and your wedding perfectly? If so, you’re probably going to have to invest a bit more money in the budget. If you and your partner just want something sweet for your guests to enjoy on the day, and it’s not important that it matches your theme or is a particular flavour, then you can definitely make some ‘smart swaps’ and find an option at the lower end of the scale. Whatever you choose, I hope you and your guests love it!

Good luck and happy planning!

Lara x

Here at Not Your Average I Do we’re on a mission to inspire couples to create a wedding day that’s as unique as they are.

As National Award-Winning Wedding Designers, we are able to style your venue to create the day you have always dreamt of. We love nothing more than bringing our clients vision to life and helping them create an awe-inspiring day that truly reflects their personalities. Our draping, lighting, lantern displays and fresh floral arrangements can really give your venue that WOW factor. As well as ceiling decor, we have a large Wedding Warehouse full of props, furniture and bars, providing all the little extras to add that personal touch to your day.

In addition, we have just launched Not Your Average Flowers, our NEW floristry service to complement our warehouse full of props, altars, arches, table centres and backdrops. Floristry compliments our venue styling service beautifully and we are delighted to now be able to offer bridal bouquets, buttonholes and floral accessories with our very own talented florist, Lisa.  Asking NYA to style your venue and design the flowers, you can be assured that the floral design work will complement and flow from the bridal party to the venue styling effortlessly.

We also offer our popular on the day coordination and event management service, which is ideal if you are dry hiring a venue, have booked a marquee or want an outdoor festival wedding. With our vast knowledge and expertise, you can rest assured that your day will run smoothly, leaving you and your family to sip champagne and leaving the stepping up ladders to us!

Whether you would like us to style your whole wedding, install a lighting, lantern or draping installation, hire our props or simply be an extra pair of hands on the day, here at NYA we can do exactly that.  Please do drop us a line if you would like to book a free inspiration consultation at our Wedding Warehouse. Let the team at Not Your Average I Do transform your dream day into a reality.

Copper & Confetti – Custom Wedding Goods and Printables

Lauren is full-time handbag designer and recent newlywed living in New York.  After her wedding in September 2018, she really missed the planning part of it! “I love being creative, designing and all things wedding related, so opening an Etsy shop – Copper & Confetti seemed like the perfect thing for me to do”. She said.

When Lauren was searching for thank you cards for her own wedding, she had a hard time finding exactly what she wanted. “This became something I really wanted to focus on in my own printable portraits- offering lots of different customised options that a lot of other shops don’t have” she said. “I researched current trends for bridal beauty, dress styles, bridesmaid colours etc and made sure these were available to my customers”. Lauren thinks personalised items bring a really special touch to a wedding that the guests are sure to remember! To add even a more unique aspect to her art, all the florals you see in her pieces are hand painted.

Lauren also offers further customisation if needed and can work 1:1 with the client to ensure their vision for their wedding day is met.  All her pieces are digital, so they are emailed directly to the clients who can then either print at home or bring to their local print shop.

“As a recent bride myself, I know how stressful planning a wedding can be.  So, my wish is that my designs not only bring beauty into the events surrounding the special day, but also help to make your lives easier.” She says.

Finding the perfect Bridal jewellery is an exciting part of the build up to your big day & Simon Pure are here to help.

Choosing jewellery for your wedding might seem daunting but with guidance from the friendly staff you can relax knowing you’re in safe hands. Simon Pure can offer advice & consider your personal style, gown along with any other accessories you may have.

Many of our collections are available in different metals – perfect for all skin tones. Silver & gold tones are gorgeously classic, while rose gold offers a softer look that’s very feminine & flattering.

Passionate about beautiful jewellery we have been creating the most gorgeous designs at our Surrey workshop since 1986. You can visit either the Guildford Boutique or the workshop itself in Smithbrook Kilns, Cranleigh to be engulfed with beautiful jewellery containing precious stones, semi-precious stones & fresh water pearls set in our unique hand designed pieces.

Both stores & our website carry a range of beautifully crafted rings, bracelets, necklaces & earrings with an emphasis on simple, elegant style. The friendly team also welcome bespoke commissions, so if you have something in mind let Simon Pure help your design become reality.

With all of the hot weather we’ve been having through Spring and Summer months in the past few years, there have been some horror stories around about melting wedding cakes. Cakes are made of some of the most simple ingredients, butter/sugar/eggs/flour, and are therefore quite vulnerable when it comes to extreme conditions, whether that be hot and humid or cold and dry! We have Lara at lovefromLila sharing her top tips for looking after your wedding cake on a hot Summer’s day…

• Think about the room where you’re planning to display your wedding cake. Is it outside or inside? Air-conditioned or a warm sunny spot? Marquees are an absolute no-go for cakes in hot weather. Where possible, you want to keep your cake in a cool spot, indoors where the temperature can at least be moderated, if not completely controlled. Ask your venue what they have done in the past for other couples.

• You should also speak to your cake maker to see if they have any suggestions about different designs or flavours that would survive better in the heat. There are some icings which can cope better in the heat, e.g. fondant icing, but if you have your heart set on a buttercream wedding cake, then an experienced cake maker will know how to do that well.

• However, even the best cake makers cannot avoid a small amount of bulging between the layers of a fondant cake in the heat of Summer. If you really want your wedding cake to look perfect, it might be worth asking your cake maker to create the display cake out of dummy cakes, and use cutting cakes in the back to actually feed your guests

• If your wedding cake is being made by a friend or family member that isn’t as experienced with wedding cakes, why not think about having more of a deconstructed cake like Meghan Markle? It avoids the complication of stacking cakes in hot weather and makes it easier to look after each tier e.g. getting them in and out of the fridge.

• When transporting a wedding cake in Summer, it’s even more important that you keep it cool as any bump or corner in the car could lead to the layers in-between sliding away from one another. For fondant cakes, you need to keep them somewhere cool before getting in the car and then make sure the air-conditioning keeps the car as cool as possible. Never refrigerate a fondant cake as it doesn’t need it, and will create more problems down the line. For buttercream cakes, I would recommend refrigerating the cake for at least 90 minutes before travelling, and then keeping the air-conditioning on in the car for the journey. As soon as you arrive at the venue, get the cake out of the car as without the air-conditioning on, the car quickly turns into a sauna.

• If you’re not planning to cut your wedding cake until later on in the evening (e.g. 9pm) then don’t put your cake on display until later on in the afternoon. The temperature tends to start dropping around 5pm, as does the sun, so keep your cake cool/refrigerated and bring it out once you’re happy that the weather is on your side!

• Most importantly, even if you’ve taken every other precaution on this list, make sure you have a backup plan. Ask a bridesmaid or family member to keep an eye on your wedding cake on the day, and if it looks as if it’s starting to sag or the icing is too wet (because it’s starting to melt), get it into the fridge or at the very least into a cool and shady spot or air-conditioned room.

Summer weather is not always the kindest to cakes, but with a little bit of extra thought, planning and care, your wedding cake will be absolutely fine, even on the hottest day. Keep up to date with the weather forecast and have a backup plan just in case. Good luck and happy planning!

Lara x

With lots of spring/summer weddings coming up; what a perfect time to showcase some of the best wedding invitations we’ve found.

Atelier Rosemood

English Garden Gatefold

We are obsessing over the ‘Gatefold’ wedding invitation format – especially the beautiful English Garden design which is available in yellow and green.

Wanting the ‘Gatefold’ finish? Atelier Rosemood are currently offering this finish to the following designs – English Garden, Chic, Chic Border, Poem

Invites can be designed on smoothe matte paper, textured ivory or iridescent paper – all prices are found on the site.

A New format for wedding invitations!

Rosemood are now offering gatefold wedding invitations, which open from the centre, both left and right, to reveal your wedding details on the inside. Your guests are sure to love how this stylish format of wedding invitations allows them to reveal the information about your day little by little, discovering text on the inside of each folded flap and the back inside page. This elegant format is already available for five wedding invitations*

Papier

Dusky Peonies

Designed by the very talented @Emmablock – these beautiful, floral wedding invitations are printed on textured Mohawk paper and are something special for your guests to have and to hold forever.

From £20.00 for 10
Printing and production takes 3-4 working days

The Wedding Of Calligraphy Gold

Minimalist, gold-foiled wedding invitations by @suziedicker with hand drawn calligraphy are the signature notes of contemporary stationary brand – À L’aise

£20.00 for 10
Printing and production takes 3 – 4 working days

Love Invited

Country rustic wedding invitation

Planning a outdoorsy, country wedding? These invites would set the scene well.
Each invitation is lovingly hand finished with natural twine and a personalised tag.
You have the option to customise the invitation finish – with Rose Gold Foil, Gold Foil or Silver Foil, as well as selecting the size of the invites and if you’d like guest names to be printed.

Etsy 

Peony Rustic Floral Design Laser Cut Wedding Invitation Suite

How stunning is this entire summer wedding invitation suite – complete with wedding invitations, RSVP, pearlescent envelopes, guest information cards, menu cards and a honeymoon wish list!
* Free UK delivery

Invites are all:

• Handmade
• Wedding theme: Boho & hippie
• Season: Summer
• Fold: Flat
• Made to order

Polina Perri 

Rosalie Rose Gold & Ivory Glitter

We are in love with the elegance and glamour of this stunning rose gold wedding invitation by Polina Perri
All personalised adjustments will be handled by the in-house designer who will create an electronic copy first to ensure you are completely happy with the design.

If you are planning a garden wedding or an outdoor celebration, these invitations would be a perfect choice.

We would love to hear all about your wedding theme idea’s and which wedding invitation has grabbed your attention – let us know by leaving a comment below!

Happy Saturday from Design My Wedding x

Fed up for fruitcake? Sick of sponge? We hear ya!

We’ve done our research and put together a mouth-watering list of all things alternative to help you design your wedding, starting with the most important part – all things sweet!

Gingerrayuk

We are obsessing over this ‘Treat Yourself’ Donut Wall by GingerRayUK
For the rustic, country couple; this makes a very cute finishing touch!
– Contains 2 donuts walls/ space for 18 donuts
– Priced at £14.99

If you’re after #weddinginspo and haven’t already checked out GingerRayUK  or their Instagram page, YOU MUST! You can shop by category, by theme or by range which is perfect for couples wanting to design their wedding.

Perfect Pie

We are loving the Pork Pie wedding cake alternative! If you prefer savoury than sweet, why not chose one of the glorious pork pie tiers from, Perfect Pie – what’s great about this company is they create bespoke orders to suit your preference and work solid on one cake per week.

Check out their Instagram page for lots more #PorkPieWeddingCakeInspiration

Our ‘go-to’ would be this – Classic Onion Marmalade pork pie, Sweet Chilli, Naked (traditional), Chorizo or Wiveton (lemon, parsley and garlic). Mmmm …

Crumbs and Dollies

Want something fun and unique? Head over to Crumbs and Dollies for some quirky, cool inspiration.

We are loving this modern take on an old-school, classic – Jammy Dodger. What do you think?

Raspberry Ripple Vanilla Sponge filled with raspberry goo, vanilla buttercream, raspberry jam splodge, topped with a Jammy Dodger.

Big (dozen)|£38.00
Mini (dozen)| £19.00

If you like this style, you must check out their Instagram page #quirkyweddingcakes

The Cheese Wedding Cake

Cheese Wedding Cake Draycot

The Draycot cheese tiers have definitely caught our full attention; with Truffle Gloucester, Dorset Blue Vinny and Cerney Ash cheeses – what’s not to enjoy!
Price: £240
Feeds: 75 -105 guests

If, like us, you’re a big ‘cheese fan’ and are thinking that this alternative wedding cake option is right up your street, go ahead and check out The Cheese Wedding Cake and their mouth-watering Instagram page. They also offer bespoke services for those of you that want to design your own – big thumbs up from us!

Roxsys Delights

These beautiful cupcakes caught our attention – All natural ingredients and freshly baked to order!
Check out her website and Instagram page for lots more #weddingcupcakeinspiration
Mini cupcakes | £15 per dozen (minimum order 2 dozen)
Regular cupcakes | £30.00 per dozen (minimum order of 1 dozen)

Choose from a variety of unique and delicious flavours or design your own. Here are two of our favourites.

~ Vanilla sponge, topped with vanilla buttercream and a pink rose.

~ Vanilla sponge, topped with Baileys buttercream. Garnished with a pipette filled with Baileys – OUR FAVOURITE!

Ginger & Cacao

After a sophisticated twist? Look no further than Ginger & Cacao who offer a professional and bespoke service to capture your style.

Specialising in buttercream cake designs, Ginger & Cacao are inspired by art, textures and cultures.

We adore this Champagne and Mauve Macaron Tower – for more #weddinginspiration head over to their Instagram page.

Let us know what alternative wedding cake you choose by leaving a comment below!