Georgina Clatworthy

It goes without saying that the bigger your wedding cake the more it will cost, but it can be difficult to budget for your cake if you have no idea how big a cake you will need to feed all your guests! Determining wedding cake sizes will vary depending on the shape of your cakes and as this article will explain there are other factors that will come into play.

A point to remember is the more elaborate and grand your cake design the more it will cost, so if you have a lot of guests but a small budget – keep it simple! Your choice of flavours and shape will also have a bearing not only on cost but also on the number of portions, a fruit cake is often cut smaller than a sponge cake and as such will go further. It is also worth mentioning that you should let your venue or caterers know what your wedding cake is made of and the number of guests it must feed so they cut the correct portion sizes when it comes time to serve.

If you are having a themed cake you should think about how it will be cut so as to avoid lots of wastage. Themed wedding cakes can be true works of art, but serving them can be a nightmare for venue and catering staff! Don’t be afraid to approach a cake designer about creating a themed cake for you, show them some pictures of cakes you like and they can then work with you to create a cake that fits your vision and budget.

What if you are having a small wedding? You may want to have a big cake as the centrepiece to your reception, even if there are too few guests to consume it all! One trick here is to order the right size of cake for your guest numbers but display each tier on pillars to give the appearance of height. Alternatively you could add some ‘dummy’ tiers made from polystyrene or cardboard and decorated to match. This is a great choice if you want to appearance of a big cake without the cost.

Another way to create more servings from your cake is to have a larger bottom tier. A traditional three tier wedding cake will have cake sizes of 14, 10 and 6 inches but by increasing the tier sizes by 2 inches each you can feed more guests for minimal extra cost. Or you could add smaller satellite cakes which sit beside the main cake and are a cost effective way of adding more servings.

Whilst a big wedding cake is a wonderful sight you should pay attention to amount of wastage you could have. Square cakes are the best choice for easy serving, whereas other shapes will incur some wastage. You cake maker will be able to advise you on the right size for your guest numbers, but as a guide a 6” round cake will feed 12 and a 16” cake will feed 100.