Cakes & Sweets

Piece of Cake! | How to Order the Right Amount of Wedding Cake Based on Guest Count

June 10

Trying to figure out the right amount of dessert to order for your wedding isn’t always a piece of cake … calculating the right size of wedding cake can be tricky! We’re giving all our best tips for ordering an appropriately sized wedding cake based on your guest count. Let’s get started!

You’ll want to make sure you order enough cake to adequately serve your guests, but without paying for a bunch of extra cake that goes to waste or ending up with a ton of leftovers. A common calculation for wedding cake allows for one slice of bride’s cake per guest and a half slice of groom’s cake. So if you have 100 guests, you’d need 100 servings of bride’s cake and 50 servings of groom’s cake. However, it’s common nowadays for some guests to decline a cake slice, so you can usually get away with ordering enough cake for just 80 percent of guests – remember, that includes ALL the cake you order, whether you do one cake or two (or more!). Always consult with a professional baker to get their opinion, as well!

Cake Serving Size by Tier

Wedding Cake Tier Combos + Total Servings

Questions to Consider When Ordering Wedding Cake:

Are you having one cake or multiple cakes? Remember the 80 percent rule includes enough cake for all your guests between ALL the cakes you’ll have, not just the main bride’s cake.

Are you serving other desserts in addition to cake? If you’re planning on having a full dessert table or serving a different dessert with dinner, you’ll need much less cake. You can probably order about 50 percent cake in this case and fill in with the additional desserts for everyone else.

Do you want to save the top tier of your wedding cake? Many couples choose to partake in the tradition of taking home the top layer of their cake, freezing it, and saving it to eat on their first wedding anniversary. You could also do this with just a couple of slices if you don’t want to save a whole tier!

How is your cake being served? If you’re having a self-serve cake station, you can get away with ordering less cake than if you serve cake with dinner and definitely need a slice for each place setting.

Tips to Save Money on Wedding Cake

Serve smaller slices – Ask your wedding cake baker if smaller slices are an option. Often, cakes are sliced into huge slices that may not get fully eaten. Guests won’t mind a slightly smaller piece and it can help stretch your budget even further.

Create an illusion with “fake cake” – Some couples opt to have a layer or two of “fake cake” (made with styrofoam) so they can have a multi-layer cake for display and for photos, but don’t end up with way more cake than they need.

Utilize sheet cakes – For extremely large guest lists, or if you’re just wanting to stretch your budget, consider having simple sheet cakes hidden away in your venue’s catering kitchen to accommodate for extra servings needed, and then doing a less expensive cake on display, perhaps a smaller cake, or one with a couple of fake layers!

Keep Cost Per Slice and Intricacy in Mind

Remember, most wedding cakes are priced by the slice. Typically, cakes run anywhere from $3 to $8 per slice in this region, but that number can sometimes be $10 per slice or more depending on how labor-intensive and intricate your design may be, or if your baker uses specialty ingredients.

If you’re dreaming of a wedding cake with intricate details, sugar flowers, fondant designs, or non-typical ingredients, expect to pay more than the minimum.

Ready to let them eat cake?! Browse some of our favorite North Texas wedding cake bakers and get ready to savor the sweetest part of the day!

Expert Wedding Advice Guest List Management Wedding Budget Tips